ABSTRACT
Violence in the form of war was a major component of European history in the period from 1914 to 1945. World War II proved to be much vaster in its global dimensions and carnage than the Great War of 1914–1918 that up until then had been the most destructive conflict in human history. Hitler's invasion of Poland in 1939 set off a series of events that soon touched much of Europe, starting with Britain and France's declarations of war against Germany in early September 1939. Germany's quick military successes, meanwhile, put increasing pressure on the Soviets to invade Poland from the east. One of the key components in the British victory in the Battle of Britain was their ability to intercept German military messages sent from an encryption machine called Enigma, a highly sophisticated tool developed after World War I.
