World War II: Origins, Conflicts, and Global Impact

Posted on Aug 3, 2025 in History

World War II: Background and Precursors

Geopolitical Context and Early Aggression

  • Germany: Re-militarization, rearmament, and withdrawal from the League of Nations.
  • Italy: Conquest of Ethiopia.
  • Japan: Invasion of China.

The indecisive politics of democracies, debilitated by the League of Nations, allowed fascist states to consolidate power. In 1936, the Rome-Berlin Axis was signed, solidifying their alliance.

Steps Towards War

  • Pact of Steel: Alliance between Italy and Germany.
  • German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact: A neutrality pact between Germany and the Soviet Union.
  • Anschluss (Annexation of Austria): 1938.
  • Annexation of Sudetenland: Following the Munich Agreement, which ceded the Sudetenland to Germany.
  • Invasion of Czechoslovakia: Germany invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia.
  • Invasion of Poland: The final trigger for the war.

Axis Progress (1939-1942)

  • Invasion of Poland (September 1939).
  • Invasion of Denmark (April 1940).
  • Invasion of France (May-June 1940).
  • Planned invasion of Great Britain (Battle of Britain) ends in failure.
  • German victories in North Africa.
  • Invasion of Yugoslavia and Greece.
  • Invasion of the USSR:
    • Siege of Leningrad (until 1943).
    • Battle of Moscow (October 1941).
  • Japanese Intervention:
    • Bombing of Pearl Harbor (December 1941), driven by imperialist ambitions in the Pacific.
    • American counter-offensives: Battles of Coral Sea and Midway (turning points against Japan).

The Allied Victories

  • North African Front: Battle of El Alamein, defeat in Tunisia, leading to the invasion of Italy.
  • Eastern Front: Battle of Stalingrad, Battle of Kursk.
  • Western Front: Normandy landings (D-Day).
  • Pacific Front: Battle of Midway, Battle of Coral Sea.

The End of the War

  • Germany:
    • Western Front: Resistance in the Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge), massive Allied bombing campaigns (British, North American).
    • Eastern Front: Soviets were the first to reach Berlin.
  • Japan: Surrendered after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Characteristics of the War

Economic Warfare

  • Huge financial effort required.
  • Superiority of U.S. supply of raw materials.
  • War caused labor shortages, leading to solutions like:
    1. Increased female labor.
    2. Utilization of Prisoners of War (POWs).
  • Significant intervention of governments in the economy.

Expansion of Technological Innovations

  • Aircraft and aircraft carriers.
  • Penicillin.
  • Atomic bombs.
  • Large-scale production and new synthetic textile fibers.

Total War

Characterized by widespread targeting and brutality:

  • Against the Jewish population (concentration camps).
  • Against resistance movements (brutal repression).
  • Against the civilian population (bombardment of cities).

Balance and Aftermath of the War

Demographic Impact

  • Deaths: Approximately 50 million people killed.
  • Displacements: More than 20 million people forcibly displaced.

Regional Effects

  • Soviet Border Expansion: Occupied former imperial territories, incorporated the Baltics, small territories from Finland, Romania, and parts of Poland.
  • Japan: Territory limited to its pre-World War II borders.
  • Austria: Recovered its independence.
  • Germany: Divided into four Allied occupation zones.

Economic Impact

  • Economies were devastated by the war.
  • U.S. aid was crucial for population supply and reconstruction.

Formation of the United Nations (UN)

  • When: The UN Charter was adopted in San Francisco, United States, in October 1945.
  • Function: To foster cooperation between countries to solve international problems.
  • Structure:
    • General Assembly: Composed of representatives from all member countries.
    • Secretariat: The executive body, led by the Secretary-General.
    • Security Council: Five permanent members (France, USA, China, UK, Russia) and ten non-permanent members.
    • Economic and Social Council: Proposes policies for economic and social development.
    • International Court of Justice: Responsible for resolving international legal disputes.