World War II: causes, course, and aftermath

World War II as a global conflict

World War II (1939–1945) was a global conflict fought between two major coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world’s countries participated, and many fought “total war” on an unprecedented scale. It is widely regarded as the deadliest conflict in history, causing an estimated 60–75 million deaths, most of them civilians. Massacres, starvation, disease, and genocides—including the Holocaust—accounted for a large share of the suffering and loss. The war began in Europe with Nazi Germany’s invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, followed by declarations of war by the United Kingdom and France. Fighting then expanded across multiple regions, including Europe, the Mediterranean and Middle East, Africa, and the Pacific. Major turning points included Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941 (opening the Eastern Front), Japan’s attack on American and British territories in December 1941 (including Pearl Harbor), and subsequent Allied offensives that pushed the Axis powers back on all fronts. The war ended in Europe with Germany’s unconditional surrender in May 1945 and in Asia after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, followed by Japan’s surrender in early September 1945. After the Allied victory, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea were occupied, and leaders were tried for war crimes. The conflict reshaped the world’s political and social order: the United Nations was created to prevent future wars, the United States and the Soviet Union emerged as rival superpowers—setting the stage for the Cold War—and European devastation contributed to the decline of European influence and accelerated decolonisation in Africa and Asia.

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Allies versus Axis coalitions

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