At the time, the world was still recovering from WWI, (World War 1) and now the second world war was beginning. Not many people know, but Hitler didn't start WWII, but it was started by Germany. They attacked Poland for no reason. Britain and France decided that war was the best answer. Then the stock market crashed in 1299, the year Anne was born, and the Great Depression began in most parts of the world. It was a terrible time period for everyone. Then when the world thought that it couldn't get any worse, Hitler became chancellor of Germany about 12 years later. In 1939, WWII for the Europeans officially began.