World War II: Causes, Turning Points, and Consequences
World War II: Causes and Overview
World War II was a vast conflict fought in Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world. It was a conflict between the Axis powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan) and the Allied powers (Britain, USSR, France, and the United States).
Causes of World War II
Impact of World War I: Germany lost territory, and its economy was damaged by the need to pay war reparations.
Rise of Fascism and Nationalism: Many people feared a communist revolution and considered fascism the most effective way to combat communism.
Weaknesses of Democracies: Democracies like Britain and France wanted to avoid another war, leading to appeasement policies.
Great Depression: Economic crises in many countries led some to consider communism or Nazism as solutions.
The Outbreak of World War II
Germany annexed Austria and part of Czechoslovakia. Britain and France accepted these annexations because they didn’t want another war, but they signed a treaty with Poland to maintain its independence. When Hitler invaded Poland, World War II started.
The Turning Point of the War
In December 1941, Japan attacked the American military base of Pearl Harbor. The United States entered World War II on the Allied side.
The Allies launched the Normandy landings on the French coast, coordinated by General Dwight D. Eisenhower. They broke through the German defenses and liberated Paris. The Allies continued their advances, accompanied by strategic bombing of German cities. Tens of thousands of civilians were killed in the bombing of cities like Hamburg and Dresden. The Soviets occupied Berlin. Hitler committed suicide, and Germany surrendered. The war in Europe was over. The Pacific War went on for a few more months. United States President Harry Truman ordered the use of the recently invented atomic bomb. These bombs destroyed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan surrendered (September 2, 1945), and World War II ended.
Yalta Conference (February 1945)
Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill met there.
Agreements:
Germany was divided into occupied zones.
Stalin promised to hold free elections in Eastern Europe.
Potsdam Conference (July 1945)
Representatives of the USA, Britain, and the USSR met again there.
Decisions:
Germany was divided into four zones, administered by the Allied powers.
Nazi war criminals would be tried at the Nuremberg trials.
The amount of German war reparations was determined.
Consequences of World War II
Human Loss: 60 million people died (more than half civilians). The war also caused massive displacement of people, who had to look for a new place to live in Europe.
Moral Consequences: War survivors suffered intense traumas after witnessing human cruelty. A new legal concept of crimes against humanity was created.
Economic Consequences: Communications networks in central Europe had disappeared, petroleum was scarce, and industrial production had been reduced. Cities, farms, and production were destroyed. The war proved economically beneficial to the USA. Its capacity grew enormously, and it was consolidated as a major financial power.
The Holocaust
The Holocaust was the most brutal aspect of Nazi radical policy.
Nuremberg Laws: Banned marriage between Germans and Jews.
Night of the Broken Glass: Jews were killed and sent to the first concentration camps.
Ghettos: Were the new form of confinement for Jews created by Nazi authorities.
Final Solution: Was the massive extermination of the Jews in gas chambers and cremation ovens.
Concentration Camps: Detention centers where Jews and others targeted by Nazis were sent.