History 101: Why Great Britain is Responsible for World War II

World War II.

The greatest conflict in human history.  And by greatest, I mean World War II claimed more human lives then any other conflict in the history of the world.  It is estimated that over 60,000,000 people died as a result of the conflicts of World War II.  Of those 60,000,000, it is only estimated that 25,000,000 of those were soldiers.  That leaves an estimated 35,000,000 civilians that lost their lives during World War II.  As a society we have spent a lot of effort and time remembering the 6,000,000 Jews who died in the Holocaust during World War II, but even that leaves another 29,000,000 civilians who died.  And after reading this BLOG post, you will see why not only is France complicit, but Great Britain is just as responsible for their deaths as any one else in the world.

After the atrocities of World War I, it would have seemed obvious that the entire world would have done anything necessary to avoid a conflict of that magnitude.  When the United States, France and Great Britain sat down in Versailles to discuss the terms of Germany's surrender (without Germany at the table), the world thought this would be a seminal moment in which the world's greatest powers could create a document that would guarantee a lasting peace and prevent more German aggression.  Instead, the document they produced shamed Germany and its people.  Even though United States President Woodrow Wilson came to Versailles hoping to negotiate a reasonable treaty that would engender support throughout Europe.  His fourteen point plan aimed to rebuild Europe and make sure everyone played nicely together.  But the French Prime Minister, George Clemenceau, came to the table with little more then revenge and a weakened Germany on his mind.  The French delegation had little more on their mind beyond humiliating and castrating Germany.  For their part, the other major world power at the Paris Peace Conference, Great Britain was more middle of the road.  They hoped to secure security for their French neighbors, while making a statement against the Germans.  But as David Lloyd George said, it was difficult being put in between "Jesus Christ and Napoleon," which is how the world saw Woodrow Wilson and George Clemenceau.  One wanting a friendly peace, and the other seeking redemption and vengeance.  In the end, while Great Britain did not advocate for locking down the Germans, they did side with them on most points.  And Germany was tagged with paying steep reparations, being fully demilitarized, being disallowed from having any military in the Rhineland and admitting singular guilt for the entirety of the war.  I am of the personal opinion that Great Britain was more at fault for World War I, too, but that is a different BLOG post.  But because Great Britain did not want to stand up to France and advocate for a treaty that made sense, Germany was given everything they needed to set the stage for World War II.  It also worth mentioning that the League of Nations, a powerless precursor to the United Nations, was formed at this time.  The goal of the LON was to prevent large scale conflict through negotiations and boycotts.  More on that later.

So you're thinking, "that's it?  That is why you think Great Britain is responsible for 60,000,000 deaths?"  -- No, of course not.  Read on.

We all know now that Adolph Hitler was a soldier in World War I, and when the Treaty of Versailles was shoved down the throats of everyone in Germany, Hitler was in a war hospital.  He emerged from that hospital angry and

geared for restoring Germany's "rightful place" in the world.  He, and millions of Germans with him, felt the German government sold out the German people.  The admission of guilt for the war was the thorn in the side of every German in 1919.  But as Hitler began his slow, and ultimately legal climb into the seat of power in Germany, he had one goal in mind: to restore Germany to its seat at the top of the world.  And while he was doing it, he wanted to make sure the France and Great Britain would pay for their sins against Germany.  

As mentioned above, the Treaty of Versailles explicitly prevented Germany from having a military.  They were allowed a national police force for domestic use, but nothing that could be considered a threat to its neighbors.  However, as Hitler's star was on the rise in Germany, so was its military.  As Hitler gained more power, he knew that he would need a strong military to achieve his goals.  But he also knew that if he built an army overnight, the world would notice -- and object.  So Hitler pushed his agenda with tempered patience while testing how far he could go against the world community.  It is worth noting at this point that not only was Germany forbidden from having a "military force", and from having any weapons of aggression or troops in the Rhineland, but France and Great Britain were tasked with defending the Treaty of Versailles.  If Germany was seen to have violated the military or Rhineland clause, both France and Germany has the right and duty to invade Germany.  But that isn't all -- in 1925, Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy and Germany entered into the Treaty of Locarno.  This treaty did several things to try and heal the wounds between France and Germany, but most importantly brought all these countries together in agreement regarding the status of the Rhineland. That it is and should remain a buffer between France and Germany.

The League of Nations was the brain child of Woodrow Wilson, and when it was formed he was seen as a great peace maker.  Unfortunately, the League of Nations was largely inept because it lacked any real force in its threats.  Of its original 24 members, the United States, Russia and half of Europe were not members.  And while it was successful in mediating a few small disputes, it could not and did not have any impact in real conflicts - even with Great Britain and France as members.

