Question

With reference to the causes of the Second World War answer the following:

Explain how the ideologies of Fascism and Nazism led to the Second World War.

Answer 1

The rise of extreme nationalism in the form of Fascism and Nazism pushed the world towards the Second World War. Mussolini, the leader of the Fascists in Italy, established a dictatorship and committed his nation to the Anti-Comintern Pact in 1937 and later to a ten-year alliance with Germany in 1939. He also attacked Abyssinia in pursuance of his imperialistic designs. On this, the League of Nations failed to take any action, which exposed the political weakness of the League. In Germany, the rise of Hitler and his brand of Nazism made conditions explosive. He flouted the military clauses in the Treaty of Versailles and declared re-armament. In 1938, he annexed Austria and attacked Czechoslovakia.