World War II:
i) It was fought from 1939 to 1945.
ii) It was due to aggressive military offensive undertaken by a resurgent Germany and a fast developing Japan.
Causes for the Second World War:
Treaty of Versailles:
i) Treaty of Versailles signed in June 1919 ending I World War created great resentment among the Germans.
ii) Germany experienced both high unemployment and severe inflation and its currency became practically worthless.
Failure of the League of Nations:
The League of Nations remained an ineffectual international body. The United States did not become a member of the League.
Post-war crisis:
The Post-World War I decades led to the rise of extreme right wing dictatorships in Italy (Mussolini), Germany (Hitler) and Spain (Franco).
Rise of Adolf Hitler:
(i) Hitler founded the National Socialist Party, generally known as "the Nazis".
(ii) He came to power in 1933 and ruled Germany till 1945.
(iii) His claim was that the German speaking people should be united into one nation.
(iv) He strengthened German army.
Allies and Non - Intervention:
(i) There were also acts of aggression by Italy and Japan.
(ii) Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935 and Albania in 1939.
(iii) In spite of all these manifestations of military activity by Germany, Italy, and Japan, Britain and France continued to be non - interventionist.
Munich Pact:
(i) In 1938, Prime Minister Chamberlain concluded the Munich Pact with Germany.
(ii) It was a shameful acceptance of Germany's invasion of Czechoslovakia to annex Germany - speaking Sudetenland.
(iii) Though Hitler gave an assurance in the Munich Pact that Germany would not attack any other country, this was broken immediately.
(iv) In Britain, Prime Minister Chamberlain resigned it 1940, and Winston Churchill, who had always warned about Hitler and his military ambitions, became Prime Minister.

(i)The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund referred to as the Bretton woods Twins were established in 1945 after the Bretton woods conference in 1944.
(ii) It is located in Washington D.C in the United States.
(iii) The two main organs of the World Bank:
(a) The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
(b) The International Development Agency (IDA).
(iv) IBRD and IDA are often referred to as the World Bank.
(v) The main responsibility of the IBRD in the initial years was to fund the reconstruction activities under the Marshall Plan in the European countries devastated by the War.
(vi) The agenda later expanded to promote economic development in poorer countries and the Bank lends money to various countries for developmental projects especially in the rural areas of developing countries for poverty alleviation.
(vii) The International Development Agency [IDA] lends money to governments for developmental activities. These loans are "soft" loans and are given at very low rates of interest for a period of 50 years.
(viii) The International Finance Corporation [IFC] mainly functions with private enterprises in developing countries.
(ix) The Bank promotes the Millennium Development Goals which aim at:
a) Improving living standards.
b) Removing illiteracy
c) Empowering women
d) Improving maternal and child health,
e) Improving the environment and eradicating AIDS

(i) The Treaty also set up the League of Nations, on the initiative of President Woodrow Wilson of the United States.
(ii) The League was expected to mediate between countries and take action against countries which indulged in military aggression.
(iii) However, the United States was not interested in playing a global role or any role in European politics.
(iv) The popular mood favoured the traditional isolationist approach, and therefore the United States did not become a member of the League.
(v) The other Allied nations were also determined to maintain a noninterventionist attitude and, in consequence, the League remained an ineffectual international body.

Rise of Hitler:
(i) Adolf Hitler was able to exploit the general discontent among the Germans.
ii) He founded the Nationalist Socialist party generally known as 'the Nazis'.
iii) The fundamental platform on which Hitler built his support was the notion of the racial superiority of the German as a pure, Aryan' race.
iv) He had a deep hatred for the Jews.
v) He came to power in 1933 and ruled Germany till 1945.
vi) In direct contravention of the clauses of the Treaty of Versailles he rearmed Germany.
vii) It solved the problem of unemployment in Germany.
viii) Soon Germany and Italy came closer and they formed Rome - Berlin Axis. When Japan joined it, it became Rome - Berlin - Tokyo axis.
ix) Hitler invaded the Rhineland
x) Hitler invaded Austria, Czechoslovakia and Sudetenland.
Fall of Hitler:
i) Initially German army had success. But after the entry of America the axis powers were defeated one after another.
ii) The British Royal Air Force inflicted severe losses on Germany.
iii) In 1941 German army invaded Russia. It was also a failure.
iv) In North Africa the German forces were defeated by General Montgomery.
v) The allied forces under the command of Eisenhower invaded Normandy in France. Slowly, the German army was forced back. Hitler committed suicide in April 1945.