Stages of World War II: the causes, the beginning, the main battles, losses, total. The Second World War (1939-1945)

The World War II, the largest in human history, became the logical continuation of the First World War. In 1918, the Kaiser Germany lost to the Entente countries. The result of the First World War was the Treaty of Versailles, in which the Germans lost part of their territory. Germany was forbidden to have a large army, navy and colonies. An unprecedented economic crisis began in the country. He worsened even more after the Great Depression of 1929.

German society struggled to survive its defeat. There were massive revanchist sentiments. The desire to "restore historical justice" began to play populist politicians. The National Socialist German Workers Party began to enjoy great popularity, headed by Adolf Hitler.

Causes

Radicals came to power in Berlin in 1933. The German state quickly became totalitarian and began to prepare for the forthcoming war for domination in Europe. Simultaneously with the Third Reich, his "classic" fascism arose in Italy.

The Second World War (1939-1945) is events not only in the Old World, but also in Asia. Japan was a source of concern in this region. In the Land of the Rising Sun, just like in Germany, imperialist sentiment was extremely popular. The object of Japan's aggression was China, weakened by internal conflicts. The war between the two Asian powers began as early as 1937, and with the onset of the conflict in Europe, it became part of a general Second World War. Japan turned out to be an ally of Germany.

In 1933, the Third Reich withdrew from the League of Nations (the predecessor of the United Nations), ceased its own disarmament. In 1938, the Anschluss (annexation) of Austria took place. It was bloodless, but the reasons for World War II, briefly, were that European politicians turned a blind eye to Hitler's aggressive behavior and did not stop his policy of absorbing all new territories.

Soon, Germany annexed the Sudetenland, inhabited by the Germans, but owned by Czechoslovakia. Poland and Hungary also took part in the section of this state. In Budapest, the union with the Third Reich was observed until 1945. The example of Hungary shows that the reasons for the Second World War, in short, consisted in the consolidation of anti-communist forces around Hitler.

Start

On September 1, 1939, German troops invaded Poland. A few days later Germany declared war on France, Great Britain and their numerous colonies. The two key powers had allied agreements with Poland and came out in defense of it. Thus began the Second World War (1939-1945).

A week before the Wehrmacht attacked Poland, German diplomats concluded a non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union. Thus, the USSR was on the sidelines of the conflict between the Third Reich, France and Great Britain. Signing the treaty with Hitler, Stalin solved his own tasks. Before the Great Patriotic War, the Red Army entered eastern Poland, the Baltics and Bessarabia. In November 1939, the Soviet-Finnish war began. As a result, the USSR annexed several western regions.

While German-Soviet neutrality persisted, the German army was engaged in the occupation of most of the Old World. The beginning of the Second World War of 1939 was met with overseas countries with restraint. In particular, the US declared its neutrality and maintained it until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Blitzkrieg in Europe

Polish resistance was broken only a month later. All this time, Germany acted only on one front, since the actions of France and Britain were of a low initiative character. The period from September 1939 to May 1940 was given the characteristic name of "Strange War". During these few months, Germany, in the absence of active British and French actions, occupied Poland, Denmark and Norway.

The first stages of the Second World War were transient. In April 1940, Germany invaded Scandinavia. Air and sea troops entered the key Danish cities without hindrance. A few days later the monarch Christian X signed surrender. In Norway, the British and French landed, but he was powerless before the onslaught of the Wehrmacht. The early periods of World War II were characterized by the general advantage of the Germans in front of their adversary. Long preparation for the future bloodshed has occurred. The whole country worked for the war, and Hitler did not hesitate to throw all of its new resources into its cauldron.

In May 1940, the invasion of Benelux began. The whole world was shocked by the unprecedented bombing raids of Rotterdam. Thanks to their rapid throw, the Germans managed to occupy key positions before allies appeared. By the end of May, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg capitulated and were occupied.

In the summer of the battles of World War II moved to the territory of France. In June 1940, Italy joined the campaign. Its troops attacked the south of France, and the Wehrmacht - the north. Soon, a truce was signed. Most of France was subjected to occupation. In a small free zone in the south of the country, Peten's regime was established, which went to cooperate with the Germans.

Africa and the Balkans

In the summer of 1940, after the entry into the war of Italy, the main theater of military operations moved to the Mediterranean. The Italians invaded North Africa and attacked British bases in Malta. On the "Black Continent" then there was a significant number of English and French colonies. The Italians initially concentrated on the eastern direction - Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Sudan.

Some French colonies in Africa refused to recognize the new French government, headed by Petain. The symbol of the national struggle against the Nazis was Charles de Gaulle. In London, he created a liberation movement, called the "Fighting France". The British troops, along with de Gaulle's detachments, began to repel the African colonies from Germany. Equatorial Africa and Gabon were liberated.

In September, the Italians invaded Greece. The attack took place against the backdrop of fighting for North Africa. Many fronts and stages of the Second World War began to intertwine with each other because of the increasing expansion of the conflict. The Greeks succeeded in successfully resisting the Italian onslaught until April 1941, when Germany intervened in the conflict, occupying Hellas in just a few weeks.

