World War II
After the global economic downturn caused by the Great Depression, and still suffering from the devastation of WWI in Europe, many nations turned to authoritarian governments to revitalize their economies and national pride. These countries included Japan, Germany, Italy, and Russia. They sought to unify their nations under military control and expand their borders in order to gain access to natural resources and land. Western democracies initially tried to avoid war, but were eventually forced to fight in the largest war in human history.