World War One officially ended when the peace
treaty was signed on 28th June 1919.
The treaty ordered Germany to pay reparations
to the countries they had fought, to help
those countries rebuild,
and it was also ordered to hand over 25,000
square miles of land. This put severe strains
on the German economy which was also trying
to rebuild after the war and caused deep resentment
among the German population.
The treaty created the League of Nations,
made up of 42 countries, and intended to resolve
international disputes diplomatically, but
the USA refused to join, which made it severely
weak and ineffective.
Limits were placed on Germany’s military.
Immediately Germany began to break terms of
the treaty by rearming, and after it elected
Hitler, who strongly opposed the Treaty of
Versailles, rearmament increased more rapidly.
Then in 1938 Germany invaded Austria, followed
by parts of Czechoslovakia. Rather than start
another war, Britain and France adopted a
policy of appeasement, tolerating Germany’s
actions up to that point in return for assurances
that it would not continue.
Germany signed a pact with Italy who were
looking to increase their own land, and had
already invaded Abyssinia. Meanwhile Japan
had been invading parts of Asia, but although
they were invited to join the pact they couldn’t
agree with the terms until the following year.
Germany signed another pact with the Soviets,
that neither country would join or support
the other’s enemy, and the following week
Germany invaded Poland. Britain and France
ordered Germany to withdraw its troops, but
after they refused, both countries declared
war on Germany on 3rd September 1939.
