How Measures taken by Global Powers to Reestablish Peace and Stability after World War I Directly led to the outbreak of World War II

Answer

How Measures taken by Global Powers to Reestablish Peace and Stability after World War I Directly led to the outbreak of World War II

After World War 1, which fought between the central powers consisting of the Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire and the allied forces led by Great Britain, Russia, Italy, Romania, Japan and the last entrants, the United States of America; the world through the guidance of Woodrow Wilson in his Fourteen point address resolved to craft a path of peace and corporation in the international affairs (Tooze, 2015). In his address to congress, Wilson provided an idealistic way to post world war reconstruction, calling for open diplomacy, negations, and respect of the independent territories. It is against these backdrops that the Germans agreed to the terms of the Armistice agreement putting an end to the four-year war in November 1918 (Lyons, 2016).  Further, through the guidance of the 14th point, a general association of Nations was recommended to mitigate future international disputes, leading powers met in Paris for peace negotiation resulting to the Treaty of Versailles.

Though good in its intention, the spirit behind the treaty led to the outbreak of World War II. Both the French, British, Italian, and American leaders had a competing agenda in the negotiation table (Lyons, 2016). For instance, the French leadership, in anticipation of future attacks, sought to burden the Germans with massive reparation costs to deter further attacks, same to the Italian counterpart, Orlando, whose main aim was to expand the Italian territory to attain a global power status. Therefore, the treaty required massive reparations cost from Germany in addition to relinquishing parts of her territory and overseas investments. It did not sit well with the Germans, who through the war guilt clause, took full responsibility of the war (Lyons, 2016).  In the years following the treaty, many Germans lost trust in the agreement and the League of Nation, its baby, and after the resignation of Kaiser Wilhelm the second in 1919, German leaders formed a new government in the town of Weimar, thus the Weimar Republic that lasted up to 1933. 

Under the leadership of president Ebert, the defiant republic tried to honor the reparation payments, which drained its coffers, resulting in the economic challenge of hyperinflation (Lyons, 2016). Even so, the Weimar Republic, through the Dawes Plan, honored the reparation plans until the 1929 great depression (Tooze, 2015).  Amidst these unprecedented economic challenges, emerged an extremist Nazi party led by Adolf Hitler. Despite its unpopularity, the party became the symbol of most Germans' social and financial struggles. By 1933, Hitler became the chancellor, and with the legal backing quashed the activities of the communist party and the civil rights movements while slowly introducing totalitarianism in Germany (Lyons, 2016). For instance, through the Enabling Act of 1933, Hitler received the legal authority to pass laws and actions without the approval of the parliament and the president.

After succeeding in muzzling the opposition, Hitler turned his attention to the rest of Europe, first through the subtle appeasement policy with the leading powers of Europe. By supporting peace and disarmament principles, he formed a peace agreement with Italy, the Soviet Union, Italy, and Japan in readiness for the territorial conquest (Lyons, 2016). Following through the terms of the agreements, Hitler pursued the concept of the living space at the watch of the world powers. Obsessed with the idea of land as the basic necessity for human survival enshrined in the living space ideology, Hitler initiated his Eastern Europe conquest, driving out Jews in the German territories while annexing Austria to unite the Volks until the Polish invasion in 1939 leading to full-blown second world war (Lyons, 2016). Therefore, the measures taken to re-establish peace and stability after world war were overtaken by events leading to World War II.