Treaty of Versailles (1919): The Treaty of

Versailles, which ended World War I, imposed

1 harsh terms on Germany, including the loss of

territory and heavy economic reparations. This
led to resentment and economic hardship in
Germany.

Economic and political crises: The 1920s saw

economic and political problems in Europe,

2 including the Great Depression of 1929. This

weakened democracies and encouraged the rise
of extremist movements such as Nazism in
Germany and Fascism in Italy.

Timeline German territorial expansion: Under the

leadership of Adolf Hitler, Germany began to

3
(project
annex neighbouring territories such as the
Rhineland, Austria and the Sudetenland in
Czechoslovakia, violating post-war treaties
and provoking tensions in Europe.

final) Invasion of Poland (1939): On 1 September

1939, Germany invaded Poland, prompting

The historical background to the 4 Britain and France to declare war on

Germany on 3 September 1939, marking the
Second World War is complex official start of World War II.

and covers a considerable period

of time.
Global consequences: The Second World
War became a global conflict involving

5 many nations in Europe, Asia, Africa and the

Pacific. It culminated in the defeat of the
Axis powers (Germany, Japan and Italy) in
1945.