Army of two: the devil’s cartel

Вооружение и снаряжение

Кастомизация оружия

Преобладающая особенность — это возможность настраивать оружие, используя деньги, которые зарабатываются за убийство врагов и выполнение заданий. Официальный блог Army of Two описал это как «как в Lego with Guns каждая часть вашего оружия настраивается и взаимозаменяема с частями другого оружия». Изменения в оружии касаются не только внешнего вида, но также влияют на характеристики и количество вызываемого им агро. Некоторые характеристики оружия, которые можно изменить, — это управляемость, точность, боезапас, агро и мощность.

Конкурс дизайна оружия

В рамках «40-го дня» проводился конкурс на создание оружия, ориентированный на сообщества . Конкурс призвал фанатов и энтузиастов из Северной Америки, Италии, Франции и Великобритании представить изображение и краткое описание созданного ими оружия. Два дизайна оружия (один из североамериканских и один из европейских) были выбраны в качестве победителей и появятся в игре для тех игроков, у которых на игровой консоли есть сохраненная игра из оригинальной Army of Two .

Победившие работы были выбраны 6 августа 2009 года. Победителями стали винтовка AS-KR1 «The Ass Kicker» (представленная ) и снайперская гранатомет «Grand Pinger» (представленная Uberblargh).

Weaponry and Equipment[]

Weapon Customization

A predominant feature in the Army of Two series is the ability to customize weapons using money that is earned in-game. As the official Army of Two blog describes it, «it’s like Lego with Guns every part of your weapon is customizable and interchangeable with parts from other weapons.” The changes to weapons are not only for appearance, but also affect the performance and the amount of aggro that they generate. Some weapon characteristics that can be changed are handling, accuracy, ammunition capacity, and power.
Rios and Salem wear ballistic masks as part of their combat gear. By logging into the Army of Two: The 40th Day website, the player can create custom designs that appear on their masks in both single and multiplayer.

Weapon Design Contest

Like for the original Army of Two, a community-oriented weapons design contest was run for Army of Two: The 40th Day. The contest challenged fans and enthusiasts from North America, Italy, France, and the UK to submit an image and brief description of a weapon that they designed. Two weapon designs were chosen as winners and will appear in the game for those players who have a saved game present on their game console from the original Army of Two. The winning entries were chosen on August 6, 2009. The winning entries were the AS-KR1 «The Ass Kicker» Rifle (submitted by the AngryJoeShow) and the «Grand Pinger» Sniper Launcher (submitted by Uberblargh).
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Economic downturns

Economic downturn can always be relied upon to create conditions of civil, political and international unrest. Hyper-inflation hit Germany hard in 1923-4 and facilitated the early development of Hitler’s career.

Although recovery was experienced, the fragility of the Weimar Republic was exposed by the global crash that hit in 1929. The ensuing Great Depression in turn helped to create conditions, such as widespread unemployment, that facilitated the National Socialist Party’s fatal rise to prominence.

Depositors try desperately to remove their savings from the Savings Bank of Berlin on Mühlendamm Street, 13 July 1931

Treaty of Versailles

In 1919, Lloyd George of England, Orlando of Italy, Clemenceau of France and Woodrow Wilson from the US met to discuss how Germany was to be made to pay for the damage world war one had caused.

Woodrow Wilson wanted a treaty based on his 14-point plan which he believed would bring peace to Europe.

Georges Clemenceau wanted revenge. He wanted to be sure that Germany could never start another war again.

Lloyd George personally agreed with Wilson but knew that the British public agreed with Clemenceau. He tried to find a compromise between Wilson and Clemenceau.

Germany had been expecting a treaty based on Wilson’s 14 points and were not happy with the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. However, they had no choice but to sign the document.

The main terms of the Treaty of Versailles were:

• War Guilt Clause – Germany should accept the blame for starting World War One
• Reparations – Germany had to pay 6,600 million pounds for the damage caused by the war
• Disarmament – Germany was only allowed to have a small army and six naval ships. No tanks, no airforce and no submarines were allowed. The Rhineland area was to be de-militarised.
• Territorial Clauses – Land was taken away from Germany and given to other countries. Anschluss (union with Austria) was forbidden.

