Could World War 2 have been avoided?

Answer 1

Most wars could have been. Undoubtedly there could have been policies by the US and Europe that prevented the war. If the Treaty of Versailles had not been so harsh towards the Germans and better economic planning had managed to prevent the Great Depression, then maybe. How you would have done that is another question.

Answer 2

I agree that World War II could have been avoided if the League of Nations had been more assertive, but the other countries could not have just stand there and do nothing. If they had done that, Germany could have taken over the whole of Europe!!! All wars are preventable by negotiation beforehand, but the real answer for WWII is probably no. Even if you ignore the evidence that Germany was preparing for war by building up her air force and navy against the terms of the peace treaty after WWI, as soon as Germany invaded Poland, then Britain and France were forced, by the terms of a treaty they had with Poland, to declare war on Germany. That's not "the World" but Britain at that time was still much a colonial power and could thus call on soldiers from Australia, New Zealand, India, etc.

WWII could have been prevented if the Treaty of Versailles was less demanding. Some say this would have promoted the war but if it was less harsh the people of Germany wouldn't have been so ridiculed. But, unfortunately, because they were insulted and were extremely enraged, they really were looking to anyone who would break the Treaty and said they would have brought fame and glory back to Germany.

WWII could have been avoided in many different ways, but unfortunately, it wasn't. Many people died and suffered due to this war. If possible, many people would agree it should have and could have been prevented.

This is a compilation of previous answers combined with my own answer - WR

Answer 3

Even in the unlikely event that the US and Japan did not go to war, it seems that the US could not have avoided becoming involved in the war. The reason I say this is because the US was actually involved in the war almost from its beginning, even though the US was not technically at war with the Axis Powers.

Even though Congress had passed laws requiring the US to be neutral in any future wars, when World War II started in 1939, President Roosevelt started a policy called "Cash and Carry". This allowed countries that were involved in the war to buy stuff (but not weapons, which would violate the neutrality laws) from the US as long as they paid for it up front, and transported it to their own country using their own ships. As the United Kingdom had the largest and most powerful navy in the world at the time, they were the primary beneficiary of this policy.

Later, in 1941, the Congress passed the "Lend-Lease Act" which allowed the Allied powers to "borrow" weapons, ships, tanks, and other equipment from the US. I say "borrow" like that because in reality, the US was basically just giving this gear to those countries so they could fight the Nazis and Japanese. The US was also getting ready for war by that point, and re-instituted the draft in June 1940, after France's surrender to Germany.

So the US was pretty much always involved in the war. The US was selling and giving weapons to the Allies, and started up the draft despite not actually being at war for another year and a half. Then Japan attacked the US Navy on December 7th, 1941, officially bringing the US into the war.

Answer 4

Only if there was a willingness on the U.S. side to knuckle under and allow Japan to have a free hand in raping and annexing China. Then as now not a bloody likely proposition.

Answer 5

maybe