WW2: A Broad Overview of Its Origins and Conclusion

WW2: An Overview

WW2 was one of the deadliest conflicts in human history, involving over 100 million people from 30 different countries. It lasted from 1939 to 1945 and resulted in the deaths of an estimated 70 million people. The origins of World War II can be traced back to the aftermath of World War I and the Treaty of Versailles, which ended that conflict. The treaty imposed harsh reparations on Germany and its allies, which led to economic and political instability in Germany and other European countries.

In 1933, Adolf Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany and began his campaign to expand German territory and create a new German empire. He started by annexing Austria in 1938, which was known as the Anschluss. The following year, he demanded that Czechoslovakia cede its Sudetenland region to Germany. Britain and France, which had previously followed a policy of appeasement toward Hitler, realized that they could no longer ignore his aggressive actions. In September 1939, Germany invaded Poland, which led Britain and France to declare war on Germany, officially starting WW2. Germany quickly overran Poland, using a new type of warfare known as blitzkrieg, which relied on speed and surprise. The Soviet Union, which had signed a non-aggression pact with Germany, invaded Poland from the east, further dividing the country.

Britain and France responded to Germany’s invasion of Poland by launching a counteroffensive but were quickly defeated by German forces. The fall of France in 1940 marked a turning point in the war, as Germany gained control of much of Western Europe. The United States, which had previously remained neutral, entered the war after Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. This was a crucial turning point in WW2. The war in Europe came to an end in May 1945, after Germany surrendered to the Allies. The war in the Pacific continued until August 1945, when the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to Japan’s surrender. The aftermath of WW2 saw the division of Germany into East and West, the creation of the United Nations, and the beginning of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Sources:

1. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii.
2. https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007679.
3. https://www.britannica.com/topic/blitzkrieg.
4. https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005144.
5. https://www.historyonthenet.com/world-war-two-timeline

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