Leading Up To World War II
After World War I came to an end, it was inevitable that the world would be thrown into another world war soon due to the treatment of Germany. The French being the most adamant about punishing Germany for their part in WWI was the most aggressive in determining their fate. Part of this animosity stems also from the way Germany treated France after the end of the Franco-Prussian war in 1870. France, the losing party, was essentially devastated. Germany gained control of the territories Alsace and Lorraine as part of the settlement, something that turned the French into bitter enemies to the Germans. One of the first things decided after WWI was the negotiation of returning these two territories to France. France was also obligated to repay an exorbitant amount of money to Germany to be paid in full in a very short period of time. All of these, as stated before, essentially cause France to take revenge upon Germany following the end of WWI. Germany was devastated and forced to repay their own lump sum of money. If Europe, more specifically France and Great Britain, had taken a less aggressive punishment to Germany and instead followed the essential guidelines of the Hoover Moratorium and treating Germany with a semblance of mercy, perhaps WWII could have been prevented. This in itself is doubtful, however. The animosity between the major European powers was so tangible, either way, there was going to be another war.
Read more about this topic: Hoover Moratorium
Famous quotes containing the words leading, world and/or war:
“Science and art are only too often a superior kind of dope, possessing this advantage over booze and morphia: that they can be indulged in with a good conscience and with the conviction that, in the process of indulging, one is leading the “higher life.””
—Aldous Huxley (1894–1963)
“Financiers are great mythomaniacs, their explanations and superstitions are those of primitive men; the world is a jungle to them. They perceive acutely that they are at the dawn of economic history.”
—Christina Stead (1902–1983)
“But is an enemy so execrable that tho in captivity his wishes and comforts are to be disregarded and even crossed? I think not. It is for the benefit of mankind to mitigate the horrors of war as much as possible.”
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)