World War II

World War II (WWII or WW2), also known as the Second World War, was a global war. It is generally considered to have lasted from 1939 to 194 , altho!gh some conflicts in "sia that are commonly viewed as becoming #art of the world war had been going on earlier than that. It involved the vast ma$ority of the world%s nations&incl!ding all of the great #owers&event!ally forming two o##osing military alliances' the "llies and the"(is. It was the most wides#read war in history, with more than 1)) million #eo#le, from more than 3) different co!ntries, serving in military !nits. In a state of *total war*, the ma$or #artici#ants threw their entire economic, ind!strial, and scientific ca#abilities behind the war effort, erasing the distinction between civilian and military reso!rces. +arked by mass deaths of civilians, incl!ding the ,oloca!st and the only !se of n!clear wea#ons in warfare, it res!lted in an estimated ) million to million fatalities. .hese made World War II the deadliest conflictin h!man history./10 .he 1m#ire of 2a#an aimed to dominate 1ast "sia and was already at war with the 3e#!blic of 4hina in 1935,/60b!t the world war is generally said to have beg!n on 1 7e#tember 1939 with the invasion of 8oland by 9ermanyand s!bse:!ent declarations of war on 9ermany by ;rance and the <nited =ingdom. ;rom late 1939 to early 1941, in a series of cam#aigns and treaties, 9ermany formed the "(is alliance with Italy, con:!ering or s!bd!ing m!ch of continental 1!ro#e. ;ollowing the +olotov>3ibbentro# 8act, 9ermany and the 7oviet <nion #artitioned and anne(ed territories between themselves of their 1!ro#ean neighbo!rs, incl!ding 8oland and the ?altic states. .he <nited =ingdom and the other members of the ?ritish 4ommonwealth were the only ma$or "llied forces contin!ing the fight against the "(is, with battles taking #lace in @orth "frica as well as the longAr!nning ?attle of the "tlantic. In 2!ne 1941, the 1!ro#ean "(is la!nched an invasion of the 7oviet <nion, giving a start to the largest land theatre of war in history, which tied down the ma$or #art of the "(is% military forces for the rest of the war. In Becember 1941, 2a#an $oined the "(is, attacked the <nited 7tates and 1!ro#ean territories in the 8acific Ccean, and :!ickly con:!ered m!ch of the Western 8acific. .he "(is advance was sto##ed in 1946. 2a#an lost a critical battle at +idway, near ,awaii, and never regained its earlier moment!m. 9ermany was defeated in @orth "frica and, decisively, at 7talingrad in 3!ssia. In 1943, with a series of 9erman defeats in 1astern 1!ro#e, the "llied invasion of Italy which bro!ght abo!t that nation%s s!rrender, and "merican victories in the 8acific, the "(is lost the initiative and !ndertook strategic retreat on all fronts. In 1944, the Western "llies invaded ;rance, while the 7oviet <nion regained all of its territorial losses and invaded 9ermany and its allies. B!ring 1944 and 194 the <nited 7tates defeated the 2a#anese @avy and ca#t!red key Western 8acific islands. .he war in 1!ro#e ended with an invasion of 9ermany by the Western "llies and the 7oviet <nion c!lminating in the ca#t!re of ?erlin by 7oviet and 8olish troo#s and the s!bse:!ent 9erman !nconditional s!rrender on - +ay 194 . ;ollowing the 8otsdam Beclaration by the "llies on 6D 2!ly 194 , the <nited 7tates dro##ed atomic bombson the 2a#anese cities of ,iroshima and @agasaki on D "!g!st and 9 "!g!st res#ectively. With an invasion of the 2a#anese archi#elago (known as C#eration Bownfall) imminent, and the 7oviet <nion having declared war on 2a#anby invading +anch!ria, 2a#an s!rrendered on 1 "!g!st 194 , ending the war in "sia and cementing the total victory of the "llies over the "(is. World War II altered the #olitical alignment and social str!ct!re of the world. .he <nited @ations (<@) was established to foster international coAo#eration and #revent f!t!re conflicts. .he great #owers that were the victors of the war&the <nited 7tates, the 7oviet <nion, 4hina, the <nited =ingdom, and ;rance& became the #ermanent members of the <nited @ations 7ec!rity 4o!ncil./30 .he 7oviet <nion and the <nited 7tates emerged as rival s!#er#owers, setting the stage for the 4old War, which lasted for the ne(t 4D years. +eanwhile, the infl!ence of 1!ro#ean great #owers started to decline, while the decolonisation

of "sia and "frica began. +ost co!ntries whose ind!stries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery. 8olitical integration, es#ecially in 1!ro#e, emerged as an effort to stabilise #ostwar relations and coo#erate more effectively in the 4old War

