World War II: A Global Conflict

World War II (1939–1945) was the deadliest conflict in human history, involving more than 30 countries and resulting in the deaths of an estimated 70–85 million people, the majority being civilians.

Causes:
- The harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles (1919) left Germany economically devastated.
- The rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Germany.
- Expansionist policies by Japan in Asia and Italy in Africa.
- Failure of appeasement policies by Britain and France.

Major Phases:
1939 — Germany invades Poland; Britain and France declare war.
1941 — Japan attacks Pearl Harbor; the USA enters the war. Germany invades the Soviet Union.
1942-1943 — Allied victories at Stalingrad (Eastern Front) and El Alamein (North Africa).
1944 — D-Day: Allied forces land in Normandy, France on June 6.
1945 — Germany surrenders (May 8 — V-E Day). Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki; Japan surrenders (September 2 — V-J Day).

Holocaust:
Nazi Germany systematically murdered approximately 6 million Jewish people and millions of others (Roma, disabled, political opponents) in a genocide known as the Holocaust.

Aftermath:
WWII led to the founding of the United Nations, the beginning of the Cold War, the decolonization of Africa and Asia, and the Marshall Plan for European recovery.