World War II involved many countries around the globe fighting against each other, including the UK. It lasted six years, from The War became a global conflict after the German military, led by Adolf Hitler, invaded Poland in because he wanted to take some of their land for Germany World War I lasted from to It was known at first as the Great War and the War to End All Wars. It was the largest war that the world had seen up to that time. Most of the battles took place in Europe and the Middle East. More than 8 million soldiers and sailors died, and more than 20 million were injured. The war was so bad that The Allies, later known formally as the United Nations, were an international military coalition formed during the Second World War (–) to oppose the Axis powers, led by Nazi Germany, the Empire of Japan, and Fascist blogger.com principal members by were the United Kingdom, United States, Soviet Union, and China. Membership in the Allies varied during the course of the war
World War II for Kids
The Allieslater known formally as the United Nationswere an international military coalition formed during the Second World War — to oppose the Axis powersled by Nazi Germanythe Empire of Japanand Fascist Italy.
Its principal members by were the United Kingdom, United States, Soviet Union, and China. Membership in the Allies varied during the course of the war. When the conflict broke out on 1 September world war ii homework help, the Allied coalition consisted of Polandthe United Kingdomand Franceas well as their respective dependenciessuch as British India. They world war ii homework help soon joined by the independent Dominions of the British Commonwealth : CanadaAustraliaNew Zealand and South Africa.
Consequently, the initial alliance largely resembled that of the First World War, world war ii homework help. As Axis forces began invading northern Europe and the Balkansthe Allies added the NetherlandsBelgiumNorway, Greeceand Yugoslavia.
The Soviet Union, which initially had a nonaggression pact with Germany and participated in its invasion of Polandjoined the Allies in June after Operation Barbarossa.
The United Stateswhile providing some materiel support to European Allies since Septemberworld war ii homework help, remained formally neutral until the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in Decemberafter which it declared war and officially joined the Allies. China had already been at war with Japan sincebut formally joined the Allies in December The Allies were led by the so-called "Big Three"—the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and the United States—which were the principal contributors of manpower, resources, and strategy, each playing a key role in achieving victory.
Relations between the United Kingdom and the United States were especially closewith their bilateral Atlantic Charter forming the groundwork of the alliance. The Allies became a formalized group upon the Declaration by United Nations on 1 Januarywhich was signed by 26 nations around the world; these ranged from small nations far removed from the war, to governments in exile from the Axis occupation. The Declaration officially recognized the Big Three and China as the "Four Powers", [4] acknowledging their central role in prosecuting the war; they were also referred to as the " trusteeship of the powerful", and later as the " Four Policemen " of the United Nations.
After the war ended, world war ii homework help Allies, and the Declaration that bound them, would become the basis of the modern United Nations ; [6] one enduring legacy of the alliance is the permanent membership of the U. Security Councilwhich is made up exclusively of the principal Allied powers that won the war. The victorious Allies of World War I —which included what would become the Allied powers of the Second World War — had imposed harsh terms on the opposing Central Powers in the Paris Peace Conference of Germany resented signing the Treaty of Versailleswhich required that it take full responsibility for the war, a significant portion of territory, and pay costly reparations, among other penalties.
World war ii homework help Weimar Republicwhich formed at the end of the war and subsequently negotiated the treaty, saw its legitimacy shaken, particularly as it struggled to govern a greatly weakened economy and humiliated populace. The Wall Street Crash of and the ensuing Great Depression led to political unrest across Europe, especially in Germany, where revanchist nationalists blamed the world war ii homework help of the economic crisis on the Treaty of Versailles.
The far-right Nazi Party led by Adolf Hitlerwhich had formed shortly after the peace treaty, exploited growing popular resentment and desperation to become the dominant political movement in Germany; bythey gained power and rapidly established a totalitarian regime known as the Third Reich.
The Nazi regime demanded the immediate cancellation of the Treaty of Versailles and made claims over German-populated Austria and the German-populated territories of Czechoslovakia.
The likelihood of war was high, but none of the major powers had the appetite for another conflict; many governments sought to ease tensions through nonmilitary strategies such as appeasement. Japan, which was a principal allied power in the First World War, had since become increasingly militaristic and imperialistic; parallel to Germany, nationalist sentiment increased throughout the s, world war ii homework help, culminating in the invasion of Manchuria in The League of Nations strongly condemned the attack as an act of aggression against China; Japan responded by leaving the League in The second Sino-Japanese War erupted in with Japans full-scale invasion of China.
