There was a series of events that led to the start of World War II that would make for some very interesting essay topics. Some events included the Nazi occupation of Europe, the Battle of Britain, the conditions in Germany that led to the rise of the Nazis and the peace treaties signed by Germany, the Soviet Union and Britain that were supposed to prevent a world war. Another topic of interest to discuss for the beginning of World War II would be the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I. Adolf Hitler often pointed to the Treaty of Versailles as a source of growing frustration for himself and the German people.
When World War II started, the United States was reluctant to get involved. This mentality offers some good essay topics, including why the United States wanted to stay out of World War II, what the United States knew about the attack on Pearl Harbor before it happened, the details of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the results of the attack, including United States involvement in World War II and the internment of Japanese-Americans on the West Coast of the U.S.
One of the remaining legacies of Nazi Germany is the Holocaust that killed millions of European Jews. Essay topics on the Holocaust include the Nazis responsible for creating and running it, the system used to perpetuate it, including main concentration camp locations, and the number of countries and people subjected to the Holocaust. Before writing an essay on the Holocaust, you should discuss your ideas with your instructor. Educating people on the horrors of the Holocaust can help to prevent it from being repeated in the future. But it can be a sensitive topic that some instructors would prefer to leave out of a World War II essay assignment.
The Nazi Third Reich was the creation of Adolf Hitler that was primarily responsible for starting World War II. Hitler's arrogance allowed him to believe that the Third Reich would survive for 1,000 years, but it only lasted from 1933 to 1945. Some good essay topics on the end of the Third Reich include Nazi officers who were trying to make deals to surrender to the Allies, Adolf Hitler's military decisions prior to the taking of Berlin by the Soviets, the personal actions of Hitler in his last days, including his marriage to Eva Braun and the couple's subsequent suicide, and how the Nazis finally did surrender to the Soviets.