What caused the Second World War?

During the interwar period (1919-39) there were a series of factors that led to the start of the Second World War (WWII), such as the Treaty of Versailles, the rise of fascism and economic instability. The Treaty of Versailles (1919) was enforced on Germany after WWI as punishment; Germany's colonies were removed, the empire was dismembered and they had to accept war guilt for their actions. This contributed to WWII as Germans protested and resentment against Britain, France and America grew, therefore allowing Hitler to rise to power as an alternative who promised restoration of German strength. The Great Depression of 1929 was also significant as all countries suffered; international cooperation broke down and there was a growing feeling that economies should be independent from the world system; Germany could no longer rely on war loans from abroad and this left them isolated and self-pursuing. Fascism was a key cause of WWII as Hitler, from the Nazi Party in Germany, consolidated his power with his 'Four Year Plan' which aimed to rearm the country, making it militarily stronger and therefore ready for war with Europe. Hitler had nationalist aims in which he wanted to acquire 'Lebensraum', or 'living space', for Germany by conquering territories. Therefore this contributed to the war as European countries prevented his conquest.