World War 2 1945 Documentory - Hitler in Colour - Real Footage - by roothmens
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World War II (
WWII or
WW2), also known as the
Second World War, was a global war that lasted from
1939 to
1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the
Allies and the
Axis. It was the most widespread war in history, with more than
100 million people serving in military units from over 30 different countries. In a state of "total war", the major participants placed their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities at the service of the war effort, erasing the distinction between civilian and military resources.
Marked by mass deaths of civilians, including the
Holocaust and the only use of nuclear weapons in warfare, it resulted in 50 million to over 75 million fatalities. These deaths make World War II by far the deadliest conflict in human history.
The Empire of Japan aimed to dominate
East Asia and was already at war with the
Republic of China in
1937, but the world war is generally said to have begun on
1 September, 1939 with the invasion of
Poland by
Germany and subsequent declarations of war on Germany by
France and
Britain. From late 1939 to early
1941, in a series of campaigns and treaties, Germany formed the Axis alliance with
Italy, conquering or subduing much of continental
Europe.
Following the Molotov--Ribbentrop Pact, Germany and the
Soviet Union partitioned and annexed territories between themselves of their
European neighbours, including
Poland. The United Kingdom and the other members of the
British Commonwealth were the only major
Allied forces continuing the fight against the Axis, with battles taking place in
North Africa as well as the long-running
Battle of the Atlantic. In June 1941, the European Axis launched an invasion of the Soviet Union, giving a start to the largest land theatre of war in history, which tied down the major part of the Axis' military forces for the rest of the war. In
December 1941,
Japan joined the Axis, attacked the
United States and European territories in the
Pacific Ocean, and quickly conquered much of the
Western Pacific.
The Axis advance was stopped in
1942, after Japan lost a series of naval battles and European
Axis troops were defeated in North Africa and, decisively, at
Stalingrad. In 1943, with a series of
German defeats in
Eastern Europe, the
Allied invasion of Italy, and
American victories in the
Pacific, the Axis lost the initiative and undertook strategic retreat on all fronts. In
1944, the
Western Allies invaded France, while the Soviet Union regained all of its territorial losses and invaded Germany and its allies. During 1944 and 1945 the United States defeated the
Japanese Navy and captured key Western Pacific islands.
The war in Europe ended with the capture of
Berlin by
Soviet and
Polish troops and the subsequent German unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945. Following the
Potsdam Declaration by the Allies on 26 July 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs on the
Japanese cities of
Hiroshima on 6 August, and
Nagasaki on 9 August. With an invasion of the
Japanese archipelago imminent, and the Soviet Union having declared war on Japan by invading
Manchuria, Japan surrendered on
15 August 1945, ending the war in
Asia and cementing the total victory of the Allies over the Axis.
World War II altered the political alignment and social structure of the world.
The United Nations (UN) was established to foster international cooperation and prevent future conflicts. The great powers that were the victors of the war—the United States, the Soviet Union,
China, the
United Kingdom, and France—became the permanent members of the
United Nations Security Council.
The Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers, setting the stage for the
Cold War, which lasted for the next 46 years.
Meanwhile, the influence of European great powers started to decline, while the decolonisation of Asia and
Africa began. Most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery. Political integration, especially in Europe, emerged as an effort to stabilise postwar relations and fight more effectively in the Cold War.