Poll: When did WW2 begin?

[TheIronRuler]

I've had a chat with some of my buddies about the beginning of WW2 - specifically, when did it begin? We all knew that September 1st, 1939 was the 'official' beginning of the war, since this is the date most historians agree upon, but I was still not convinced.

Here are the number of options for you to choose from, and my explanations:
1.1931, September 18. Mukden Incident. Japan invades Manchuria and establishes a puppet state there [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mukden_Incident], Manchukuo [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchukuo]. This may seem harmless, but this is the beginning of Japanese meddling in the Chinese remains of the Qing dynasty.
2. 1937, July 7-9. Marco Polo Bridge Incident [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Polo_Bridge_Incident], which sparked the incursion of Japan into Chinese soil and the Sino-Japanese war which only ended in '45.
3. 1938, March 11 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anschluss#1938], Annexation of Austria.
4. 1935, October [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Italo-Abyssinian_War], Italian-Ethiopian war.
5. Invasion of Poland by Germany, 1939, September 1. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Poland]
6. Pearl Harbor bombing. 1941, 7-8 December. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor] 8th of December had the USA officially enter the war.
7. 1938, 30 September. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_Agreement] The betrayal at Munich, where Czechoslovakia was royally screwed by its allies.
8. Spanish Civil War, July 1936. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Civil_War]

We had three dates in mind, but because I didn't want the thread to be about our discussion I also added 4 more dates to the mix. They may seem like the stepping stones towards WW2... you're probably right. Still, aggression can also be manifested in diplomacy.

 

[Fisher321]

I would say that technically World War 2 began in 1931 with Manchuria and Japan, because ever since then it was constant conflict, but then again that was just local power grabs that never really affected the world as a whole.

The entire world officially got involved with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. If I remember correctly before this event Japan never had any squabbles with the British or Americans correct? (Not sure when Burma or Manilla was invaded) So officially the "world" (North America, Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, The Middle East) erupted in conflict at the same time. Except for South America, no one cares about them.. No offense.

Edit: Pearl Harbor I would argue is what gave us the Allies and Axis Powers. Before then US was officially neutral and Japan was by itself. And I think after Pearl Harbor is officially when Germany, Italy, and Japan became allies...

 

[TheIronRuler]

I would say that technically World War 2 began in 1931 with Manchuria and Japan, because ever since then it was constant conflict, but then again that was just local power grabs that never really affected the world as a whole.

The entire world officially got involved with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. If I remember correctly before this event Japan never had any squabbles with the British or Americans correct? (Not sure when Burma or Manilla was invaded) So officially the "world" (North America, Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, The Middle East) erupted in conflict at the same time. Except for South America, no one cares about them.. No offense.

.
South American had happy happy Nazi Submarine escapades!

Japan already had its eyes on French Indo-China, Malasia, Burma, Dutch colonies, etc.

 

[DrRockor]

I was always taught in school that it was 1939. I didn't know there was disagreement about when it started. I guess for the british it started after Poland was invaded so thats what we were taught.

 

[MrPeanut]

The "War" wasn't global until 1939 though.

Except for South America, no one cares about them.. No offense.

Actually, weren't Brazil and Argentina on the verge of joining the Axis in 1940?

 

[Saladfork]

Well I could be an utter asshat and say it started in 1918 with the treaty of Versailles, but instead I'll say that the British declaration of war was when it became a global conflict (due to British colonies getting involved).

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

Arguments can be made can be made of all those dates, it didn't become a global affair until Britian and France (plus all their colonies) declared war. The actual war up to that point had been an East Asian conflict almost exclusively.

 

[Quaxar]

Of course it didn't become a "world" war until the invasion of Poland triggered the European forces' various pacts and superpowers like England, France, Italy and Germany and their extensive colonies entered the conflict. Even if it's apparent the situation can collapse every minute and turn global it isn't until the parties involved officially declare it one.

 

[sonofliber]

I would say that technically World War 2 began in 1931 with Manchuria and Japan, because ever since then it was constant conflict, but then again that was just local power grabs that never really affected the world as a whole.

The entire world officially got involved with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. If I remember correctly before this event Japan never had any squabbles with the British or Americans correct? (Not sure when Burma or Manilla was invaded) So officially the "world" (North America, Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, The Middle East) erupted in conflict at the same time. Except for South America, no one cares about them.. No offense.

