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Cole Wagner World War Two 3/29/16

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We no longer demand anything, we want war. Joachim von Ribbentrop (1939)

The time period between World War 1 and World War 2 is called the Interwar period. This time
period lasted from 1919-1939, starting with the Paris Peace Conference and ending with Hitlers
invasion of Poland. The events that happened during this time period would provoke another
World War between the Allied and Axis powers. World War 2 happened because of numerous
reasons, but certain events had a much more jarring impact than others. The most pertinent cause
of the Second World War was Hitlers invasion of Poland, Japanese foreign aggression, and
Germanys violation of the Munich Agreement.
On September 1 1939 German forces launched a massive 1.5 million troop air, sea, and ground
assault against the independent state Poland. Germanys aim was to create more living space for
German people, enslaving the native Slavs for Hitlers superior race. Fearing USSR
aggression, Germany signed a non-aggression pact with the Soviets that shared the overthrown
Polish land with the USSR. With both Germany and Russia invading on different fronts, all hope
of a Polish mounted offensive was lost. Allied forces were angered greatly by this provocative
foreign aggression. Two days after the invasion of Poland, the Allied forces declared war of
Germany.
During the 1930s Japan seemed determined to invade and colonize most of Asia. Japans strong
sense of nationalism, need for natural resources, and fear of outside aggression directly
contributed to Japans conquest of Asia. This fear of outside aggression directly led to Japan
trying to seize foreign land, especially through conflict. The Tripartite alliance created the Axis
powers of Germany, Japan, and Italy. Japan, fearing the United States inclusion in the Allied
Powers, launched a surprise attack on a military base stationed in Hawaii, hoping that the attack
would keep the United States out of the conflict. Unfortunately for the Japanese, this
accomplished the exact opposite. The attack at Hawaii drew the United States into World War 2.
The United States would play a key role in the war, providing troops, food, weapons, and
logistics to the Allied Forces.
The Munich Agreement was a treaty stating that lands bordering both Czechoslovakia and
Germany will be given to Germany. This agreement was made because most of the people on the
border spoke German, not Czech. Hitler however, decided that the small amounts of lands
allotted to him was not enough. On March 15, 1939, Hitlers troops marched to Czechoslovakia
and took over Bohemia, annexing it into Germany. While this did not lead to war, it did increase
tensions between the European nations.
World War 2 was fought on two fronts, Europe and the Pacific, both fronts wars ended at
different times. The war in Europe ended when the German capital fell to the Soviet Union and
the Allied Forces. Germany officially surrendered on May 7 in France, signing an unconditional
surrender. The war in the Pacific ended officially on September 2, when Japan signed an
unconditional surrender pact with the United Nations. Japan originally did not want to surrender.
However, with the United States nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the USSR
Cole Wagner World War Two 3/29/16
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declaring war on Japan, Japan was left with no choice but to surrender. This marked the end of
the deadliest war in human history.

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