World War II, a global conflict that reshaped the 20th century, began in Europe and quickly expanded to engulf nations across the globe. Understanding why World War 2 started requires examining the key events and decisions that led to the outbreak of hostilities in 1939. By early 1939, Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Germany, was determined to invade Poland. This ambition, coupled with a series of strategic calculations and miscalculations, ultimately ignited the Second World War.
Poland’s geopolitical position was precarious. Sandwiched between Germany and the Soviet Union, it was a nation reborn after World War I, but vulnerable to the expansionist aims of its powerful neighbors. Crucially, Poland had secured guarantees of military support from both France and Great Britain should it face German aggression. These guarantees were intended to deter Hitler, but instead, they set the stage for a wider conflict when deterrence failed.
Hitler, while intent on invading Poland, first needed to secure his eastern front. He aimed to neutralize the Soviet Union, ensuring they would not intervene against Germany during the Polish campaign. To achieve this, secret negotiations were undertaken, culminating in the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact, signed in Moscow on August 23-24, 1939. This pact, astonishing to the world given the ideological chasm between Nazism and Soviet Communism, contained a secret protocol. This protocol stipulated the division of Poland between Germany and the Soviet Union, with Germany claiming the western third and the Soviets taking the eastern two-thirds.
With the cynical agreement of the Nonaggression Pact in place, Hitler believed he had removed the threat of Soviet intervention. He also miscalculated the resolve of Britain and France, despite their guarantees to Poland. Initially, Hitler ordered the invasion of Poland to commence on August 26, 1939. However, news of the formal treaty of mutual assistance signed between Great Britain and Poland on August 25 caused a temporary hesitation. Hitler postponed the invasion for a few days, but his underlying determination to attack Poland remained unchanged. He disregarded diplomatic efforts from western powers aimed at preventing war.
Finally, on August 31, 1939, at 12:40 pm, Hitler issued the definitive order to begin hostilities against Poland at 4:45 am the following morning. The German invasion of Poland commenced as planned. This act of aggression triggered the previously declared guarantees. In response to the invasion, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany. Britain declared war at 11:00 am on September 3, followed by France at 5:00 pm on the same day. With these declarations, the localized conflict over Poland escalated into a major European war, and ultimately, into World War II. The invasion of Poland, therefore, serves as the immediate trigger that propelled the world into a devastating global conflict.