The German people were very unhappy about the treaty and thought that it was too harsh. Germany could not afford to pay the money and during the 1920s the people in Germany were very poor. There were not many jobs and the price of food and basic goods was high. People were dissatisfied with the government and voted to power a man who promised to rip up the Treaty of Versailles. His name was Adolf Hitler.

What Started WW2: Explanations from Propaganda

For those wondering how Hitler managed to get the German nation to support the invasion of Poland; Hitler did some very clever marketing in the form of propaganda. While the practice of manipulating public opinion is a mainstay of any political party today, it was an innovative practice in the early Twentieth Century. Nobody perfected this practice better than the Nazis, who devoted entire offices to propaganda and treated it with the same scientific thoroughness as weapons research.

Months before the 1939 invasion of Poland, Hitler and the German press accused the Polish of performing violent “ethnic cleansing” of Germans that were living in Poland. Adolf Hitler also ran several false flag operations such as the Gleiwitz incident, where he dressed his own men in Polish uniforms and ordered them to attack German stations. Needless to say, the Germans believed that Germany had to retaliate and that war with Poland was justified.

This article is part of our larger educational resource on World War Two. For a comprehensive list of World War 2 facts, including the primary actors in the war, causes, a comprehensive timeline, and bibliography, click here.

Cite This Article

«What Started WW2? A Look At The Causes» History on the Net 2000-2021, Salem Media.December 13, 2021 <https://www.historyonthenet.com/what-started-ww2>More Citation Information.

M4 – Sherman

M4 Sherman Tanks in the European Theatre of Operations. Credit: U.S. Army / Public Domain.

The M3 was then followed by the M4, or Sherman. This was produced in huge numbers, with about 50,000 built by the end of the war. The M3 was a highly manoeuvrable tank that could reach 29 mph despite weighing 30 tonnes and its 75 mm gun fired both armour-piercing and high-exploding shells.

The Sherman had a fatal weakness, however, in that it used petrol rather than diesel and had a propensity to burst into flames. This led to them being dubbed ‘Tommy-cookers’ by the Germans.

They were nonetheless vital to securing victory in North Africa and also counted for the bulk of allied tanks in Europe following the D-day landings.

Similarly to the T-34s in the east, the sheer volume of their production ultimately paid dividends.

T-70

Soviet T-70 light tank, displayed in Finnish Tank Museum (Panssarimuseo) in Parola. The main gun is missing. Credit: Balcer / CC-BY-SA 3.0.

This light soviet tank used by the Red Army replaced both the T-60 scout tank for reconnaissance and the T-50 light infantry tank for infantry support.

The tank was operated by a driver and a commander who loaded and fired the gun. Armour thickness on the turret front was 60 mm, hull front and sides: 45 mm, rear and turret sides: 35 mm, roof and bottom: 10 mm. It was armed with a 45-mm L/46 gun Model 38 with forty-five rounds carried, and a coaxial 7.62-mm DT machine gun.

It remained in service until 1948 and was used as a basis for both the T-80, which was more advanced and had a two man turret, and the T-90 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, which drew on the T-70’s chassis.

The rise of extremism and the forging of alliances

Europe emerged from World War One a very changed place, with swathes of political ground being taken up by players on the extreme right and left. Stalin was identified by Hitler as a key future adversary and he was wary of Germany being caught territorially between the Soviet Union in the east and a Bolshevik Spain, together with a leftist French government, in the west.

Thus, he chose to intervene in the Spanish Civil War in order to bolster the right-wing presence in Europe, whilst trialling the effectiveness of his new air force and the Blitzkrieg tactics it could help deliver.

Hitler and Göring, flanked by Erhard Milch and Victor Lutze, admire the new German Air Force, April 1936.

During this time the friendship between Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy was strengthened, with Mussolini also keen to protect the European right while gaining the first place from which to benefit from German expansionism.

Germany and Japan signed the Anti-Comintern Pact in November 1936. The Japanese increasingly distrusted the West following the Wall Street Crash and held designs on subjugating China and Manchuria in a manner that echoed Nazi objectives in the east of Europe.

