World War II (abbreviated WWII), or World War 2 or the Second World War, was a worldwide military conflict. World War II is regarded as the historical successor to World War I.

Contents 1 Separate conflicts 2 Appeasement 3 Global alliances and destruction 4 Aftermath 5 Nations Involved 5.1 Axis 5.2 Neutral 5.3 Allies 6 Timeline 7 Aftermath

Separate conflictsEdit

There were two separate conflicts, one beginning in Asia, 1937, as the Second Sino-Japanese War and the other beginning in Europe, 1939, with the invasion of Poland. The United States joined the war years later in 1941 when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.

AppeasementEdit

During the later years of the 1930’s the nations which were later to fight the Nazis appeased them. They were not ready for war and were desperate to avoid a repeat of the horror of World War I. Appeasement failed. It gave Hitler the chance to consolidate and Hitler took over nations which could have been on the allied side. The War defeated Adolf Hitler and the evil Nazis.

"You were given the choice between war and dishonor. You chose dishonor, and you will have war."

"If you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds are against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than live as slaves." (Winston Churchill)

Global alliances and destructionEdit

This global conflict split a majority of the world's nations into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. Spanning much of the globe, World War II resulted in the deaths of over 60 million people, making it the deadliest conflict in human history. It is impossible to imagine how much more deadly Hitler and the Nazis would have been if the war had not stopped them.

World War II was the most widespread war in history, and countries involved mobilized more than 100 million military personnel. Total war erased the distinction between civil and military resources and saw the complete activation of a nation's economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities for the purposes of the war effort; nearly two-thirds of those killed in the war were civilians. For example, nearly 11 million of the civilian casualties were victims of the Holocaust, which was largely conducted in central Europe {Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia which is now the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the Netherlands etc.) and the Soviet Union, and which neocons sometimes deny. There are also numerous accuses towards Poland painstakingly blaming it for conducting Holocaust, rather than Nazi Germany, on the basis that the Nazi German death camps are located in places that now belong to Poland. See: "Polish" camps controversy. .

AftermathEdit

The conflict ended in an Allied victory. As a result, the United States and Soviet Union emerged as the world's two leading superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War for the next 45 years. Self determination gave rise to decolonization/independence movements in Asia and Africa, while the European Union was formed and Europe itself began traveling the road leading to integration.

Nations InvolvedEdit

AxisEdit

• Germany
• Italy
• Japan
• Hungary
• Romania
• Bulgaria
• Iraq
• Finland
• Thailand
• San Marino

NeutralEdit

• Afghanistan
• Andorra
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Monaco
• Portugal
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Vatican City
• Yemen

AlliesEdit

• Pretty much everyone else

TimelineEdit

• 1937: Japan invades Manchuria
• September 1939: Germany invades Poland, quickly destroying them. Russia also invades Poland. The British and French declare war on Germany. However, the British decide to build up their military first so they don't do anything.
• November 1939: Russia invades Finland.  Peace made in early 1940.
• Phoney War (1939): Nothing happens.
• April 1940: Germany invades Denmark and Norway.
• May 1940: For the eighth time in history, France and the Low Countries were taken over by Germany in six weeks. The United Kingdom is able to retrieve a hundred thousand troops which later helped win the war.
• June 1940: Italy joins in on Germany's side.  Russia also invades the nations of the Baltic.
• September 1940: Axis formed between Germany, Japan, and Italy.
• November 1940: Hungary and Romania join the Axis.
• February 1941: Italy is defeated kicked in Africa. Hitler decides to send Erwin Rommel to help.
• March 1941: Axis invades Yugoslavia and Greece.
• June 1941: Breaking the peace treaty with Russia, Hitler invades the Soviet Union. This is because he read military textbooks from before the 19th Century, which failed to mention it is impossible to defeat Russia.
• December 1941: Japan bombs Pearl Harbor as part of a massive offensive to gain resources. Even WWII was partially started by oil.
• 1942: Hitler fails to conquer Russia. For the first time, the Germans are defeated, losing the Sixth Army at Stalingrad, in the bloodiest battle of the entire war. Rommel also gets killed.
• 1943: The allies invade Italy and Mussolini is defeated, other stuff happens.
• June 1944: The Allies land in Normandy. Hitler is dumb enough to not launch a massive counterstrike.
• July 1944: German officers try to kill Hitler.
• September 1944: The Allies are defeated at Market Garden. [1]
• December 1944: Germany makes its last gamble but fails to win the Battle of the Bulge. From this point on, it's impossible for Germany to win. Unfortunately, Hitler's Berlin bunker is reality-proof as well.
• April/May 1945: surrounded by the allies, Hitler commits suicide. Anyone who's smart enough in Germany surrenders.
• August 1945: America nukes Japan. The war ends

AftermathEdit

After the World War II, the fundamentals of the European Union were laid. The United States and Soviet Union emerged as world powers, thus begining the Cold War

We all hope World War III never happens.