Hitler's 1939 escalation is framed as a gamble that earlier patterns of concession would continue. Previous successes over the Rhineland, Austria, and Czechoslovakia made Poland appear to him like another risk opponents might decline to contest. Mussolini entered later because he expected German victory over France to end the war quickly and did not want Italy excluded from the settlement. Both decisions were political bets about enemy resolve and timing rather than proof of sound preparation for a prolonged conflict.
Notable Point · 1:36:41-1:38:20
Hitler and Mussolini gambled on another short crisis
Neither dictator needed to believe his country was ready for a long war if he expected opponents to yield or France to collapse before Britain continued.