Day 12 – Q.5.  To what extent did the systemic failures of the interwar international order contribute to the outbreak of the Second World War? Examine with reference to political, economic, and ideological factors. (250 words, 15 marks)

Q.5.  To what extent did the systemic failures of the interwar international order contribute to the outbreak of the Second World War? Examine with reference to political, economic, and ideological factors. (250 words, 15 marks)

Introduction 

The interwar period (1919–1939) saw fragile institutions, unresolved wartime legacies, and rising  global tensions. While war was not inevitable, the failure to address political grievances,  economic distress, and ideological radicalism made the descent into global conflict increasingly  irreversible.  

Body 

Political Failures  

1. Ineffective League System: The League of Nations lacked enforcement power, allowing  aggressors to act unchecked.  Example: Japan’s invasion of Manchuria (1931) and Italy’s of Ethiopia (1935) met no  meaningful resistance.
2. Harsh Versailles Settlement: The punitive peace terms bred resentment, particularly in  Germany.  Example: Hitler exploited the ‘war guilt’ clause and reparations to fuel nationalist revival.
3. Appeasement Diplomacy: Concessions were made to dictators in hope of avoiding conflict.  Example: The 1938 Munich Pact enabled Hitler to annex Sudetenland without  consequence.
4. Lack of Unified Deterrence: Major powers failed to form a united front against rising  threats.  Example: The remilitarisation of the Rhineland in 1936 went unchallenged by Britain or  France.

Economic Instability  

1. Global Depression Impact: Economic collapse undermined democracies and legitimised  extremist politics.  Example: Germany’s unemployment crisis allowed Nazis to gain mass support in the early  1930s.
2. Rise of Protectionism: Economic nationalism intensified global divisions and competition.  Example: U.S. Smoot-Hawley Tariff (1930) triggered retaliatory policies and worsened the  downturn.  
3. Expansion for Resources: States pursued militarist expansion to overcome economic  isolation.  Example: Japan’s invasion of China in 1937 was aimed at gaining access to raw materials.
4. Financial System Collapse: Recurrent banking failures deepened instability across Europe.  Example: Austria and Germany’s 1931 banking crisis discredited liberal capitalist systems.

Ideological Polarisation  

1. Fascist Expansionism: Fascist states glorified militarism and conquest as national destiny.  Example: Mussolini’s Ethiopia invasion (1935) was justified as restoring Roman imperial  glory.  
2. Anti-Communist Hostility: Fear of Bolshevism shaped Western reluctance to engage the  USSR.  Example: Britain and France hesitated to ally with Stalin even as Hitler advanced.
3. Racial Nationalist Doctrines: Ultra-nationalist ideologies fuelled genocidal and  expansionist policies.  Example: Nazi beliefs in Aryan supremacy underpinned Germany’s territorial ambitions.
4. Fragmented Global Ideologies: Clashing ideologies weakened efforts at collective  resistance.  Example: The Nazi-Soviet Pact (1939) stunned the West and cleared the path for war.

Conclusion 

World War II emerged not from a single spark but from accumulated failures—diplomatic  weakness, economic collapse, and unchecked ideologies. The interwar order proved unable to  maintain peace, showing that stability demands not just treaties, but resolve, justice, and  collective will.