Simultaneously with the Greek campaign, the Germans launched a Yugoslav campaign. The forces of the Balkan state were split into several parts. The operation began on April 6, and on April 17 Yugoslavia capitulated. Germany in the Second World War was more and more like an unconditional hegemon. In the territory of occupied Yugoslavia puppet pro-fascist states were established.

Invasion of the USSR

All the previous stages of the Second World War faded in scale compared to the operation that Germany was preparing to conduct in the USSR. The war with the Soviet Union was only a matter of time. The invasion began exactly after the Third Reich occupied most of Europe and got the opportunity to concentrate all its forces on the Eastern Front.

Parts of the Wehrmacht crossed the Soviet border on June 22, 1941. For our country, this date was the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. Until the last moment, the Kremlin did not believe in the attack of the Germans. Stalin refused to take the intelligence data seriously, considering it a disinformation. As a result, the Red Army was completely unprepared for Operation Barbarossa. In the early days, aerodromes and other strategic infrastructure in the west of the Soviet Union were bombed without hindrance.

The USSR in World War II encountered another German blitzkrieg plan. In Berlin, they planned to capture the main Soviet cities of the European part of the country by winter. The first months went according to Hitler's expectations. Ukraine, Byelorussia, and the Baltic states were completely occupied. Leningrad was in blockade. The course of World War II led the conflict to a key milestone. If Germany overcame the Soviet Union, it would have no enemies left, except for the overseas Britain.

The winter of 1941 was approaching. The Germans were in the vicinity of Moscow. On the outskirts of the capital, they stopped. On November 7, there was a festive parade dedicated to the anniversary of the October Revolution. Soldiers directly from the Red Square went to the front. Wehrmacht was stuck in a few dozen kilometers from Moscow. German soldiers were demoralized in the deadliest winter and the most difficult conditions of combat. December 5, the Soviet counter-offensive began. By the end of the year the Germans were thrown back from Moscow. The previous stages of the Second World War were characterized by the total advantage of the Wehrmacht. Now the army of the Third Reich first stopped in its global expansion. The battle for Moscow was the turning point of the war.

Japan's attack on the United States

Until the end of 1941, Japan remained neutral in the European conflict, while at the same time fighting with China. At some point the country's leadership faced a strategic choice: attack the USSR or the US. The choice was made in favor of the American option. December 7, Japanese aircraft attacked the naval base of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. As a result of the raid, almost all American battleships and, in general, a significant part of the American Pacific fleet were destroyed.

Until then, the United States in the Second World War did not openly participate. When the situation in Europe changed in favor of Germany, the US authorities began to support the UK with resources, but they did not intervene in the conflict itself. Now the situation has changed by 180 degrees, since Japan was an ally of Germany. The day after the raid on Pearl Harbor in Washington, Tokyo declared war. The same was done by the United Kingdom and its dominions. A few days later, Germany, Italy and their European satellites declared war on the United States. So the contours of the unions that collided in the internal confrontation in the second half of the Second World War were finally formed. For several months the USSR was at war and also joined the anti-Hitler coalition.

In the new 1942, the Japanese invaded the Dutch East Indies, where they easily captured the island beyond the island. At the same time, the offensive was developing in Burma. By the summer of 1942, Japanese forces controlled all of South-East Asia and a significant part of Oceania. The United States in the Second World War changed the situation in the Pacific theater of military operations somewhat later.

Counteroffensive of the USSR

In 1942 World War II, the event table of which includes, as a rule, basic information, was at its key stage. Forces opposing alliances were approximately equal. A turning point occurred towards the end of 1942. In the summer, the Germans launched another offensive in the USSR. This time their key goal was the south of the country. In Berlin, they wanted to cut Moscow off oil and other resources. For this, it was required to force the Volga.

In November 1942 the whole world anxiously awaited news from Stalingrad. The Soviet counteroffensive on the banks of the Volga led to the fact that the strategic initiative has since finally ended up in the USSR. In the Second World War there was no more bloody and large-scale battle than the Battle of Stalingrad. The total losses of both sides exceeded two million people. At the cost of incredible efforts, the Red Army stopped the Axis offensive on the Eastern Front.

The next strategically important success of the Soviet troops was the Battle of Kursk in June-July 1943. That summer, the Germans last attempted to seize the initiative and launch an offensive against the Soviet positions. The Wehrmacht's plan fell through. The Germans not only failed to achieve success, but also left many cities in central Russia (Orel, Belgorod, Kursk), while following the "scorched earth tactics." All the tank battles of the Second World War were bloody, but the most massive was the Battle of Prokhorov. It was a key episode throughout the Battle of Kursk. By the end of 1943 - beginning of 1944, Soviet troops liberated the south of the USSR and reached the borders of Romania.