Edit: Pearl Harbor I would argue is what gave us the Allies and Axis Powers. Before then US was officially neutral and Japan was by itself. And I think after Pearl Harbor is officially when Germany, Italy, and Japan became allies...

emm brazil actually participated in the war and send troops to fight in it (a lot of them die in sicily clearing the way for the brits), argentinians of british desent had a frigging squadron fighting in britain during the battle of britain
(oh and lets not forget the food south america sold)
so please if you are going to be ignorant, read at least

 

[Pfheonix]

1938, because that's when Germany truly began to reveal its goals of domination of Europe, then the world. Austria being annexed was much less controversial, though still somewhat domineering. At that point, Asia had been engulfed in war for almost a decade, giving Japan massive land gains. The moment Germany seemed ready to do the same, World War 2 had begun to coalesce. It was just a matter of time until September of 1939... Poor Poland.

Captcha: Steal your face. Yes, yes they would.

 

[SckizoBoy]

I'm going to be 'that guy' and say that 'WWII' is a misnomer... the first 'world war' was the Seven Years' War (which lasted nine years... -_- 1754-1763).

Anyway, I'm... conflicted on this if we're just talking about my background. I'm Chinese... so it started in 1938... but I'm also a Brit... so it started in 1939... but as far as it becoming a 'world war' it started in 1941.

So, there are arguments for the core conflict from which WWII stemmed, but it can be argued as to the degree to which each local conflict contributed to the global impact of the war at large. *shrug*

 

[Frission]

I would yell at whoever voted 1941 for being ethnocentric, but then again I voted 1939, completely ignoring the Chinese, the Ethiopians and the Polish.

 

[Albino Boo]

The Japanese invasion of China in 1931 would have just remained the 2nd Sino-Japanese war without war between Britain, France and Germany. Japanese post pearl harbour expansion was only possible because of the stripping bear of European defences in the far east. Japans attacks on China at no point were part coordinated strategy made in concert with Germany. Hitler did not achieve power in Germany until 1933, 2 years after Japan had put into action its plans for military expansion. Hitler's rise was entirely unrelated to Japans plans. The Italian invasion of Ethiopia was no more a cause of WW2 than Italy's invasion of Libya in 1911 was the start of WW1 even though both participants fought on opposite sides in WW1. The events were not related, without the assassination in Sarajevo WW1 would not have happened.

 

[FURY_007]

1939, because the invasion of Poland set off the main set of events in Europe that got everybody involved, there were conflicts happening beforehand, like the Russo-Finnish war, Russo-Japanese war and what not, and there were certainly side conflicts, but if you wanna play the game where listing all the things that led up to WWII started, you might a well WWI never ended, the 10+ year gap was just a breather. 1939 marks the first act of (unsanctioned) Nazi aggression, before, when Germany annexed Austria and "annexed" part of Czechoslavakia, and started to re-militarize the Rhineland, Germany and France allowed it to happen because they thought it would satisfy Hitler, to avoid another WWI. 1939 marked the start of the Blitzkrieg across Europe, drawing everybody in.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

The day that this happened That was when the war really started. Aside from that I'd say when Poland was invaded as that was when it really got going.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

the war went global in 1939 and things went into total war in the end of 1941 how ever

if you wanted to get technical the allies didnt declare war on germany until 3rd of september 1939. the first shots by the allies were fired on the 4th of september 1939 when an australian naval gun battery (fort nepean) opened up with a warning shot at an unidentified ship, weirdly it was the same gun battery commanded by the same guy who fired the first allied shots in world war 1 as well.

Was it this guy?

Spoiler

 

[Fluffythepoo]

O semantics you divisive little *****...

 

[dvd_72]

Well I could be an utter asshat and say it started in 1918 with the treaty of Versailles, but instead I'll say that the British declaration of war was when it became a global conflict (due to British colonies getting involved).

Well I WILL be an ass and say it started with the treaty of Versailles. Then again, that came directly from the first world war, could one not argue there was no true WWII but that it was instead a continuation of WWI? Now, I could likely go further back until the beginning of civilisation but that would be going just a bit too far.