Who Is Responsible for World War 2? Could It Have Been Avoided?

[Comrade the Colonel]

I still find it hard to believe that you are blaming the war on the defenders, not the fanatical madman who re-industrialized and rearmed a nation before systematiclly absorbing smaller nations through crackpot diplomacy and military violation of their sovereign borders...:

Could Britain and France have stopped the war: yes.
Did they: No.
Does that mean they are to blame for the entire conflict: well...take a guess at what I am going to say.

It would be like if a guy had his car stolen, and someone blamed him because he didn't lock it. True, he could have prevented it, but that doens't excuse the thief.

I am not blaiming them for the entire conflict, just for the start of it.

[Delta228]

I am not blaiming them for the entire conflict, just for the start of it.

I still think it's a bit of a stretch. Perhaps lack of prevention would be more clear?

[Comrade the Colonel]

how so?

[UnitedIreland]

What about Paul Von Hindenburg? He was the man that put Hitler in power? What about the brokers in America that lent to much money and led to the Wall Street Crash of 1929, which created the correct political conditions for Hitler to get support? It wasn't any countries fault, the war came about after a series of unfortunate events that were manipulated by a genius. Yes Hitler was a genuis but a complete nut! Have you ever read Mein Kampf?

[The Noble Lord]

What about Paul Von Hindenburg? He was the man that put Hitler in power?

Marshal von Hindenburg was old and exhausted president who wanted to see somebody else in power rather than Communists and Socialists. He just accepted what was asked from him by the alliance of German industrialists and right-wingers. Hitler was seen as the answer to all the Germany's problem's and as the only alternative to the KPD (German Communist Party). President Von Hindenburg really disliked Hitler and did not wnat to give power to him, but there was nobody else.

[tonymurphy1888]

usa is to blame if it wasent for wilson and his 14 points at versailles the french would have hurt germany so hard they would have never recoverd ever

on the other hand tho you could blame fance and clemenceau for wanting to crucify germany causing bitterness

or britain for its policy of appeasment

so i guess what im saying is it was bad luck everyones to blame who was involved in ww1 and versailles

we screwd up and hitler capitilised

ww2 was gonnae happen wether it be in the 40s or later but the 40s was the best time for it to happen if it happend later more lives would have been lost

it could have been prevented but it would just have been worst when it eventually happend

[SonOfOdin]

usa is to blame if it wasent for wilson and his 14 points at versailles the french would have hurt germany so hard they would have never recoverd ever

on the other hand tho you could blame fance and clemenceau for wanting to crucify germany causing bitterness

or britain for its policy of appeasment

so i guess what im saying is it was bad luck everyones to blame who was involved in ww1 and versailles

we screwd up and hitler capitilised

ww2 was gonnae happen wether it be in the 40s or later but the 40s was the best time for it to happen if it happend later more lives would have been lost

it could have been prevented but it would just have been worst when it eventually happend

Wait a second mate...Wilson's points were generous to to germans and the central powers
The French were the ones that punished the Germans severly(Germany had invaded France twice in less than 50 years(Bismarck and then in WW1))
The British weren't keen to punish the Germans but agreed with the French(for once...but at the wrong time)

[Delta228]

Wait a second mate...Wilson's points were generous to to germans and the central powers
The French were the ones that punished the Germans severly(Germany had invaded France twice in less than 50 years(Bismarck and then in WW1))
The British weren't keen to punish the Germans but agreed with the French(for once...but at the wrong time)

he wasn't trying to say the 14 points caused the war because they were bad towards Germany, rather, the 14 points caused a rift between the victorious allies that made the Treaty of Versailles into more of a compromise that neither gutted Germany, thereby preventing further armament, nor made Europe into a modern EU type of area.

(i think that's what he's saying....)

[Comrade the Colonel]

please, you have got to be kidding me. You cant seriously lay all the blame on the USA.

btw, welcome to TWC

[UnitedIreland]

please, you have got to be kidding me. You cant seriously lay all the blame on the USA.

btw, welcome to TWC

Nice way to welcome him, by completely disregarding his opinion.

To be fair, it is stupid to blame the USA fully.

[tonymurphy1888]

yes youll notice that my motto is if in doubt blame america or france (you can never go wrong)lol

thanks man appreciated

[Comrade the Colonel]

yea, its all the tea drinking brits fault. If only they could call cookies cookies and not biscuits. Then germany wouldnt have gone on their biscuit extermination campaign. :

[UnitedIreland]

Maybe the cause of WW2 can be tranced back to 1873 and the failure to form the League Of The Three Emperors between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia. This failure happened due to Russia and Austria-Hungary disagreeing over how to manage the Balkans. This failure ended up with the Dual Allaince between Germany and Austria-Hungary and left Russia defending the Balkans. It was these factors that led these sides to declare war on each other in 1914 after the assassination of Archduke Fraz Ferdinand. It was WW1 that led to the Treaty of Versailles, the Wall Street Crash, crappy League Of Nations, a weak Britain and France and a suppressed Germany and the rise of Hitler and WW2.

