This marked the beginning of the Second World War in Europe. Before declaring war, both countries had issued several warnings to Germany to withdraw from Poland but were ignored. The declarations of war came after years of rising tensions between Germany and the Western powers following Germany's remilitarization of the Rhineland, the Anschluss with Austria, and the Munich Agreement that ceded the Sudetenland to Germany. Great Britain and France felt they could no longer appease Germany's territorial ambitions and decided to take a stand against further aggression.