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Second World War Causes and Consequences ICSE Class 10

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History & CivicsICSE Class 10 · The Second World War

The Second World War: Causes, Pearl Harbour and Hiroshima in Brief, and Consequences (ICSE Class 10 History)

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

The Second World War (1939-45) arose from dissatisfaction with the Treaty of Versailles, the rise of Fascism and Nazism, appeasement, the Japanese invasion of China, the failure of the League of Nations and Hitler's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939. It ended with the defeat of the Axis Powers, the formation of the United Nations and the start of the Cold War between the USA and the USSR.

Notice how several earlier failures all feed into Hitler's invasion of Poland, which started a war that ended with the UN and the Cold War.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand Causes and Consequences of the Second World War

1. Causes (six).
1. *Treaty of Versailles:* Germany saw it as a humiliating dictated peace and Italy as unfair. Hitler left the League and the Disarmament Conference (1933), reintroduced conscription (1935) and sent troops into the Rhineland (1936) without punishment.
2. *Rise of Fascism and Nazism:* both glorified war and expansion. Italy invaded Abyssinia in 1935; Germany annexed Austria (Anschluss, March 1938). The Rome-Berlin Axis (1936) and the Anti-Comintern Pact (1936), joined by Italy in 1937, formed the Axis bloc.
3. *Appeasement:* Britain and France, under Neville Chamberlain, gave in to Hitler to avoid war because of memories of 1914-18, a feeling that Versailles was harsh, fear of communism and lack of preparation. At Munich (September 1938) they allowed Germany to take the Sudetenland; in March 1939 Hitler occupied the rest of Czechoslovakia. Appeasement convinced him that they would not fight.
4. *Japanese invasion of China:* Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931 and set up the puppet state Manchukuo; the League's Lytton Commission condemned it but no action followed, and Japan left in 1933. A full invasion of China came in 1937.
5. *Failure of the League:* no armed force; the USA never joined and Germany, Japan and Italy left; decisions needed unanimity; members put self-interest first (the oil exclusion in sanctions on Italy); it was seen as a club of the victors.
6. *Hitler's invasion of Poland:* Hitler demanded Danzig and a route across the Polish Corridor; Poland refused and Britain and France guaranteed its independence. After the Non-Aggression Pact with the USSR (23 August 1939), Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939. Britain and France declared war on 3 September.

2. Brief mentions. *Pearl Harbour:* a surprise Japanese air attack on 7 December 1941; the USA declared war on Japan next day. *Hiroshima (6 August 1945) and Nagasaki (9 August 1945):* atomic bombs dropped by the USA; Japan surrendered, formally on 2 September 1945. Germany had surrendered in May 1945.

3. Consequences. (a) *Defeat of the Axis:* Italy 1943, Germany May 1945, Japan August-September 1945; Germany divided into four zones. (b) *United Nations* founded on 24 October 1945. (c) *Cold War:* rivalry between the USA and the USSR, the two superpowers.

4. Cold War, NATO and the Warsaw Pact (meaning only). The Cold War was a state of tension, suspicion and rivalry between the US-led capitalist bloc and the Soviet-led communist bloc after the war without direct fighting between them. NATO (1949) was a military alliance of the USA, Canada and West European states for collective defence. The Warsaw Pact (1955) was the alliance formed by the USSR and Eastern European communist countries in response.

Causes and Consequences of the Second World War: key facts

Six causes
  • Versailles
  • Fascism and Nazism
  • Appeasement
  • Japan in China
  • League failure
  • Poland
List in order.
Key dates
  • Munich September 1938
  • Poland 1 September 1939
  • Britain and France 3 September 1939
  • Pearl Harbour 7 December 1941
Dates.
Bombs
Hiroshima 6 August 1945 | Nagasaki 9 August 1945
Do not swap.
Cold War
  • USA bloc
  • USSR bloc
  • NATO 1949
  • Warsaw Pact 1955
  • No direct fighting
Meaning only.

