| Hitler's backhanded foreign policy and master vision of total domination of Europe forced Great Britain and France into a war that would have greater impact in terms of lives lost than any other war in history. In 1941, with Hitler's Wermacht and the Third Reich firmly entrenched, Germany initiated its blitzkrieg against Poland and other nations. After efforts of diplomacy failed, France and Great Britain declared war on the Axis powers of Europe. It is noted by historians that the German people were reluctant to enter the War and to appease Hitler's ambition. However, the brilliance, command, and prowess of the German war machine overturned the initial trepidation of the German public and converted hesitancy into a lust for power and possibility for the domination of Europe.
Amazingly, over half of physical Europe was conquered by Hitler in less than a year of war. It was the megalomania of Hitler in dynamic relationship with the near total obedience of a nation consumed by passion that would ultimately lead to the destruction of the Third Reich.
Concurrent with the initiation of the blitzkrieg at this time, quest for domination and control of Asia was the tripwire for war in the Pacific. In an attempt to curtail Japan's efforts of expansion in Asia, the U.S. imposed an embargo on Japan and vital exports were withdrawn. Japan believed that the U.S. was prohibiting their needs for dominance in their own sphere of influence. All attempts at diplomacy failed and the U.S. declared war on Japan by the end of 1941.
Largely conceived as a defense measure against potential attack from Germany and Italy, France begins to build the Maginot line, a series of fortified and artillery-laden bunkers that line the French and Italian borders.
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