What started WWII?
Appeasement. Hitler thought he could invade Poland without interference from the Western powers. Why? Because he had already aquired vast amounts of territory without firing a shot.
Here are a couple of examples to back up my argument.
-North Korea invaded the South only after a statement by the US Government that neglected to include S. Korea in a list of countries the USA was committed to defend.
-Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait after the US ambassador made a similar statement.

My point is that nations do not start wars with countries they percieve to be strong, weakness/lack of prepardness causes wars.
just my opinion,
Cob

Coming late into this thread, and having read that article, all I can respond with is:

Illuminati-theory...

Gunnie

Actually, now that I remember my college courses in European History, the Second World War was just the second half of the First World War!!!

Agree. Read EH Carr's "The Twenty Year Crisis" to gain better insights into why war began again in 1939. No one really won WW II. They just stopped out of pure exhaustion. The economic conditions of the 1930's fanned the embers and war began again. Over simplification, but I doubt there are many alternative answers to the question. Kinda reminds me of "what started the American Civil War?" There is only one response-- slavery.
DJ

President Wilson tried to get the French, primarily, and the English, Italians, etc., to reconsider most of the punative actions taken against the German and Austrian-Hungarian Empires after the war. The seizure of territory and excessive monetary vengence placed on the German and Austrian economies worsened the economies of this countries, which started the Depression in these countries 10 years before the worldwide depression. The abritrary remaking of national boundaries within Europe also gave the Germans, led by Hitler's paranoia an excuse and scapegoat for continuation of WW1.

This does not explain the Japanese aggression, but without the "Axis", I do not believe the Japanese would have attacked the US, British Empire and the Netherlands Empire in Southeast Asia and Western Pacific.

Jeff

Yes, it is these conditions that exist after WWI that help to fuel the feelings that led to WWII. But, with someone other than Hitler and his Nazi party coming to power, there is no reason there had to be war.

I don't believe war was in anyway inevitable. This is why I believe the war begins and ends with Hitler. It was Hitler who choose that path, the rest was icing on his cake.

But it was those very conditions that gave Hitler his "in". With a stable economy Hitler never would have come to power.

How far back do you want to take it,history is nothing more looking back,than a series of connections,start with the Napoleonic Wars,the real WW1,and the start of Prussian Militarism,what do you think.
Arthur

I agree. Hitler took advantage of the poverty and misery of the German people. He played the nationalism card here, transferring the blame on the Jews (very convenient of him). He seems acutely aware that these people need something to take out their frustrations on in the suffering they are going through. Hitler gave them one.