Mention any two causes for the Second World War.
Topic: Causes of the Second World War
Answer
(1) The harsh and humiliating Treaty of Versailles, which stripped Germany of territory, disarmed her and burdened her with reparations. The resentment it created was exploited by Hitler, who came to power promising to undo it. (2) The rise of dictatorships in Italy, Germany and Japan, with their aggressive and expansionist policies, together with the failure of the League of Nations to check aggression in Manchuria, Abyssinia and elsewhere.
Two marks, so give two DIFFERENT causes rather than two aspects of one. The Treaty of Versailles and the rise of dictatorships (or the failure of the League) are the safest pair. If the question had asked for the IMMEDIATE cause, the answer would be the German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 — keep the underlying causes and the immediate cause clearly apart, because papers ask for both.