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World War II: Causes

Driving Question: What were the causes of the Second World War?

Why did another world war break out just two decades after the first? Unpack the complex causes behind the most destructive war in history. This is a story of failed diplomacy and strategic alliances in the face of global conflict.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Use evidence to understand how and why diplomacy failed to prevent a second world war.
  2. Use the historical thinking practice of causation to analyze global factors that led to the Second World War.
STEP 1

Opener: World War II: Causes

You have questions about the questions! We have answers! You’ll revisit the Question Parsing Tool to help figure out what prompts are asking you to do.

STEP 2

The Road to Ruin

As fascist leaders rose to power, democratic nations faced difficult choices. Discover how efforts to keep peace through compromise ultimately shaped the path to another war.

STEP 3

Axis vs. Allies

World War II was a massive and complicated conflict. In this step of the lesson, you'll trace the war’s key turning points, economic demands, and global alliances while also working to untangle the many causes that led to war in the first place.

STEP 4

Closer: World War II: Causes