While Germany played a significant role in starting World War II, it is too simplistic to say that they were solely responsible. Rather, a complex combination of factors led to the beginning of the war, involving the actions and policies of multiple nations and their leaders. The Treaty of Versailles, global economic challenges after WW1, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, Italy's invasion of Ethiopia, Japan's imperial expansion, the appeasement policies, German expansion in Europe, failures of the league of nations and ultimately Nazi aggression under Adolf Hitler were all elements that played a role in leading to the global conflict. Therefore, it is more accurate to talk about shared responsibilities or contributing causes from various parties before assigning singular accountability to one nation.