World War II Overview

World War II Overview

• World War II was a global conflict between the Allies and the Axis powers, lasting from 1 September 1939 to 2 September 1945.
• Almost all countries, including great powers, participated in the conflict, leading to total war and blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources.

Deaths and Destruction

• The war resulted in 70–85 million fatalities, making it the deadliest conflict in history.
• Millions died due to genocides, including the Holocaust, as well as starvation, massacres, and disease.

Causes of the War

• The rise of fascism in Europe, the Spanish Civil War, and the Second Sino-Japanese War contributed to the outbreak of World War II.
• Soviet–Japanese border conflicts and tensions in the aftermath of World War I also played a role.

Beginning of the War

• Germany, under Adolf Hitler, invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, marking the beginning of the war.
• The United Kingdom and France declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939.

Axis Powers

• Germany, Italy, and Japan formed a military alliance called the Axis, with other countries joining later.
• Germany conquered or controlled much of continental Europe from late 1939 to early 1941.

Eastern Front

• Germany led the European Axis powers in an invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, opening the Eastern Front.
• The war on the Eastern Front resulted in key setbacks for Germany, including defeats at Stalingrad and on the Eastern Front.

Japan's War

• Japan aimed to dominate East Asia and the Asia-Pacific, and by 1937 was at war with the Republic of China.
• Japan attacked American and British territories in December 1941, including Pearl Harbor, leading to the United States and the United Kingdom declaring war against Japan.

Turning Points

• The Battle of Midway in 1942 halted Japan's advances in the Pacific.
• Key setbacks in 1943, including German defeats on the Eastern Front and Allied invasions of Sicily and Italy, cost the Axis powers their initiative.

Allied Victory

• The Western Allies invaded German-occupied France in 1944, while the Soviet Union regained its territorial losses and pushed Germany and its allies back.
• Japan suffered reversals in mainland Asia, while the Allies crippled the Japanese Navy and captured key western Pacific islands.
• The war in Europe concluded with the liberation of German-occupied territories, the Fall of Berlin, and the German unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945.
• The US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to Japan's surrender on 2 September 1945.