Allied landings in Italy and Normandy

In May 1943, the Allies cleared North Africa from the Italians. The British fleet began to control the entire Mediterranean Sea. The former periods of World War II were characterized by the successes of the Axis. Now the situation is exactly the opposite.

In July 1943, American, British and French troops landed in Sicily, and in September - on the Apennine peninsula. The Italian government abdicated Mussolini and a few days later signed a truce with advancing opponents. The dictator, however, managed to escape. Thanks to the help of the Germans, he created in the industrial north of Italy the puppet republic of Salo. The British, the French, the Americans and the local partisans gradually conquered all the new cities. June 4, 1944 they entered Rome.

Exactly two days later, on the 6th, the Allies landed in Normandy. Thus, the Second or Western Front was opened, as a result of which the Second World War was completed (the table shows this event). In August, a similar landing began in the south of France. On August 25, the Germans finally left Paris. By the end of 1944, the front had stabilized. The main battles took place in the Belgian Ardennes, where each side made unsuccessful attempts to develop its own offensive for the time being.

On February 9, as a result of the Colmar operation, a German army was stationed in Alsace. The allies managed to break through the defensive "Siegfried Line" and reach the German border. In March, after the Maas-Rhein operation, the Third Reich lost territory behind the western shore of the Rhine. In April, the Allies established control over the Ruhr industrial area. At the same time, the offensive in northern Italy continued. On April 28, 1945, Benito Mussolini fell into the hands of Italian guerrillas and was executed.

Stages of the Second World War

	date	Developments
Stage 1	1939 - 1941	Invasion of Poland, blitzkrieg in Europe, African campaign
2 stage	1941 - 1942	Attack on the USSR, Attack on Pearl Harbor
Stage 3	1942 - 1944	The counteroffensive of the Red Army, the landing in Italy
4 stage	1944 - 1945	Landing in Normandy, the defeat of Germany
5 th stage	1945	The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the defeat of Japan

Taking Berlin

Opening the second front, the Western allies coordinated their actions with the Soviet Union. In the summer of 1944, the Red Army began to liberate Belarus. Already in the autumn the Germans lost control over the remnants of their possessions in the USSR (with the exception of a small enclave in the west of Latvia).

In August Romania withdrew from the war, before acting as a satellite of the Third Reich. Soon the authorities of Bulgaria and Finland did the same. The Germans began to be hastily evacuated from the territory of Greece and Yugoslavia. In February 1945, the Red Army carried out a Budapest operation and liberated Hungary.

The way of Soviet troops to Berlin ran through Poland. Together with her, the Germans also left East Prussia. The Berlin operation began in late April. Hitler, realizing his own defeat, committed suicide. On May 7, an act of German surrender was signed, which entered into force on the night of the 8th to the 9th.

Defeat of the Japanese

Although the war in Europe ended, the bloodshed continued in Asia and the Pacific. The last force that stood against the allies was Japan. In June, the empire lost control of Indonesia. In July, Great Britain, the United States and China presented her with an ultimatum, which, however, was rejected.

On 6 and 9 August 1945, the Americans dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These cases were the only ones in human history, when nuclear weapons were used for combat purposes. August 8, the Soviet offensive began in Manchuria. The surrender of Japan was signed on September 2, 1945. This was the end of World War II.

Losses

Till now researches on that how many people have suffered and how many were lost in the Second World War are conducted. On average, the number of deaths carried out is estimated at 55 million (of which 26 million are Soviet citizens). The financial loss amounted to $ 4 trillion, although it is hardly possible to calculate the exact figures.

The hardest hit was Europe. Its industry and agriculture were restored for many years. How many died in the Second World War and how much it was destroyed became clear only after a while, when the world community was able to clarify the facts about the Nazi crimes against humanity.

The largest scale in the history of mankind bloodshed was conducted entirely new methods. Entire cities were killed under bombing, in a few minutes the age-old infrastructure was destroyed. Arranged by the Third Reich, the genocide of World War II, directed against Jews, Gypsies and the Slavic population, terrifies its details to this day. German concentration camps have become real "death factories", and German (and Japanese) physicians have conducted cruel medical and biological experiments on people.

Results

The results of the Second World War were summed up at the Potsdam conference held in July-August 1945. Europe was divided between the USSR and its Western allies. In the eastern countries communist pro-Soviet regimes were established. Germany lost a significant part of its territory. East Prussia was annexed to the USSR, several provinces crossed over to Poland. Germany was first divided into four zones. Then, on their basis, the capitalist FRG and the socialist GDR appeared. In the east of the USSR, the Kuril Islands and the southern part of Sakhalin belonged to Japan. In China, the Communists came to power.

Western European countries after the Second World War lost a significant part of their political influence. The former dominant position of Great Britain and France was taken by the United States, the least affected by German aggression. The process of disintegration of the colonial empires began. In 1945, the United Nations was created, designed to preserve peace throughout the world. The ideological and other contradictions between the USSR and the Western allies became the reason for the outbreak of the Cold War.