Poll: When did WW2 begin?

[eternal-chaplain]

I honestly think that the Convention of Kanagawa in 1854 set things in motion, as before that point in time, Japan had been in a self-imposed isolation. When Commodore Perry showed with weaponry that outpaced theirs by a century, they obviously had no choice but to open back up. However, they still wanted to retain that age of isolation, and that is ultimately why they began the first Sino-Japanese war in 1894 along with the second in 1937 & subsequently invaded Manchuria.

To me it all started in 1854, and the conflicts after that just rolled up more and more mass until people began noticing it. We never consider it the beginning simply because the battles are just assigned to different wars.

 

[Gameslayer_93]

1939, since while America didn't start fighting until 1941, they were providing supplies and support to the Allied Forces and so were technically involved in the war in 1939

 

[WoW Killer]

Just because nobody mentioned it yet: you could say the European conflict began with the Spanish Civil War in 1936.

But it's all about that title of "WW2", which is an arbitrary thing in itself. If September 1939 is what's generally agreed upon, then I won't argue against it.

 

[Shock and Awe]

While the conflict began in 1931 with the invasion of Manchuria I would tag the beginning of the war with the textbook answer September 1939. I say this because that is when it truly became a World War. Before that it was simply Japan's wars of expansion. When Germany invaded Poland however it became a World Conflict as it suddenly involved not just Easy Asia, but Europe, Africa, and Australia as well. It became a global conflict.

However, if you really want to be an ass about it you could say that it was simply a continuation of the first World War seeing as it had almost all the same players on mostly the same sides. But thats a harder argument to make.

 

[TheIronRuler]

While the conflict began in 1931 with the invasion of Manchuria I would tag the beginning of the war with the textbook answer September 1939. I say this because that is when it truly became a World War. Before that it was simply Japan's wars of expansion. When Germany invaded Poland however it became a World Conflict as it suddenly involved not just Easy Asia, but Europe, Africa, and Australia as well. It became a global conflict.

However, if you really want to be an ass about it you could say that it was simply a continuation of the first World War seeing as it had almost all the same players on mostly the same sides. But thats a harder argument to make.

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...How? Japan was on the side of the Americans in WW1. The Ottomans that helped the Germans were a tiny player in WW2 (as the Turks). The reason why the same players were involved were because of god-damned France not building its fortifications in the Belgian borders, where Germany crossed and went to Paris... TWICE.

 

[TheIronRuler]

Just because nobody mentioned it yet: you could say the European conflict began with the Spanish Civil War in 1936.

But it's all about that title of "WW2", which is an arbitrary thing in itself. If September 1939 is what's generally agreed upon, then I won't argue against it.

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Hmm... You make a great point. In this the Soviets supported the republicans and the Italians/Germans supported the nationalists. I can't believe I forgot that.

 

[NightHawk21]

September 1939, but you're actually missing a date OP. Some people say that the war started on September 1st with the invasion of Poland, while other say it started on September 4th (or something like that; a few days later) when the rest of Europe started declaring war.

 

[TheIronRuler]

September 1939, but you're actually missing a date OP. Some people say that the war started on September 1st with the invasion of Poland, while other say it started on September 4th (or something like that; a few days later) when the rest of Europe started declaring war.

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Ah dear lord, that's three days. It's also the reason why I didn't put the Pearl Harbor attack and later the USA declaration of war (Which was a day later!) as different dates.

 

[Soviet Steve]

The Great Patriotic war began on the 22nd of June 1941. One could say that WW2 began with Poland but the little battles and skirmishes up until that point were little more than a warm up.

 

[Kristian Fischer]

World War II began on September 3rd, 1939; that was the date when Britain and France declared war on Germany.

 

[Kaytastrophe]

The start of World War II is September 1 1939. Up until the invasion of Poland most world powers in some capacity believed that peace could still be achieved. The invasion of Poland was the final straw.

 

[suitepee7]

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).

see, why was that missing? that was one of the biggest causes for WW2, and has been argued it made another war inevitable. in place of that, i'm saying the same as the actual declaration of war.

 

[Do4600]

Still, aggression can also be manifested in diplomacy.

The question then is whether we are going to consider the political warfare that preceded "World War II" as the actual start of World War II. If we are, then I think the treaties of Versailles and Shimonoseki would qualify as political warfare. Japan, however, had designs on China probably since the Meiji restoration and the only reason Europe was able to prevent full-scale war since the 1800s was with a delicately balanced web of military alliances that became unbalanced a few years before World War I.

 

[Kakistos153]

I think the definition of the start would be "what particular action, if it hadn't happened, would have caused the war to not happen". i don't think at the time you needed to include america to call it a world war, cos, ya know. most of the world isn't in america and if we're going to require that every country be involved then we have never had a world war.

But given the above definition then the definitive act that caused world war 2 was the invasion of poland in '39 is that act. Were the other acts significant? yes, did they set the stage FOR the war? sure, but were they the definitive action that caused it? no. if it wasn't for the invasion of Poland then there would have been no world war 2.

 

[Cazza]

Precursor to war isn't war.

World War 2 started when Britain and France declared war on Germany. Quickly after that there allies joined the war turning war into a world war.

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I voted 1937... Then again you can argue that it wasn't a world war till the USA went into action, since Canada was... Canada.

Definition of world war: a war involving many large nations in all different parts of the world.

Doesn't Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, China, USSR count as many? That's all major nations that were involved before the USA. If you want to go by superpowers at the time Britain (Europe), USSR (Europe/Asia) USA (North America). 2/3 continents with superpowers were already at war. If you count their allies then 5 continents were involved. With Canada counting North America as all ready at war. I feel Canada counts.

 

[TheIronRuler]

Precursor to war isn't war.

World War 2 started when Britain and France declared war on Germany. Quickly after that there allies joined the war turning war into a world war.

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I voted 1937... Then again you can argue that it wasn't a world war till the USA went into action, since Canada was... Canada.

Definition of world war: a war involving many large nations in all different parts of the world.

Doesn't Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, China, USSR count as many? That's all major nations that were involved before the USA. If you want to go by superpowers at the time Britain (Europe), USSR (Europe/Asia) USA (North America). 2/3 continents with superpowers were already at war. If you count their allies then 5 continents were involved. With Canada counting North America as all ready at war. I feel Canada counts.

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USSR entered the war in December 1941. The Americas weren't mostly involved except for Canada, but that was borderline dominion.

 

[RedDeadFred]

tOMmorrow.
TIME OC[S AWAU!!!!!!
Seery bad spelling.
*TIME COPS AWAAAAY!!!
Anyway, I alswAYS though it was 1938/1939
Can;t quite rememeer it. Britsh by the way,

Drunk?

OT: I'd say 1939 since that's when most countries got involved.

 

[Relish in Chaos]

1939, because it's easier that way.

 

[MoreThanANoob]

1939 was the official declaration of war by the Allies.