Question

Why did Germany and Japan place the blame on other countries for their economic downturns during the Great Depression, and how did this inevitably lead to the Second World War?

Answer 1

During the Great Depression, Germany and Japan blamed other countries for their economic woes, which, fueled by nationalist and expansionist ideologies, led to aggressive militarism and ultimately contributed to the eruption of World War II.

Step-by-step explanation:

Germany and Japan attributed their economic troubles during the Great Depression to other countries due to the complex interplay of war reparations, international debts, and economic policies. In the wake of World War I, Germany faced massive reparations to Britain and France, while these countries owed significant debts to the United States. The financial pressure intensified when the American stock market crashed in 1929, prompting U.S. banks to call in their loans, leading to businesses closing and soaring unemployment in Germany. Austerity measures only exacerbated the lack of capital, fueling anger and desperation among the populace.

Meanwhile, Japan, lacking in natural resources and facing population pressure, sought to secure vital commodities. Japan and Germany both turned towards aggressive militarism, fueled by nationalist ideologies that blamed external forces for their plight. As economic hardship shook faith in liberal democracy, fascistic and expansionist policies became appealing, with voters supporting parties that promised national rejuvenation at the expense of established international norms. This led to an increase in authoritarianism across several states and was epitomized by Japan's invasion of Manchuria and Germany's expansionist policies. Such actions, rooted in dealing with economic strife, would contribute to the ignition of World War II.

Answer 2

The Great Depression was an economic slump in North America, Europe, and other industrialized areas of the world that began in 1929 and lasted until about 1939. It was the longest and most severe depression ever experienced by the industrialized Western world.

Though the U.S. economy had gone into depression six months earlier, the Great Depression may be said to have begun with a catastrophic collapse of stock-market prices on the New York Stock Exchange in October 1929. During the next three years stock prices in the United States continued to fall, until by late 1932 they had dropped to only about 20 percent of their value in 1929. Besides ruining many thousands of individual investors, this precipitous decline in the value of assets greatly strained banks and other financial institutions, particularly those holding stocks in their portfolios. Many banks were consequently forced into insolvency; by 1933, 11,000 of the United States' 25,000 banks had failed. The failure of so many banks, combined with a general and nationwide loss of confidence in the economy, led to much-reduced levels of spending and demand and hence of production, thus aggravating the downward spiral. The result was drastically falling output and drastically rising unemployment; by 1932, U.S. manufacturing output had fallen to 54 percent of its 1929 level, and unemployment had risen to between 12 and 15 million workers, or 25-30 percent of the work force.