1) After WWI, several authoritarian governments rose to power in Europe and Asia, including fascist regimes in Italy led by Mussolini and Germany led by Hitler, and communist rule in Russia led by Stalin. 2) In the 1930s, Hitler aggressively expanded German territory by remilitarizing against the Treaty of Versailles and annexing Austria and Czechoslovakia, despite the failed appeasement policy of Britain and France. 3) In 1939, Hitler invaded Poland, starting World War II in Europe as Britain and France declared war on Germany. After quickly defeating Poland, Germany launched attacks on Western European countries and conquered France in 1940.