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what event started world war 2
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The commonly accepted event that started World War II in Europe was Germany’s invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939. In response, Britain and France declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939.
Context: the invasion followed the Nazi–Soviet (Molotov–Ribbentrop) Pact of August 23, 1939, which secretly divided Poland between Germany and the Soviet Union, and included staged incidents (e.g., the Gleiwitz incident on August 31) used by Germany as a pretext for attack.
Note on broader chronology: some historians treat earlier conflicts as part of the wider war — notably Japan’s full-scale invasion of China beginning in 1937 (Second Sino-Japanese War). The conflict became truly global after events such as Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941), which brought the United States into the war.
Context: the invasion followed the Nazi–Soviet (Molotov–Ribbentrop) Pact of August 23, 1939, which secretly divided Poland between Germany and the Soviet Union, and included staged incidents (e.g., the Gleiwitz incident on August 31) used by Germany as a pretext for attack.
Note on broader chronology: some historians treat earlier conflicts as part of the wider war — notably Japan’s full-scale invasion of China beginning in 1937 (Second Sino-Japanese War). The conflict became truly global after events such as Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941), which brought the United States into the war.
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