- Wikipedia

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Several terms redirect here. For other uses, see WWII (disambiguation), The Second World War (disambiguation), and World War II (disambiguation).

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World War II

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From top to bottom, left to right:

German Stuka dive bombers on the Eastern Front, 1943
British Matilda II tanks during the North African campaign, 1941
U.S. atomic bombing of Nagasaki in Japan, 1945
Soviet troops at the Battle of Stalingrad, 1943
Soviet soldier raising a flag over the Reichstag after the Battle of Berlin, 1945
U.S. warships in Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines, 1945

Date	1 September 1939 \u2013 2 September 1945^[a] (6 years, 1 day)
Location	Major theatres: \n Europe \n Pacific \n Atlantic \n Indian Ocean \n South-East Asia \n China \n Japan \n Middle East \n Mediterranean \n North Africa \n Horn of Africa \n Central Africa \n Australia \n Caribbean \n North and South America \n
Result	\n Allied victory (see also aftermath of World War II)

Participants

\nAllies

\nAxis

Commanders and leaders

\nMain Allied leaders:

\nMain Axis leaders:

Casualties and losses

Military dead:
Over 16,000,000
Civilian dead:
Over 45,000,000
Total dead:
Over 61,000,000
(1937\u20131945)
...further details

Military dead:
Over 8,000,000
Civilian dead:
Over 4,000,000
Total dead:
Over 12,000,000
(1937\u20131945)
...further details

v t e Campaigns of World War II
Europe\n Poland\n Polish resistance \n Phoney War \n Finland\n Winter War \n Karelia \n Lapland \n Denmark and Norway \n Western Front\n 1940 \n Resistance \n 1944\u20131945 \n Alps 1940\n 1944 \n Britain \n Balkans\n Serbian Partisans \n Greek resistance \n Eastern Front\n Chechnya \n Italy\n Sicily \n Asia-Pacific\n \n China \n Pacific Ocean\n South West Pacific \n Franco-Thai War \n South-East Asia \n Burma and India \n Japan \n Manchuria and Northern Korea\n pre-war border conflicts \n Australia \n Mediterranean and Middle East\n \n North Africa\n Libya-Egypt \n Morocco-Algeria \n Tunisia \n East Africa \n Mediterranean Sea \n Adriatic \n Malta \n Iraq \n Syria\u2013Lebanon \n Iran \n Dodecanese \n Southern France \n Other campaigns\n \n Americas \n Antarctica \n Atlantic \n Arctic \n Air Warfare\n Strategic bombing \n French West Africa \n Indian Ocean\n Madagascar \n Coups\n \n Uruguay \n Norway \n Baltic Nations \n Yugoslavia \n Romania 1941 \n Iraq \n Italy \n Germany \n Croatia \n Romania 1944 \n Bulgaria \n Hungary \n French Indochina \n Japan \n Matsue

Campaigns of World War II

Europe\n

Poland\n
- Polish resistance
Phoney War
Finland\n
- Winter War
- Karelia
- Lapland
Denmark and Norway
Western Front\n
- 1940
- Resistance
- 1944\u20131945
Alps 1940\n
- 1944
Britain
Balkans\n
- Serbian Partisans
- Greek resistance
Eastern Front\n
- Chechnya
Italy\n
- Sicily

Asia-Pacific\n

China
Pacific Ocean\n
- South West Pacific
Franco-Thai War
South-East Asia
Burma and India
Japan
Manchuria and Northern Korea\n
- pre-war border conflicts
Australia

Mediterranean and Middle East\n

North Africa\n
- Libya-Egypt
- Morocco-Algeria
- Tunisia
East Africa
Mediterranean Sea
Adriatic
Malta
Iraq
Syria\u2013Lebanon
Iran
Dodecanese
Southern France

Other campaigns\n

Coups\n

World War II
\nNavigation
\n Campaigns Countries Equipment \n Timeline Outline Lists Historiography \n Category Bibliography
v t e

\n\n\n

World War II^[b] or the Second World War (1 September 1939 \u2013 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all the world's countries participated, with many investing all available civilian resources in pursuit of total war. Tanks and aircraft played major roles, enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the only nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, resulting in 70 to 85 million deaths, more than half of which were civilians. Millions died in genocides, including the Holocaust, and by massacres, starvation, and disease. After the Allied victory, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea were occupied, and German and Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes.\n

