What were the causes of World War II? The main cause of the European war was Hitler’s drive to create lebensraum or living space for Germans in Eastern Europe (Shubert, A. & Goldstein, R.J. 2012). Hitler wanted to expand his Aryan nation and needed more territory to ensure it reached its full potential. The Allied powers were appeasing Hitler up until the invasion of Poland which led to a declaration of war by France and Great Britain. In the Pacific, the Japanese empire began expanding before European powers were staged to begin their conflict. The Japanese were reliant on imports to drive their economy as they had no natural resources. They knew in order to become self-sufficient they would need to expand. They began doing this in 1931 until their attack on Pearl Harbor which brought the US into the war. Had the US not cut off oil to the Japanese empire the US may not have gotten involved in the war. How did it differ from the First World War? The first World War began with the assassination of Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand, national alliances, and European expansionism. The second World War was different in the fact the continent was as a whole not prepared for a war. The Great Depression and economic issues were chocking European nations. To contrast with the first World War, most European nations were ready for a war and wanted one. The allies leading up to the second World War tried to prevent it as much as possible. By appeasing Hitler, they felt they could stop him from expanding too much. However, they were too soft on him and at the very end of the pre-war era, they tried to take a tough stance. Hitler did not budge, however. The second World War was about expanding empires, recovering national pride, and creating an Aryan living space. The first World War revolved around land grabbing which ended in little land actually being grabbed. In the Pacific, the Japanese empire seized territory for resources such as oil and rubber in addition to expanding their empire. However, their primary goal was to obtain enough land to be self-sufficient economically. What role did race, and ethnicity play in the conflict? Race played a factor on both sides of the conflict. For the Axis powers, it was more apparent. The Nazis were exterminating Jews, blacks, homosexuals, and Slavs. His vendetta against these groups caused thousands to die. From occupied France to parts of occupied Russia the Germans executed their brutal ideology on occupied peoples. This played a huge role in how occupied nations were governed and order maintained. In the Pacific, the Japanese were massacring Chinese, Korean, and Indonesian people. The Japanese did not see these people as equal to them. So, anyone who resisted or was accused of resisting was killed. This continued throughout the war. In Allied ranks, Segregation existed within the US, this carried over onto the battlefield. Entire regiments of troops were minorities. Separating fighting forces by race w ...