Superficially, the most unlikely of diplomatic agreements was established in August 1939, when the Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact was signed. In this act the two powers effectively carved up the perceived ‘buffer zone’ that existed between them in Eastern Europe and paved the way for the German invasion of Poland.

Nazi ideology and Lebensraum

Hitler exploited the Treaty of Versailles and the dents in German pride that it and defeat in war had created by instilling a renewed sense of (extreme) national pride.

This was predicated in part by ‘us and them’ rhetoric that identified the German nation with Aryan supremacy over all other races, amongst whom particular disdain was reserved for the Slavic, Romany and Jewish ‘Untermenschen’. This would have dire consequences throughout the years of Nazi hegemony, as they sought a ‘final solution’ to the ‘Jewish question’.

The Nuremburg Rallies were used to whip up nationalist fervour by the Nazis

As early as 1925, through the publication of Mein Kampf, Hitler had outlined an intention to unite Germans across Europe in a reconstituted territory that included Austria, before securing vast tracts of land beyond this new Reich that would ensure self-sufficiency.

In May 1939 he explicitly referred to the oncoming war as being bound up with the pursuit of the ‘Lebensraum’ to the east, with this referring to the whole of Central Europe and Russia up to the Volga.

Adolf Hitler’s unbridled ambition would plunge the World into a war bloodier and more destructive than any in history. So one of the most important questions from our past is just how Adolf Hitler was able to come to power. Featuring renowned historian of the Third Reich Frank McDonough, and Nicholas O’Shaughnessy, a professor of communications at QMUL.
Watch Now

Secondary[]

Pistols

Type 77 : Given at the start. Very weak, takes many shots to kill. Small magazine and low power makes this a terrible choice.

Desert Eagle .44 : 12 round mag. Decapitates foes in one shot, unless they are utilizing a helmet, then it takes two. Very useful against Shotgun Heavies, Gatling Superheavies, and Grenadier Superhevies.

G18 : Machine pistol, fully automatic. Weak, but automatic fire makes up for it. Burns though reserve ammo rapidly. Use as backup only. Can only be unlocked by having all good morality choices(Press A/X to kill, B/O to spare type choices) from the start of the story until the start of the Hospital, in the Armory. You will be notified if you have or have not had all good choices once at the Armory.

Vickers 6-Ton (Vickers Mark E)

Polish Vickers Mark E (Type A) tank in early thirties. Credit: Military Institute of Engineering Research, Poland / Public Domain.

This British light tank made by the renowned engineering company Vickers inspired many countries to produce their own versions of the tank. These included the Polish 7TP, Italian M11/39 and later models, Soviet T-26, Type 95 Ha-Go and the M2 light tank.

It was conventionally built in two types: Type A had two turrets, each mounting a Vickers machine gun. Type B had a single two-man turret mounting a single machine gun and a short-barreled 47 mm cannon OQF 3-pdr Gun.

Геймплей

Доступно оружие и улучшения, а также взаимозаменяемые улучшения между оружием, например добавление ствола одной штурмовой винтовки к другой. «Прокачанный» вариант возвращается вместе с новыми схемами камуфляжа. Оружие теперь также можно получить от мертвых врагов, увеличивая арсенал игрока до четырех единиц оружия вместе с гранатами. Пули смогут пробивать более слабые материалы, такие как дерево и листовой металл. Определенное оружие и шкафчики с оружием можно открыть только в моменты морали. Части оружия можно получить в игре бесплатно, обыскивая бронированные ящики (которые запираются, как только враг, охраняющий их, обнаруживает присутствие игрока), спасая заложников или просто исследуя.

Новые типы тяжелых врагов отображаются в виде боссов . Они носят толстую броню и часто требуют особого метода атаки, чтобы победить, например, стрелять из баллончиков с газом или мешков с гранатами, которые они носят. Тяжелые враги несут оружие, такое как огнемет и пистолет Гатлинга, которые не могут быть разблокированы игроком, хотя их можно подобрать и временно использовать после победы над Пулеметчиком.

