World War II is generally viewed as having its main roots in the aftermath of World War I, in which the German Empire was defeated, chiefly by the United Kingdom, France, and the United States. The momentum of history is longer, as we look back, so I have included antecedent episodes whose themes play out in the way WW2 unfolds.

After WW1, the Treaty of Versailles imposed tough financial war reparations and restrictions on Germany.

In a simple take on world politics, the fascists rose in response to the perceived socialist threat. Benito Mussolini formed a government in October 1922, employing a paramilitary to fight anarchists, communists, and socialists. Within a few years, Italy became a police state.

Britain attempted to broker peace failed; Mussolini was bent on conquest.

The Nazi Party, led by Adolf Hitler, blamed Germany’s ruined economy on the harshness of the Versailles Treaty, on the Jews, and on the faults of democracy.