Identify two major causes of World War II.

Identify two major causes of World War II.

• A. Economic depression alone
• B. Expansionist aggression by totalitarian powers and the failure of the Treaty of Versailles
• C. Alliance with the United States
• D. Naval dominance disputes

Answer: (B)

Two forces pulled the world into world war: expansionist aggression by totalitarian powers and the unresolved failures of the Treaty of Versailles. Dictators in Germany, Italy, and Japan pursued ambitions to remake borders and build empires, often through military action. This aggression destabilized regions, violated international norms, and set off a domino effect of conflicts and alliances that escalated into a full-scale war. At the same time, the Versailles settlement left Germany humiliated and economically crippled—reparations, territorial losses, and military restrictions fostered bitterness and instability. That combination helped popularize radical leadership and a willingness to challenge the post–World War I order, fueling the slide into war. Economic depression played a role in creating the climate for extremism, but it’s not the direct driver of the outbreak. Alliances with the United States didn’t cause the war and aren’t the central force behind its onset, and disputes over naval power existed but were part of broader tensions rather than the principal cause.

Two forces pulled the world into world war: expansionist aggression by totalitarian powers and the unresolved failures of the Treaty of Versailles. Dictators in Germany, Italy, and Japan pursued ambitions to remake borders and build empires, often through military action. This aggression destabilized regions, violated international norms, and set off a domino effect of conflicts and alliances that escalated into a full-scale war. At the same time, the Versailles settlement left Germany humiliated and economically crippled—reparations, territorial losses, and military restrictions fostered bitterness and instability. That combination helped popularize radical leadership and a willingness to challenge the post–World War I order, fueling the slide into war.

Economic depression played a role in creating the climate for extremism, but it’s not the direct driver of the outbreak. Alliances with the United States didn’t cause the war and aren’t the central force behind its onset, and disputes over naval power existed but were part of broader tensions rather than the principal cause.