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World War II era battle and bombing. Image credit: Ivan Cholakov/Shutterstock.com

World War II was the bloodiest conflict in human history, with up to 85 million people killed.

WWII pitted the Allies, led by the U.S., the U.K., France, and the Soviet Union against the Axis, led by Germany, Italy, and Japan.

Unprovoked attacks against the U.S. and the Soviet Union led them to enter the war.

WWII officially began on September 1, 1939 and ended on September 2, 1945.

World War II, which took place between September 1939 and September 1945, was the bloodiest conflict in human history. Though no exact casualty count for the war exists, it is thought that up to 85 million people were killed as a direct or indirect result of the conflict. The war involved all of the world's great powers, and touched nearly every corner of the globe. On one side was the Axis, led by Germany, Italy, and Japan. On the other side were the Allies, led by the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and the Soviet Union. There were numerous reasons for the outbreak of the Second World War, from the megalomaniac ambitions of ruthless dictators, to the unprovoked attacks on countries that precipitated their entry into the war. Here are the main causes for the outbreak of WWII, humanity's most destructive conflict.

The Rise Of Dictators And Their Imperialist Ambitions

Before WWII began, two men took power in the countries of Germany and Italy. One was Benito Mussolini, who became Prime Minister of Italy in 1922. The other was Adolf Hitler, who became the Chancellor of Germany in 1933. In just a short time, the two men turned their countries into tyrannical dictatorships. Mussolini sought the resurrection of the Roman Empire, while Hitler sought the formation of a new German empire, the Third Reich, which he wanted to stretch from the Ural Mountains in the east, all the way to the west coast of Europe.

The Treaty Of Versailles And The Desire For Revenge

Hitler was able to ascend to power in Germany in part because he was successful in tapping the anger of the German people in response to the terms of their surrender in the First World War. The Treaty of Versailles compelled Germany to give up large amounts of territory, and pay war reparations, which significantly damaged the German economy. Hitler promised his people revenge against the Allied powers, and the expansion of German power and territory.

The Great Depression

The economic ruin brought on by the Great Depression of the 1930s helped bring about the rise of many extremist movements in Europe, of which Nazism and fascism were just two. During the Depression, the Nazis and fascists did battle with the communists, but it was the former movements who emerged victorious in the end.

Pre-WWII Conquests

Before WWII had officially begun, the powers that would merge to form the Axis had already launched campaigns of conquest. Shortly after Hitler came to power, he managed to seize control of Austria and part of what was then Czechoslovakia without any major combat operation. Italy had already conquered both Ethiopia and Albania, and Japan was expanding its imperial realm decades before WWII began, conquering the Korean peninsula, Taiwan, and the southern half of the Far East Soviet island of Sakhalin. In 1931, Japan began its attempt to conquer China by invading Manchuria. The fact that the Axis powers were able to expand their territory with little to no resistance from rest of the international community only emboldened them to make further conquests.

The Failure Of Appeasement

One leader of the Western powers, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, believed he could placate Adolf Hitler by appeasing him, thus allowing the Nazi dictator to take a small bit of territory in Czechoslovakia without provoking a war, and getting Hitler to promise that future territorial disputes would be resolved through non-violent means. But just a few months later, Hitler broke his promise and seized all of Czechoslovakia.

Unprovoked Attacks Against Uninvolved Powers

The Nazi invasion of Poland, beginning on September 1, 1939, was the catalyst for the outbreak of WWII, when the Allied powers finally gave up on diplomacy and appeasement, and decided that only force could stop the Axis powers from making any new conquests. But even after the Nazis' invasion of Poland, the war was still largely a European conflict. The Soviet Union and the United States had not yet begun fighting the Axis powers. Unprovoked attacks against them, however, changed that. In the summer of 1941, the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union, drawing the communist dictatorship into the conflict. Just six months later, another unprovoked attack led to the U.S. entering the war on the side of the Allies, when on December 7, 1941, Japanese forces bombed the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor.

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What Were the Main Causes of World War II?

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World War II was the bloodiest conflict in human history, with up to 85 million people killed. WWII pitted the Allies, led by the U.S., the U.K., France, and the Soviet Union against the Axis, led by Germany, Italy, and Japan. Unprovoked attacks against the U.S.

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Table Of Contents
We explain what World War II was and the sides that intervened. In addition, its characteristics and outstanding events.
What was World War II?

World War II was a global armed conflict that took place between 1939 and 1945 , directly or indirectly involving most of the powers of the time. It is considered the largest war in the history of mankind, in terms of the number of nations involved, the territorial dimensions of the conflict, the amount of war weapons used and historical consequences.

Few nations in the world remained untouched by the conflict. This occurred in three main scenarios: European, Asian and African . The two opposing sides were the Allied Countries and the Axis Powers, in a conflict that blurred the borders between military forces and civilian populations.

Within the framework of this war there were events as traumatic for human civilization as the Jewish Holocaust , the mass death of civilian citizens and the use, for the first and only time in history , of nuclear weapons of mass destruction.

Sides of World War II

The Axis Powers had as partners Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania.

The forces in contention were, mainly, those of the European and Asian powers and the United States, divided into two political and ideological blocs:

Axis powers. Made up of Nazi Germany , Fascist Italy and Imperial Japan . They had the nations of Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania as partners , Francoist Spain as non-participating allies , and Finland, Thailand, Iran, and Iraq as co-belligerent states.

Allied countries. Made up mainly of France , Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union . To them should be added Poland, China , Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Greece , Yogoslavia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and some other countries with a minority participation in the conflict but diplomatic support for the allies.