[Delta228]

Maybe the cause of WW2 can be tranced back to 1873 and the failure to form the League Of The Three Emperors between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia. This failure happened due to Russia and Austria-Hungary disagreeing over how to manage the Balkans. This failure ended up with the Dual Allaince between Germany and Austria-Hungary and left Russia defending the Balkans. It was these factors that led these side to declare war on each other in 1914 after the assassination of Archduke Fraz Ferdinand. It was WW1 that led to the Treaty of Versailles, the Wall Street Crash, crappy League Of Nations, a weak Britain and France and a suppressed Germany and the rise of Hitler and WW2.

A bit of a stretch.

WW1 did not really directly cause the Great Depression. In fact, it did quite the opposite.

The Great Depression is more of a separate issue, but it is nonetheless the root of WWII. If you look at Wiemar Germany pre Great Depression, they were actually doing quite well, reforming German economics and stabilizing the economy. They even had pretty decent poll results. It was the Depression that turned all that around and lead Germans to look to other opposition parties to fix the economy. And well, Hitler did that incredibly effectivly.

[UnitedIreland]

A bit of a stretch.

It may be a bit of a stretch but it is fact and people can't say that its wrong.

My actual opinion is that the true cause of WW2 is the Wall Street Crash as it destroyed Germany and created the nessesscary political conditions for Hitler to get into power.

[Delta228]

It may be a bit of a stretch but it is fact and people can't say that its wrong.

My actual opinion is that the true cause of WW2 is the Wall Street Crash as it destroyed Germany and created the nessesscary political conditions for Hitler to get into power.

Bingo

So therefore, we can blame over 100 million deaths on: Herbert Hoover , or as I call him, Hoobert Heaver

[Barry Goldwater]

The policy of appeasement, the Great Depression that wrecked Weimar Germany and of course the idealistic Wilson's Fourteen Points, which were not enough to castrate and dismember Germany to make sure it never became a threat again.

APPEASEMENT IS NOT A CAUSE OF WWII! That is a ridiculous claim. Using my earlier example, it's like blaming a guy who got his car stolen because he didn't lock it. Regardless of how stupid it was to NOT lock his car, it's not his fault: it's the thief's.

You cannot blame the war on Britain, or France, or especially (dear god) on Neville Chamberlain! They did NOT cause the situation that pushed Europe to war. Had France and Britain provoked Hitler, it would be a different story.

Could they have prevented the war: in all likelihood, yes. But are they to blame for Hitler's actions: Hell NO.

Appeasement made Hitler confident enough to keep pulling crazy . Could the French have kindly told him to off and out of the Rhineland? Yes. Could they have put their foot down at the Ausgleich and kept Italy on their side? Yes. Could they have stopped Hitler at Munich? Yes.

Did they? No.

By the time the Western Allies actually did something, it was too late - Hitler had rearmed and strengthened Germany. And even then...could the Brits & French have swept into Western Germany while he was fighting the Poles, ending the war swiftly and decisively? Yes. Did they? Not really, the French made a token offensive (The Saar Offensive) and then pulled back without having done anything important.

Using your analogy, it'd be like that guy driving his car into a wretched hive of sin & villainy, getting it robbed and then paying the gang who stole it over and over again (and also failing to lock the door, every time, although he should have learned the first time) before finally realizing he ran out of money, then finally getting his friends and starting an epic gang war.

[Marcellvs Orellivs]

I think Neville Chamberlain is the biggest cause of WWII. He was the one who adopted the policy of appesement with Hitler; he went over to Germany and conceded the Sudetenland to Hitler. After he returned to Britain he said: "My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honour. I believe it is peace for our time." Look how wrong he was.

[Delta228]

APPEASEMENT IS NOT A CAUSE OF WWII! That is a ridiculous claim. Using my earlier example, it's like blaming a guy who got his car stolen because he didn't lock it. Regardless of how stupid it was to NOT lock his car, it's not his fault: it's the thief's.

You cannot blame the war on Britain, or France, or especially (dear god) on Neville Chamberlain! They did NOT cause the situation that pushed Europe to war. Had France and Britain provoked Hitler, it would be a different story.

Could they have prevented the war: in all likelihood, yes. But are they to blame for Hitler's actions: Hell NO.

[UnitedIreland]

Well Hitler was only one in a very long line of Germans that desired a 'Greater Germany'. The idea of a greater Germany stretches all the way back to 1848. If Hitler had of died in the trenches of WW1 I believe that there would have been a Second World War but not in 1939 and odviously without Hitler. The Germans are a very proud people and there was alot of people within Germany that felt as though they deserved better.