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The Great Depression
The Great Depression was an economic crisis in 1929. Because of the Great Depression, many countries were experiencing strong fascist and communist movements including France and Great Britain -
Rise of Nazism
On September 1, 1939, the Wehrmacht invaded neighboring Poland without warning. Hitler had been planning the Blitzkrieg since 1933. -
German militarism
The Nazis were determined that Germany be a militarist state, whereby the country was prepared for war at any time. For this to become a reality, the Nazis launched an ambitious rearmament program. They also relied on the education system to prepare young men for military service, both physically and mentally. -
Japan Militarism
The eruption of full-scale war with China came in July 1937 after an allegedly unplanned confrontation between Chinese and Japanese forces near Beijing, China. Japan's invasion of China is sometimes considered to be the start of World War II. -
The Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles led to World War II because its terms punished Germany harshly. The economy collapsed, the government lost power, the military was weak, and the Germans were angry. Because of these factors, Germans became loyal to Hitler and there was the perfect storm in Germany which caused World war II and. -
Economic Downturns
The economic troubles of the 1930s were worldwide in scope and effect. Economic instability led to political instability in many parts of the world. Political chaos, in turn, gave rise to dictatorial regimes such as Adolf Hitler's in Germany and the military's in Japan. -
Appeasement
Appeasement proved to Hitler that Britain and France were unable to say no to Hitler because they wanted to avoid war at all costs. -
Invasion of Poland
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, War of Poland of 1939, and Polish Defensive War of 1939, was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak Republic, and the Soviet Union; which marked the beginning of World War II. -
Fascism
Headed by an Austrian named Adolf Hitler, the Nazis manipulated German discontent with post–World War I conditions to promote a nationalist and anti-Semitic agenda that ultimately led to World War II and the Holocaust. -
The attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the American naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, just before 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, December 7, 1941.