Causes and Conduction of World War II

Group 1

• establish an international organization to prevent future conflicts

• work to create nation-states for ethnic minorities that had been under imperial control

• broker a peace agreement on liberal principles that would not be motivated by revenge

• resist the spread of Bolshevism following the Russian Revolution

• They led to a successful communist revolution in Germany.

• They triggered a massive wave of emigration from Germany.

• They resulted in the virtual deindustrialization of Germany.

• They encouraged the rise of political extremism in Germany.

• The Netherlands, by remaining neutral during the war, profited significantly from helping Germany evade the Entente’s naval blockade.

• The Netherlands, like Germany before the war, had a significant overseas empire.

• The Netherlands, like Germany, had a large merchant fleet.

• The Netherlands, like Germany until 1918, was a constitutional monarchy, although the Dutch monarchs had less effective power than the German kaiser.

Group 2

Group 4

• Nazi scientists were working frantically to develop nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction that could save the Nazi regime from defeat.

• Allied firebombing in Germany and Japan had caused massive devastation and civilian casualties, and atomic weapons were vastly more powerful than those used in firebombing.

• German scientists such as Franck were critical to helping the United States develop nuclear weapons, and some of those scientists wanted the weapons used on Germany rather than Japan.

• Some United States allies were largely unaware of the United States attempt to develop nuclear weapons.

• The United States use of nuclear weapons against Japan might provoke the Soviet Union into becoming Japan’s ally.

• Japanese government propaganda instilled fierce, suicidal nationalism in the Japanese population, making Japan unlikely to surrender unconditionally without experiencing the effects of nuclear weapons.

• The United States use of nuclear weapons against Japan would likely force the United States into a prolonged occupation of Japan in order to ensure the economic redevelopment of the country.

• Japanese military actions in the Pacific, though often brutal, did not justify the use of nuclear weapons against Japanese cities with large civilian populations.

• New international organizations could have only a limited effect in restraining the actions of the great powers.

• The peace agreements should ensure that Germany could never threaten the stability of Europe again.

• The end of the war would probably lead to a new rivalry between the victorious states.

• Mass atrocities committed during the war required that states possess sufficient armaments to defend themselves in future conflicts.