The Treaty of Versailles was the Main Cause of WW2

I accept the definitions Pro has so graciously provided.Right off the bat, I intend to make my position clear with two statements.1. The Treaty of Versaille contributed to WW22. The Treaty of Versaille was not the main cause of WW2Pro has done a brilliant job of showing you how the Treaty of Versaille paved the road for Nazi Germany and the rise of Hitler. However, he has not shown you how the treaty caused WW2.I concede that the Treaty of Versaille ruined Germany financially, as well as caused feelings of resentment. But these merely brought about the right conditions for war. They were far from its true cause. Thus, instead of fighting the losing battle of trying to show how the treaty didn't make Germany ripe for war, I will bring about new contentions for why the treaty did not cause WW2, even if it contributed towards certain aspects of it.C1. World =/= EuropeWhile certainly the most infamous, Nazi Germany was not the only Axis power in World War 2. World War 2 was largely fought in three separate continents (commonly referred to as theatres). These were Europe, Africa, and the Pacific (Imperial Japan).While Hitler led the charge with Nazi Germany in the European theatre, other tyrants were wreaking havoc across the world. Benito Mussolini, fascist dictator if Italy, joined the war on the Axis side, attacking British positions in Kenya, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia.[1] Meanwhile, Tojo Hideki, Prime Minister of Japan, was the mastermind behind the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.[2] Imperial Japan had, over the course of many years, amassed an empire containing a large portion of Asia. Japan's alliance with Nazi Germany was largely political, with Japanese and German forces never really fighting side-by-side. Nonetheless, the Pacific theatre was where the majority of U.S. forces were originally deployed, and accounted for a frightening 2 million casualties between the U.S. and Japan alone.[3]So, we see here that even if the Treaty of Versaille had been the cause of the European theatre, it was certainly not responsible for the equally viable African and Pacific theatres.C2. Hitler (Nazi campaign wouldn't have happened w/o Hitler)The next contention I have is twofold. I will use the example of Hitler. Put simply, the war could not have happened without the leadership Hitler provided to the Weimar Republic, which shortly became Nazi Germany.The Treaty of Versaille merely paved the way for Hitler to lead his people down the road towards fascism.In an interview on WW2history.com, Professor Sir Ian Kershaw gives his opinion on what WW2 would've looked like without Hitler...Well he was, of course, crucial in this. If you pose the counterfactual question, would there have been general European war by 1939 without Hitler, with another nationalist German leader? Quite conceivably the answer is 'No'. There would have been pressure within Germany to regain territories that had been taken away at Versailles and there would probably have been some adjustment to that, those territorial losses as time went on and so on. But by 1938-39 quite considerable sections of the German elites – the military elite, the elites in the higher ranks of the Foreign Office and so on – and not just that but even within the Nazi Party itself were getting cold feet about the prospects of a war which they thought Germany might well lose. And no less a figure than Hermann Goering, the second man in Germany, said in August 1939 to Hitler, “Mein Fuehrer, must we always go for broke?” And he wanted to back down really from that, seek some sort of negotiated way out of the crisis building up over Poland. And Hitler’s reply was a characteristic one, “Goering, you know all my life I’ve gone for broke.” [4](To see Professor Kershaw's credentials, see [5])While we can't say for certain that another wouldn't have done what Hitler did, a man like Hitler (and there weren't many) was required for the European theatre of the war to have taken place. The Treaty alone could not have brought it about.C3. Appeasement PolicyRemember Pro's reference to Appeasement Policy? I was rather shocked he did, since I this is actually a rather strong argument for my position. Here's how.Appeasement Policy was a problem because the United Kingdom was letting Germany break the Treaty of Versaille. When Hitler began to rearm Germany, instead of holding them to the treaty, the other European nations simply smiled politely and gave little Germany an awkward pat on the head (akin to a parent saying of their child, "Oh, it's just a stage. They'll grow out of it."). But because Germany was allowed to get away with breaking the treaty, Hitler was able to launch his campaign into Europe.You see, the problem was that the UK didn't hold Nazi Germany to the treaty in the first place. The treaty would've, rather ironically, prevented Hitler from invading his neighboring countries.C4. The buck stops where?The last point I'd like to make could be stated as a question. Where does the blame truly lie? Sure, we can say the Treaty of Versaille was the problem, but what caused the treaty? (For those who may not know, it was World War I) So was WWI the cause of WW2? What caused WWI? Or what about the reverse? The treaty merely caused economic strife. But isn't the strife itself really to blame for the war? One could even go so far as to say that the true cause of the war itself was the decision by the UK and US (and Canada) to fight back. After all, it takes two to tango.[6] While that all might seem rather ridiculous when taken to a certain point, it is logically valid. Why would we blame just one cause of a cause for being the reason the entire war happened? It's a ridiculous proposition.ConclusionI've shown...1. The European theatre was only one of three major conflicts in the war. Even if the Treaty was responsible for the conflict in Europe, it cannot be held as the main cause for the war.2. The war would not have happened if it wasn't for Adolf Hitler, regardless of whether or not the treaty existed.3. Appeasement policy was a huge cause for the war in Europe. If the UK had held Germany to the treaty, the war would've been impossible.4. We can't just choose one link in the chain of events leading up to WW2 and claim it's the "main cause". In this case, the treaty was caused by other things and caused other things that all helped propel the war.The resolution is negated. Back to you, Pro.Sources[1] http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org...[2] http://www.history.com...[3] http://pwencycl.kgbudge.com...;[4] http://ww2history.com...[5] http://ww2history.com...[6] http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com...