Кооперативная игра

40-й день расширяет и улучшает совместную игру, представленную в оригинальной игре. Игроки могут использовать кооперативные ходы в любое время. Игра позволяет игрокам сканировать врагов перед тем, как вступить с ними в бой, чтобы выработать определенную командную тактику. Например, игроки могут имитировать капитуляцию или настроить одновременные выстрелы снайпера. Это в дополнение к использованию агро в качестве механики для тактического поражения врагов в разгар боя.

Агро

Агро — это система, которая позволяет двум игрокам тактически контролировать цель атаки своего врага и, возможно, изменять исход перестрелки. Агро оценивается элементом HUD, который показывает, на каком игроке в настоящее время сосредоточены вражеские персонажи. Выполняя агрессивные действия, такие как стрельба из оружия по врагам, игрок генерирует агро и, в свою очередь, заставляет врагов сосредотачивать больше внимания на этом игроке и меньше внимания на игроке с меньшим количеством агро. Пока у одного игрока есть агро, другой обычно игнорируется, и в результате он может свободно выполнять такие действия, как флангирование или снайперская стрельба. В 40-й день дополнительные неагрессивные действия могут повлиять на агро

Например, выполняя имитацию капитуляции, вражеские комбатанты сосредоточат все свое внимание на сдающемся игроке, позволяя другому совершить внезапную атаку. Некоторые неагрессивные действия также могут выполняться совместно.

Моменты нравственности

Пример того, как разыгрывается кат-сцена «Нравственность». Здесь Риос и Салем сталкиваются с охранником (невидимым), прежде чем достать штурмовые винтовки из стойки для винтовок. Вы можете видеть кнопки на экране, которые будут обозначать судьбу сцены и решения, которые принимают игроки.

В 40-м дне игроки вынуждены принимать моральные решения, влияющие на сюжет игры. В заранее определенных точках игры игрокам будет предоставлен выбор. Например, следует ли им украсть оружие из оружейного склада торгового центра или покинуть помещение. Решение — это не голосование между двумя игроками, вместо этого каждый игрок должен принять решение, в то время как другой игрок вынужден принять последствия этого решения, независимо от того, каковы были его предпочтения. Результатом и представлением этих моментов морали являются комические панели, созданные популярными художниками Крисом Бачало , Джейми Мендосой и Джоком .

Мультиплеер

Многопользовательская игра в The 40th Day включает в себя игру без регионов, соединение клиент-сервер и увеличенное количество участников.

40-й день по- прежнему ориентирован на совместный игровой процесс, требуя, чтобы игроки играли в партнерстве. Партнеры являются источником боеприпасов и могут оживить своего павшего товарища по команде. Есть четыре режима многопользовательской игры:

• В кооперативном режиме Deathmatch команды из двух человек противостоят другим товарищам.
• Контроль присуждает очки командам за захват и защиту случайно созданных точек.
• В Warzone игроки сражаются за различные цели.
• Извлечение — это игровой режим, в котором команды из четырех человек сражаются с волнами все более сильных врагов, чтобы очистить карту для извлечения.

Panzer V – Panther

Panzer V – Panther tank on display at museum. Credit: AlfvanBeem / Public Domain.

The Panzer V, better known as the Panther, was developed in response to the T-34, borrowing many of the principles that made the Soviet tank such an effective weapon.

It was protected by sloping armour, had a more powerful engine and a 75 mm gun that could pierce armour from over 1 km.

Although the Panther was the finest tank that the Germans produced during the war, they overlooked the advantages of simple design. Over-engineering meant that the Panther was more complex, slower to produce and less easily repaired.

T-34

T-34 tank from the Stanisław Kęszycki collection during the reconstruction of the Battle of Berlin in the Modlin Fortress. Credit: Cezary Piwowarski / Public Domain.

The Soviet T-34 Medium was developed from 1937-9 and went into full production from June 1940. This tank became somewhat of a benchmark and around 40,000 had entered combat by the end of the war.

Such high volume production was facilitated by simple design, which made T-34s easy to build, allowed for parts to be used in numerous vehicles and made repair and replacement relatively simple.

The T-34 was vital to preventing Nazi conquest over winter 1941. Its 76 mm gun made Panzer Mk-3s particularly vulnerable to attack, whilst matching the Mk-4s for firepower.

