The Treaty of Versailles, signed at the end of World War I, was intended to be a peace treaty between the Allies and Germany. On the other hand, the harsh terms of the treaty forced Germany to accept full responsibility for the war and pay reparations for damages (U.S. history, n.d.). This caused widespread resentment among the German people, as extremist groups sought to restore Germany to its former greatness, this resentment eventually led to the rise of fascism.
The League of Nations’ failure to prevent World War II was also a significant factor in the rise of Nazism. The League of Nations was established in 1919 to prevent future wars by providing a forum for diplomacy and conflict resolution (U.S. history, n.d.). The League, however, could not prevent the rise of fascist regimes and the outbreak of World War II. This failure demonstrated that the League could not maintain peace, leaving many nations feeling vulnerable and isolated, which only aided the rise of fascism.
The United States’ foreign policy during the 1930s had a large part to play in promoting the outbreak of World War II. The policy of neutrality that the U.S. adopted at the start of the war was seen as a means of avoiding involvement in the conflict. However, it encouraged the Axis powers to launch their attacks (Holmes, 2022). The U.S.’ refusal to use its diplomatic power to restrain Germany, Italy, and Japan meant that the Axis powers were emboldened to expand their control of Europe and Asia.
Despite its official neutrality stance, the U.S. provided aid to the Allies in the form of financing and military equipment. This support was seen as a way of tipping the balance of power against the Axis powers and helping the Allies to gain the upper hand (Holmes, 2022). However, the U.S. could not prevent the outbreak of war, mainly because the Axis powers had already made significant gains before the U.S. became involved. Using atomic weapons to defeat enemies in war is undoubtedly a setback for democracy, as it has led to a greater willingness to use indiscriminate force to achieve military objectives. President Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan was controversial, as it resulted in hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians dying.
References
Holmes, M. (2022). The legacy of the Versailles treaty. From the Treaty of Versailles to the Treaty of Maastricht, 4(5), 10–20. Web.
U.S history. (n.d.). OpenStax.