World War IIWar is one of the most tragic things in our world today. It's even sadder that it usually recurs at least once in a lifetime. In the 20th century alone we have already had two major wars. These wars were called the World Wars simply because they involved most of the major countries in the world. Many people died in these wars, especially in World War II. This is the focus of this essay. The leader of Germany at the time of World War II and the person who many think started World War II was a man named Adolf Hitler. While there are many other reasons, he was definitely one of them. Another reason was the Treaty of Versailles. This was the treaty signed at the end of the First World War. This treaty outlined the rules that Germany had to follow due to their defeat by Great Britain and France. Many Germans were angered by the treaty, because most of the treaty rules were unfair and Germany lost a great deal of wealth. However, one of the cruelest reasons for the war was Hitler's racist hatred of the Jews. It would actually be the cause of one of the greatest injustices committed against mankind in the history of the world. As the war progressed, many countries became involved in the war. British forces, which consisted of troops from both England and Canada, along with France, originally declared war on Germany. Germany allied itself with Italy and Japan, known as the Axis powers, hoping to defeat the Allies. However, as the war progressed and more and more countries allied themselves with Allied forces, such as the United States and the Soviet Union, resistance became futile, and by August 1945 the Allies had successfully defeated the Nazi armies. TREATY OF VERSAILLESW...... middle of paper......Keegan, John. Who was who in World War II. New York: Crescent, 1984.Lingelbach, William E., “War of 1939-, European” The Encyclopedia Americana, Volume 28, 1941 ed.Nando Times, “The 50th Anniversary of D-Day.” Ross, Stewart. Causes and consequences of the Second World War. Austin: Steck-Vaughn, 1996. Schoenherr, Steve. “Contents of the Treaty of Versailles,” homepage, January 20, 2000. Accessed March 12, 2001Stroebel, Jeffrey T. World War I: Part IV The Treaty of Versailles. TheSycamore School, 1995. Revised 1998.Stroebel, Jeffrey T. World War II. Part I: Between the Wars. The Sycamore School, 1995. Revised 1998. Tsuruya, Mayu. "Hiroshima Archive" created February 16, 1996. Updated March 14, 1999. Accessed March 20, 2001.Wernick, Robert. Blitzkrieg. Morristown: Silver Burdett, 1977.WGBH Educational Foundation, "Budget and Glory" 1998