Causes of World War Two .he ca!ses of World War .wo can be divided into long term ca!ses and short term ca!ses. .here can be little do!bt that one of the long term ca!ses of the war was the anger felt in Weimar 9ermany that was ca!sed by the .reaty of Eersailles. "nother long term ca!se was the obvio!s inability of the Feag!e of @ations to deal with ma$or international iss!es. In the 193)Gs these wo!ld have been in +anch!ria and "byssinia. In both conflicts the Feag!e showed that it was !nable to control those #owers that worked o!tside of acce#ted international law. In the case of +anch!ria it was 2a#an and in "byssinia it was +!ssoliniGs Italy. With s!ch a##arent weakness, ,itler m!st have known that at the very least he co!ld #!sh the bo!ndaries and see what he co!ld get away with. ,is first ma$or transgression was his defiance of the Eersailles .reaty when he introd!ced reAarmament into @aHi 9ermany. .he e(#ansion of all three arms of the military was forbidden by treaty. ,itler, however, ignored these restrictions. .he worldGs #owers did nothing. .he same occ!rred in 193D when @aHi 9ermany reAocc!#ied the 3hineland. ;orbidden by Eersailles, ,itler felt confident eno!gh to ignore it. 1!ro#eGs fail!re to react was also demonstrated when "!stria and the 7!dentenland were occ!#ied. Cnly when it became obvio!s that ,itler was determined to e(#and east and that what was left of 4Hechoslovakia and region 8oland were to be his ne(t targets, did the ma$or #owers of 1!ro#e react. ,itlerGs reference to the +!nich "greement as a Iscra# of #a#erJ made clear his intentions. ,owever, in 193-, very many in the <= had s!##orted @eville 4hamberlainGsattem#ts at avoiding war (a##easement) and #!blic o#inion was on his side. .his only changed when it became clear that a##easement had failed and the #!blic rallied to the side of Winston 4h!rchill > the man who had insisted that 4hamberlain had taken the wrong co!rse of action. Effects of World War II Germany was totally defeated, and the Nazi regime brought down. Its leaders were tried for crimes against humanity at Nuremberg, the former site of Nazi propaganda triumphs. Hitler escaped trial and execution by committing suicide in his Berlin bunker at the end of the war. German cities were in ruins from a massi e bombing campaign. Germany was di ided into ! zones of occupation by the ictorious powers, pending a more permanent political settlement. "apan also was in ruins from extensi e bombing. #rominent military leaders were tried and con icted of war crimes, but the emperor was allowed to retain his position. "apan was temporarily placed under $.%. military rule. &ngland was de astated by the war, ha ing experienced extensi e bombing during the '(!) blitz by the Germans. *he economy depended for reco ery upon aid from the $nited %tates. &ngland rapidly phased out most of its remaining imperial holdings in the years immediately following the war.

+rance had not experienced the enormous human losses sustained in the +irst ,orld ,ar, but would ha e to reco er from the effects of Nazi occupation. -etribution was taken upon collaborators. .ike &ngland, +rance would be compelled to dismantle its colonial empire in the years following the war. *his was a particularly traumatic and drawn out process for the +rench, in /lgeria and in 0ietnam where they fought prolonged and bitter wars in an attempt to maintain their colonial control. &ngland and +rance no longer held a status of power comparable either to the $nited %tates or the %o iet $nion. *he -ussian people had suffered immeasurably during the war, and western -ussia was de astated by the land warfare which was primarily on -ussian territory. But, in the process of defeating the Germans, the -ussians had built a large and powerful army, which occupied most of &astern &urope at the end of the war. *he great resources and population of -ussia assured that the %o iet $nion would be, along with the $nited %tates, one of two super1powers. *he $nited %tates economy was greatly stimulated by the war, e en more so than in ,orld ,ar I. *he depression was brought decisi ely to an end, and new industrial complexes were built all o er the $nited %tates. %pared the physical destruction of war, the $.%. economy dominated the world economy. /fter ! years of military buildup, the $.%. had also become the leading military power. *he position of the $nited %tates as world leader was now more ob ious than e er. ,H/* #2.I*I3/. 3H/NG&% 233$--&4 IN -&G/-4 *2 *H& #-2%#&3* 2+ +$*$-& ,/-%5 ,orld ,ar II had appeared to pose an unprecedented threat to human ci ilization and ga e impetus to the renewal of ,ilson6s ision of an international organization to keep the peace. 2rganizing efforts were begun e en while the war was on. In "une, '(!7, 7' nations were represented at the founding conference in %an +rancisco. In 2ctober, '(!7, the $nited Nations was officially established. $nlike the .eague of Nations, the $N had the full support and leadership of the $nited %tates. *he %o iet $nion and all the most significant nations of the world were members. In '(!!, representati es of the ma8or economic powers met to create an International 9onetary +und and to agree upon a regime of international tariff regulation known as G/**. *here was a determination to a oid the mistakes of the interwar years which had exacerbated the Great 4epression. *he world community was thought to be entering a new era of international cooperation.
,H/* ,&-& *H& &++&3*% 2+ *H& ,/- $#2N *H& N2N1&$-2#&/N ,2-.45 *he struggle for national independence of non1&uropean peoples was greatly enhanced and stimulated by the war. *he weakness of &ngland and +rance, the two ma8or &uropean imperial powers, pro ided opportunities. *he stage was set for the collapse of &uropean empires in the : decades following the war. New technology, de eloped during the war to fight disease, would, when applied to the non1&uropean world, result in sharply lower mortality rates and soaring population growth. ,H/* &++&3*% 4I4 *H& ,/- H/0& $#2N %3I&N3& /N4 *&3HN2.2G;5 &normous technological progress was made during the war. *he &nglish de eloped radar which would be the forerunner of tele ision. #rogress in electronics and computers, made during the war, pro ided a foundation for further de elopment which fundamentally transformed the postwar world. *he de elopment of the atomic bomb by &uropean and /merican scientists during the war, not only

transformed the nature of potential future wars, it marked the beginning of the nuclear power

industry.

