Was World War II a Continuation of World War I?

In terms of history, one of the most commonly asked questions if World War II was a continuation of World War I. This is a good question that can go both ways, depending on how you look at it. Ultimately, I believe that in a sense it was. The war was not directly started by World War I, however there were events from the war that ultimately contributed to other events that fueled World War II. World War II, in a sense, was a continuation of World War I, through events caused by others that were caused because of what happened during World War I, however it can go both ways.

One word, Germany. This was a big factor that fueled World War II. Germany faced a humiliating defeat at the end of World War I, and it did not make them look good. They were also suffering economically as well. Adolf Hitler eventually stepped in, and made it clear that he wanted to "rebuild Germany" to be a "dominating force within the world." He made people follow what he believed in because everyone wanted to Germany to rise from the ashes, and they thought he could do it. Keep in mind, this was all after the events that unfolded at the end of World War I. Eventually, he went on to invade Poland, and we all know what happened after that. This was the main pressure point for the world, as well as the fact that Hitler violated the Treaty of Versailles that was signed nearly 20 years earlier, and soon after Britain and France declared war on Germany. This is what initially started off World War II. So looking back on this, you can see that Germany was humiliated in World War I, Hitler came in to "rebuild" it, and soon everybody was at war with each other.

However, as said previously, this can go both ways. So let's briefly look at the other side of this topic, saying that there was no relation whatsoever between the two wars. The two wars were two separate wars, with different problems. It was not like they stopped the war in 1919, and then completely started it back up again in 1939. When you look at it this way, there is not a direct connection between the two wars. It was not World War I, Part II.

Looking back on all of this, it can be said that World War II was not a direct continuation of World War I, however that it was caused by what happened in World War II. Germany was trying to "rebuild" itself, with Hitler in charge of that. Next thing you know, the world met World War II. In the end, when you look at what is known from history, it is very clear that the evidence supports that there was a connection, not a direct one, but still a connection between World War I and World War II.