- The war involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis.
- The Allies consisted of the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and China, while the Axis included Germany, Italy and Japan.
- The war had a profound impact on the course of the 20th century.
- The war began in 1939 with the German invasion of Poland.
- Major events included the German occupation of most of Europe and North Africa, the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan, and the subsequent entry of the United States into the war.
- The war ended in 1945 with the defeat of Nazi Germany and Japan.
- The war resulted in the deaths of millions of people, the destruction of much of Europe, the emergence of the United States and the Soviet Union as the two superpowers of the post-war world, and the beginning of the Cold War.
The Cold War
- The Cold War was a global political, economic, and military standoff between the Soviet Union and the United States and its allies.
- The Cold War began after World War II and lasted for about 45 years.
- The Cold War was characterized by political and military competition between the Soviet Union and its satellite states, and the United States and its allies.
- The two sides never fought directly, but they supported opposing forces in proxy wars and competed in political influence and military spending.
- The Cold War ended in 1991 with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Decolonization
- The process of decolonization began after World War II and lasted for about 45 years, until the end of the Cold War.
- Decolonization involved the transfer of power from European colonial empires to the indigenous peoples of the former colonies.
- Decolonization was driven by a variety of factors, including nationalism, anti-colonialism, and the weakening of European colonial empires.
- The process of decolonization was often violent, but it also led to the creation of new independent states and the establishment of new political and economic systems.
