what started world war 2.?

Answer 1

Some go far as saying the oppressive effects of the Versailles Treaty ending WW I, laying the seed as it were. My simple answer is the line the sand drawn by Britain and France, namely the attack on Poland on Sept. 1. 1939.

Answer 2

It would have been funny had it not been so tragic.

The actual event that started the war involved the Germans dressing up as Polish soldiers and attacking a German border station. The "real" Germans soldiers could then say that they have suffered an unprovoked attack and, as luck would have it, they were all just ready to retaliate.

The more complicated answer is that the second world war started because the first one did not finish particularly conclusively - a bit like Iraq ;-)

Answer 3

For this you have to start from the very begging, because to understand why WWII started you have to know about the events before it that allowed it to occur.

After Napoleon's reign over Europe, alliances between European countries formed to assure that someone like Napoleon couldn't take control of the continent again. These alliances however did more harm than good. When Serbians assassinated Arch Duke Ferdinand of Austria, Austria declared war on Serbia. Russia backed up Serbia, so Germany allied with Austria to support it. France and Britain joined up with Russia, America eventually got involved when German U-Boats sank an American supply ship delivering equipment to Britain, even though America was suppose to be neutral.

After Germany was defeated the Allies put devastating restrictions on Germany and made them pay reparation for most of the war damages. Their military was to be reduced to a small amount of soldiers, and the Navy and Air Force was severely reduced to an almost non-existent point. This is what allowed Hitler into power.

Hitler was able to convince the German people that Germany was unfairly treated and that it was the Jews fault. with this Hitler was able to incorporate his ultimate "plan" for the Jewish in with political campaign. The Chancellor of Germany died allowing Hitler to take office, and he then became a dictator. After invading Poland the alliances from the previous war started back up and then WWII had begun.

Answer 4

It started with WW 1. Europe got involved in a tangle of alliances and the duke of Austria was assassinated, then everyone started fighting with each other, and eventually their were two sides. Germany was on the side that lost. Several decades later, Germany was not happy with their treatment as losers in WW 1 so Hitler rose to power and started WW 2. It didn't start with Pearl Harbor, that was the last straw that the US would take, so it finally got directly involved. Before Pearl Harbor, the most the US could do was send arms and supplies to European countries fighting Germany and Italy. The reason why was because US citizens opposed early involvement in the war, claiming that our George Washington warned us not to get involved in entangled alliances and foreign wars. In hindsight, the war could have been over faster had the US got involved sooner. Perhaps Japan may not have entered the war if Germany was defeated faster.

As far as Bush family involvement: Prescott Bush did own 1 share (only 1) of a bank that the Nazis used as part of their war finances. Their is no proof that he knew what they were up to, or that he collaborated with them. Only 1 share would not bring such a large return on investment, as other individuals held many shares in that particular bank. The US froze his assets as soon as the intentions of the Nazi party became known, so I call that a pretty limited involvement if you ask me.

Answer 5

A worldwide depression in the thirties created the economic conditions that led to the war. Corporations learned that by supporting military despots they could make a lot of money.
Germany, chastened by the loss of WWI and the economic nightmare of the Weimar period, needed to proclaim power to the rest of the planet.

Japan saw that the control of the Pacific was up for grabs and needed to express primacy over the Chinese.

The US joined the war after Japan attacked.

Answer 6

Hitler's Germany invaded Poland in 1939.

Britain had a pact with Poland so we were therefore at war with Germany. Germany afterwards invaded the Low Countries and France as well as most of Europe.

Pearl Harbour was a while after that.

Answer 7

There are many reasons from many standpoints.

From the British point of veiw,german domination of central europe , increased influence in the middle east as well as the strength of germanys african colonies meant a direct threat to the british empires miltiary and economic power.

The honouring of the pact with poland was the catalyst that gave chamberlain the call to arms.

Answer 8

In 1939, Britain were allied to Poland and we had an agreement that we would help Poland defend itself against any country that threatened it. After Hitler had taken back former german territories, britain believed that Hitler would invade Poland next. The Prime Minister of britain at the time ( Neville Chamberlain) flew to Berlin to discuss the matter with Hitler. He returned to britain with a guarentee from Hitler that he would not invade Poland.In September of that year, Hitler invaded Poland, and Britain gave him an ultimatum that if he didn't remove his troops by 11am. then we would have to declare war on germany. Sad to say, that Hitler ignored this ultimatum, and as a result we were at war with Germany. The outcome for Neville Chamberlain in this was that he resigned as Prime Minister. Also bear in mind that when Britain declared war, this included troops from the british Empire at tha time. Canadians, Australians, indians, Ghurkas etc.

Answer 9

Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1st 1939. Great Britain & France declared war on Germany on September 3rd 1939.

Answer 10

George W and his quest for oil! lol just kidding
Hitler invaded poland, his quest for cleansing the population and for world domination. The US originally had no stance on the issue, then Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and gave us no choice. So we joined the party.