World War
II
World War II was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945.
It involved the vast majority of the world’s nations including all of the great
powers. They eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and
the Axis. It was the most wide spread war in history, with more than 100
million people serving in military units from over 30 different countries.
World War II altered the political alignment and social
structure of the world. The United Nations (UN) was established to foster
international cooperation and prevent future conflicts. The great powers that
were the victors of the war—the United States, the Soviet Union, China, the
United Kingdom, and France—became the permanent members of the United Nations
Security Council. The Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival
superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War, which lasted for the next 46
years. Meanwhile, the influence of European great powers started to decline,
while the decolonisation of Asia and Africa began. Most countries whose
industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery. Political
integration, especially in Europe, emerged as an effort to stabilise post-war
relations and fight more effectively in the Cold War.
Estimates for the total casualties of the war vary, because
many deaths went unrecorded. Most suggest that some 75 million people died in
the war, including about 20 million soldiers and 40 million civilians. Many
civilians died because of disease, starvation, massacres, bombing and
deliberate genocide. The Soviet Union lost around 27 million people during the
war, including 8.7 million military and 19 million civilian deaths. The largest
portion of military dead were ethnic Russians (5,756,000), followed by ethnic
Ukrainians (1,377,400). One of every four Soviet citizens was killed or wounded
in that war. Germany sustained 5.3 million military losses, mostly on the
Eastern Front and during the final battles in Germany.
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