World+War+II

== World War II

World War II was a second of two wars that spanned from 1939 to 1945 and included most of the nations of the world, especially the world powers. These world powers organized into two alliances: The Allies and the Axis. The allies were made up of the United States of America, Britian, France, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, China, and Canada. The Axis consisted of Germany, Italy, and Japan (finalized by the Tripartite Pact). World War II has been generally considered as begun on the first of September 1939. It was named a total war due to the fact that many nations invested themselves industrially, economically, and scientifically. At first, the United States did not enter the war. It originally only aided countries, but following the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japan, the United States decided to step in (the year 1941). Following this episode of history, it became increasingly clear that United States and the Soviet Union were rising to world superpowers, which in turn led to the rise of the Cold War.

Co-authored by Rachellm, Elizabeth Thompson, and Stacy Fairey May 21 2009 Want to return to the Units 9, 10, and 11 Term Page? Click Here!