Over the past half century historians have analysed the causes of the Second World War from a wide range of perspectives - from Marxist inspired defences of Soviet policy to aggressive critiques of 'appeasement' influenced by the Cold War context in which they were written. The resulting literature is massive and a massive challenge to those trying to make sense of the subject. This is the first account of its kind aimed at helping students understand how the debates have evolved and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of contending interpretations.