8G History Lesson 120 Assignment

Overview

World War II, also called the Second World War, was an international conflict that involved almost the whole world. There were two main sides, the Axis, which was made up of the Italian, German, and Japanese forces, and the Allies, which were the French, British, Russian, and later American forces.

History of WWII

The war was mostly caused by the German invasion of Poland. This led Great Britain and the U.S. to declare war on Germany. Hitler made a pact with Russia and split up Poland with them.

Germany attacked France and the Netherlands, occupying both countries. Hitler also authorized massive bombing raids of Britain. By this time, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania had joined the Axis powers. Germany broke its agreement with Russia, and launched a surprise attack on the Russian forces. The Germans were stopped by the winter weather, and were forced to abandon the mission.

Japan played a major role in the war, attacking European colonial bases in China. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked the American military base of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The U.S. made the decision to enter the war. Japan went on to conquer almost all of southeast Asia.

The Allies steadily pushed back against the Axis powers, and were able to take back the countries that Germany had claimed. They eventually defeated the Germans and split up the country between France, Britain, Russia, and the U.S.

But the war continued to rage in the Pacific. The U.S. retaliated on the Japanese attacks by dropping not one, but two atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, resulting in the loss of more than 150,000 lives, but it forced the Japanese to surrender.

World War II was another tragic war, and it is estimated that over 40 million people died as a result. But there were some positive developments and inventions that saved people’s lives, like penicillin, radar, and duct tape. Still, I hope you have learned (if you haven’t already) that war is never a good idea!

Reference:

https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II