CHAPTER FOUR
World War II

Study
Just two decades after World War I, Europe once again erupted into a massive war, despite the implementation of new safeguards like the League of Nations. The three perspectives each offer insight as to why this occurred. Realists tend to view World War II as the continuation of World War I, since the basic problem, the unstable balance of power in Europe, was the same in both cases. For realists, new solutions to war and conflict, such as the League of Nations, exacerbated the problem by turning attention away from the balance of power. For liberals, on the other hand, the balance of power itself was the problem, and collective security was the best possible solution. However, the League of Nations failed—and with it the possibility of collective security—due to poor participation and inherent institutional weaknesses. Finally, the identity perspective examines the phenomenon of nationalism during the interwar period, concluding that nationalism based on racism, xenophobia, and revenge caused aggressive behavior that eventually led to World War II.

Study Questions

1. What was the principle of unanimity, and how did it contribute to the collapse of the League of Nations?
   



2. According to realist accounts, how did the terms of the Versailles Treaty help lead to World War II?
   



3. What are the different types of nationalism that were present in Europe during the interwar period? Which ones contributed to the start of World War II? How?