World War II: Origins, Key Events, and Global Impact

Causes of World War II and Hitler's Ambitions

The aims of Adolf Hitler when he reached power in 1933 were to:

• Disobey the Treaty of Versailles;
• Create a Greater Germany;
• Obtain Lebensraum (living space) for Germany;
• The first step toward war was leaving the League of Nations;
• Hitler wanted the union of all German-speaking people under Germany;
• Hitler wanted to annex Austria to reunite with his homeland;
• Hitler ordered the Austrian Nazis to create havoc in Austria;
• After the attempted coup, Austria tried to protect itself by being collaborative with Germany and signing treaties with other countries to protect the border;
• After years of political movement, Hitler gained power over Austria thanks to Austrian Nazis;
• In 1936, Germany and Italy signed the Rome-Berlin Axis;
• In 1938, Hitler invaded the Sudetenland;
• After various attempts by the UK and France to avoid German control of German-speaking territories, Great Britain and other European countries started to prepare for war.

Key Characteristics and Major Events of the Conflict

World War II began in September 1939 when Germany, without a declaration of war, invaded Poland.

• The primary combatants were the Axis nations and the Allied nations, led by Britain, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), and the USA;
• Britain and France declared war on Germany, and all members of the Commonwealth nations, except Ireland, rapidly followed suit;
• Germany invaded Belgium, France, and Russia;
• As a consequence, Hitler did not respect the non-aggression pact with the USSR, and the USSR entered the war;
• In 1944, Leningrad, which had been conquered by the Nazis, was liberated by Soviet troops;
• In 1945, the Soviet army and Allies entered Berlin, bringing an end to World War II.

Global Consequences and the Post-War Era

• A new crisis was caused by the postwar conflict between the USSR (Communist) and the USA (Capitalist);
• Soldiers and civilians suffered in bombings that destroyed entire cities;
• Modern methods of warfare, famine, and epidemics brought the death of millions of people and widespread homelessness;
• Political consequences included the reduction of Britain and France to powers of lesser rank;
• The emergence of the Common Market;
• The independence of many former colonies in Asia and Africa;
• The beginning of the Cold War between the Western powers and the Communist bloc nations;
• Treaties were established against Germany.