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World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict
which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all of the great powers, organized into
two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. The war involved the mobilization of over
100 million military personnel, making it the most widespread war in history. In a state of "total
war,” the major participants placed their complete economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities
at the service of the war effort, erasing the distinction between civilian and military resources.
Over 70 million people, the majority of them civilians, were killed, making it the deadliest conflict
in human history.
The starting date of the war is generally held to be September 1939 with the German invasion of
Poland and subsequent declarations of war on Germany by the United Kingdom, France and the
British Dominions. However, as a result of other events, many belligerents entered the war before
or after this date, during a period which spanned from 1937 to 1941. Amongst these main events
are the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, the start of Operation Barbarossa and the attack on Pearl
Harbor and British and Dutch colonies in South East Asia.
The effects of World War II had far-reaching implications for the international community. Many
millions of lives had been lost as a result of the war. Germany was divided into four quadrants,
which were controlled by the Allied Powers which included the United States, Great Britain, France,
and the Soviet Union. The war can be identified to varying degrees as the catalyst for many
continental, national and local phenomena, such as the redrawing of European borders, the birth
of the United Kingdom's welfare state, the communist takeover of China and Eastern Europe, the
creation of Israel, and the divisions of Germany and Korea. In addition, many organizations have
roots in the Second World War; for example, the United Nations, the World Bank, the WTO, and the
IMF. Technologies, such as nuclear fission, the computer and the jet engine, also appeared during
this period.
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A multipolar world was replaced by a bipolar one dominated by the two most powerful victors, the
United States and Soviet Union, which became known as the superpowers. [1]
DECOLONIZATION
The destruction of Europe and the destruction of a significant portion of the United Kingdom's
cities (via aerial bombing) would also ruin the reputation of the imperial nations in the eyes of
their colonies. Coupled with the enormous expense incurred in the war, an empire was perceived
to be an unnecessarily expensive possession. Thus this would provoke the rapid decolonization
process that would see the empires of the United Kingdom, France and others swept away.
Nationalist tendencies helped India and Pakistan become independent from the British Empire in
August 1947. Soon Malaysia and other South East Asian colonies also became independent. The
Netherlands lost Dutch East Indies, and France lost Indochina. In just a few decades, most Asian
and African colonies were independent. [2]
SUPERPOWERS
The immense destruction wrought over the course of the war caused a sharp decline in the
influence of the great powers. After the war, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United
States both became formidable forces. The U.S. suffered very little during the war and because of
military and industrial exports became a formidable manufacturing power. This led to a period of
wealth and prosperity for the U.S. in the fields of industry, agriculture and technology, while the
homeland of the United States was untouched by the war
The USSR was in a better economic and strategic position than any other continental European
power. By the end of the war in 1945 the Red Army was very large, battle-tested and occupied all
of Eastern and Central Europe as well as what was to become East Germany. In areas they
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occupied, the Red Army installed governments they felt would be friendly towards the USSR. Given
the tremendous suffering of the Soviet people during the war, Soviet leadership wanted a "buffer
zone" of friendly governments between Russia and Western European nations. [3]
SOCIAL EFFECTS
One of the social effects which affected almost all participants to a certain degree was the
increased participation of women in the workforce (where they took the place of many men during
the war years), though this was somewhat reduced in the decades following the war, as changing
society forced many to return to home and family.
According to historian Antony Beevor, amongst others, in his book Berlin - The Downfall 1945 the
advancing Red Army had left a massive trail of raped women and girls of all ages behind them.
More than 2,000,000 were victims of rape, often repeatedly. This continued for several years.
The German soldiers left many war children behind in nations such as France and Denmark, which
were occupied for an extended period. After the war, the children and their mothers often suffered
recriminations. The situation was worst in Norway, where the “Tyskerunger“ (German-kids)
suffered, and still suffer, abuse. [5]
COLD WAR
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The end of World War II is seen by many as marking the end of the United Kingdom's position as a
global superpower and the catalyst for the emergence of the United States and the Soviet Union
as the dominant powers in the world. Friction had been building up between the two before the
end of the war, and with the collapse of Nazi Germany relations spiraled downward.
In the areas occupied by Western Allied troops, pre-war governments were re-established or new
democratic governments were created; in the areas occupied by Soviet troops, including the
territories of former Allies such as Poland, communist states were created. These became
satellites of the Soviet Union.
Germany was partitioned into four zones of occupation. The American, British and French zones
were grouped a few years later into West Germany and the Soviet zone became East Germany.
Austria was once again separated from Germany and it, too, was divided into four zones of
occupation, which eventually reunited and became the republic of Austria. Korea was divided in
half along the 38th parallel.
The partitions were initially informal, but as the relationship between the victors deteriorated, the
military lines of demarcation became the de facto country boundaries. The Cold War had begun,
and soon two blocs emerged: NATO and the Warsaw Pact.
The partitioning of Europe and Germany and Berlin persisted until the crumbling of the Eastern
Bloc in 1989/1990. The Berlin Wall fell on 9 November 1989. [6]
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resources of the member states, and to support the economies of the participating economies. As
a side effect, the ECSC helped diffuse tensions between countries which had recently been
enemies in the war. In time this economic merger grew, adding members and broadening in scope,
to become the European Economic Community, and later the European Union. [7]
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Large numbers of deaths can also be attributed, if even partially, indirectly to the war, such as the
Bengal famine of 1943. [9]
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in Java, between 4 and 10 million romusha (Japanese: "manual laborer"), were forced to work by
the Japanese military. About 270,000 of these Javanese laborers were sent to other Japanese-held
areas in South East Asia. Only 52,000 were repatriated to Java, meaning that there was a death
rate of 80%.
On February 19, 1942 Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, interning thousands of Japanese,
Italians, German Americans, and some emigrants from Hawaii who fled after the bombing of Pearl
Harbor for the duration of the war. 150,000 Japanese-Americans were interned by the U.S. and
Canadian governments, as well as nearly 11,000 German and Italian residents of the U.S.
Allied use of slave labor occurred mainly in the east, such as in Poland, but more than a million
was also put to work in the west. By December 1945 it was estimated by French authorities that
2,000 German prisoners were being killed or maimed each month in mine-clearing accidents. [10]
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While the Allies' ability to out-produce the Axis is often attributed to the Allies having more access
to natural resources, other factors, such as Germany and Japan's reluctance to utilize women in
the labour force, Allied strategic bombing, and Germany's late shift to a war economy contributed
significantly. Additionally, neither Germany nor Japan planned on fighting a protracted war, and
were not equipped to do so. To improve their production, Germany and Japan used millions of slave
labourers; Germany used about 12 million people, mostly from Eastern Europe, while Japan
pressed more than 18 million people in Far East Asia. [11]
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_World_War_II
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_World_War_II#End_of_European_Imperialism
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_World_War_II#Superpowers
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_war_2#Advances_in_technology_and_warfare
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_World_War_II#Social_effects
6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_World_War_II#Cold_War
7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_World_War_II#European_Union
8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_World_War_II#United_Nations
9. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_war_2#Casualties_and_war_crimes
10.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_war_2#Concentration_camps_and_slave_work
11.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_war_2#Home_fronts_and_production
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12.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_war_2#War_time_occupation
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