World War II for Kids: Causes of WW2 History >> World War 2 for Kids Go here to watch a video about the Causes of World War II. There were many events throughout the world that led to the beginning of World War 2. In many ways, World War 2 was a direct result of the turmoil left behind by World War 1. Below are some of the main causes of World War 2. Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles ended World War I between Germany and the Allied Powers. The problem with the treaty is that it left the German economy in ruins. Japanese Expansion In the period before World War II, Japan was growing rapidly. Fascism With the economic turmoil left behind by World War 1, some countries were taken over by dictators who formed powerful fascist governments. Hitler and the Nazi Party In Germany, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party rose to power. Hitler resented the restrictions put on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles. Appeasement After World War 1, the nations of Europe were weary and did not want another war. Great Depression Works Cited
World War II History - World War II In North Africa, British and American forces had defeated the Italians and Germans by 1943. An Allied invasion of Sicily and Italy followed, and Mussolini’s government fell in July 1943, though Allied fighting against the Germans in Italy would continue until 1945. On World War II’s Eastern Front, a Soviet counteroffensive launched in November 1942 ended the bloody Battle of Stalingrad, which had seen some of the fiercest combat of the war. The approach of winter, along with dwindling food and medical supplies, spelled the end for German troops there, and the last of them surrendered on January 31, 1943. On June 6, 1944–celebrated as “D-Day”–the Allied began a massive invasion of Europe, landing 156,000 British, Canadian and American soldiers on the beaches of Normandy, France. In response, Hitler poured all the remaining strength of his army into Western Europe, ensuring Germany’s defeat in the east.
World War II | HistoryNet Facts, information and articles about World War II, 1939-1945 World War II Facts Dates September 1, 1939 – September 2, 1945 Location Europe, Pacific, Atlantic, South-East Asia, China, Middle East, Mediterranean and Northern Africa. Commanders Allies: Joseph Stalin Franklin D. Axis: Adolf Hitler Hirohito Benito Mussolini Outcome Allied Victory Results End of German Third Reich United States and Russia become global superpowers Founding of the United Nations World War II World War II summary: The carnage of World War II was unprecedented and brought the world closest to the term “total warfare.” Casualties in World War II The most destructive war in all of history, its exact cost in human lives is unknown, but casualties in World War II may have totaled over 60 million service personnel and civilians killed. When did World War II begin? Some say it was simply a continuation of the First World War that had theoretically ended in 1918. Origins of World War II
World War II | Facts, Summary, Combatants, & Causes By the early part of 1939 the German dictator Adolf Hitler had become determined to invade and occupy Poland. Poland, for its part, had guarantees of French and British military support should it be attacked by Germany. Hitler intended to invade Poland anyway, but first he had to neutralize the possibility that the Soviet Union would resist the invasion of its western neighbour. Secret negotiations led on August 23–24 to the signing of the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact in Moscow. In a secret protocol of this pact, the Germans and the Soviets agreed that Poland should be divided between them, with the western third of the country going to Germany and the eastern two-thirds being taken over by the U.S.S.R. Britannica Quiz Pop Quiz: 17 Things to Know About World War II
Hell in the Pacific One of the most bitter battle arenas of the Second World War, Pearl Harbor represented the trigger that led America into the greatest conflict ever recorded and the eventual liberation of the people of Asia and the Pacific. On the 7th December 1941 Japan launched surprise attacks across the Pacific region, setting battleships ablaze in Pearl Harbor, then routing the British in Malaya and capturing Singapore itself: the greatest humiliation in British war history. The Japanese now seemed unstoppable and after being at war with China for a decade, and shocking the world with atrocities like the Nanking Massacre, they believed their destiny was to rule Asia under the Emperor, for them, a living god. Inferno - Dec, 7th 1941 and Japan launches attacks across the Pacific region, killing thousands in Pearl Harbor and capturing Singapore - a vicious and bloody battle ensues. Purgatory - The plight of those who fell into Japanese hands during WWII.
The Holocaust - World War II Beginning in late 1941, the Germans began mass transports from the ghettoes in Poland to the concentration camps, starting with those people viewed as the least useful: the sick, old and weak and the very young. The first mass gassings began at the camp of Belzec, near Lublin, on March 17, 1942. Five more mass killing centers were built at camps in occupied Poland, including Chelmno, Sobibor, Treblinka, Majdanek and the largest of all, Auschwitz-Birkenau. From 1942 to 1945, Jews were deported to the camps from all over Europe, including German-controlled territory as well as those countries allied with Germany. Though the Nazis tried to keep operation of camps secret, the scale of the killing made this virtually impossible.
Famous People of World War Two Influential people who caused, influenced and fought during the Second World War. Adolf Hitler (1889 – 1945) Dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933-45. During the 1930s, Hitler sought to gain ‘lebensraum’ for Germany – claiming Austria, Czechoslovakia and finally invading Poland. Hitler’s initial success encouraged him to invade Russia, which ultimately would over-stretch his war-machine. Hitler’s regime also pursued the extermination of Jews and other ‘non-Aryan’ minorities in concentration camps across Europe. The Big Three The Big Three were the Allied leaders of Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt, who represented Great Britain, Soviet Union and the United States in the alliance against Germany and Japan. Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965) – Churchill was elected Prime Minister of the UK in May 1940, when Britain and her Empire stood alone against Hitler. Franklin D. (1882 – 1945) – US President 1932 – 1945. Joseph Stalin (1879 – 1953) Leader and dictator of the Soviet Union. Charles de Gaulle J.
BBC iWonder - Was it right to bomb Hiroshima? Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain was a struggle between the German Luftwaffe (commanded by Hermaan Göring) and the British Royal Air force (headed by Sir Hugh Dowding’s Fighter Command) which raged over Britain between July and October 1940. The battle, which was the first major military campaign in history to be fought entirely in the air, was the result of a German plan to win air superiority over Southern Britain and the English Channel by destroying the British air force and aircraft industry. Hitler saw victory in the battle as a prelude to the invasion of Britain (codenamed Operation Sealion). In May 1940, German forces had overrun Belgium, the Netherlands and northern France using Blitzkrieg (‘Lightening War’) tactics. With the USA and the Soviet Union both still mired in hesitant isolationism, and the French ally toppled, Britain now stood alone against Nazi Germany. The climax of the battle came on 15 September, a day in which the Luftwaffe lost 56 planes and the RAF 28.