World War II. World War II Was

¶ … World War II. World War II was a turning point in world history, and brought together many allies to fight strong opponents for world domination. The War was supposed to be the "last" world war fought, but other conflicts since that time show the world is still a volatile and unsettled place, and it seems there will always be wars fought in this world. World War II was fought on two major fronts -- Europe and Asia. There was also fighting in North Africa, and many Pacific Islands.

The initial war began in 1939 when German dictator Adolph Hitler invaded Poland. England and France had pledged to support Poland as Hitler continued to take over countries in Europe, such as Austria and Czechoslovakia in the late 1930s. When Hitler invaded Poland, France and England issued ultimatums to Germany which were ignored, and the war had officially begun, even though actual fighting by England and France did not really begin until 1940 (Kitchen 6-11).

Initially, the Soviet Union signed a pact with Germany, while England, France, and most of the European countries were allied against Germany. Later, Italy and Japan also became German allies. Initially, the United States tried to stay out of the war. President Franklin D. Roosevelt pledged not to enter the war, especially during his reelection in 1940.

One historian notes, "Roosevelt, seeing the gap between him and his opponent narrowing, made constant professions of his determination to preserve the peace, but at the same time he agreed to a British request for enough equipment for tell divisions and a more than twofold increase in aircraft shipments" (Kitchen 59). However, on December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked without warning the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and the next day Roosevelt and Congress declared war on Japan -- but not Italy and Germany (Kitchen 166).

However, Germany declared war on the United States on December 11, and Roosevelt then joined forces with England and France. Probably the two most important aspects of the war were the extermination of millions of Jews by German forces, and the creation and use of atomic bombs to end the war. At the beginning of the war in Europe, the Germans had a distinct advantage over the European allies.

They had better weapons, they were developing new weapons, such as the V-2 bomb and the Messerschmitt airplane, and they had been building up their defenses so they were better prepared for war. They launched large scale attacks on Britain, and invaded and conquered France in mid-1940. With their foothold in France, the Germans were in a much better position to terrorize England, and they did, while also attacking the Balkans, Greece, and other areas of Europe and North Africa.

During this time, German troops rounded up Jewish people all over Europe and send them to concentration camps, where millions of them were exterminated like animals. Much of this holocaust was not discovered until after the war, and it is one of the most infamous and lasting memories of World War II. When the war in Europe ended, the War in Asia was still going on. The U.S. used American and German scientists to create atomic bombs that would be used to end the war.

Another historian wrote, "The use of the atomic bomb to defeat Japan has been the focus of an extensive debate among historians" (Divine 309). President Roosevelt had begun the project, and when he died in 1945, President Truman continued it. He was urged to drop the bombs to end the war quickly and spare more lives, because it would take much more human life.