The T-34s sloping armour made it less susceptible to opposing fire and its wider tracks gave superior mobility across tough terrain.

The reliability and sheer volume of T-34s ultimately proved decisive in opposition to the German tanks in the east.

The Treaty of Versailles and the German desire for revenge

The railway carriage in which the 1918 armistice was signed was symbolically used again in 1940 when the French succumbed to German occupation.

German combatants had felt betrayed by the signing of the armistice at Compiègne on 11 November 1918 amidst domestic political unrest that was driven by a civilian context of war fatigue and hunger.

Some of the high-profile agitators at this time were left-wing Jews, which fuelled the conspiracy theory of a Jewish Bolshevik disloyalty that later gained so much traction as Hitler laid the psychological groundwork in preparing Germany for another war.

The devastating experience of the First World War left the victorious nations and their people desperate to avoid a repeat. At the insistence of the French, the terms of the Versailles Treaty were punitive in the extreme and left Germany destitute and its people feeling victimised.

Nationalistic Germans were therefore increasingly open to ideas posited by anyone who offered the chance of rectifying the Versailles humiliation.

Special[]

Sniper Rifles

SVD : Decent gas powered rifle. Given at game start.

M110 KAC : Decent Powered rifle with fair accuracy and average recoil. Costs $9,500. Base gun gets one shot kills in most parts of the body.

VSS : Built in Silencer-Barrel. Low recoil, Accurate but low to medium Damage. Costs $17,500.01

M107 : Strongest sniper you can unlock via game play. Boasting a .50 Caliber round, this gun can detach limbs, explode heads, and penetrate armor. Given by letting Chin get the sniper rifle in Chapter 4: A Room With A View.

Grand Pinger: Unlocked by having a save game file from the previous Army of Two. Sniper that can fire explosives.

Explosive’s

MK Grenade Launcher : six shot grenade launcher; about as powerful as a standard grenade. Costs $75,000

Diamond Encrusted Grenades : Same effect as same as standard grenade. Costs $100,000

RPG-7 : Powerful rocket launcher, most effective against super-heavies, cannot be modified except for the style. Costs $18,000

Pickup Only

Riot Shield : »Mobile Cover», very useful but takes damage and eventually will break. Can melee and charge with it.

Gatling Gun: Very heavy gun that requires some hard work and time to spin.

Flamethrower: Has a very short range, almost requires you to be on top of the enemy. Fire in quick bursts.

GenadeLanucher: Can be dropped by a Heavy Grenadier.

Shotgun: can be dropped by a Heavy armor With a shotgun.

Символы

• Тайсон Риос — Тайсон Риос первоначально работал наемником в частном военном подрядчике SSC (Security and Strategy Corporation) со своим давним партнером Эллиотом Салемом. Позже они покинули SSC, чтобы сформировать собственную частную военную фирму под названием TWO (Tactical Worldwide Operations). Боевая жизнь Риоса в конечном итоге трагически оборвалась из-за взрыва автомобиля, который привел к тяжелой травме левой ноги и предполагаемой смерти Салема. Не имея возможности продолжать работу в полевых условиях, Риос командует ДВУМЯ оперативниками в качестве руководителя.
• Эллиот Салем — Эллиот Салем вместе со своим давним партнером Тайсоном Риосом первоначально работали наемниками у частного военного подрядчика SSC ​​(Security and Strategy Corporation), а затем основали TWO (Tactical Worldwide Operations). Его действия появляются по выбору в « Армии двух: 40-й день» ; концовка выбрана у Ионы и является каноном для Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel . Салем сошел с ума после того, как, казалось бы, смертельный инцидент заставил его напарника и двух других ДВУХ оперативников, Альфа и Браво, бросить его, чтобы спасти заложницу Фиону. Это заставило его стать злодеем вместе со своим боссом Баутистой в Картеле Дьявола .
• Альфа — один из двух игровых персонажей в Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel . Его имя не раскрывается, чтобы игрок мог «немного больше спроецировать себя на персонажа». Альфа считается фактическим лидером пары, так как часто именно он придумывает идеи и планы сражений. Он также держит своего вспыльчивого напарника Браво под контролем в сложных ситуациях и изо всех сил старается направить его в правильном направлении, чтобы завершить миссию.
• Браво — еще один игровой персонаж в Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel . Его имя не раскрывается, чтобы игрок мог «немного больше спроецировать себя на персонажа». В то время как Альфа сосредоточен, спокоен и собран в бою, Браво — полная противоположность: он воодушевлен, крепок и всегда готов к бою. Кроме того, он в основном забавный и умный комик, который любит шутить и подшучивать (особенно над Альфой).

