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World War II was a global conflict between the Allies and the Axis powers that involved nearly all countries and featured total war.
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.
World War II was a global conflict between the Allies and the Axis powers that involved nearly all countries and featured total war.
It caused 60–75 million deaths, with civilians forming the majority, including deaths from genocides such as the Holocaust.
The war expanded from Europe (Poland, 1939) to the Soviet Union (1941) and the Pacific (Pearl Harbor, 1941), with major Allied offensives leading to Axis retreat.
Germany surrendered unconditionally in May 1945; Japan surrendered after the atomic bombings and Soviet entry into the war in August 1945.
The war’s aftermath included occupations, war-crimes trials, creation of the United Nations, and the rise of US–Soviet rivalry that led to the Cold War.
The coalition of states that opposed the Axis powers during World War II.
The coalition led by Germany, Italy, and Japan that fought against the Allies in World War II.
A form of warfare that mobilizes a society’s entire resources—military, economic, and civilian—toward defeating the enemy.
The Nazi-led genocide in which six million Jews and other targeted groups were murdered during World War II.
The main World War II campaign between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union beginning with Germany’s invasion in 1941.
A major naval battle in June 1942 in which the United States halted Japan’s advance in the Pacific.
Victory over Japan Day, commonly marked as 15 August 1945 when Japan announced its unconditional surrender.
An international organization created after World War II to promote cooperation and prevent future conflicts.
The period of geopolitical rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union that followed World War II.
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