Said, "Had Allah known any good in them, He would have made them hear" (8:23). So it is due to people having good in them that they are led towards truth/understanding. Many people who have a sense of justice and compassion are drawn towards Islam due to how it establishes ultimate justice.. like your personal example perfectly highlights.
And many are on a search for truth, search for inner peace.. and it is only Islam which brings them pure truth and remembrance of Allah? That brings peace. Some are charitable and generous and drawn to Islam's beautiful emphasis on charity.
And many other great qualities which drawn people towards the superior way - Islam. Alhamdulillah.
Here are some things that help people follow organized religions in general: 1. Gullibility - willingness to believe anything without question 2. Lack of education - lack of knowledge of science, history, logic, helps to prevent questioning.
3. Poverty- Goes along with lack of education, helps keep people in need of "help.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.