World War II: Key Events and Impacts

Posted on Mar 5, 2025 in History

Sides

Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) against Allied Powers (unoccupied France, UK, Poland, Russia, USA, China, Canada, and others).

Causes

  • Hitler defied the League of Nations, breaching the Treaty of Versailles. He conquered the Saarland, re-established the army, annexed Austria, and invaded Poland in 1939.
  • The Japanese attacked British colonies in the Pacific, the Netherlands, China, and the U.S.

Military Operations

Initially, the war was primarily against Germany and France. However, it escalated into a global conflict. Two main phases can be distinguished:

1. Axis Offensive

Germany, Japan, and Italy achieved significant victories. The Axis powers gained control of continental Europe, North Africa, and East Asia. Key events include:

  • The defeat of France: Hitler invaded Poland, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. France was divided into two zones: a German-occupied north and a south with its capital in Vichy, under the control of Petain. General Charles de Gaulle disobeyed the government and formed the Free French in exile, supported by Great Britain.
  • The resistance of Great Britain: Prime Minister Winston Churchill successfully resisted the German blockade and bombings. Great Britain avoided invasion, partly due to U.S. support.
  • Attack on the USSR: Hitler’s blitzkrieg attempt on the Soviet Union ultimately failed. Leningrad was besieged for 900 days.
  • Japanese offensive in the Pacific: In 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, prompting the U.S. to enter the war.

2. Allied Counterattack

The initiative shifted to the U.S., USSR, and UK. Key events include:

  • 1942, the decisive year: On the Eastern front, the Soviets pushed towards Berlin after the Nazi defeat at Stalingrad, liberating Finland, Hungary, Greece, and Yugoslavia.
  • The landing of Normandy: On June 6, 1944, the Allies attacked the coast of Normandy, liberating France and crossing the Rhine, eventually reaching Germany.
  • Surrender of Germany: On May 7, 1945, Hitler and Goebbels committed suicide in Berlin. Germany surrendered.
  • The war in the Pacific and the capitulation of Japan: The Pacific islands were gradually occupied. In August 1945, the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to Japan’s surrender.

Consequences of the War

World War II was even more devastating than World War I. Key aspects include:

  • Resistance: Communist organizations with significant underground capabilities formed resistance groups, engaging in sabotage, partisan warfare, and guerrilla tactics against both foreign invaders and collaborationist regimes.

Assessment of Consequences

  • Victims: It is impossible to determine the total number of victims, estimated between 40 and 50 million deaths, including those from combat, bombings, extermination camps, executions, and hunger. The greatest losses occurred in Poland, the USSR, Yugoslavia, Germany, and China. Six million Jews were exterminated. A significant decline in birth rates was also observed.
  • Mass Movements: Population movements were constant during and after the war, mostly imposed by occupation authorities. These movements can be categorized as temporary (prisoners of war and forced laborers) and permanent.
  • Political Repression and Torture: After the war, purges of collaborators and war criminals were conducted.
  • Economic Implications: Destruction, devastation, borrowing, looting, and theft of artwork occurred. The U.S. was the ultimate beneficiary.
  • The New Balance of Power: Europe was weakened, and the U.S. and USSR emerged as leaders of the new world order.