World War II
World war two was the war against the Axis (Germany, Italy, and Japan), and the Allies (U.S.A, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union). Before the war, the world was having an economic depression. World War I was over, but had left a stain on the world. In Germany, the treat of Versailles made it pay for cost of the damage caused in WWI. The nation was in terrible debt. The Nazis, a new political party, began to grow. Its leader, Adolf Hitler, convinced the people of Germany to get power back. Later, Hitler became a dictator. and dictatorship spread.Germany, Italy, and Japan all came under the rule of dictators or military leaders. A dictator named Mussolini took power in Italy in 1922. Military leaders took control of Japan in the early 1930s. These leaders promised to restore their countries to greatness. But they set up totalitarian governments. (A totalitarian government is controlled by a single political party that allows no opposition and tightly controls people's lives). Hitler began to arm Germany for war. Japan invaded China. Mussolini sent Italian troops to conquer Ethiopia, in Africa. None of the world's democracies did anything to stop them. Hitler had a plan to conquer Europe. He began by taking Austria, then Czechoslovakia. Again, no one tried to stop him. As Winston Churchill, who became Britain's wartime leader, said, "Britain and France had to choose between war and dishonor. They chose dishonor. They will have war." Churchill's words came true. In 1939, German troops invaded Poland. World War II in Europe had begun. The U.S. did not enter the war until December 1941, but once it did, it took a leadership role. U.S. troops fought in North Africa, Europe, and the Pacific. At home, Americans rolled up their sleeves to outproduce the Axis powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan) in the weapons of warplanes, battleships, and guns. Everyone did their part. Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945, ending the war in Europe. The war in the Pacific did not end until after the U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on Japan — the only time such bombs were ever used in war. Japan surrendered on August 14, 1945. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had led the U.S. in wartime, did not live to see peace. But in a speech written but never delivered, he spoke of the need to preserve peace: "Today we are faced with the preeminent [above all other] fact that, if civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships — the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together and work together in the same world, at peace."
The AlliesThe Allies were fighting against the Axis in WWII. The main countries fighting for the Allies were the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union. These nations fought to ensure liberty throughout Europe and Asia, where the Axis countries were. The Nazis were the new leaders of Germany. They believed they were superior to all others, especially Jews. The axis gained two more countries to support it, and after bombings, raids, and invasions from the axis, the allies declared war on the Axis. Using the navy, bombs, the army, and everything else each military could find, they went to war. The Allies were not ahead in the beginning, but they slowly started to pull ahead. major victories of the Allies were: Battle of the Bulge, the Battle of Midway, and the Battle of Normandy, which ended the war against Germany and Italy. But their was one Axis nation left... Japan. The Allies raced to get an atomic bomb, the world's most dangerous weapon. After using it twice against Japan, it surrendered, and the Allies won the war against the Axis, and WWII was over.
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The AxisThe Axis were fighting the Allies in WWII. The three Axis nations included Germany, Japan, and Italy. These countries were all dictatorships, and one party ruled the government. The Axis wanted to control the world. Japan invaded China, Germany invaded Poland, France, and others, and Italy invaded Ethiopia. The weaker countries fell quickly to the axis. Soon, the Axis would have an enemy. They had the Allies, new countries that aren't standing for what the Axis stand for, and now there is war. Germany is killing Jews, Italy is attacking small African countries, and Japan is ruthless in its attacks, but the Allies slowly begin to build momentum. They start winning battles. They have a strong Navy, and a strong Air Force. They are beating the Axis. Italy falls first, then Germany, the Japan after the dropping of two atomic bombs. WWII is over at last.
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