"Grains of Hitler's propaganda": what caused the start of World War II

80 years ago, the Wehrmacht troops crossed the border with Poland. The formal reason for the unleashing of the Second World War by Germany was the staging of an attack on a German radio station in the city of Gleivitz, disguised as Polish SS. However, as experts say, the causes of a large-scale conflict should be sought in the outcome of the First World War. In World War II, which became the most bloody in history, several dozen countries took part. The total losses, according to various sources, ranged from 50 million to 80 million people. The decisive role in the defeat of fascism was played by the Soviet Union. According to historians, the outcome of the war had a significant impact on the global order: the UN was created, the colonial system collapsed, leftist ideas grew sharply, and Western market economies transformed into more socially oriented ones.

On September 1, 1939, the troops of Nazi Germany crossed the border with Poland, and after a little more than two weeks the Polish government fled the country. Already in early October, the entire territory of Poland was occupied by the Germans. From these events, the Second World War is counted, however, today, some historians believe that the conflict began a year earlier - during the Munich agreement.

Prerequisites for the outbreak of war

Military historian Yuri Knutov said in a commentary to RT that "the prerequisites for the outbreak of World War II should be sought in the outcome of the First World War and other conflicts of the early 20th century."

In turn, an employee of the Victory Museum, documentary filmmaker Andrei Kuparev said that Germany became the victim in the First World War.

“She lost part of the territory, had to abandon her militaristic ambitions, she was overwhelmed with huge payments to the affected countries, economic ruin reduced the standard of living of ordinary people,” he said in an interview with RT.

According to Knutov, the sanctions imposed on Germany were redundant and unfair, and the Nazis played on this.

“The seeds of Hitler’s propaganda laid in fertile soil. Nazi ideas carried away both the impoverished masses and industrialists who were looking for prospects, ”said the expert.

The historian emphasized that the Germans had potential allies abroad. A significant part of the population of Austria negatively assessed the collapse of their empire, millions of Hungarians were as a result of redistribution of borders on the territory of foreign countries. Italy and Japan were in the camp of the winners, but their territorial and economic ambitions were not satisfied. Poland not only received a portion of German lands following the First World War, but also annexed Western Ukraine and Western Belarus by force, Knutov recalled.

Conspiracy and contract

In 1933, the Nazis came to power in Germany. Even at the dawn of his political career, Adolf Hitler did not conceal anti-communist sentiments and intentions to seek "living space" for the Germans in the east. The change of power in Berlin was an alarming signal for Moscow and minimized its cooperation with Germany. The attempts of the USSR to conclude a multilateral European treaty were unsuccessful. As a result, the Soviet Union focused on cooperation with Czechoslovakia and France.

In March 1938, Hitler completed the Anschluss of Austria.

“The lack of a clear reaction from the Western powers convinced the Nazis of impunity,” emphasized Yuri Knutov.

The aggressor's next step was to exert pressure on Czechoslovakia under the pretext of protecting the Sudeten Germans. Prague was ready to grant the Sudetenland wide autonomous rights, but Hitler had more ambitious plans. By signing in Munich in September 1938 an agreement (Munich agreement), England, France and Italy approved the annexation of the Sudetenland by Germany. And Poland occupied the Cieszyn region of Czechoslovakia.

French Prime Minister Eduard Daladier signs the Munich Agreement in the presence of Adolf Hitler and other senior German officials. September 29, 1938
© FRANCE PRESSE VOIR / AFP

In addition, Britain and France entered into non-aggression treaties with Germany. In response to attempts by the USSR to defend Czechoslovakia in the West, threats against Moscow began to sound.

“England and France did everything possible to expand Hitler’s aggression to the east. By and large, the start of World War II can be counted from the Munich agreement and the entry of Polish-German troops into Czechoslovakia, ”Knutov said.

In March, Germany annexed the rest of the Czech Republic. A puppet state was created on the territory of Slovakia. Even earlier southern Slovakia and Subcarpathian Russia, Germany and Italy were transferred to Hungary.

“One of the largest military-industrial complexes in the world at that time - the Czechoslovak - began to work for the Reich, creating that colossus that would then fall upon the USSR,” Knutov emphasized.

After the partition of Czechoslovakia, the Nazis began to spoil relations with Polish partners due to disputes over the status of Danzig (now Gdansk). Against the background of these contradictions, Moscow tried to create an alliance with Warsaw, however, Poland relied on the support of England with France and refused the Soviet Union.

Residents of Kaplice demolish a border sign on the border of Czechoslovakia and Germany. October 1938
AFP

The USSR was not economically ready for a major war, and Paris and London dragged on allied negotiations with Moscow. To delay the onset of the conflict, the Soviet Union had no choice but to sign a non-aggression pact with Germany on August 23, 1939.

The beginning of World War II

On August 31, 1939, a group of SS men dressed in Polish uniform attacked a radio station in the German border town of Gleivitz. The next day, the Air Force and the German fleet attacked the territory of Poland, and the ground forces launched an invasion along the entire length of the border.

"Convinced of his impunity, Hitler believed that even a frank provocation would be enough to start a war," Knutov said.

