Nazism, WWII, and the Cold War: Origins and Key Conflicts
The Establishment of Nazism in Germany
The Weimar Republic
In 1918, nearing the end of World War I, Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated, and the Weimar Republic was proclaimed. Germany accepted military defeat and the harsh peace conditions imposed by the victors in the Treaty of Versailles, which many Germans blamed for causing the war. The postwar years were marked by economic crisis, poverty, and unemployment. The Republic faced threats from leftist revolutionary movements and far-right coup attempts.
Hitler and the Nazi Party
Adolf Hitler, a soldier in World War I, rejected Germany’s defeat. In 1920, he founded the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazi Party). The party promoted antisemitism, the superiority of the “Aryan race,” and vehemently attacked Jews, communists, and democrats, blaming them for Germany’s crisis.
Nazism to Power
The consequences of the 1929 economic crisis, including bank failures, factory closures, unemployment, and social unrest, significantly boosted the Nazi Party. In the 1932 elections, the Nazi Party won 13 million votes. In 1933, Hitler was appointed Chancellor.
World War II: Causes and Contenders
The Causes of Conflict
Aggressive foreign policies and military expansionism by Mussolini in Italy and, especially, Hitler in Germany fueled the conflict. Fascist powers engaged in an intense arms race.
The March to War
In the 1930s, authoritarian states initiated military aggressions:
- In Asia, Japan sought to expand its territories at China’s expense.
- In Africa, Italy occupied Ethiopia in 1935, aiming to expand its colonial empire.
- Italy and Germany participated in the Spanish Civil War, providing soldiers and armaments.
- Germany pursued a policy of territorial expansion.
Alliances and the Outbreak of the Conflict
In 1936, Germany signed an alliance with Italy, renewed in 1939 as the Pact of Steel. That same year, Germany signed the Anti-Comintern Pact with Japan. Hitler also signed a non-aggression pact with Stalin’s Soviet Union in 1939. After Germany invaded Poland, France and Great Britain declared war on Germany, marking the beginning of World War II.
The Cold War and Peaceful Coexistence
What was the Cold War?
Developed after World War II, the Cold War was characterized by permanent antagonism between the US-led bloc and the Soviet-led bloc.
Conflicts of the Cold War
The Cold War manifested in conflicts far from their territories:
- The Korean War: The Korean peninsula was divided, with the north occupied by Russian troops and the south by the US, resulting in two separate states.
- The Vietnam War: France’s refusal to accept Vietnam’s proclaimed independence led to a war that ended in 1954, solidifying the division of North and South Vietnam.
- The Cuban Missile Crisis: The revolutionary regime established in Cuba by Fidel Castro in 1959 was never accepted by the United States.
Peaceful Coexistence
Although leaders like Khrushchev in the USSR and Kennedy in the US presented a more tolerant face regarding ideological differences, tensions persisted. The Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979, and the Americans invaded the island of Grenada (Lesser Antilles).