World War II: Causes, Major Events, and Conclusion

Posted on Mar 31, 2025 in History

Causes of World War II

Impact of the Treaty of Versailles

The Treaty of Versailles fostered feelings of humiliation among Germans and Italians, leading to:

  • A desire for revenge.
  • The rise of dictatorial political systems.
  • A drive for a new war to gain economic and political dominance in Europe.

Totalitarian Regimes’ Desire for War

Fascist regimes developed expansionist policies:

  • They strengthened their armies.
  • They encouraged militarism.
  • They engaged in an intense arms race.

Escalating Aggression in the 1930s

Authoritarian states launched hostile attacks:

  • Japan: Expanded at the expense of China, occupying Manchuria in 1931 and invading China in 1937.
  • Italy: Seized Ethiopia (1935) and Albania (1939) for colonial expansion. Italy and Germany participated in the Spanish Civil War, while France and Great Britain did not intervene directly.
  • Germany: Pursued a policy of expansion to create a “Great Empire”:
    • 1936: Violated the Treaty of Versailles by remilitarizing the Rhineland.
    • March 1938: Occupied Austria (the Anschluss).
    • September 1938: Demanded Czechoslovakia hand over the Sudetenland (populated mainly by Germans).

Weakness of Democratic Nations

Faced with the hostile policies of authoritarian regimes, democracies attempted to insulate themselves (like the US) or focused on internal issues. The League of Nations failed to respond effectively to Nazi and Fascist hostilities, contributing to the eventual outbreak of war.

The Munich Conference (1938)

Convened by Hitler in response to protests from France, Great Britain, and others over his expansionism, the conference resulted in democracies accepting Hitler’s promises not to expand further, a policy known as appeasement.

Preparing for War: Formation of Alliances

  • 1936: Germany and Italy formed the Rome-Berlin Axis, renewed in 1939 as the Pact of Steel.
  • November 1936: Germany and Japan signed the Anti-Comintern Pact, opposing international communism.
  • 1939: After Hitler seized the Danzig corridor, France and Great Britain pledged support to Poland.
  • August 1939: Hitler signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact (Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact) with the USSR to prevent a two-front war and ensure the Soviet Union wouldn’t ally with France and Great Britain.
  • September 1, 1939: Hitler invaded Poland.
  • In response, the Allies (Great Britain and France) declared war on Germany, marking the beginning of World War II in Europe.

Development of World War II

Axis Victories (1939-1941)

Following the invasion of Poland in September 1939, Hitler employed the ‘Blitzkrieg’ (lightning war) tactic, using armoured divisions and strong aerial support for surprised advances and quick attacks.

  • Poland collapsed within three weeks and was divided between Germany and the USSR according to the Nazi-Soviet Pact.
  • 1940: Germany invaded Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Northern and Western France.
  • Great Britain resisted German attacks through the summer.
    • Hitler’s air force bombed Britain during the Battle of Britain, but British resistance forced Hitler to abort the planned invasion.
    • Hitler ordered a naval blockade of Britain (Battle of the Atlantic) to cut off supplies.
  • Germany fought Britain in the Mediterranean to disrupt supply lines.
  • The German Afrika Korps conquered parts of North Africa. Yugoslavia and Greece were invaded in April 1941.
  • June 1941: Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, attacking the USSR and reaching the outskirts of Moscow and Leningrad. The USSR subsequently joined the Allies.
  • December 7, 1941: Japan attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The United States entered the war.

Allied Offensives (1942-1945)

The tide began to turn decisively in June 1942.

  • Pacific Theater: The Americans halted Japanese expansion at the Battles of Midway and Guadalcanal.
  • North Africa: The British defeated the Germans at El Alamein. An Allied army under General Eisenhower landed in French North Africa, defeating the Germans in Tunisia by May 1943.
  • Eastern Front: The German assault on Stalingrad (August 1942 – February 1943) resulted in Hitler’s first major failure. After months of siege, the German forces surrendered. The Soviets launched counter-offensives, taking back Ukraine and ending the siege of Leningrad (January 1944).
  • Liberation of Europe:
    • The Normandy landings (D-Day) by British, American, and Canadian troops began on June 6, 1944.
    • Large parts of France were liberated as Allied forces defeated the Germans.
    • Allied forces advanced towards Germany from the West.
    • Simultaneously, the Russians advanced from the East, pushing the Germans out of Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria. German cities suffered heavy Allied bombings.
    • The Western and Soviet Allied armies met at the River Elbe on April 26, 1945.
    • On April 30, 1945, Hitler committed suicide.
    • On May 8, 1945, Germany surrendered unconditionally (V-E Day).

End of the War in the Pacific

In the Pacific, American forces reconquered territories occupied by Japan, facing fanatical resistance, including kamikaze attacks.

  • To force Japan’s surrender and avoid a costly invasion, US President Truman authorized the use of atomic bombs.
  • August 6, 1945: Hiroshima was bombed.
  • August 9, 1945: Nagasaki was bombed.
  • The devastation, causing approximately 150,000 immediate deaths, led to Japan’s surrender on September 2, 1945 (V-J Day).
  • World War II was over.