How did expansionism pave the way for world war ii?

The expansionism was the primary goal of the axis power. Germany, Italy, and Japan all had leaders that wanted to expand the territory of their countries. The main reason for the expansionist policies were the resources, as the resources would have made these countries much stronger, economically independent, and they were going to be able to develop significantly, becoming global powers.

Germany wanted to expand its territory in order to make living space for its population, as well as to gain control of the natural resources of big portion of Europe and the oil in the Caucasus. Italy wanted to restore the long gone Roman Empire, to invade the majority of the territories that this empire ruled, and have excellent strategic location and lot of natural resources. Japan had very few and very little natural resources. The rulers saw that the country would need lot of natural resources in their possession in order to prosper, so they went to invade the regions that were rich in certain natural resources. This type of politics prompted a response from the Allies so they declared a war on them in order to stop them, thus the World War II began.

b. ensure mutual protection from communism.

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"germany's geographic location was an advantage when it was on the offensive in the war because it was situated next to an extremely wide river, the rhine, which was difficult for the allies to cross."