Discuss the view that a different Foreign Policy could have prevented the outbreak of World War II?

Question

If there were a different foreign policy, how would have it prevented WWII?

serious answers people, i want to know what kind of answers i'll get. real info.

if possible, from people who really know history. anyone can answer though. thanks. by tommorow i need some answers, i won't be on the computer for a while.

i prefer long answers, they're more detailed. medium are fine. thanks and bye bye =]

NO THIS IS NOT HOMEWORK!

We've already passed this chapter. I just saw this same question, but the girl changed it with other questions and i didn't get thee response to THIS question. i wanna know this questions answer. thats why i only put this question and nothing else.

But(for the "rockin....." dude) But you only spoke sbout germany. japan was in this too. remember, we ended WWII when the ENOLA GAY dropped the first atomic bomb on hiroshima(am i right? i think thats how it ended right?)

I meant to write "limick32..." not "rockin....."(thats from another page :) sorry, proceed. :P

Answer 1

This will be controversial, but perhaps the "Bush Doctrine" of preventative strikes. Germany and Japan were allowed to annex vast amounts of territory through the (non) policy of 'appeasement'. It was easier for UK, France and Russia to allow Germany to add Austria, Poland and other territories rather than stand up to it. Meanwhile Japan was adding parts of northern China (Manchuria), and the West tacitly acknowledged its puppet government there.

Overt German aggression began in 1935, and Japan was colonizing China even before then. Had strong world powers stood up early and struck, maybe even before Germany or Japan actually made moves to annex territory, WWII could have been averted or at least its intensity could have been dampened - basically Germany and Japan were given a decade to build their militaries. Had they been struck earlier the battles perhaps would have been less severe.

Answer 2

Who's foreign policy ? American foreign policy ?
If I assume your asking about general foreign policies of
western powers that would have prevented the outbreak of WWII in Europe...then the question is pretty easy.

The basic cause of WWII was the punitive and harsh penalties imposed on Germany via the Treaty of Versailles at the close of WWI. Western powers (France, England, US) insisted on the following conditions in the treaty.
1. Germany would accept responsibility as the aggressor and cause of the first World War.
2. Germany would be forced to pay monetary reparations to France, Belgium UK etc.
3. Germany would accept allied control and demilitarization of the Rhineland border areas.
4. Germany would lose actual territory to other countries...including areas of western Prussia and portions of German territory bordering Denmark, France etc...
5. The German military would be limited in size.
6. etc, etc..

So essentially, these conditions created an environment in Germany in which fascist, nationalistic politics became increasingly attractive, leading to the rise of the National Socialist movement and Adolf Hitler. Economic conditions were horrible, inflation was massive, unemployment widespread; and since most German citizens viewed Germany as a victim in WWI as opposed to the aggressor national morale plummeted. Hitler's basic platform for Germany was a return to the power status they had enjoyed prior to the first world war and a refutation of the Treaty of Versailles....he would right the wrongs imposed on Germany by it's enemies.

To take it one step further, Russia's massive losses in WWI lead to the October revolution in which communists to rose and overthrew the Tsarist government. Hitler viewed communism as anitthetical to National Socialism and was thus the biggest threat to the long term survival of Germany.

So in a nutshell...if western powers had exercised more forethought while crafting the Treaty of Versailles instead of insisting on punishing Germany for its aggression, the conditions that led to National Socialism in Germany would not have existed and the Second World War would never have happened; or at least would have started for a different reason altogether. :)

Answer 3

In other words, you want someone to do your homework. Would a different FP have changed/altered WWII?
Hell yes

Answer 4

western powers backed Hitler because they were afraid of Germany going Communist.