The causes of World War II included unresolved tensions in the aftermath of World War I and the rises of fascism in Europe and militarism in Japan. Key events preceding the war included Japan's invasion of Manchuria in 1931, the Spanish Civil War, the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, and Germany's annexations of Austria and the Sudetenland. World War II is generally considered to have begun on 1 September 1939, when Nazi Germany, under Adolf Hitler, invaded Poland, leading the United Kingdom and France to declare war on Germany. Poland was divided between Germany and the Soviet Union under the Molotov\u2013Ribbentrop Pact. In 1940, the Soviets annexed the Baltic states and parts of Finland and Romania. After the fall of France in June 1940, the war continued mainly between Germany and the British Empire, with fighting in the Balkans, Mediterranean, and Middle East, the aerial Battle of Britain and the Blitz, and naval Battle of the Atlantic. Through campaigns and treaties, Germany gained control of much of continental Europe and formed the Axis alliance with Italy, Japan, and other countries. In June 1941, Germany led an invasion of the Soviet Union, opening the Eastern Front and initially making large territorial gains.\n

In December 1941, Japan attacked American and British territories in Asia and the Pacific, including at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, leading the United States to enter the war against Japan and Germany. Japan conquered much of coastal China and Southeast Asia, but its advances in the Pacific were halted in June 1942 at the Battle of Midway. In late 1942, Axis forces were defeated in North Africa and at Stalingrad in the Soviet Union, and in 1943 their continued defeats on the Eastern Front, an Allied invasion of Italy, and Allied offensives in the Pacific forced them into retreat on all fronts. In 1944, the Western Allies invaded France at Normandy as the Soviet Union recaptured its pre-war territory and the U.S. crippled Japan's navy and captured key Pacific islands. The war in Europe concluded with the liberation of all German-occupied territories; a joint invasion of Germany by the Western Allies and the Soviet Union, which culminated in the fall of Berlin to Soviet troops; and Germany's unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945. The U.S. planned an invasion of the Japanese archipelago and dropped the first atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August, when the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and invaded Manchuria. Japan announced its unconditional surrender on 15 August, and signed a surrender document on 2 September 1945. \n

World War II changed the political alignment and social structure of the world, and it set the foundation of international relations for the rest of the 20th century and into the 21st century. The United Nations was established to foster international cooperation and prevent conflicts, with the victorious great powers\u2014China, France, the Soviet Union, the UK, and the U.S.\u2014becoming the permanent members of its security council. The Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War. In the wake of European devastation, the influence of its great powers waned, triggering the decolonisation of Africa and Asia. Most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery and expansion.\n

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v t e History of World War II by region and country
Africa	\n Belgian Congo \n British Somaliland \n Egypt \n Ethiopia \n French Somaliland \n French West Africa \n The Gambia \n Gold Coast \n Kenya \n Liberia \n Madagascar \n North Africa\n Tunisia \n Morocco \n Nyasaland \n Sierra Leone \n South Africa \n Southern Rhodesia \n
North America	\n Canada \n Cuba \n El Salvador \n Greenland \n Mexico \n Newfoundland \n United States\n Arizona \n California \n Nevada \n New Mexico \n Puerto Rico \n Native Americans \n
South America	\n Argentina \n Brazil \n Colombia \n Latin America \n Suriname \n Uruguay \n Venezuela \n
Asia	\n Burma \n Ceylon \n China\n Manchuria \n Dutch East Indies\n New Guinea \n West Sumatra \n Hong Kong \n India \n Indochina\n Cambodia \n Iran \n Iraq \n Japan \n Malaya \n Mongolia \n Nepal \n Philippines \n Sarawak, Brunei, Labuan, and British North Borneo \n Singapore \n Thailand \n Tibet \n Turkey \n Tuva \n
Europe	\n Albania \n Austria \n Belgium \n Bulgaria \n Czechoslovakia \n Denmark \n Estonia \n Finland \n France\n Military history \n Basque Country \n Germany \n Greece \n Hungary (Carpathian Ruthenia) \n Iceland \n Ireland \n Italy \n Latvia \n Liechtenstein \n Lithuania \n Luxembourg \n Netherlands \n Norway \n Poland \n Portugal \n Romania \n Slovakia \n Soviet Union\n Azerbaijan \n Byelorussia \n Ukraine \n Spain\n Basque Country \n Catalonia \n Galicia \n Sweden \n Switzerland \n United Kingdom\n British Empire \n Wales \n Channel Islands \n Gibraltar \n Vatican City \n Yugoslavia (Slovenia) \n
Oceania and Antarctica	\n Antarctica \n Australia \n Gilbert Islands \n Nauru \n New Guinea \n New Zealand \n Solomon Islands \n Pacific Islands \n

