How Did World War II Start

 

The Aftermath of World War I

The origins of World War II can be traced directly to the unresolved tensions of World War I. The Treaty of Versailles (1919), intended to ensure peace, instead left Germany humiliated and economically devastated. The treaty imposed harsh reparations, territorial losses, and military restrictions. These measures created resentment among the German population and became fertile ground for extremist movements.

Meanwhile, across Europe and Asia, the global depression of the 1930s deepened instability. Authoritarian leaders began to rise, promising to restore national pride and strength. In Italy, Benito Mussolini established the first Fascist regime. In Germany, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party gained power in 1933, driven by nationalism, anti-Semitism, and a vision of territorial expansion.

(If you enjoy well-researched, documentary-style storytelling about these turbulent years, you might like the YouTube channel WW2 Diaries — dedicated to true, emotionally grounded accounts from the Second World War.)

Douglas MacArthur with Emperor Hirohito 1945 Tokyo (author unknown)

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Aggression in Europe and Asia

In the 1930s, global peace began to unravel. Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931, setting the stage for further expansion into China by 1937. In Europe, Hitler openly defied the Treaty of Versailles by rebuilding Germany’s armed forces and remilitarizing the Rhineland in 1936.

The Western democracies — Britain and France — adopted a policy of appeasement, hoping to prevent another major war. Hitler took advantage of this hesitation, annexing Austria in March 1938 (the Anschluss) and then demanding the Sudetenland region from Czechoslovakia. The Munich Agreement later that year allowed him to take it, under the false promise of “peace for our time.”

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The Invasion of Poland

The final spark came on September 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. Hitler had already secured a non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union — the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact — which secretly divided Eastern Europe between them.

Two days later, Britain and France declared war on Germany, officially beginning World War II. Within weeks, Poland was conquered from both sides. What followed was a cascade of invasions and alliances that engulfed nearly every continent over the next six years.

(To hear the voices and diaries of soldiers who lived through the earliest days of the war, explore WW2 Diaries — where history is told through authentic, human stories rather than dramatization.)

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The Broader Conflict Expands

While Europe descended into war, Japan continued its conquest across East Asia and the Pacific. By 1940, Italy joined Germany, forming the Axis Powers. In 1941, Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, and Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, drawing the United States into the war.

This global conflict — the deadliest in human history — would last until 1945, costing more than 70 million lives and forever reshaping the modern world.

(If you’d like to watch detailed visual documentaries about each stage of the war — from the Blitzkrieg to D-Day — visit WW2 Diaries for historical accuracy told with cinematic depth.)

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Conclusion

World War II began not with a single event, but with decades of unresolved grievances, economic despair, and political extremism. It stands as a reminder that peace is fragile — and that the lessons of history must never be forgotten.