World War Two History Post

World War Two was an important turning point for America and the world. America grew in strength and became more powerful; it also created international institutions that led to the new World Order. Other impacts include creating a Communist versus Democracy axis and finally creating the state of Isreal.

The Cause of WW2

World War Two was an afterward to WW1. World War Two was caused by the treaty of Versailles, Germany invading Poland on September 1^st, 1939, and Germany declaring war on Russia on June 22^nd, 1941.  WW2 was caused by the Nazi German invasion of Poland but was also caused by WW1 and geopolitical turmoil. Other causes include the treaty of Versailles.  WW2 was the second World War and lead to widespread death, genocide and restructuring the global world order.

Hitler was a main cause of WW2. He had the following three goals, to unite all German speaking people, achieve Lebensraum (conquer the territory east towards Russia), and destroy the Treaty of Versailles. Germany wanted to unite all German speaking people, which isn’t the end of the world regarding its not a particularly evil or racist policy. Hitler also wanted to unite Lebensraum, or get more land for the Aryan people, Hitler viewed the Eastern Europeans as an inferior race. Finally, they wanted to revoke or destroy the Treaty of Versailles, which blamed Germany for the war, destroyed its economy and banned it from having a large military. Hitler was the dictator of Germany during WW2 and invaded Poland in 1939.

Hitler invaded Poland in 1939, starting WW2. Shortly afterward France and Britain declared war on Germany. England had just been in a war, so they didn’t want to go to war with the German’s. England and France appeased the German’s however on, declared war on Germany on September 3^rd, 1939.  Throughout 1940 Germany invaded its neighbors, including: Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg and Denmark, (as well as others.) On May 10^th, 1940, Germany invaded France. On December 7^th, 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, significantly weakening the United States Navy and shortly after Italy and Germany declared war on the United States.

“The Treaty of Versailles made WW2 possible not inevitable.”[1] The Treaty of Versailles did this by bankrupting Germany and blaming it for the war. The treaty was so unfair that it caused the Germans to become evil and to cause WW2. WW2 was caused by the Treaty of Versailles, by bankrupting Germanies economy and weakening everything. WW2’s Treaty of Versailles was important because it weakened Europe’s economy to the point that WW2 was inevitable.

Chicago Citation

Kershaw, Ian. To Hell and Back: Europe, 1914–1949. Narrated by John Curless. Unabridged audiobook. New York: Recorded Books, 2015.

Hughes, Thomas A., and John Graham Royde-Smith. “World War II.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Last modified October 21, 2025. Accessed October 23, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II

“World War II: Causes and Timeline,” HISTORY, accessed October 23, 2025, https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii

BBC Bitesize. “The Policy of Appeasement and the Causes of WWII.” BBC, accessed October 23, 2025. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zgtmm39

Rosenberg, Jennifer. “Timeline of World War II From 1939 to 1945.” ThoughtCo. Last modified May 2, 2025. https://www.thoughtco.com/world-war-ii-timeline-1779991

Blakemore, Erin. “How the Treaty of Versailles Ended WWI and Started WWII.” National Geographic, 31 May 2019. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/treaty-versailles-ended-wwi-started-wwii

Pruitt, Sarah. “How the Treaty of Versailles and German Guilt Led to World War II.” History. June 29, 2018. Last updated February 18, 2025. A&E Television Networks, LLC. https://www.history.com/articles/treaty-of-versailles-world-war-ii-german-guilt-effects

Pruitt, Sarah. “How the Treaty of Versailles and German Guilt Led to World War II.” History, June 29, 2018. Last modified February 18, 2025. https://www.history.com/articles/treaty-of-versailles-world-war-ii-german-guilt-effects

[1] Sarah Pruitt, “How the Treaty of Versailles and German Guilt Led to World War II,” History, June 29, 2018, last modified February 18, 2025, https://www.history.com/articles/treaty-of-versailles-world-war-ii-german-guilt-effects