,istory of India
.he history of India begins with evidence of h!man activity of Homo sapiens, as long as 5 ,))) years ago, or with earlier hominids incl!ding Homo erectus from abo!t )),))) years ago./10 .he Ind!s Ealley 4iviliHation, which s#read and flo!rished in the northwestern #art of the Indian s!bcontinent from c. 33)) to 13)) ?41 in #resentAday 8akistan and northwest India, was the first ma$or civiliHation in7o!th "sia./60 " so#histicated and technologically advanced !rban c!lt!re develo#ed in the +at!re ,ara##an #eriod, from 6D)) to 19)) ?41./30 .his ?ronHe "ge civiliHation colla#sed at the start of the second millenni!m ?41 and was later followed by the Iron "ge Eedic 4iviliHation, which e(tended over m!ch of the IndoA9angetic #lain and which witnessed the rise of ma$or #olities known as the+aha$ana#adas. In one of these kingdoms, (+agadha), +ahavira and ?!ddha were born in the Dth or th cent!ry ?41 and #ro#agated their Shramanic #hiloso#hies. +ost of the s!bcontinent was con:!ered by the +a!rya 1m#ire d!ring the 4th and 3rd cent!ries ?41. Eario!s #arts of India r!led by n!mero!s +iddle kingdoms for the ne(t 1, )) years, among which the 9!#ta 1m#ire stands o!t. 7o!thern India saw the r!le of the4hal!kyas, 4holas, 8allavas, and 8andyas. .his #eriod, witnessing a ,ind! religio!s and intellect!al res!rgence, is known as the classical or *9olden "ge of India*. B!ring this #eriod, as#ects of Indian civiliHation, administration, c!lt!re, and religion (,ind!ism and?!ddhism) s#read to m!ch of "sia, while kingdoms in so!thern India had maritime b!siness links with the 3oman 1m#ire from aro!nd 55 41. +!slim r!le started in some #arts of north India in the 13th cent!ry when the Belhi 7!ltanate was established in 16)D 41./40 B!ring the reign of "la!ddin =hil$i and +!hammad bin .!ghl!: the Belhi 7!ltanate r!led the ma$or #art of northern India in the early 14th cent!ry and raids were cond!cted into so!thern India. "fter the death of +!hammad bin .!ghl!: the Belhi 7!ltanate declined and its territories were confined to some #arts of the IndoA9angetic 8lain. .he 1 th cent!ry saw the emergence of several #owerf!l ,ind! kingdoms like the Ei$ayanagara 1m#ire in so!th India, the 9a$a#ati =ingdom in eastern India and 3a$#!t kingdoms in northwestern India. .he northern Beccan was r!led by the ?ahmani 7!ltanate and #arts of the IndoA9angetic 8lain was still r!led by the Belhi 7!ltanate. / 0 +!ghal r!le came from 4entral "sia to cover most of the northern #arts of the s!bcontinent in the 1Dth cent!ry. +!ghal r!lers introd!ced 4entral "sian art and architect!re to India. In addition to the +!ghals and vario!s 3a$#!t kingdoms, several inde#endent ,ind! states, s!ch as the Ei$ayanagara 1m#ire, the +aratha 1m#ire, 1astern 9anga 1m#ire and the "hom =ingdom, flo!rished contem#oraneo!sly in so!thern, western, eastern and northeastern India res#ectively. .he +!ghal 1m#ire s!ffered a grad!al decline in the early 1-th cent!ry, which #rovided o##ort!nities for the +aratha 1m#ire to e(ercise control over large areas in the s!bcontinent./D0 ?eginning in the late 1-th cent!ry and over the ne(t cent!ry, large areas of India were anne(ed by the ?ritish 1ast India 4om#any. Bissatisfaction with 4om#any r!le led to the Indian 3ebellion of 1- 5, after which the ?ritish #rovinces of India were directly administered by the ?ritish 4rown and witnessed a #eriod of both ra#id develo#ment of infrastr!ct!re and economic decline. B!ring the first half of the 6)th cent!ry, a nationwide str!ggle for inde#endence was la!nched by the natives irres#ective of caste, creed or religion, the leading #arty being Indian @ational 4ongress which was later $oined by +!slim Feag!e as well. .he s!bcontinent gained inde#endence from the <nited =ingdom in 1945, after the ?ritish #rovinces were #artitioned into the dominions of India and 8akistan and the #rincely states allacceded to one of the new states.