September 3, 1939 - September 2, 1945
Deadliest War in World History
Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) against the Allies (Great Britain, United States, France, Soviet Union)
40-50 million deaths total
Cause(s):
The major cause that led to WWII was Germany’s invasion of Poland
German turmoil left over from being blamed for the previous World War and being put in crippling financial distress and debt as a country.
Pearl Harbor Bombing - December 7, 1941
The U.S. did not join WWII until after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. After just recovering from the Great Depression of the 1930s, the U.S. did not feel ready or feel it necessary to join the war just yet. When Japan, one of Germany’s allies, bombed Pearl Harbor the U.S. retaliated by joining WWII.
End:
On May 8, 1945, Germany surrendered. After the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945, and WWII came to an end.
330,000 U.S. soldiers were killed