The Second World War, widely regarded as the deadliest conflict in human history, ended 81 years ago on September 2, 1945. An estimated 70 million to 85 million people, including civilians and military personnel, died in the war. More than 30 countries were involved in the conflict, which was fought across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Pacific.Germany, Italy and Japan formed the Axis powers, while Britain, the Soviet Union, the United States, China and France were among the major Allied powers.The war in Europe began on September 1, 1939, when Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later. Adolf Hitler’s regime pursued territorial expansion and sought German dominance across Europe.Germany went on to occupy large parts of western Europe before invading the Soviet Union in June 1941. Japan was also expanding across Asia and had been fighting China since 1937. Japan’s attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, brought the United States into the war and expanded the conflict into a global war.The Axis powers initially made major territorial gains, but the Allies gradually turned the war in their favour. The Soviet victory at Stalingrad became a major turning point on the eastern front, while Allied forces advanced through North Africa and Italy.On June 6, 1944, Allied forces landed in Normandy, opening a major western European front against Germany. Soviet forces advanced from the east as Allied troops moved from the west. Hitler died by suicide on April 30, 1945, and Germany surrendered unconditionally on May 8, ending the war in Europe.The fighting continued against Japan in the Pacific. The United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima on August 6 and Nagasaki on August 9, while the Soviet Union declared war on Japan. Japan agreed to surrender, and on September 2, Japanese representatives formally signed the Instrument of Surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.The war left tens of millions dead and displaced, while large parts of Europe and Asia were devastated. Nazi Germany’s persecuted millions of Jews and other groups in Europe.The conflict also reshaped global politics. The United States and Soviet Union emerged as the world’s two dominant powers, beginning a decades-long Cold War. The United Nations was established in 1945 with the aim of maintaining international peace and preventing another global conflict.
