Summary of World War I (Short version).docx

Summary

1. Summary of World War II (1939–1945)
Causes:
Treaty of Versailles (1919): Harsh penalties on Germany fueled
resentment.
Rise of Dictators: Adolf Hitler (Nazi Germany), Benito Mussolini
(Italy), and militarist Japan sought expansion.
Appeasement: Britain & France initially allowed Hitler’s aggression
(e.g., annexing Austria, Czechoslovakia).
Invasion of Poland (1939): Germany’s blitzkrieg attack triggered
war.
Major Sides:
Allies: UK, France (later USSR, USA, China, and others).
Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan.
Key Events:
1.1939–1941:
oGermany conquered much of Europe (Fall of France, 1940).
oBattle of Britain (1940): UK resisted Nazi air attacks.
oOperation Barbarossa (1941): Germany invaded USSR,
breaking their pact.
2.1941–1943:
oPearl Harbor (Dec. 1941): Japan attacked the U.S., bringing
America into the war.
oHolocaust: Nazi genocide killed 6 million Jews + millions more.
oTurning Points:
Stalingrad (1942–43): USSR defeated Germany.
Midway (1942): U.S. crippled Japan’s navy.
3.1944–1945:

2. oD-Day (June 6, 1944): Allied invasion of Normandy, liberating
France.
oGermany’s Fall (1945): Hitler died; Berlin fell to USSR.
oPacific War Ends:
Atomic Bombs (Aug. 1945): U.S. dropped bombs on
Hiroshima & Nagasaki.
Japan Surrendered (Sept. 2, 1945).
Aftermath & Consequences:
50–85 Million Dead (civilian & military)—the deadliest war ever.
Holocaust Revealed: Nazi crimes shocked the world.
Cold War Begins: USSR & USA emerged as superpowers, leading to
decades of tension.
United Nations (1945): Founded to prevent future wars.
Decolonization: European empires weakened, leading to
independence movements.
World War II reshaped global politics, technology (nuclear age, jets, radar),
and human rights, leaving a legacy still felt today.