How to answer Causes and Consequences of the Second World War questions

Expect: causes (4-6 marks), appeasement or League failure (3-4 marks), Poland as the immediate cause (2-3 marks), consequences (3-4 marks), and the meaning of the Cold War, NATO and Warsaw (2 marks).

  1. 1Number the causes in time order.
  2. 2Name Poland, not Czechoslovakia, as the start of the war.
  3. 3Keep Pearl Harbour and Hiroshima to two lines each.
  4. 4For the Cold War give meaning only.

Causes and Consequences of the Second World War in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Giving in

Suppose a teacher keeps giving a bully small concessions to avoid trouble and the bully keeps asking for more.

Which policy of the 1930s does this resemble, and what happened?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Giving in to avoid conflict.
  2. Demands grow.
  3. The aggressor believes no one will resist.

Answer: It resembles appeasement; it encouraged Hitler to make further demands, which led to war.

Memory hook: Concessions feed appetite.

A referee without power

Imagine a sports body that has no way to penalise members and whose major teams stay out or leave when they dislike its rulings.

Which institution does this resemble?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. No power to enforce.
  2. Major members absent.
  3. League of Nations.

Answer: It resembles the League of Nations, which had no armed force and lacked major powers.

Memory hook: No teeth, no power.

Tricks to remember Causes and Consequences of the Second World War

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

  • V-F-A-J-L-P

    Versailles, Fascism, Appeasement, Japan, League, Poland.

    Use it when: Six causes.

  • 6-9

    Hiroshima 6 August, Nagasaki 9 August.

    Use it when: Bomb dates.

  • N49 W55

    NATO 1949, Warsaw Pact 1955.

    Use it when: Dates.

Causes and Consequences of the Second World War: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Appeasement · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

What was the policy of appeasement? Who followed it? [2]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Giving in to Hitler's demands to avoid war (1 mark).
  2. Britain and France (1 mark).

Answer: Appeasement was the policy of giving in to some of Hitler's demands in order to avoid war. It was followed by Britain and France, especially under Neville Chamberlain.

Example 2: Start of war · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

Which event started the Second World War, and when? [2]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Invasion of Poland (1 mark).
  2. 1 September 1939 (1 mark).

Answer: Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 started the war, and Britain and France declared war on Germany on 3 September.

Example 3: League failure · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Explain any four reasons for the failure of the League of Nations. [4]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Four reasons, 1 mark each.

Answer: The League had no armed force of its own and depended on its members to enforce decisions. The USA never joined and Germany, Japan and Italy left it. Its decisions needed unanimity, so action was slow, and members put self-interest first, as when sanctions against Italy over Abyssinia excluded oil and were soon dropped.

Example 4: Japan and China · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Explain how events in Manchuria in 1931 and in China in 1937 showed that aggression could succeed, and with what result. [4]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Manchuria 1931 (1 mark).
  2. League's inaction (1 mark).
  3. Japan leaves, invades China in 1937 (1 mark).
  4. Alliance with Germany and Italy (1 mark).

Answer: Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931 and set up the puppet state of Manchukuo. The League condemned it through the Lytton Commission but took no effective action, and Japan left the League in 1933. A full invasion of China followed in 1937. The episode showed that aggression could succeed and brought Japan into alliance with Germany and Italy.

Example 5: Case: a cartoon · 6 marks · Case-basedHOTS / competency

Case. A cartoon shows a leader marching troops across a border while two other leaders look away. The cartoon refers to the event of 1 September 1939. (i) Name the country invaded. [1] (ii) Name the leader invading. [1] (iii) Give two reasons for the invasion. [2] (iv) Why were the other leaders slow to act earlier? [2]

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. (i) Poland (1 mark).
  2. (ii) Hitler (1 mark).
  3. (iii) Danzig and the Polish Corridor; living space; confidence due to appeasement; pact with USSR (2 marks).
  4. (iv) Appeasement (2 marks).

Answer: (i) Poland. (ii) Adolf Hitler. (iii) He wished to recover Danzig and a route through the Polish Corridor and to win living space, and he believed that Britain and France would not fight and had secured the pact with the USSR. (iv) Britain and France followed appeasement because of their wish to avoid another war, fear of communism and lack of preparation.

Where students lose marks in Causes and Consequences of the Second World War

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

  • Mistake: Naming Czechoslovakia as the start

    Confusing with Munich.

    Wrong working

    War began with the invasion of Czechoslovakia.

    Right working

    War began on 1 September 1939 with Poland.

    Do this: Poland.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: Swapping the bombed cities

    Mixing the dates.

    Wrong working

    Nagasaki on 6 August.

    Right working

    Hiroshima 6 August, Nagasaki 9 August.

    Do this: 6 then 9.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: Long answers on brief topics

    Writing a full page on Pearl Harbour.

    Wrong working

    Long description of Pearl Harbour.

    Right working

    Two lines suffice for a brief mention.

    Do this: Respect the limits.

    Usually costs: Time.

  • Mistake: Giving the Cold War a long account

    Beyond meaning.

    Wrong working

    Detailed account of crises.

    Right working

    Meaning only for the Cold War, NATO and Warsaw Pact.

    Do this: Meaning only.

    Usually costs: Time.

Exam tips

  • Write the six causes with one fact each.
  • Name Poland as the immediate cause with the date.
  • For the Cold War, NATO and Warsaw Pact, give meaning only.

Practice questions on Causes and Consequences of the Second World War

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

  1. Q1 · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

    Briefly mention Pearl Harbour. [2]

    Hint

    7 December 1941.

    Answer

    On 7 December 1941 Japan made a surprise air attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii; the USA declared war on Japan the next day.

  2. Q2 · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

    What is meant by the Cold War? Name two alliances linked to it. [3]

    Hint

    Rivalry; NATO and Warsaw.

    Answer

    The Cold War was a state of tension and rivalry between the US-led and Soviet-led blocs after the Second World War without direct fighting between them. The alliances were NATO (1949) and the Warsaw Pact (1955).

  3. Q3 · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    How did the Treaty of Versailles help cause the Second World War? [4]

    Hint

    Resentment and violations.

    Answer

    Germany regarded the treaty as a humiliating dictated peace. Hitler promised to tear it up and broke its terms step by step by leaving the League and Disarmament Conference, reintroducing conscription and sending troops into the Rhineland. Each violation went unpunished and encouraged further aggression.

  4. Q4 · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Explain the Munich Pact and its result. [4]

    Hint

    Sudetenland.

    Answer

    At Munich in September 1938 Britain and France agreed that Germany could take the Sudetenland, a German-speaking region of Czechoslovakia. Hitler promised it was his last demand, but in March 1939 he occupied the rest of Czechoslovakia, which showed the failure of appeasement.

  5. Q5 · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

    "The Second World War could have been prevented if the League had been stronger." Discuss. [6]

    Hint

    Manchuria, Abyssinia, Rhineland, no force.

    Answer

    A stronger League with armed force, full membership including the USA and unity among members might have stopped aggression in Manchuria, Abyssinia and the Rhineland. Instead, aggressors saw that they would not be punished. But the war also arose from Versailles, the rise of dictators, appeasement and Hitler's ambitions, so a stronger League might have helped but would not have been the only remedy.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

  1. 1.Who followed appeasement?Show answer

    Britain and France under Chamberlain.

  2. 2.Which region was given at Munich?Show answer

    The Sudetenland.

  3. 3.When did Germany invade Poland?Show answer

    1 September 1939.

  4. 4.Which cities were bombed in 1945?Show answer

    Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

  5. 5.When was NATO formed?Show answer

    1949.

  6. 6.When was the Warsaw Pact formed?Show answer

    1955.

Causes and Consequences of the Second World War: frequently asked questions

Which country started the Second World War?

Germany, by invading Poland.

What was the Axis?

The alliance of Germany, Italy and Japan.

When did Japan surrender formally?

2 September 1945.

What was Manchukuo?

A puppet state set up by Japan in Manchuria.