One of the things I love about good, solid literature is the ability to find symbolism where the author hadn't intended to put it. In this way you are free to draw your own conclusion to your life, to history, or to what you will without being right or wrong in your analysis.
Though Tolkien refused the connection to WWII in his works what an author witnesses in their lifetime can and often will come across in their writings, whether directly (as C.S. Lewis often did) or indirectly in Tolkien's case.
After taking a class about the military history of WWII I was often drawing connections to LOTR. Obviously Mordor can be seen as playing the role of Nazi Germany. There's a leader who was defeated once and spent time licking his wounds before unleashing himself on the world. Isengard plays a more Italian role. A great threat, but one that proves easier to beat thanks to the strength of an allied cause. In this case the Ents.
Gondor can be seen as the British. Gondor fought long and hard against Mordor often times holding it alone, much like Great Britain did after the defeat of France and while Russia and the US were trying to steer clear of trouble. And Rohan can be a more American role. They were fully roused to action after a grievous attack on their native soil (Helm's Deep as a sort of Pearl Harbor attack). In this case it would make Eomer an FDR figure, always pushing his countrymen forward because he understands this looming evil.
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Sauron could have held Mordor, in theory, for eternity if he chose to remain interested in defending Mordor only. I wonder if the same could have been true for Nazi Germany?
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The world probably would have let Hitler get away with violence and murders and defense of his borders as long as he stayed within his borders. Once he institutes blitzkrieg on a neighbor though... Sauron on the other hand was a known threat and countless lives would be lost trying to break through his border defenses to overthrow him.