v t e Western world and culture
Foundations	\n Cradle of civilization \n Old World \n Greco-Roman world\n Greece \n Hellenistic Kingdoms \n Rome \n Roman Empire\n Western \n Eastern \n Roman legacy \n Romanization \n Romano-Germanic culture\n Gallo-Roman \n Christendom \n
History	\n European Bronze Age \n Classical antiquity\n Late antiquity \n Middle Ages\n early \n high \n late \n Renaissance \n Modern period\n Early modern period \n Age of Discovery \n Reformation \n Age of Enlightenment \n Scientific Revolution \n Age of Revolution \n Romanticism \n Abolitionism \n Emancipation \n Capitalism \n Industrial Revolution \n Great Divergence \n Modernism \n World War I \n Interwar period \n Universal suffrage \n World War II \n Cold War \n Post\u2013Cold War era\n Information age \n War on terror \n
Culture	\n Alphabet\n Greek \n Latin \n Cyrillic \n Architecture \n Art\n Periods \n Calendar \n Cuisine\n Diet \n Classical tradition\n Studies \n Clothing\n History \n Dance \n Education \n Esotericism\n Astrology \n Folklore \n Immigration \n Law \n Languages\n Eurolinguistics \n Standard Average European \n Literature\n Canon \n Media\n Internet \n Music\n Chant \n Classical \n Folk \n Mythology \n Painting\n contemporary \n Philosophy\n Science \n Values \n Physical culture\n Sport \n Religion\n East\u2013West Schism \n Western Christianity \n Decline \n Secularism \n
Philosophy	\n Ancient Greek philosophy \n Hellenistic philosophy \n Ancient Roman philosophy \n Christian ethics \n Judeo-Christian ethics \n Christian philosophy \n Scholasticism \n Rationalism \n Empiricism \n Existentialism\n Christian existentialism \n Humanism\n Christian humanism \n Secular humanism \n Liberalism \n Conservatism \n Socialism \n Continental philosophy \n Analytic philosophy \n Post-structuralism \n Tolerance\n Paradox \n Relativism\n Peritrope \n Atlanticism \n Sovereigntism \n Values\n European \n
Religion	\n Abrahamic\n Christianity\n Culture\n Western/Eastern \n Catholicism\n Latin Church \n Eastern Orthodoxy\n Greek Orthodox Church \n Protestantism \n Judaism\n Culture \n Paganism\n Baltic \n Celtic \n Finnish \n Germanic\n Anglo-Saxon \n Frankish \n Gothic \n Old Norse \n Hellenistic \n Roman \n Slavic \n Neo \n Agnosticism \n Atheism \n
Law	\n Natural law \n Rule of law\n Equality before the law \n Constitutionalism \n Human rights\n Life \n Thought \n Speech \n Press \n Religion \n Property \n Democracy \n International law \n
Contemporary integration	\n ABCANZ Armies \n AER \n Anglo-Portuguese Alliance \n ANZUK \n ANZUS \n Arctic Council \n AUKUS \n AUSCANNZUKUS \n Baltic Assembly \n Benelux \n British\u2013Irish Council \n BSEC \n Bucharest Nine \n CANZUK \n CBSS \n CEFTA \n Council of Europe \n Craiova Group \n Eastern European Group \n Eastern Partnership \n EEA \n EFTA \n EPC \n ESA \n EU \n EU Customs Union \n Eurozone \n EU\u2013UK TCA \n Five Eyes \n G7 \n Lancaster House Treaties \n Lublin Triangle \n NATO \n Nordic Council \n OAS \n OECD \n Open Balkan \n OSCE \n Pacific Islands Forum \n PROSUR/PROSUL \n Rio Treaty \n Schengen \n Special Relationship \n Three Seas Initiative \n UKUSA Agreement \n USMCA \n Visegr\u00e1d Group \n West Nordic Council \n Western Bloc \n Western European and Others Group \n Westernization \n

Authority control databases $\"Edit$
International	WorldCat
National	Germany United States France BnF data Japan Czech Republic Spain Korea Sweden Poland Israel
Artists	KulturNav
Other	Lexicon Istoric Retic Historical Dictionary of Switzerland NARA Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine \u0130sl\u00e2m Ansiklopedisi Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine

Start and end dates

History

Background

Aftermath of World War I

Germany and Italy

European treaties

Asia

Pre-war events

Italian invasion of Ethiopia (1935)

Spanish Civil War (1936\u20131939)

Japanese invasion of China (1937)

Soviet\u2013Japanese border conflicts

European occupations and agreements

Course of the war

War breaks out in Europe (1939\u20131940)

Western Europe (1940\u20131941)

Mediterranean (1940\u20131941)

Axis attack on the Soviet Union (1941)

War breaks out in the Pacific (1941)

Axis advance stalls (1942\u20131943)

Pacific (1942\u20131943)

Eastern Front (1942\u20131943)

Western Europe/Atlantic and Mediterranean (1942\u20131943)

Allies gain momentum (1943\u20131944)

Allies close in (1944)

Axis collapse and Allied victory (1944\u20131945)

Aftermath

Impact

Casualties and war crimes

Genocide, concentration camps, and slave labour

Occupation

Home fronts and production

Advances in technology and its application

See also

Notes

Citations

References

External links

World War II

Media collections