The League of Nations condemned Japan's actions and initiated sanctions; the United States, which had attempted to peacefully negotiate for peace in Asia, world war ii homework help, was especially angered by the invasion and sought to support China. In MarchGermany took over Czechoslovakiaworld war ii homework help, just six months after signing the Munich Agreementwhich sought to appease Hitler by ceding the mainly ethnic German Czechoslovak borderlands ; while most of Europe had celebrated the agreement as a major victory for peace, the open flaunting of its terms demonstrated the failure of appeasement.
Britain and France, which had been the main advocates of appeasement, decided that Hitler had no intention to uphold diplomatic agreements and responded by preparing for war. On 31 MarchBritain formed the Anglo-Polish military alliance in an effort to avert an imminent German attack on Poland; the French likewise had a long-standing alliance with Poland since The Soviet Unionwhich had been diplomatically and economically isolated by much of the world, had sought an alliance with the western powers, but Hitler preempted a potential war with Stalin by signing the Nazi—Soviet non-aggression pact in August In addition to preventing a two-front war that had battered its forces in the last world war, the agreement secretly divided the independent states of Central and Eastern World war ii homework help between the two powers and assured adequate oil supplies for the German war machine.
On 1 SeptemberGermany invaded Poland ; two days later Britain and France declared war on Germany. Roughly two weeks after Germany's attack, the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east.
Britain and France established the Anglo-French Supreme War Council to coordinate military decisions. A Polish government-in-exile was set up in London, joined by hundreds of thousands of Polish soldiers, which would remain an Allied nation until the end.
After a quiet winter, world war ii homework help, Germany began its invasion of Western Europe in Aprilquickly defeating Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, and France; all the occupied nations would subsequently establish a government-in-exile in London, world war ii homework help, with each contributing a contingent of escaped troops.
Nevertheless, by roughly one year since Germany's violation of the Munich Agreement, Britain and its Empire stood alone against Hitler and Mussolini. Before they were formally allied, the United Kingdom and the United States had cooperated in a number of ways, [1] notably through the destroyers-for-bases deal in September and the American Lend-Lease program, which provided Britain and the Soviet Union with war materiel beginning in October The First Inter-Allied Meeting took place in London in early June between the United Kingdom, the four co-belligerent British Dominions Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africathe eight governments in exile Belgiumworld war ii homework help, CzechoslovakiaGreeceLuxembourgworld war ii homework help, the NetherlandsNorwayPolandYugoslavia and Free France.
The meeting culminated with the Declaration of St James's Palacewhich set out a first vision for the postwar world. In JuneHitler broke the non-aggression agreement with Stalin and Axis forces invaded the Soviet Unionwhich consequently declared war on Germany and its allies. Britain agreed to an alliance with the Soviet Union in July, with both nations committing to assisting one another by any world war ii homework help, and to never negotiate a separate peace.
The following August saw the Atlantic Conference between American President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchillwhich defined a common Anglo-American vision of the postwar world, as formalized by the Atlantic Charter. At the Second Inter-Allied Meeting in London in Septemberthe eight European governments in exile, together with the Soviet Union and representatives of the Free French Forces, unanimously adopted adherence to the common principles of policy set forth in the Atlantic Charter.
In December, Japan attacked American and British territories in Asia and the Pacific, resulting in the U. formally entering the war as an Allied power. Still reeling from Japanese aggression, China declared war on all the Axis powers shortly thereafter. By the end ofthe main lines of World War II had formed. Churchill referred to the "Grand Alliance" of the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union, [12] [13] which together played the largest role in prosecuting the war.
The alliance was largely one of convenience for each member: the U. realized that the Axis powers threatened not only its colonies in North Africa and Asia but also the homeland. The United World war ii homework help felt that the Japanese and German expansion should be contained, but ruled out force until Japan's attack.
World war ii homework help Soviet Union, having been betrayed by the Axis attack ingreatly despised German belligerence and the unchallenged Japanese expansion in the East, particularly considering their defeat in previous wars with Japan; the Soviets also recognized, as the U.
and Britain had suggested, the advantages of a two-front war. Franklin D. RooseveltWinston Churchilland Joseph Stalin were The Big Three leaders. They were in frequent contact through ambassadors, top generals, foreign ministers and special emissaries such as the American Harry Hopkins.
