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Second World War

Learn more about World War II

World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war which began on 3rd September 1939 in Europe, and ended in 1945. It involved most of the world's nations, including all of the great powers. It was the most widespread war in history, with more than 100 million people serving in military units.

In a state of "total war", the major participants placed their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities at the service of the war effort, erasing the distinction between civilian and military resources. Due to the mass deaths of civilians, including the Holocaust and the only use of nuclear weapons in warfare, WWII resulted in over 60 million fatalities, making it by far the deadliest conflict in history.

Photo on right shows troops still smiling, after many days of heavy fighting and incessant bombing, the Anzacs landed from the vessels which brought them from the island battlefield. 2 June 1941.

World War II altered the political alignment and social structure of the world. The United Nations (UN) was established to foster international cooperation and prevent future conflicts. The great powers that were the victors of the war, the United States, the Soviet Union, China, the United Kingdom, and France, became the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. The Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War, which lasted for the next 46 years. Meanwhile, the influence of European great powers started to decline, while the decolonisation of Asia and Africa began. Most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery. Political integration, especially in Europe, emerged as an effort to stabilise postwar relations and fight more effectively in the Cold War.

DID YOU KNOW?

• The Second World War was started by Germany in an unprovoked attack on Poland. Britain and France declared war on Germany after Hitler had refused to abort his invasion of Poland
• Over 60 million people were killed, which was over 2.5% of the world population
• Total Military Deaths 22,000,000 to 25,000,000
• Total Civilian Deaths due to military activity and crimes against humanity 38,000,000 to 55,000,000
• World War II was the most destructive conflict in history. It cost more money, damaged more property, killed more people, and caused more far-reaching changes than any other war in history
• It is estimated that 1.5 million children died during the Holocaust. Approximately 1.2 million of them were Jewish and tens of thousands were Gypsies
• The Nazis murdered approximately 12 million people, nearly 6 million of those being Jews killed in the Holocaust ("whole burnt")
• Many Jews were subject to gruesome medical experiments. For example, prisoners were injected with different drugs and diseases, and limbs were amputated and muscles cut for transplantation experiments. Today reference to or use of the Nazi research is considered unethical
• Russia and the Red Army were accused of several war crimes, including systematic mass rape (over 2 million German women aged 13-70 were allegedly raped by the Red Army) and genocide
• WWII casualties totalled between 50 and 70 million people. More than 80% of this total came from four countries: Russia, China, Germany, and Poland. More than half of these casualties were civilians, most of whom were women and children
• Poison gas was first used in WWI to break the trench warfare stalemate. Though all powers had chemical weapons, only Japan (in China) and Italy (in Ethiopia) used them during WWII
• The most important medical advance that saved soldiers' lives during WWII was the blood transfusion
• Japan and Russia never formally ended hostilities after WWII. Plans for them to sign an official peace treaty in 2000 failed because Japan wanted Russia to return four offshore islands it had taken after the war
• Children and some women were evacuated from the big cities into the countryside. People carried gas masks to protect themselves and built air raid shelters. All windows and doors were blacked out.
• "Little Boy" was the codename for the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 by the United States Army Air Forces. It was the first atomic bomb to be used as a weapon. The second was called the "Fat Man" and was dropped three days later on Nagasaki.

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