On September 1, 1939, Nazi German troops crossed the border into Poland. In response, on September 4, 1939, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany. On September 17, 1939, in accordance with the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact with the Third Reich, the Soviet Union launched an invasion of Poland from the east, occupying western Ukraine and Belarus. These events marked the beginning of World War II, the largest armed conflict in human history. The war involved most of the world (over 60), all major powers that formed opposing military camps: the Axis bloc (Germany, Italy, Japan and their satellites) and the anti-Hitler coalition (Great Britain, the Soviet Union (since July 12, 1941). .), The United States, China, etc.). The fighting took place in Europe, the Pacific, the Atlantic, Southeast Asia, China, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and Australia. More than 100 million people took part in military operations directly. The casualties ranged from 60 to 70 million, including as a result of the Holocaust, deaths from starvation, disease and mass killings. The main countries involved in the conflict used all their economic, industrial and scientific potential. Nuclear weapons were used for the first time.
Thanks to the joint efforts of the anti-Hitler coalition, the Axis countries, which sought world domination, suffered defeat and defeat. On May 8, 1945, the leadership of the Third Reich signed the Act of Unconditional Surrender. This date is considered the Day of Victory over Nazism in Europe. On September 2, 1945, the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Japan was signed. This was the end of World War II.
World War II radically changed the further order of the world. Large-scale decolonization began. The role of Great Britain and the French Republic in world politics has diminished. The United Nations was established to prevent future conflicts and to promote international cooperation. The ideologies of fascism and Nazism were banned and condemned. Two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, established themselves in the world, leading to the division into capitalist and communist camps and the beginning of the Cold War.
We offer you to watch an interesting discussion "Memory of the War and the " War of Remembrance " on the most pressing and controversial issues of World War II. The discussion was dedicated to the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation and the 75th anniversary of the victory over Nazism in World War II.