World War II

Overview

Attributed in varying degrees to the Treaty of Versailles, the Great Depression, and the rise in Nationalism, Fascism, National Socialism, Japanese imperialism, and Militarism, the causes of the war are a matter of debate. Similarly, the exact date at which the war commenced differs between historians, with the most common date given as the German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, or the British and French declarations of war two days later. Other candidates for the starting date of the war include the entry of Hitler's armies to Prague in March 1939, the Japanese invasion of China on 7 July 1937 (the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War), or earlier yet the 1931 Japanese invasion of Manchuria, or the signing of the secret Hitler-Stalin Pact.

Related Topics:
Treaty of Versailles - Great Depression - Nationalism - Fascism - National Socialism - Japanese imperialism - Militarism - Causes of the war - Invasion of Poland - 1 September - 1939 - Hitler - Prague - 7 July - 1937 - Second Sino-Japanese War - 1931 - Japanese invasion of Manchuria - Hitler-Stalin Pact

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Related Topics:
Ceasefire - Cold War - Long War

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The war was fought between the Axis Powers, which was formed by the countries Germany, Japan and Italy, and the Allies. Fighting occurred across the Atlantic Ocean, in Western and Eastern Europe, in the Mediterranean Sea, Africa, the Middle East, in the Pacific and South East Asia, and it continued in China. In Europe, the war ended with the surrender of Germany on 8 May 1945 (V-E and Victory Days), but continued in Asia until Japan surrendered on 15 August 1945 (V-J Day).

Related Topics:
Axis Powers - Allies - Atlantic Ocean - Western and Eastern Europe - Mediterranean Sea - Africa - Middle East - Pacific and South East Asia - 8 May - 1945 - V-E - Victory - Japan surrendered - 15 August - V-J Day

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At least 50 million people died as a result of the war. This figure includes acts of genocide such as the Holocaust and General Ishii Shiro's Unit 731 experiments in Pingfan, incredibly bloody battles in Europe and the Pacific Ocean, and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. Few areas of the world were unaffected, the war involved the "home front" and bombing of civilians to a new degree. Atomic weapons, jet aircraft, rockets and radar, the blitzkrieg, or "lightning war", the massive use of tanks, submarines, torpedo bombers and destroyer/tanker formations, are only a few of many wartime inventions and new tactics that changed the face of the conflict.

Related Topics:
Died as a result of the war - The Holocaust - Ishii Shiro - Unit 731 - Pingfan - Hiroshima and Nagasaki - Home front - Bombing of civilians - Atomic weapon - Jet aircraft - Radar - Blitzkrieg - Wartime inventions

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Post–World War II Europe was partitioned into Western and Soviet spheres of influence, the former undergoing economic reconstruction under the Marshall Plan and the latter becoming satellite states of the Soviet Union. This partition was, however, informal; rather than coming to terms about the spheres of influence, the relationship between the victors steadily deteriorated, and the military lines of demarcation finally became the de facto country boundaries. Western Europe largely aligned as NATO, and Eastern Europe largely as the Warsaw pact countries, alliances which were fundamental to the ensuing Cold War. In Asia, the United States' military occupation of Japan led to its democratisation. China's civil war continued through and after the war, resulting eventually in the establishment of the People's Republic of China. The war sparked a wave of independence for colonies of European powers, who were exhausted from fighting the war. There was a fundamental shift in power from Western Europe to the new superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, though there were few actual boundary changes.

Related Topics:
Western - Soviet - Spheres of influence - Marshall Plan - De facto - NATO - Warsaw pact - Cold War - People's Republic of China

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warname=World War II

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