Have you ever wondered how world war II started? Who started it? And who helped? Well if you want to find out, just keep reading! I've got all the answers right here!
How It All Started
It was the year of 1929 and the great depression was just starting. The great depression was a time when the stock market completely crashed, everybody was out of a job, out of money, out of food, and out of a home! But by 1939, the great depression was over and world war II had just begun. World War II was a total war. Which means it involved nearly everybody!
At the end of World War I, everybody officially blamed Germany for starting the war. For that, Germany had to pay the cost for such nations as England and France. Except the German government had very little money, and had trouble paying the off the cost. There were lots of problems in Germany. The Germans were willing to listen to anybody who sounded like they had the answers to their problems.
That man was Adolf Hitler. Hitler was the leader of a powerful party called the Nazi party. He promised the Germans that he would make them a world power once again. He knew that the only way to get people to believe and follow him would be to blame somebody else for everything. Hitler claimed that in World War I Germany wasn't beaten by outsiders but by traitors. He blamed the whole thing on the Jewish people.
Of course the Jews weren't traitors. They didn't cause Germany's problems either. Except many Germans listened and followed Hitler. If he found a Jew he would kill them or send them to concentration camps.
Italy had a lot of the same problems that Germany had. Just like the Germans, the Italians listened to one man that sounded like he had all the answers. The man for Italy was Benito Mussolini. Mussolini claimed that the answers for Italy's problems was to have the government control all the businesses in the country.
By 1936 Hitler and Mussolini agreed to sign a treaty. That treaty was called the Axis Pact. They agreed to help and support each other in case of an attack. Later on they agreed to let General Hideki Tojo join. Tojo was the leader of Japan.
These men wanted their countries to be strong powers. So sometime during the 1930's, Japan took over Manchuria, which is part of northern China. The Italians invaded Ethiopia and Albania. Germany conquered Australia and Czechoslovakia.
Then, finally, on September 1st, 1939, Germany decided to attack Poland. Earlier that year, France and England had signed their own treaty with Poland. They agreed to protect Poland in case they were attacked. After Germany's attack, France and England declared war on Germany. The same as in World War I, England and France and all of the other countries that sided with them were called the Allies.
If you want to find out more about World War II, like how it ends and when the U.S. comes in, you can go on-line, or check your local library for a good book on it.
By Annie
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The depression in the USA wasn't much different then the one in Germany, except that the USA depression lasted a bit longer, there were more people homeless and jobless, and it was before WW2.
After world war I ended the countries signed a treaty. Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo signed a treaty that promised to help each other threw the next war. Other countries didn't want to fight again. They were called the Neutral nations.
Then on December 7, 1941 the Japanese people bombed the naval base in Pearl Harbor. The next day December 8 the United Sates declared war on Japan after they bombed Pearl Harbor. On December 11, 1941 the United States entered the war against Japan. In doing so the United States signed a treaty with Germany and Italy, they agreed to team up against Japan.
After World War I Germany had to pay for some of the damage done to England and France, because Germany was blamed for the war. The Germans needed help because of money problems. They listened to a man named Adolf Hitler. By 1932 Hitler and his Nazi Party were the most powerful in Germany. In 1933 Hitler was head of government, but he wanted even more power. Six months later he was named the dictator of Germany.
Second I'm going to tell you about the allies which included the U.S., the Soviet Union, parts of Africa, part of Brazil, most of China, and India. President Harry S. Truman had to make a very hard decision, to bomb Japan or not, on August 6, 1945, the Atomic bomb hit Hiroshima, Japan the out come was devastating the bomb had killed 78,000 people, but that wasn't all over, on August 9, 1945, the U.S. dropped another Atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. The results were 40,000 people dead. On August 14, 1945, the decision that ended the war happened. Hideki Tojo, surrendered, the war was over!