Germany Repelled on Two Fronts

WATCH: The Lasting Impact of War

After storming across Europe in the first three years of the war, overextended Axis forces were put on the defensive after the Soviet Red Army rebuffed them in the brutal Battle of Stalingrad, which lasted from August 1942 to February 1943. The fierce battle for the city named after Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin resulted in nearly two million casualties, including the deaths of tens of thousands of Stalingrad residents.

As Soviet troops began to advance on the Eastern Front, the Western Allies invaded Sicily and southern Italy, causing the fall of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini’s government in July 1943. The Allies then opened a Western Front with the amphibious D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. After gaining a foothold in northern France, Allied troops liberated Paris on August 25 followed by Brussels less than two weeks later.

READ MORE: 8 Things You Should Know About WWII’s Eastern Front

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«Армия двух: 40-й день» получила неоднозначные отзывы критиков. Сайты с агрегированными обзорами GameRankings и Metacritic дали версии Xbox 360 74,13% и 73/100 и версии PlayStation 3 72,39% и 74/100. Версия для PlayStation Portable получила отзывы 46,40% и 49/100 на GameRankings и Metacritic . IGN присудил ему 8,5 из 10: «Моменты морали могли создать более серьезные дилеммы, и ИИ все еще временами спотыкается, но в целом 40th Day — отличная игра, через которую можно пройти». Журнал PSM3 UK присудил ей 85%: «Это не самая прогрессивная или технически впечатляющая игра для PS3, но система морали, настройка оружия и совместная онлайн-игра улучшают ее, и это один из лучших шутеров от корки до корки на PS3. «, в то время как PlayStation: The Official Magazine (США) присудил ему 9 баллов из 10, заявив, что» EA Montreal предлагает богатый, непревзойденный опыт общения с друзьями, который обеспечивает разумный выбор и жесткую, но веселую атмосферу, подобную Крепкому орешку , которая помогает облегчить мрачная, суровая атмосфера игры «. Хотя журнал Hardcore Gamer Magazine раскритиковал незначительные улучшения игры и ее сходство с оригиналом, он отметил, что « 40-й день более серьезен, в нем отсутствуют моменты« какого черта », которыми была наполнена первая игра».

За первый месяц выпуска » 40th Day» было продано более 246 500 копий.

Soviets Declare War, Japan Surrenders

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In addition to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan came under increasing pressure when the Soviet Union formally declared war on August 8 and invaded Japanese-occupied Manchuria in northeastern China. With his Imperial Council deadlocked, Japan’s Emperor Hirohito broke the tie and decided that his country must surrender. At noon on August 15 (Japanese time), the emperor announced Japan’s surrender in his first-ever radio broadcast.

On September 2, World War II ended when U.S. General Douglas MacArthur accepted Japan’s formal surrender aboard the U.S. battleship Missouri, anchored in Tokyo Bay along with a flotilla of more than 250 Allied warships. 

At the signing of the agreement that brought an end to 2,194 days of global war, MacArthur told the world in a radio broadcast, “Today the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended. A great victory has been won.”

SEE MORE: World War II Ends: 22 Photos of Giddy Celebration After Allied Victory

Causes of the War

World War I Trigger

• The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria on 28 June 1914, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary was the trigger for the war. He was killed by Serbian nationalists.
• Austria-Hungary invaded Serbia.
• At same time Germany invaded Belgium, Luxembourg and France
• Russia attacked Germany
• Several alliances formed over the past decades were invoked, so within weeks the major powers were at war; as all had colonies, the conflict soon spread around the world.

