World War Two, also known as the Second World War, was a global conflict that occurred from 1939 to 1945. It was the deadliest and most extensive war in history, involving the majority of nations across the world, including all major powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. World War Two began when Germany, led by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, invaded Poland in September 1939. This invasion prompted France and the United Kingdom to declare war on Germany, thus beginning the conflict.
The war became truly global as the Axis powers, which included Germany, Italy, and Japan, expanded their territorial ambitions through aggressive conquests, threatening to impose their ideologies on other nations. The Allies, a coalition of countries led by the United States, Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom, fought to resist this aggression and defend democratic values.
World War Two witnessed numerous devastating battles, aerial bombings, and massacres. It saw the significant involvement of various military strategies, innovations, and technological advancements, particularly in the fields of aviation, weaponry, and communication. The war also saw the Holocaust, a systematic genocide committed by the Nazis against six million Jews as well as millions of other victims, including Romani people, disabled individuals, and political dissidents.
The war concluded in 1945 with the unconditional surrender of the Axis powers after the use of atomic bombs against the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States. World War Two led to significant geopolitical changes, reshaping the global order and laying the foundation for subsequent international institutions such as the United Nations. It remains a crucial historical event that continues to shape the modern world.
