In this accessible account Victor Rothwell examines the origins of the Second Word War, from the flawed peace settlement of 1919 to the start of the true world war at Pearl Harbor in 1941. Reflecting current historical understanding of the subject, the author discusses, within a chronological framework, the underlying issues, such as the clash between 'have' and 'have not' states, as well as their relative military and economic strengths. Did the cause of peace advance in the 1920s, only to be stopped in its tracks and threatened with reversal by the economic depression that began with the Wall Street crash in 1929? What was the nature of Nazi thinking about war, foreign policy and the (primarily British) policy of appeasement, which sought to accommodate the Third Reich? Why did Britain itself long prefer appeasement to collective security? Furthermore, the events in the Far East are examined and a contrast is drawn between the greater interest of the United States in that region than in Europe throughout the 1930s. Lastly, the complex process by which European war, starting in September 1939, became world war is treated as much more than an epilogue to what happened during the preceding decade. This book will prove invaluable to all students and academics studying this crucial period in twentieth-century history.