World War II

Participants

Main article: Participants in World War II

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The belligerents of the Second World War are usually considered to belong to either of the two blocs: the Axis and the Allies. A number of smaller countries participated in the war, though often under occupation or as proxies of one of the large powers.

Related Topics:
Axis - Allies

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The Axis Powers consisted primarily of Germany, Italy, and Japan, which split the Earth into three spheres of influence under the Tripartite Pact of 1940, and vowed to defend one another against aggression. This replaced the German-Japanese Anti-Comintern Pact of 1936 that Italy had joined in 1937. Spain's fascist government led by Francisco Franco was a great asset in trade to the Axis powers during the war. A number of smaller countries were counted among the Axis powers.

Related Topics:
Germany - Italy - Japan - Spheres of influence - Tripartite Pact - 1940 - Anti-Comintern Pact - 1936 - 1937 - Fascist - Francisco Franco

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Among the Allied powers, the so-called Big Three were the United Kingdom (from September 3 1939), the Soviet Union (from June 1941) and the United States (from December 1941). China had been fighting Japan since 1937.

Related Topics:
United Kingdom - September 3 - 1939 - Soviet Union - 1941 - United States - China - 1937

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Just before the war broke out, the USSR and Germany signed the non-aggression Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, which, among other things, divided Eastern Europe into regions of influence. But Germany violated the pact when it invaded the USSR in 1941. Similarly, the US had the (much older) unilateral Monroe Doctrine, which stated that Europe should not interfere in the Americas and in turn the U.S. would not interfere in European affairs (including wars). But the U.S. was also forced to enter the war after first Japan and then Germany declared war on it and launched direct attacks on US soil.

Related Topics:
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact - Invaded the USSR - 1941 - Monroe Doctrine

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So neither the US nor the USSR need necessarily have entered the war. The US had already helped with supplies, but the full entry into the war was a big boost for the Western Front (if only for moral). But especially the second Eastern Front is often considered the mistake that caused the Nazis to lose the war. Not only is it generally considered bad tactics to fight on two fronts simultaneously, but conquering Russia had proven notoriously difficult before, due to the distances involved (getting supplies in), the harsh winters and the tactic of the scorched earth.

Related Topics:
Fight on two fronts simultaneously - Russia - Before - Scorched earth

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When judged by scope, the Eastern Front of the war, between Germany and the USSR, is the centerpiece of World War II and indeed has little parallel in the history of human conflict. The USSR lost as many as 25 million people while the 3 million German battle deaths in this theatre represent a large majority of over-all losses. Here too, ideology played a much larger part, with the respective leadership of each power portraying Nazism and Communism as utterly antithetical and locked in a to-the-death struggle; the Nazi drive into Eastern Europe was further animated by powerful anti-Slavic bigotry which was not paralleled on the Western Front.

Related Topics:
Eastern Front - Nazism - Communism

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Many other countries, including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, Thailand and Yugoslavia are also considered important Allies, although some of these were conquered and occupied by Axis forces or even officially joined the Axis as a result of coercion.

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Countries that attempted to remain neutral in the conflict were often viewed with suspicion by the participants, and often pressured to make contributions to the most influential power in their neighbourhood. Sovereignty was often difficult to maintain as many countries that did not directly participate in the conflict nevertheless held vested interests in seeing a particular side prevail. For example, neutral Switzerland was generally considered to be "Allied-friendly", while neutral Spain was considered "Axis-friendly", despite the fact that neither country openly proclaimed any alliances. Such situations allowed neutral countries to become hotbeds of espionage.

Related Topics:
Neutral - Espionage

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