The second world war was the biggest and deadliest conflict in the history of mankind. From the start on 1 September 1939 to the surrender of Nazi Germany on8 May 1945, between 50 and 60 million people were killed and involved most of the world's nations. The countries involved poured every last resource into thewar, realizing that the outcome would change the world for ever. Although war was declared due to Germany's invasion of Poland, the vlaues and issues at stakefar outweighed mere territorial considerations, powerful though they were.
It became increasingly evident that the German army, together with their Japanese allies were willing to use extremely brutal methods to advance their aims,which included tortuire and genocide. Clearly this struggle could not be lost, if free civilization was to be preserved. Between 1939 and 1941, Germany conquered much of Europe and seemed unstoppable. Only the United Kingdom remained uninvaded and was gradually brought to it's knees by the efficient onslaught of the German war machine.
At the same time, the Japanese were spreading across Asia, dominating the region and growing in power. When the Japanese air force attacked Pearl Harbor in the USA, America was brought into the war, bringing huge resources to bear in this now truly global conflict. Although the American public were not too keen on this development, it became painfully obvious that the world would not be safe at the hands pf these enemies and everything was done to defeat them at all cost.
Altough Germany surrendered in 1945, Japan still fought on in the Asian arena, and a decision was made which was destined top change the world. An atomic bomb developed by US scientists was dropped over the city of Hiroshima causing immense devastation. When the Japanese fought on, a second bomb was detonated, and they capitulated. Two of the many significant effects of this war was the extended period of detente between the USA and Russia, deemed the Cold War and lasting 46 years, and the creation of the United Nations, an organization intended to prevent future conflict between nations.
After World War 2, the full extent of the enemy's involvement in genocide became known when the American forces invading Germany liberated Jewish prisoners form the notorious 'labor' camps, in which they were starved and put to death by gassing. It was later found that Hitler's regime reserved this treatment for gypsies, homosexuals, certain categories of insanity and other 'social deviants' elsewhere defined by the state.
