What did you think of our World War 2 facts? Let us know by leaving a comment below. *USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or the Soviet Union) was a former country which included modern-day Russia, Ukraine and Estonia, as well as other socialist states. *Yugoslavia was a country established in 1918 in south-east Europe, which included modern-day Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Learn more about World War 2, historys most savage & devastating war on a Battlefield Tour, taking an in-depth look at the Normandy Landings & the battles. Matthew Thomas from the National Army Museum and Ian Kikuchi from the Imperial War Museum, London. – that’s more than the entire population of the United Kingdom. 10. Around 64 million people died in World War 2
EUROPEAN WAR 2 FREE
World War 2 had ended.ĭid you know we have a FREE downloadable Anne Frank primary resource? Perfect for teachers, homeschoolers and parents alike, the resource introduces children to the young girl whose tragic tale from WWII became a story of hope. After nuclear attacks on Japan’s major cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan also surrendered to Allied forces in August the same year. One year later, Allied armies invaded Germany, forcing the Germans to surrender. In 1944, an Allied army crossed from Britain to free France from Nazi rule. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, ended the debate over American intervention in both the Pacific and European theaters of World War II. Such countries were Spain, Sweden and Switzerland – who chose not to join either side. 8. Some countries remained ‘neutral’ in World War 2 On 8 December 1941 (the very next day), the US declared War on Japan and, in turn, its German allies. – at their Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. In 1937 (before World War 2 had officially begun) under Emperor Hirohito, Japan attacked China, bringing the two nations into years of conflict.ħ. The US didn’t join the war until 1941, when Japan attacked the United States 6. Around the same time that Germany fought for power in Europe, Japan wanted to control Asia and the Pacific Racist in his views, Hitler blamed Jewish people for Germany losing World War I and claimed they were dangerous to German people and society. In an attempt to eliminate a “racial enemy” outside of Germany, such groups were also persecuted in the countries invaded by German forces.ĥ. The group most heavily targeted by the Nazis were the JewsĪround six million Jewish people were killed during World War 2 in one of history’s most terrible events – the Holocaust. Hitler wanted to create what he thought was the “best” and strongest race – and to the Nazi Party, this excluded certain groups, such as Jews, Gypsies and those with physical and mental disabilities. After Hitler refused to stop the invasion, Britain and France declared war on Germany – World War II had begun.ģ. During the course of the war, German forces advanced through Europeīy the summer of 1941 they had invaded France, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Denmark, Norway, Greece, Yugoslavia* and the USSR*.ĭid you know that we have a FREE downloadable Second World War primary resource? Great for teachers, homeschoolers and parents alike! 4. Millions of Germans were imprisoned and killed because they didn’t fit the image of the ‘perfect’ German To gain more land and power, on 1 September 1939 German troops invaded Poland.
Together with the Nazi Party, he wanted Germany to rule Europe. This arrangement was called the Concert of Europe.Ask your parents to check out Nat Geo Kids magazine! (AD)Ģ. Before World War 2 began, Germany was ruled by a man named Adolf Hitler Having the disasters of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era clearly in mind, the leaders of the victorious powers sought to prevent war through collegial discussion and agreement about any major actions to be taken. The guiding concern for the victorious powers was the maintenance of peace on the European continent. A new state was created in 1861, a unified Italy, which toward the turn of the century also sought “great power” status. The Ottoman Empire, once a formidable power, located in the southeastern “corner” of the Continent (and in the Near East, the Middle East, and across North Africa), was manifestly in decline, a condition that was key to much of subsequent history.
Two lesser contenders were present on the European scene. France was present at the Congress, still viewed as a major power, but at that point and throughout most of the following century, that nation was viewed with suspicion, as one harboring dangerous revolutionary tendencies. At the Congress of Vienna they rearranged the map of Europe, reducing France to its 1792 boundaries, putting Prussia in the Rhineland as a buffer and Austria in northern Italy for the same purpose. The first four were the victorious powers of 1815. Throughout most of this 99-year period, Europe was dominated by five great powers: Britain, Austria (after 1867, Austria-Hungary), Prussia (after 1871, Germany), Russia, and France.