Question

What led to the beginning ir world war ii in europe and germany's early successes?

Answer 1

WWII was a result of Adolf Hitler's failed gamble regarding the Polish Corridor separating Konigsberg from the German homeland. His first gamble involved Austria whose 99% of the population supposedly voted to join the country in a union with Germany in 1938 in a referendum made when the Fuhrer put pressure on the Austrian chancellor. The second gamble was in the Sudetenland, a part of Czechoslovakia, which Adolf Hitler claimed because of the ethnic Germans living in the area. In fact Germany already had an invasion plan (Case Green) in place, which even the German commanders feared to implement because of their country's unpreparedness for war. Fortunately for Adolf Hitler (and unfortunately for everyone, in hindsight) France, UK and Italy decided to intervene and "persuaded" Czechoslovakia to cede the Sudetenland to Germany leading to UK Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's famous "peace in our time" speech. Emboldened by the fact that France and UK did nothing, Adolf Hitler made a third gamble: this time against the Polish Corridor and it failed since two days later after the invasion of Poland (September 03, 1939) France and UK declared war against Germany and thus WWII in Europe begun.