The Second World War started due to tensions remaining after World War I. Countries took sides, forming alliances like Germany and Italy allied together, while France, Britain and Russia allied together. The immediate trigger was Germany invading Poland in 1939, leading Britain and France to declare war on Germany, beginning World War II.

1. How Did the Second
World War Start?
A presentation by Miss
Hayton

3. It’s all about being
friends with each other!
• Some countries were friends
with certain countries and not
others!
• France and Britain were friendly
with each other.
• Germany and Italy were friendly
with each other.

4. How did the war start?
• To find out how
the Second
World War
started we have
to look back at
the First World
War.
• This map of
Europe shows
some of the
countries

5. How, and why did World
War I start?
• World War I began in 1914 and
lasted until 1918. It was
supposed to be ‘The war to end
all wars’.
• Countries had formed
friendships or alliances with
each other.
• Different countries began to
build up their armies and build
bigger, more powerful ships.

6. What was the main
cause?
• Germany, Austria
and Italy were
allies.
• France, Britain and
Russia were allies.
• A Serbian man
called Gavrilo
Princip
assassinated the
Archduke Franz
Ferdinand and his
wife in Sarajevo.

7. What happened next?
• Gavrilo Princip was
from Serbia, so
Austria wanted
them to apologise
and pay
compensation.
Serbia refused, so
Austria declared
war.
• Russia was
Serbia’s ally, so
they declared war
on Austria.
• Germany declared
war on Russia and
Serbia.
• France declared
war on Austria and
Germany. Italy
declared war on
France and Russia.
• Germany invaded
Belgium, so Britain
declared war.

8. How long did the war
last?
• The war that was supposed to
end by Christmas 1914 only
ended on November 11th
1918.
• During the war millions of
people were killed or injured.

9. How did World War I
end?
• By September 1918 the German
High Command realised that the
war was lost.
• The Armistice was signed at 11
a.m. on November 11th
1918.
• In 1919 the Treaty of Versailles
was signed.

10. What did the treaty do?
• Many people
were
determined to
stop war
happening
again.
• A League of
Nations was
established to
enable countries
to keep peace.

11. What happened after the
war?
• Germany was
made to pay out
huge sums of
money in
compensation.
• They were also
made to give up
some land.
• Germany was
also forced to
reduce the size
of her armies
and to sink her
ships.
• As a result the
country became
bankrupt.

12. What happened next?
• The country had no money, people
had no jobs and were starving.
• Some people resented the status and
money that others, such as Jews
had. Jews were persecuted and
made to give up their jobs and
money
• Adolf Hitler rose to power with
promises to help the German people.
• He set up youth groups and spoke at
rallies.

13. The situation got worse!
• All over Europe,
people began to
suffer as jobs
disappeared.
• Germany began
to re-build her
ships and build
up her armies.

14. What did we do?
• The British Prime
Minister, Neville
Chamberlain
believed that he
could negotiate
with Adolf Hitler.
• He met Herr Hitler
at Munich in 1938
and declared the
meeting was
successful, ‘Peace
in our time’ he
said.

15. Was it ‘Peace in our
time’?
• Unfortunately
not!
• Germany, with
the support of
her allies,
continued to
invade other
countries.
• In September
1939 Britain
issued an
ultimatum, after
Germany invaded
Poland. It was

16. What happened first?
• War was
declared on
September 3rd
1939.