Summary
World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history—so what exactly caused it? It started with World War I, which left much of Europe in ruins—and in debt. In Germany and Italy, fascist dictators rose to power promising a return to greatness and blaming scapegoats for the country's problems. Once in power, they started invading other countries. Other European nations wanted to avoid a war, and so didn't challenge the conquests. But when German dictator Adolf Hitler invaded Poland, its allies, France and Britain, were forced to declare war. Meanwhile, Imperial Japan was conquering parts of China and Southeast Asia. The rest of the world stayed out of the conflict, but the U.S. cut off trade to Japan. The bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii brought the U.S. into the war. Press "play" to learn about the global conflict between the Allies and the Axis powers.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
A few questions to talk through after watching World War II Causes:
- What is one new thing you learned about world war ii causes?
- Can you explain it to a partner in your own words?
- Where might you see this in the real world?
- What is one question you still have?
Quick work-a-long
Try it:
- Write one sentence explaining world war ii causes.
- Draw or give one example of your own.