It is also often called the "Strange Alliance", because it united the leaders of the world's greatest capitalist state the United Statesthe greatest socialist state world war ii homework help Soviet Union and the greatest colonial power the United Kingdom. Relations between them resulted in the major decisions that shaped the war effort and planned for the postwar world, world war ii homework help.
There were numerous high-level conferences ; in total Churchill attended 14 meetings, Roosevelt 12, and Stalin 5. Most visible were the three summit conferences that brought together the three top leaders. There were many tensions among the Big Three leaders, although they were not enough to break the alliance during wartime.
In Roosevelt proposed becoming, with China, the Four Policemen of world peace. Although the 'Four Powers' were reflected in the wording of the Declaration by United NationsRoosevelt's proposal was not initially supported by Churchill or Stalin.
Division emerged over the length of time taken by the Western Allies to establish a second front in Europe. Although the U. had a strained relationship with the USSR in the s, relations were normalized in The original terms of the Lend-Lease loan were amended towards the Soviets, to be put in line with British terms. The United States would now expect interest with the repayment from the Soviets, following the initiation of the Operation Barbarossaat the end of the war—the United States were not looking to support any "postwar Soviet reconstruction efforts", [23] which eventually manifested into the Molotov Plan.
At the Tehran conferenceStalin judged Roosevelt to be a "lightweight compared to the more formidable Churchill". Tensions increased further when Roosevelt died and his successor Harry Truman rejected demands put forth by Stalin. he suffered from an inferiority complex. During DecemberRoosevelt devised the name "United Nations" for the Allies and Churchill agreed. The alliance was formalised in the Declaration by United Nations signed on 1 January There were the 26 original signatories of the declaration; the Big Four were listed first:.
The United Nations began growing immediately after its formation. InMexico, the Philippines and Ethiopia adhered to the declaration. Ethiopia had been restored to independence by British forces after the Italian defeat in The Philippines, still owned by Washington but granted international diplomatic recognition, was allowed to join on 10 June despite its occupation by Japan.
Inthe Declaration was signed by Iraq, Iran, Brazil, Bolivia and Colombia. A Tripartite Treaty of Alliance with Britain and the USSR formalised Iran's assistance to the Allies. InLiberia and France signed. The French situation was very confused.
Free French forces were recognized only by Britain, while the United States considered Vichy France to be the legal government of the country until Operation Overlordwhile also preparing U.
occupation francs. Winston Churchill urged Roosevelt to restore France to its status of a major power after the liberation of Paris in August ; the Prime Minister feared that after the war, Britain could remain the sole great power in Europe facing the Communist threat, as it was in and against Nazism. During the early part ofPeru, Chile, Paraguay, Venezuela, Uruguay, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria these latter two French colonies had been declared independent states by British occupation troops, despite protests by Pétain and later De Gaulle and Ecuador became signatories.
Ukraine and Belaruswhich were not independent states but parts of the Soviet Union, were accepted as members of the United Nations as a way to provide greater influence to Stalin, who had only Yugoslavia as a communist partner in the alliance. British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain delivered his Ultimatum Speech on 3 September which declared war on Germanya few hours before France. As the Statute of Westminster was not yet ratified by the parliaments of Australia and New Zealand, the British declaration of war on Germany also applied to those dominions.
The other dominions and members of the British Commonwealth declared war from 3 Septemberall within one week of each other; they were CanadaBritish India and South Africa. During the war, Churchill attended seventeen Allied conferences at which key decisions and agreements were made. He was "the most important of the Allied leaders during the first half of World War II". British West Africa and the British colonies in East and Southern Africa participated, mainly in the North African, East African and Middle-Eastern theatres.
Two West African and one East African division served in the Burma Campaign. Southern Rhodesia was a self-governing colony, having received responsible government in It was not a sovereign dominion. It governed itself internally and controlled its own armed forces, but had no diplomatic autonomy, and, therefore, was officially at war as soon as Britain was at war.
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During World War II, Britain was called ‘the Home Front’ – the war affected people not just fighting in armies on the front lines, but back in their own towns and neighbourhoods.; All the different plans and ways to help get Britain through World War II was called ‘the war effort’.Helping the war effort meant anything from planting vegetables to making fighter planes Oct 21, · Appeasement helped cause World War II by encouraging Adolf Hitler's aggression in Europe in the years before World War II (–). Appeasement is World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a conflict that took place between and that involved all the world’s major countries. It was the most destructive war in history and millions of people were killed. It was fought between the Axis (Germany, Japan, and Italy) and the Allies (Britain, the US, and the Soviet Union
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