Beginning and ending events of World War II

One of the events that marked the end of the war was the suicide of Adolf Hitler.

The German invasion of Poland , which occurred after it annexed Austria and Czechoslovakia without any reaction from the Allies, is usually taken as the triggering event for World War II . However, the alliance between Poland and France demanded that the latter declare war on the German Third Reich when, following an agreement to share Polish lands with the then neutral USSR, they crossed the border with their troops.
The end of World War II occurred in 1945 , in a period between the fall of Germany by Soviet forces and the suicide of Adolf Hitler , and the American bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with atomic bombs, forcing the immediate unconditional surrender of this country.
Cost in lives of World War II

The Second World War cost between 55 and 70 million lives , between military combatants on the various battle fronts, civilians killed by massive bombardments from one side and the other, and people executed in concentration and extermination camps by the armed forces. From the axis. It is estimated that some six million Jews have been systematically exterminated in the latter way.

Conflict scenarios during World War II

Japan was the invading power of China and many countries of Asia Minor.

As has been said, the war spread throughout the Mediterranean and Eastern European continents , as the Nazis conquered surrounding territory, and later in the territories of Saharan Africa , as they sought to recover their colonies lost in the First World War . In both cases they were aided by Italian troops and confronted by European and North American allies.

On the Asian front, on the other hand, Japan was the invading power of China and many countries of Asia Minor , initially facing the USSR and, after being defeated in the battle of Khalkin Gol, exclusively the North Americans, who entered the conflict after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Battles of World War II

The clashes took place both on land and water and even under it.

The battles of World War II were numerous and complex, but they took place both on the continental shelf, in the water (and even underwater, with submarines) and in the air . This implied the use of a lot of war machinery and the technological exploration of numerous artifacts for military purposes.

World War II leaders

The opposing powers -especially those of the Axis, of a totalitarian nature-, were led by:

Adolf Hitler (Germany)

Benito Mussolini (Italy)

Hirohito (Japan)

Winston Churchill (Great Britain)

Joseph Stalin (USSR)

Dwight Eisenhower / Harry Truman (USA)

Charles DeGaulle (France)

Mao Tse Tung (China)

Stages of the Second World War

The intermediate phase occurs when Germany breaks its non-aggression pact with the USSR.

Three stages of World War II can be distinguished:

Fight in Europe . This stage is characterized by the successive victories of the Axis forces in Central and Western Europe, especially the conquests of France and the Netherlands, as well as the expansion of the fascist forces in North Africa. For its part, Japan invades China and begins its expansion in Asia Minor.

New participants. The intermediate phase of the war takes place when Germany breaks its non-aggression pact with the USSR and sets out to conquer the Soviet territories in the East, automatically adding it to the Allied countries. Similarly, Japan will bomb the US military base at Pearl Harbor and draw the US into the conflict.

defeat of fascism . Mussolini is deposed and executed by the communist Italian partisans, and Germany must retake control of the country. The advance of the Nazi troops on the USSR is quickly reversed and as they advance towards Berlin, the Soviet troops liberate the concentration camps. The US lands in Normandy (France) and Sicily (Italy), so the Axis forces are defeated on all sides. Finally, Germany and Italy surrender and in August 1945 Japan does too, after the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed with nuclear weapons.

Consequences of World War II

Europe required US help to overcome the devastation suffered.

The main consequences of this conflict are:

The division of Germany. Germany is divided into two different countries: one controlled by the Allies and the other by the USSR.

Sinking of Europe. The devastation in Europe will reach such a degree that US financial aid will be required to rebuild it (Marshall Plan), which will increase US influence in the area.

bipolar world. The new world powers will be the United States and the Soviet Union, thus beginning the Cold War .

New technologies. Many of the technologies that would become popular during the end of the 20th century had their origin in German scientists who shared both the Allies and the Soviets.

Espionage in World War II

This conflict was the first to feature a vast network of espionage throughout the world, foreshadowing the competition for information during the coming Cold War . This network of espionage and counterintelligence, by both Allied and Axis forces, extended to virtually the entire world.

Holocaust

During the holocaust many suffered unimaginable torture.

The massacre of millions of Jewish citizens and other supposedly "inferior" races in the Nazi death camps is called "the holocaust" . Many suffered unimaginable torture or were victims of cruel experiments. This lesson in horror, added to the two atomic bombs, add to the list of the worst monstrosities of which humanity has been capable.
The above content published at Collaborative Research Group is for informational and educational purposes only and has been developed by referring to reliable sources and recommendations from technology experts. We do not have any contact with official entities nor do we intend to replace the information that they emit.

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World War II: Sides, Events and Characteristics

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Table Of Contents We explain what World War II was and the sides that intervened. In addition, its characteristics and outstanding events. World War II was a global armed conflict that took place between 1939 and 1945 , directly or indirectly involving most of the powers of the time.

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World War II: Summary, Combatants & Facts

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World War II was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. Rising to power in an unstable Germany, Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist (Nazi Party) rearmed the nation and signed treaties with Italy and Japan to further his ambitions of world domination. Hitler’s invasion of Poland drove Great Britain and France to declare war on Germany, and World War II had begun. The majority of the world’s countries eventually formed two opposing alliances: the Allies and the Axis.

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Nazi Party: Definition, Philosophies & Hitler - HISTORY

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The Nazi Party was a political organization that ruled Germany through murderous, totalitarian means from 1933 to 1945 under the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler.

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The Second World War: 1939 - 1945 | WWII Documentary: PART 1

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World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a global conflict that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries, including all of the great powers, fought as part of two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. 

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World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a global conflict that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries, including all of the great powers, fought as part of two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. 