Kevin Magaw

Executive Summary

Poli 388

Origins of World War II in Europe

            The events leading up to the outbreak of World War II in Europe involved many players and has been credited as one of the most significant diplomatic failures in human history, costing an estimated 30,000,000 lives. In many ways, World War II was a continuation of the First World War. The primary players were Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Italy and the United States and although Adolf Hitler’s disregard for life and blatant aggression are blamed for this tragedy, undoubtedly weak Western diplomacy facilitated the situation (Gatske, 3). Hitler’s radical Nazi foreign policy goals included:

·   the removal of restrictions placed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles

·   make Germany dominant in Europe

·   Obtain “Lebensrawn” or living space in the East, referring to Poland and Russia

·   Ethnically cleanse Europe of “Untermenschen” or sub-humans, referring to the Jews and other non-Aryans.

·   Destroy Communism *(This info taken from my history notes)

Italy had expansionist ambitions of its own, under the Fascist dictator Mussolini. However, due to its relatively weak economic and military infrastructure, Italy was dependent to a degree on Germany for support in Africa and the Mediterranean (Mallet, 2).

The goals of Britain, France, Russia, and the United States were all the same, which was to avoid another great war. Their strategies and goals will be analyzed, especially the theory of appeasement which has received a lot of criticism over the years.

In my paper I will detail how players came to power, characterize the strategic interaction between the players at events such as the Munich Conference in 1938 and create specific matrices to better explain the different game theory tactics which were clearly involved during these diplomatic talks. I will also characterize the opportunities, incentives, and extent to which these players deceived one another, made faulty promises, and or threats.