The largest formations of the Polish army were defeated in the early days of World War II. Even the use of chemical weapons by the Poles did not stop the German offensive. Warsaw was surrounded on September 14, and then Polish troops surrendered in the Lodz region. The Polish authorities fled the country, leaving their compatriots to their fate.

On September 3, France and England declared war on Germany, formally fulfilling their promises of support for Warsaw. However, despite the clear advantage, London and Paris refrained from active offensive operations against Berlin.

On September 17, the Soviet Union sent troops into the territory of Western Ukraine and Western Belarus, pushing the state border several hundred kilometers.

“Given that the Red Army crossed the borders proposed by the Entente in the 1920s, the West reacted calmly to this,” Knutov said.

In October, the Nazis completely occupied the lands of historical Poland and began to transfer troops to the western front. In the spring and summer of 1940, the Nazis occupied Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and France. Part of the French troops was evacuated to the UK.

In autumn, the Germans began massive bombing of British cities. Further hostilities unfolded in the Mediterranean and North Africa. German-Italian forces occupied Yugoslavia with Greece.

The Great Patriotic War

On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany invaded the USSR. By that time, the economies and human resources of practically all of Europe were working on the Nazi war machine. In terms of the strength of the armed forces, the Nazis and their allies were about one and a half times superior to the Red Army, historians say.

Soviet soldiers land on one of the islands near the Hanko Peninsula. 1941
© Alexey Mezhuev / RIA News

In the southern part of the Ukrainian SSR and Crimea, Soviet troops managed to restrain the enemy for a long time. However, the offensive in the Baltic states, as well as in the Minsk and Kiev directions for the Nazis was successful. In September 1941, they approached Leningrad and Moscow.

However, during the Battle of Moscow in late 1941 - early 1942, Soviet troops managed to stop the enemy’s advance and push him away from the capital of the USSR. Hitler tried to cut the oil supplies of the Red Army, dropping his troops to Stalingrad and the Caucasus, but during the grand battles the Nazis and their allies were defeated.

The Soviet forces managed to finally reverse the course of the war in the summer of 1943 during the Battle of Kursk. The Red Army fled the Nazis, liberated the territory of the Ukrainian SSR, and in the fall crossed the Dnieper.

The presence of Nazi occupiers in the USSR was accompanied by terrible atrocities. According to the Nazi racial theories, the Slavs were considered the “lower race”. Civilians were massively killed, starved, did not provide them with medical care. Jews, prisoners of war of the Red Army and the Communists were destroyed in the death camps.

“Of the approximately 27 million Soviet losses in the war with Germany, the majority are defenseless civilians,” Knutov emphasized.

Anti-Hitler coalition

Soon after the German attack on the USSR, a series of treaties were signed between the Soviet Union, Great Britain and the USA, which formed the anti-Hitler coalition. Moscow insisted that the Allies open a second front in Western Europe, but London and Washington for a long time were limited to fighting in the Mediterranean region.

A full-fledged US entry into World War II occurred on December 7, 1941 after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Japanese troops have been active in China since 1937. However, the Western powers until 1941 actively collaborated with Tokyo. And only the attacks of Japan on the overseas possessions of European countries and the USA in the Pacific Ocean forced them to clash with her.

Until the end of 1943, the allies of the USSR in the anti-Hitler coalition refrained from active actions in Western Europe. However, when the Soviet Union, which, as historians say, fought with 90% of the German ground forces, launched a large-scale offensive, the position of England and the United States changed.

Fearing a sharp increase in the influence of the Communists in Europe, the Allies landed troops on Normandy on June 6, 1944 and went on the offensive in France. The task was facilitated by the fact that the USSR at the same time began to implement one of the largest offensive operations in the history of mankind - Bagration.

Victory and winners

In the second half of 1944, the Red Army transferred hostilities beyond the borders of the USSR. The following spring, the main events unfolded already in Germany. April 30, Adolf Hitler committed suicide, soon the capital of the Reich was occupied by Soviet troops. Germany officially capitulated on May 9th.

Victory Banner on the Reichstag building in Berlin

The only one of the “axis” countries that continued active hostilities was Japan. On August 9, 1945, Moscow entered the war with her. Soviet troops defeated the largest and most powerful military group of Imperial Japan - the Kwantung Army in Manchuria. The United States bombed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9.

“The difference in approach was obvious. While the USSR relied on military operations against the military, the United States bombed the civilian population, ”said Yuri Knutov.

On September 2, 1945, Japan surrendered, ending the Second World War. The global conflict claimed at least 55 million lives. The biggest losses were suffered by the USSR (approximately 26.6 million people) and China (about 15.5 million). In both cases, most of the victims were civilians.

“As a result of the war, a huge technical breakthrough was made in many industries, which contributed to the further development of space and the development of the nuclear industry, no matter how cynical it sounds,” emphasized Andrei Kuparev.

In turn, Yuri Knutov said that the Second World War significantly changed the history of mankind.

“As a result of cooperation between the members of the anti-Hitler coalition, the UN arose. The war contributed to the development of national liberation movements that buried the colonial system, ”said the historian.

According to Knutov, "everyone in the world understood that without the USSR there would have been no victory - the Red Army defeated 80% of Hitler’s divisions." This contributed to the growing popularity of leftist ideas, the emergence of a bipolar world order and the forced transition of capitalist countries to a more socially oriented market, the expert added.