World War II Explained: Causes, Key Events & Impact 🌍

In which John Green teaches you about World War II, aka The Great Patriotic War, aka The Big One. So how did this war happen? And what does it mean? We've all learned the facts about World War II many times over, thanks to repeated classroom coverage, the History channel, and your grandfather (or maybe great-grandfather) showing you that Nazi bayonet he used to keep in his sock drawer and telling you a bunch of age-inappropriate stories about his harrowing war experiences. So, why did the Axis powers think forceful expansion was a good idea? (they were hungry). So why did this thing shake out in favor of the Allies? Hint: it has to do with the fact that it was a world war. Germany and Japan made some pretty serious strategic errors, such as invading Russia and attacking the United States, and those errors meant that pretty much the whole world was against them. So, find out how this worldwide alliance came together to stop the Axis expansion. All this, plus Canada finally gets the respectful treatment it deserves. Oh, and a warning: there are a few graphic images in this episode. Sensitive viewers may want to use caution, especially around the 9:15 mark. Chapters: Introduction: WWII 00:00 When did WWII start? 0:36 The European Theater of World War II 1:52 1941 Was Kind of a Bad Year 3:47 The Battle of Stalingrad 5:29 An Open Letter to Canada 6:41 The End of World War II 7:45 The Hunger Plan 8:16 The Casualties of WWII 10:48 Credits 12:21 Interested in learning more about WWII? Check out these other videos from Crash Course: World War II Part 1: Crash Course US History 35 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Objoad6rG6U World War II Part 2 - The Homefront: Crash Course US History 36 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HofnGQwPgqs World War II, A War for Resources: Crash Course World History 220 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-2q-QMUIgY World War II: Crash Course European History 38 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hs_JMydrxZM World War II Civilians and Soldiers: Crash Course European History 39 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlx6ur_D51s Post-World War II Recovery: Crash Course European History 42 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlp068CmQaE World War II: Black American History 31 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7wrwPnQVg4 Crash Course is on Patreon! You can support us directly by signing up at http://www.patreon.com/crashcourse Want to find Crash Course elsewhere on the internet? Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/YouTubeCrashCourse Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/TheCrashCourse Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thecrashcourse/ CC Kids: http://www.youtube.com/crashcoursekids