S: The U.S. in WWII
BC: One of the most memorable struggles in human history, World War II carries significant meaning for all countries involved. How did it happen? Why? The entire war and it's combatants, summarized.
FC: The United States in WWII: The War in Summary
1: On September 1, 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland. This is generally accepted to have started WWII. France and the British powers then declared war on Germany, and with much of the world already fighting,conflict escalated at incredible rates. The world was at war just months later.
2: So why did the United States enter the fight? On December 7, 1941, Imperial Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, a major port in Hawaii. The United States could ignore the conflict no longer, and declared war against Japan the next day. The United States had entered the fray.
3: On the Axis side was Germany, Japan, Italy, Finland, Hungary, Thailand, Slovakia, and other eastern-European nations. | By 1944, the year before the war ended, nearly all of Europe and much of North America was involved in the war. On the Allied side was the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, China, Poland, France, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, the Netherlands, Yugoslavia, and Norway, among other countries.
4: Between this fighting, record-breaking death tolls mounted. Seventy million deaths have been tallied. New innovations in weaponry sprung up during WWII, adding to the monumental death tolls. | Such new weapons poured out of Germany and Russia, who both contributed much to modern-day warfare. Above is pictured the MP40, the iconic submachine gun of Nazi Germany. At right is the PPSh-41, a Soviet submachine gun. This was the most mass-produced weapon in WWII.
5: Of course, all other nations involved create their own new tools of destruction. At left is an American soldier using the M1941 machine gun, a weapon designed in th 1930s. Above is the British Lee-Enfield infantry rifle, who's design carried from WWI, and is still in use today.
6: Did WWII have any positive effects? Just ask Rosie the Riveter. Thousands of women who were unable to fight overseas took up jobs left unattended to by men in factories, either constructing equipment for the war or repairing weapons and vehicles. This new government spending not only lead to the creation of new jobs, it also inspired average Americans to be proud and do their part. While many women chose to return to their everyday tasks and traditional work, the empowerment left by Rosie is still felt in modern-day women.
7: This new government spending led to the end of a period of despair in the world known as the Great Depression. The Great Depression was felt all throughout the world, and German economic turmoil contributed to Adolf Hitler's scorn toward the enemies of his people. The Holocaust followed Hitler's furious rise to power, which caused the war. Every nation in the conflict increased spending due to new mobilization and weapon production. The world had began to recover due to restoration efforts before the war, but WWII brought the depression to a bittersweet end.
8: So what ended all of the conflict? On June 6, 1944, or "D-Day", Western Allies invaded northern France, defeating German troops stationed there. From there, the Allies gained momentum and began re-taking Europe from Axis control. Germany surrendered on May 8 after Hitler committed suicide, and the United States dropped the atomic bombs on Japan in August. On September 2, 1945, Japan surrendered, ending the war.