World War 2

World War 2

World War 2, also known as “WW2/WWII/The Second World War, started in 1939 after an unprovoked attack on Poland by Germany. After Hitler refused to stop his attacks on Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany.

 

 

Some countries did not join the war, but stayed neutral. Switzerland, Sweden and Spain were neutral countries. So

was Ireland, although many of the Irish people helped the Allies.

60 million people died in World War 2, roughly only 20 million were soldiers; the other 40 million were civilian’s, innocent mothers and children were also killed. For more on the woman

of WWII see here: Women during World War 2.

There are many causes of World War 2 the core one being World War 1 itself. Post World War 1 the world was divided into 2 groups one being the Allied (Entente) Powers, made up of France, The Russian Empire ,The British Empire, The United States of America etc. who won the war, and the Central Powers, who included the Austria-Hungary German Empire,  etc. While Germany witnessed Adolf Hitler and Nazism, Italy watched the rise of Benito Mussolini and Fascism – which was fed by violence, racism and totalitarianism. Both men and their ideas were quite similar to each other and this then created Hitler and Mussolini as the leaders of war against the Allied Powers.

From the First World War came the “Treaty of Versailles”, Germany wer

e forced to sign this to repay the damages from the First World War. The treaty was created to bring peace to Europe succeeding the war.  Germany were not happy with the terms, which mainly were made up of these 4 rules:

• War Guilt Clause: The Germans were to accept full accountability for World War 1 .
• Reparations: They were forced to pay 6,000 Million Pounds in reparation costs for the destruction caused during the war.
• Disarmament: Germany was to only have a small Army; they were allowed no Submarines, tanks or air force. The region was to be demilitarised.
• Territorial Clauses: Parts of their land was given to other countries.

The German people were not pleased with the treaty and long story short assigned one of the world war 2 leaders  Adolf Hitler to be there leader, who later on started World War 2. To read more about the causes of World War 2, see here.
If the aftermath of World War I was shocking, the effects of World War 2 were even more horrific. The amount of individuals who lost their lives during the war was in the millions, and the number of people who were left without homes was even greater than that. However, World War 2 did mark the end of dictatorship in Europe, and positioned the United States and Soviet Union as the super powers of the world. It also resulted in development of the United Nations, an organization formed to endorse peace and security in the world. The Paris Peace Treaty signed on 10th February, 1947, permitted nations like Italy, Bulgaria and Finland to continue as sovereign states in international affairs and become of the members of the United Nations. The Treaty also included provisions for the payment of war reimbursements and post war territorial alterations.

Several European and Asian countries had to bear the burden of the Second World War. The regional borders of European countries were redrawn. The biggest benefactor in terms of territorial enlargement was the Soviet Union who seized amounts of Finland, Poland, Japan, Germany and some independent states to its territories. The worst effected nation was Germany, which was separated into four parts – one each was held by France, United States, Soviet Union and Great Britain. While the leading plan put forth by the United States for Germany were very severe, they were reduced down after it was understood that the revival of Europe was not possible without the revival of the German industrial base. Everything was not all right though, as it was the World War 2 which laid the base for the  Cold War amongst the United States and Soviet Union which continued for a period

of 44 years between 1947-1991.

That covered a substantial amount of evidence about some of the key causes and effects of World War 2. As far as the financial effects of World War 2 are concerned, it did have some positives but they were by no means a match for the devastation this war generated. The many jobs created throughout the war brought an end to the predicament of unemployment all through the Great Depression. While those trades which manufactured various goods required during the war thrived, other industries suffered a major setback. The European economy was practically brought to a standstill during the Second World War It took quite some time for the world to revive after the war came to an end on 2nd September, 1945, but that was only after as many as 24,000,000 soldiers and 49,000,000 civilians lost their lives on both the sides.

