World War 2

World War 2( 1939-1945), was a devastating war that affected many countries in the world. Also this war had many countries involved in the fight, very similar to World War 1. In this week’s history essay I will be discussing the history of this war, mainly in the perspective of the United States.

The Start of the War

After World War 1, Germany was going through a dark time. Many Germans felt resentful to the countries who defeated them, a man that was especially resentful was Adolf Hitler. Hitler was getting more political power in Germany, and was even making plans to expand the country, even hoping to take over the world. Germany at the time was not allowed to manufacture any military equipment, but that did not stop Hitler from manufacturing the equipment in secret.

France and Britain decided to give Germany the country of Czechoslovakia. But Germany wanted more, which in turn forced France and Britain to declare war on Germany on September 3rd, 1939. Around this time another country was beginning to expand, the Empire of Japan(ruled by Emperor Hirohito). Japan had captured some Islands and other land bodies around them around that time.

The US Entering

The United States wanted to avoid entering the war as much as possible, just like they wanted to during World War 1, but that viewpoint changed on December 7th, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, a navy base in Hawaii. Even though with the attack Pearl Harbor was back into operation the very next day, the damage was still done. The United States declared war on Japan the very same day of the attack, and a few days after they declared war on Germany. Around this time the Soviet Union(once known as Russia), joined the war.

The Two Sides

Very like World War 1, World War 2 had two sides: the Axis Powers, and the Allied Powers. The Axis Powers was the side Germany, Japan, and Italy were on. The Allied Powers were the side the US, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union were a part of. There were more countries involved on each side, but the countries listed above were the major ones in this war.

The Holocaust

During the war Hitler started to send Jews, Romanians, and basically anyone who he thought was a problem or a threat, to concentration camps. This time in history is known as the Holocaust, and it is probably one of the most devastating moments in history. These concentration camps were more like death camps, killing around eleven million people, six million of which were Jews. Hitler believed in something known as the master race, which he called Aryans. Aryans were a “group” of people who had blue eyes and blond hair.

The End of the War and its Effects

Italy did not do so well during this war, so it did not play a very large part because it was defeated early on. Germany though started out strong eventually was pushed back thanks to the multiple bombings and other forms of attacks on the country itself. Japan officially surrendered on August 14th, 1945, after the country was atomically bombed twice, the first time in the city of Hiroshima, the second in the city of Nagasaki. Killing many innocent Japanese citizens. This was an order by President Henry Truman(US president at the time), to end the war with Japan, which worked.

After the war Japan’s territory had been reduced back to just it’s main Island, along with a few others. The rest of the territory which Japan had captured was given to the Allies, who formed them into new nations, most of which exist to this day. Germany was divided to prevent future wars. The countries France, the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union all took a part of Germany, which caused future issues, and in turn started the Cold War.

Conclusion

In Conclusion World War 2 is probably the most or of the most devastating wars in world history. With fifty-five million casualties, and the overall damage that was caused in the countries involved, this war was truly terrible.