Who Started World War II?

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Betonov

Speaking of the holocaust.

But we are specifically not doing that. We're speaking of who started the war.

[Betonov]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

But we are specifically not doing that. We're speaking of who started the war.

The Nazis.

Nazis invaded Poland September 1st and set in motion the alliance system that brought Britain and France into the conflict.
Yes, Britain did declare war on Germany and not vice versa, but after Germany invaded an ally and refused to back out after repeated attempt by London to defuse the situation.

[MLF]

September 18, 1931
Japan invades Manchuria.

October 2, 1935–May 1936
Fascist Italy invades, conquers, and annexes Ethiopia.

October 25–November 1, 1936
Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy sign a treaty of co-operation on October 25; on November 1, the Rome-Berlin Axis is announced.

November 25, 1936
Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan sign the Anti-Comintern Pact, directed against the Soviet Union and the international Communist movement.

July 7, 1937
Japan invades China, initiating World War II in the Pacific.

March 11–13, 1938
Germany incorporates Austria in the Anschluss.

September 29, 1938
Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and France sign the Munich agreement which forces the Czechoslovak Republic to cede the Sudetenland, including the key Czechoslovak military defense positions, to Nazi Germany.

March 14–15, 1939
Under German pressure, the Slovaks declare their independence and form a Slovak Republic. The Germans occupy the rump Czech lands in violation of the Munich agreement, forming a Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.

March 31, 1939
France and Great Britain guarantee the integrity of the borders of the Polish state.

April 7–15, 1939
Fascist Italy invades and annexes Albania.

August 23, 1939
Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union sign a nonaggression agreement and a secret codicil dividing eastern Europe into spheres of influence.

September 1, 1939
Germany invades Poland, initiating World War II in Europe.

Source:= http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article....uleId=10007306

[Catfish]

Originally Posted by MLF

[...]
March 31, 1939
France and Great Britain guarantee the integrity of the borders of the Polish state.

[...]

August 23, 1939
Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union sign a nonaggression agreement and a secret codicil dividing eastern Europe into spheres of influence.

[edit: how about "dividing Poland"]

September 1, 1939
Germany invades Poland, initiating World War II in Europe.

And on September 17th, 1939, 16 days after Nazi Germany invaded Poland from the west, the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east.
The invasion and battle lasted for the following 20 days and ended on October 6th, 1939 with the two-way division and annexation of the entire territory of the Second Polish Republic by both Germany and the Soviet Union.

Then, England declared war to Germany. Because England did not "guarantee Poland's borders".
It only guaranteed Poland help in case of Germany violating Poland's borders.

[Joefour]

Originally Posted by Catfish

And on September 17th, 1939, 16 days after Nazi Germany invaded Poland from the west, the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east.
The invasion and battle lasted for the following 20 days and ended on October 6th, 1939 with the two-way division and annexation of the entire territory of the Second Polish Republic by both Germany and the Soviet Union.

Then, England declared war to Germany. Because England did not "guarantee Poland's borders".
It only guaranteed Poland help in case of Germany violating Poland's borders.

So why didn't Britain declare war ALSO on the Soviet Union for invading Poland from the east? Instead, she allied herself with the russians. Makes no logical sense to me whatsoever, that is, unless something else was going on that we don't know about. Perhaps this should be explored too.

[STEED]

Who started WW2?

As in person or persons and are we taking into account cause and effect from past History? How far back do you go to find the very first domino that knocked down the rest? Or is this just a general question without going back and just focus on 1939.

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by Joefour

So why didn't Britain declare war ALSO on the Soviet Union for invading Poland from the east? Instead, she allied herself with the russians. Makes no logical sense to me whatsoever, that is, unless something else was going on that we don't know about. Perhaps this should be explored too.

Hitler launched his invasion first, there was debate on the possibility of declaring war on Russia, around about the time that Russia and Finland went to war I believe, but it was decided that to fight both Russia and Germany would be suicidal.
Then when Hitler declared war on Russia it was simply a case of 'My enemies enemy is my friend', Britain had no real love for the Soviet Union, heck we drew up plans to declare war on them after WWII had finished but they were thrown out as being suicidal, but Russia had the resources to defeat Germany, Britain did not, and so by supporting Russia and keeping Russia in the war, it both tied up the bulk of German forces on the other side of Europe from Britain, thus stopping Hitler from thinking about reinventing Sealion, and it gave a better chance of Germany being defeated, or at the very least keeping the war going long enough for the UK to persuade the USA to get fully involved.

[Joefour]

Originally Posted by Oberon

Hitler launched his invasion first, there was debate on the possibility of declaring war on Russia, around about the time that Russia and Finland went to war I believe, but it was decided that to fight both Russia and Germany would be suicidal.
Then when Hitler declared war on Russia it was simply a case of 'My enemies enemy is my friend', Britain had no real love for the Soviet Union, heck we drew up plans to declare war on them after WWII had finished but they were thrown out as being suicidal, but Russia had the resources to defeat Germany, Britain did not, and so by supporting Russia and keeping Russia in the war, it both tied up the bulk of German forces on the other side of Europe from Britain, thus stopping Hitler from thinking about reinventing Sealion, and it gave a better chance of Germany being defeated, or at the very least keeping the war going long enough for the UK to persuade the USA to get fully involved.

And thereby making the world not safe for "democracy" but rather safe for communism.

[Fahnenbohn]

Originally Posted by Joefour

So why didn't Britain declare war ALSO on the Soviet Union for invading Poland from the east? Instead, she allied herself with the russians. Makes no logical sense to me whatsoever, that is, unless something else was going on that we don't know about. Perhaps this should be explored too.

Indeed.

Originally Posted by Betonov

The Nazis.

Nazis invaded Poland September 1st and set in motion the alliance system that brought Britain and France into the conflict.
Yes, Britain did declare war on Germany and not vice versa, but after Germany invaded an ally and refused to back out after repeated attempt by London to defuse the situation.

But... but... I...?

[Betonov]

Originally Posted by Nippelspanner

But... but... I...?

Yes dear ally from a centruy ago ??

Originally Posted by Betonov

Yes dear ally from a centruy ago ??

It can't be that easy! ... can it?`

[Betonov]

Originally Posted by Nippelspanner

It can't be that easy! ... can it?`

It's not.
If you go further back.
No nazis without German defeat in WW1, no WW1 without colonial tensions, no colonial tensions without a unified Germany....
Considering how history can be connected we can blame WW2 on Fred Flintstone

[Fahnenbohn]

I dont agree at all.

Originally Posted by Betonov

No nazis without German defeat in WW1.

No nazis without Treaty of Versailles.

Originally Posted by Betonov

No WW1 without colonial tensions

No WW1 without ... wait for my presentation !

Originally Posted by Betonov

No colonial tensions without a unified Germany.

As Hitler said : " If forty-six million Englishmen claim the right to rule over forty million square kilometers of the earth, it cannot be wrong for eighty-two million Germans to demand the right to live on 800,000 square kilometers ".

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by Betonov

The Nazis.

Nazis invaded Poland September 1st and set in motion the alliance system that brought Britain and France into the conflict.
Yes, Britain did declare war on Germany and not vice versa, but after Germany invaded an ally and refused to back out after repeated attempt by London to defuse the situation.

Well, technically it was Imperial Japan, but at that point it wasn't a world war...in fact, you probably couldn't call it a world war until 1941, but the first shots of World War II were most likely during Japans conquests of China.

Actually, I guess if you really wanted to go there you could say that the first shots of World War II were fired in Sarajevo in 1914...

So it was all Serbias fault!