September 2 1945 World War 2 officially ended. For a complete timeline see here: ww2 timeline

Some quotes from World War 2:

Germany must either be a world power or there will be no Germany. – Adolph Hitler

The American forces have suffered terrible losses. The losses are far more than what Eisenhower has admitted, and worse is ahead. Tunis is only a foretaste of what is waiting for us in Europe. – Roane Waring

“History knows no greater display of courage than that shown by the people of the Soviet Union”. – Henry L. Stimson, Secretary of War

“The assertion that it is the intention of the German Reich to coerce the Austrian State is absurd”. – Adolf Hitler

“This is a fight between a free world and a slave world”. –  Vice President Henry A. Wallace

“No compromise is possible and the victory of the democracies can only be complete with the utter defeat of the war machines of Germany and Japan”. – George Marshall

“I never worry about action, only inaction”. – Winston Churchill

“We are determined that before the sun sets on this terrible struggle our flag will be recognized throughout the world as a symbol of freedom on the one hand, of overwhelming power on the other”. – G.C. Marshall

“It is the function of the Navy to carry the war to the enemy so that it will not be fought on U.S. soil”. – Admiral Chester W. Nimitz

Quick facts about World War 2:

1. When it came to invading civilians by air, the Germans killed 543,000 people along with more in Britain amounting to 60,400.
2. One of the many causes as to why World War 2 started off was the incapability of the League of Nations to interfere and avoid its onset.
3. The war began on September 1st, 1939 and continued until September 2nd, 1945.
4. Hitler executed 84 German generals as one of his many vicious and cut throat traits.
5. Those leading the Allies were Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
6. Barely a teenager, Calvin Graham entered the war as a soldier, lying about his real age and was discharged after being wounded in battle.
7. The Russians killed their first American soldier in the year 1940 in Finland
8. 15 million Americans took up jobs to assist during the war.
9. A major loss for the Germans was waving the white flag at Stalingrad where they surrendered in the year 1943.
10. The numbers of soldiers that served in the war, taking only the Americans into consideration were 16,112,566, where 671,846 were wounded among these.
11. After the war, Italy had to pay compensations for damages done amounting to $36 million.
12. The Russians killed their first American soldier in the year 1940 in Finland.
13. The length of service on an average scale for a US and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
14. Barely a teenage, Calvin Graham entered the war as a soldier, lying about his real age and was discharged after being injured in battle.
15. The US got involved in the war, after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 by the Japanese.
16. The numbers of soldiers that served in the war, taking only the Americans into consideration were 16,112,566, where 671,846 were wounded among these.
17. After the war, Italy had to pay compensations for damages done amounting to $36 million.
18. The length of service on an typical scale for a US soldier in the military was 33 months.
19. German aircraft didn’t fare too well when it came to battling it out in the sky. Up to 45 per cent of their crafts were ruined because of accidents and not because of being gunned down.
20. The major influential who headed the Axis league were Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler and Emperor Hirohito.
21. There was a time when the Koreans were made to battle for both the Japanese and Germans during the war, switching sides due to being forced into submission.
22. The allies released 3.4 million tons worth of bombs, leaving it at about 27.700 tons of this on an average in a month.
23. The territories that were under the World War 2 grasp were South-East Asia, Europe, Africa, China, the Middle East, Pacific, Mediterranean and Atlantic.
24. The holocaust, when it began, saw the murders of Jews already taking place in the concentration camp of Auschwitz in the year 1942. There were a total of 1,500,000 Jews killed as well as others amounting to 2.000.000.
25. The war involved nearly all countries of the world while it lasted, making it history’s most enormous and influential wars to have hit the planet.
26. At least 1.9 billion people are said to have served in World War 2.
27. 62 million people died at the hands of this war during the time of the conflict.
28. World War 2 is also abbreviated as WW2 or is referenced in some places the Second World War.

World War 2

World War 2

Did you find what you were looking for?
Search for:

Tags: Battles Fought, Causes of World War 2, Time Line of World War 2, Weapons used, Woman of World War 2, World War 2

Category: World War 2