This video from Yale explains the events that led to World War I:

Causes of World War II

The Versailles Treaty signed at the end of World War I not only lay the moral blame of the conflict on Germany but also forced the Germans to make huge payments to the victors of the war. France and Britain needed these reparations payments in order to pay down their own debts. But they were highly onerous, arguably unjustifiably so, and were deeply unpopular in Germany. Hitler seized on this growing resentment and promised to «undo this injustice and tear up this treaty and restore Germany to its old greatness». In fact, the payments demanded were so large that Germany was able to repay the final installment of interest on this debt only on October 3, 2010.
The following causes of World War II are generally acknowledged:

• Treaty violations and acts of aggression on various fronts.
• Political and economic instability in Germany, combined with bitterness over its defeat in World War I and the harsh conditions of the Treaty of Versailles.
• Rise of power of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. In the mid-1930s Hitler began secretly to rearm Germany, in violation of the treaty.
• Adolf Hitler signed alliances with Italy and Japan to oppose the Soviet Union
• German invasion of Poland on Sept. 1, 1939

The following documentary delves into the causes of World War II:

Political Causes of World War 2: Failure of the League of Nations

The League of Nations was an international organisation set up in 1919 to help keep world peace. It was intended that all countries would be members of the League and that if there were disputes between countries they could be settled by negotiation rather than by force. If this failed then countries would stop trading with the aggressive country and if that failed then countries would use their armies to fight.

In theory the League of Nations was a good idea and did have some early successes. But ultimately it was a failure.

The whole world was hit by a depression in the late 1920s. A depression is when a country’s economy falls. Trade is reduced, businesses lose income, prices fall and unemployment rises.

In 1931, Japan was hit badly by the depression. People lost faith in the government and turned to the army to find a solution. The army invaded Manchuria in China, an area rich in minerals and resources. China appealed to the League for help. The Japanese government were told to order the army to leave Manchuria immediately. However, the army took no notice of the government and continued its conquest of Manchuria.

The League then called for countries to stop trading with Japan but because of the depression many countries did not want to risk losing trade and did not agree to the request. The League then made a further call for Japan to withdraw from Manchuria but Japan’s response was to leave the League of Nations.

In October 1935, Italy invaded Abyssinia. The Abyssinians did not have the strength to withstand an attack by Italy and appealed to the League of Nations for help.

The League condemned the attack and called on member states to impose trade restrictions with Italy. However, the trade restrictions were not carried out because they would have little effect. Italy would be able to trade with non-member states, particularly America. Furthermore, Britain and France did not want to risk Italy making an attack on them.

In order to stop Italy’s aggression, the leaders of Britain and France held a meeting and decided that Italy could have two areas of land in Abyssinia provided that there were no further attacks on the African country. Although Mussolini accepted the plan, there was a public outcry in Britain and the plan was dropped.

The main reasons for the failure of the League of Nations can be summarised into the following points:

Not all countries joined the League Although the idea for the League of Nations had come from Woodrow Wilson, there was a change of government in the United States before the signing of the treaty and the new Republican government refused to join. As a punishment for having started World War One, Germany was not allowed to join and Russia was also excluded due to a growing fear of Communism. Other countries decided not to join and some joined but later left.

The League had no power.  The main weapon of the League was to ask member countries to stop trading with an aggressive country. However, this did not work because countries could still trade with non-member countries. When the world was hit by depression in the late 1920s countries were reluctant to lose trading partners to other non-member countries.

The League had no army Soldiers were to be supplied by member countries. However, countries were reluctant to get involved and risk provoking an aggressive country into taking direct action against them and failed to provide troops.

Unable to act quickly The Council of the League of Nations only met four times a year and decisions had to be agreed by all nations. When countries called for the League to intervene, the League had to set up an emergency meeting, hold discussions and gain the agreement of all members. This process meant that the League could not act quickly to stop an act of aggression.

All of these factors together were principal causes of World War 2.

This article is part of our larger educational resource on World War Two. For a comprehensive list of World War 2 facts, including the primary actors in the war, causes, a comprehensive timeline, and bibliography, click here.

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«World War Two – Causes» History on the Net 2000-2021, Salem Media.December 13, 2021 <https://www.historyonthenet.com/world-war-two-causes>More Citation Information.