WWII: Causes, Key Events, and the Cold War’s Origins
WWII: Causes or Sources
1. The Influence of the League of Nations in the Face of Fascism
It was an organization that was created in 1919. It sought to bring peace to countries peacefully. In 1933, Germany decided to leave the League of Nations. In 1936, Hitler decided to occupy the Rhineland region. In 1937, Italy was expelled.
2. The Collaboration Between Fascist Powers
Italy retried its policy toward Nazi Germany and was willing to recognize the conquest of Ethiopia. Hitler also signed the Anti-Comintern Pact (against the USSR) with Japan. In 1936, the Rome-Berlin Axis was born.
3. The Failure of the Policy of Appeasement
Germany started the process of expansion in Europe. In 1938, German troops invaded Austria.
4. The Trigger: The Invasion of Poland
Poland had signed a defensive alliance with France and the UK in 1939 that guaranteed its independence. Germany signed a secret non-aggression pact with the USSR in 1939. Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939.
WWII Milestones
Blitzkrieg (1939-1941)
“Lightning War” is the name of a type of military operation developed by Heinz Guderian that requires an initial bombardment followed by a ground forces attack, using speed and surprise. It was used at the beginning of the Second World War.
Axis Offensive (1941-1942); Defeat of the Axis (from 1942)
- African Front: Battle of El Alamein
- Fall of Italy
- Russian Front: Battle of Stalingrad
- Pacific Front: Battle of Guadalcanal, Battle of Midway
- Normandy Landings (1944)
Key Terms and Events
Vichy France
It was the government of France from July 1940 until August 1944.
Warsaw Pact
It was an act of military cooperation between communist countries to ensure their defense against a possible attack from the West.
Kominform
It was an organization to exchange information and experiences among Communist parties.
Afrikakorps
German troops that Hitler sent to Egypt.
Stalingrad
Hitler’s army tried to take it as a strategic place for taking over the Soviet Union.
El-Alamein
The campaign fought in the Eastern Desert.
Midway
It took place in the Pacific Ocean where the U.S. naval aviation stopped a Japanese attempt to invade with an attack.
Normandy Landings
Were the first operations of the invasion of Normandy, also known as Operation Neptune.
Guadalcanal
During the first U.S. offensive in the Pacific War, the Allied Navy and 16,000 U.S. soldiers assaulted the island of Guadalcanal, then occupied by Japan.
Key Events Timeline
- Spanish Civil War (1936)
- Annexation of Austria by Germany (1938)
- The Czech Crisis (1939)
- The Polish Campaign (1939)
- The Campaign of France (1940)
- Battle of Britain (1940)
- The Beginning of the Invasion of the USSR (1941)
- The Bombing of Pearl Harbor (1941)
- The Battle of Stalingrad (1942)
- The Battle of Midway (1942)
- The Normandy Landings (1944)
UN – United Nations
An international organization whose aim is peace.
Stalin
He was the leader of the USSR from 1920 until 1953.
Roosevelt
He was the U.S. president from 1933 to 1945.
Churchill
He was a British politician known for his leadership in the UK during WWII.
Cold War
The Trigger
Churchill denounced in a famous speech in Europe the “Iron Curtain”. Truman implemented a policy of containment. The USSR created the Kominform to coordinate support for its policy of communist parties.
Key Cold War Events
- Missile Crisis in Cuba (1962)
- Construction of the Berlin Wall (1961)
- War in Afghanistan (1979)
- Vietnam War (1954-1975)
- Korean War (1950-1953)
- Euromissile Crisis (1984)
- The Berlin Blockade (1948-1949)
NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization
It is an international organization established in 1949 with the objective of collective assistance in defense in the political, economic, and military spheres.