In 1934, Hitler and his top officials gave the French press information that confirmed that Germany was building an Air Force and a strong military.  Hitler allowed this leak of information to see what France, Great Britain and the rest of the world would do about it.  The world did nothing.  Great Britain complained, France sweated a little but in the end nothing came of it.  Both countries cited Hitler's speeches regarding a united Europe and a lasting peace in their inaction.  But it is worth noting that at this time, both France and Great Britain could have stepped in.  Both chose no to do so.  By this time, the strained kinship between Mussolini and Hitler was starting to show on the international stage.  But as Hitler was moving up the world, the arrogant and self-interested Mussolini was on the way down.  And in 1935, to show that Italy was still a world class power he invaded Ethiopia.  Now, this invasion was obvious more complex then that - but that isn't what this BLOG post is about.  What is important about the Italian invasion of Ethiopia in 1935 is that the Italians used chemical weapons and the League of Nations was powerless to do anything about it.  And Hitler watched with great interest as the Italians annexed Ethiopia with little international resistance.  And by this time, Italy and Belgium had backed out of the Treaty of Locarno which set the stage for Hitler's next move.

And Hitler's next move was to take back his own land.  On March 7, 1936, Hitler ordered 19 German infantry battalions and a handful of planes to enter and occupy the Rhineland.  By doing so, it was the most audacious violation of the Treaty of Versailles to date.  What is interesting about this is that while the world was up in arms regarding this "invasion", Great Britain's position was that Germany was simply "tending their back yard" and it was fine.  Great Britain also cited Hitler's promise of a non-aggression pact with France.  What they did not know was that Hitler had told his generals that if they encountered any resistance, to pull out and fall back into Germany.  This would have signaled the end of the rise of the Reich, but Hitler knew he was greatly outnumbered and could not win a fight.  In essence, he was bluffing.  In fact, there were hundreds of battalions of French troops on the border who could have stepped in and pushed the Germans back with little resistance.  But France was nervous, and when they turned to Great Britain -- Great Britain did not have the resources to help.  France did not want to stand alone in the fight, and there was no one there to help.  If Albert Lubron had known that Hitler was testing the waters, and that he was not militarily ready for a conflict, the world would be a very different place today.  If France and Great Britain had lived up to their obligations in 1935 or 1936, the entirety of World War II could have been avoided -- or if not avoided, very different.  Instead, Hitler poked at the Treaty of Versailles again and found it to be an empty document.  

What the eastern European powers took away from the move into the Rhineland was that they were on their own against Hitler.  That it was clear that France lacked the will to fight, and Great Britain lacked the ability.  This played into the Soviet-Nazi Non-Aggression Pact of August, 3 1939.  Hitler essentially said, "Hey Russia, no worries.  I'm not coming after you..." when in reality, Russia was the biggest prize that Hitler never won.  Most likely, the reason he lost the war.  But when Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939 it became undeniably clear that Hitler had more on his mind then simply tending his own backyard.  His pact with Russia kept Stalin from taking action to protect Poland, because they had a pact -- right?  Stalin can't defend Poland, and Hitler isn't coming any further east.  But Stalin wasn't fooled, and he began to amass troops along his western border -- just in case.  And, as we know now, Germany attacks Soviet positions in Eastern Poland on June 22, 1941 officially declaring war on Russia.  In this series of events, one can see how important Hitler's move into the Rhineland going unchecked was as the world rolled towards war.

Yes, I know I led this BLOG blaming Great Britain for the deaths of 60,000,000 people.  In reality, both Great Britain and France are effectively equally culpable in not taking action to put Hitler and Germany in check in the 1930s.  What if France had been more reasonable at the Paris Peach Conference?  What if Great Britain had stood up to France?  What if France had stood up when they knew the Germans were building a military force?  What if Great Britain had backed France after the Rhineland invasion?  What if France has simply stood their ground in Rhineland?

The questions are unending, and hindsight is always 20/20.  But as the world continually blames the United States for invading this country or that one, or becoming involved in conflicts that they should not be in, it is worth considering these questions.  What if someone -- France, Great Britain, Russia... what is someone had stood their ground in 1935 or in 1936?  How many lives would have been saved in the long run?  So yes, I place the blame for 60,000,000 people losing their lives in World War II at the feet of Great Britain and France.


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Bruce holds a degree in Computer Science from Temple University, a Graduate Certificate in Biblical History from Liberty University and is working towards a Masters Degree in American History at American Public University.  He has worked in educational and technology for over 18 years, specializes in building infrastructures for schools that work to support the mission of technology in education in the classroom.  He also has served as a classroom teacher in Computer Science, History and English classes.  

Bruce is the author of five books: Sands of Time, Towering Pines Volume One:Room 509, The Star of Christmas, Philadelphia Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel and The Insider's Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel