Overall, the interwar period is defined by these political and economic factors clearing the path for World War II:

• the failure of the Treaty of Versailles, which was seen as unjust and humiliating by the Germans;

• the Great Depression, which challenged the world economic order and pushed nation- states to self-sufficiency and protectionism;

• the rise of Hitler and his revisionist policies;

• the unsuccessful French and British appeasement policy towards aggressors; and

• the failure of the League of Nations and the concept of collective security.