Jonah Patel
World War II was a global conflict that involved nearly every country in the world. The two major alliances during World War II were the Axis powers and the Allied powers. The Axis powers were initially united by a treaty called the Anti-Comintern Pact of 1936, which was signed by Germany and Japan, and later Italy in 1937. The three principal partners in the Axis alliance were Germany, Italy, and Japan, and they were opposed by the Allied Powers, which were led by Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union. Five other nations joined the Axis during World War II: Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Croatia. The Allies became a formalized group upon the Declaration by the United Nations on January 1, 1942, which was signed by 26 countries around the world.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Axis Powers | Germany, Japan, Italy, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Croatia, Manchuko, Menguko, Legionary Romania, and Japanese-controlled Thailand |
| Allies | Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, South Africa, the United States, Poland, Greece, Norway, Canada, the Philippines, Denmark, Luxembourg, Czechoslovakia, the USSR, Mongolia, and Cuba |
| Primary Axis Leaders | Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Emperor Hirohito |
| Primary Allied Leaders | Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin |
| Axis GDP in 1941 | $911 billion |
| Allied GDP in 1941 | $1,798 billion |
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What You'll Learn
Germany, Japan, Italy
Germany, Italy, and Japan were the three principal partners in the Axis alliance during World War II. The alliance was formed through a series of agreements, including the Rome-Berlin Axis declaration and the German-Japanese Anti-Comintern Pact, both signed in 1936. The Rome-Berlin Axis, also known as the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis, became a formal military alliance in 1939 with the Pact of Steel, and was further solidified by the Tripartite Pact of 1940, which integrated the military aims of the three powers.
Germany, led by Adolf Hitler, pursued aggressive expansionist policies in Europe, rearming the country in violation of the Treaty of Versailles and taking a hostile stance towards its European neighbours. Italy, led by Benito Mussolini, also pursued expansionist policies, invading Ethiopia (Abyssinia) in 1935, which led to sanctions from the League of Nations and the end of its alliances with Britain and France. In Asia, Japan, led by Emperor Hirohito, invaded and established control over Manchuria in 1931, and in 1937, invaded the rest of China, initiating the war in the Pacific.
All three countries shared far-right, anti-communist ideologies, and sought to secure their own expansionist interests. Germany and Japan had both banned the Communist Party domestically, and shared a mutual interest in preventing the spread of communism from the Soviet Union. Italy joined the Anti-Comintern Pact in 1937, and the three countries together formed the foundation of the Axis alliance.
The Axis powers lacked the same level of coordination and ideological cohesion as the Allies, and their interests sometimes conflicted. However, they pledged mutual military and political support, and at their zenith in 1942, presided over large parts of Europe, North Africa, and East Asia, through occupation, annexation, or puppet states. The Axis powers were ultimately defeated in 1945, with Italy changing sides in 1943 and Germany admitting defeat after the loss of Romania's oil supply in 1944.
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Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria
The Axis powers during World War II included Germany, Italy, Romania, Hungary, Japan, and Bulgaria, among others. Here is a more detailed look at the roles of Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria within the Axis:
Hungary
Hungary was a kingdom during World War II and was a member of the Axis powers. In the 1930s, Hungary relied on increased trade with Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany to pull itself out of the Great Depression. By 1938, Hungarian politics and foreign policy had become stridently nationalistic, and Hungary adopted an irredentist policy similar to Germany's, attempting to incorporate ethnic Hungarian areas in neighboring countries. Hungary officially joined the Axis powers when it signed the Tripartite Pact on November 20, 1940, becoming the fourth member. Hungarian forces participated in the invasion of Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union. However, by 1943, Prime Minister Miklós Kállay began peace negotiations with the United States and the United Kingdom, causing suspicion in Berlin. In March 1944, German forces occupied Hungary, and an armistice was signed between Hungary and the USSR. Despite this, Hungarian and German forces in Hungary were defeated by advancing Soviet armies in 1945.
Romania
Romania officially joined the Axis powers on November 23, 1940. The country controlled the third-largest Axis army in Europe and the fourth-largest in the world. Romania provided equipment and oil to Germany and committed a significant number of troops to the Eastern Front. However, popular support for Romania's participation in the war faltered as the country became a target of Allied aerial bombardment from 1943 onwards. In 1944, King Michael of Romania engineered a coup d'état that deposed the Antonescu regime and put Romania on the side of the Allies for the remainder of the war.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria joined the Axis powers due to its need for survival and to maintain its independence. The country did not trust either the Nazis or the USSR and chose to ally with Germany to avoid being conquered. Bulgaria had a fascist dictator at the time and experienced tension and distrust in its relationship with Nazi Germany, partly due to Nazi racism against Slavs. Bulgaria did not deport its Jewish population to Nazi Germany and took steps to protect them.
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Britain, France, Belgium
The Allies of World War II included Britain, France, and Belgium, among many other countries. In the face of German aggression, these three countries found themselves in a battle for survival.
Britain
Britain was one of the first countries to declare war on Germany, doing so in response to the German invasion of Poland in 1939. The British Indian Army, which numbered 205,000 men at the outbreak of the war, played a crucial role in the Allied war effort. By the end of the war, the British Indian Army had become the largest all-volunteer force in history, with over 2.5 million men. Indian soldiers earned 30 Victoria Crosses and suffered 87,000 military casualties during the war. Britain also coordinated closely with the United States, forming a Combined Chiefs of Staff and participating in high-level conferences that shaped the war effort.
France
France was also an early responder to German aggression, declaring war on Germany alongside Britain in 1939. France had a long-standing alliance with Poland, which Germany invaded. France established the Anglo-French Supreme War Council with Britain to coordinate military decisions. However, France fell to German forces in 1940, and a French government-in-exile was established in London.
Belgium
Belgium maintained a policy of neutrality at the start of World War II, but this did not prevent a German invasion in May 1940. Outdated and ill-equipped, the Belgian military held out against overwhelming odds for 18 days before surrendering. Belgian casualties during the campaign numbered 6,000 killed and 15,850 wounded. Many Belgians were taken as prisoners of war, while others escaped to the United Kingdom, where they formed a government and army-in-exile on the Allied side. Belgium was liberated by the Allies in 1944, but even after liberation, Belgian towns were targeted by German V-Bombs, resulting in thousands of casualties.
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United States, Soviet Union, China
The United States was one of the major Allies in World War II. The US maintained formal neutrality during the first two years of the war, supplying Britain, the Soviet Union, and China with war materials through the Lend-Lease Act. However, following the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan on December 7, 1941, the US entered the conflict. The US played a significant role in the Allied liberation of Europe, including the invasion of Italy in Operation Husky and the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944. The US also conducted numerous bombing runs on Germany and participated in the push towards Berlin, meeting up with the Soviet Red Army at Torgau on the Elbe River in April 1945. The war in Europe ended on May 8, 1945, with the surrender of Berlin to the Red Army, and the formal capitulation of Japan on September 2, 1945, marked the end of World War II.
The Soviet Union, led by Joseph Stalin, was also a crucial Ally during World War II. The Soviet Union suffered significant losses, with the war damaging or destroying forty percent of its housing and rendering 25 million citizens homeless. The Soviet Union played a pivotal role in the war effort, particularly in the eventual defeat of Nazi Germany. Stalin was confident of an Allied victory and sought agreements with Britain regarding mutual assistance and territorial gains. The Soviet forces were instrumental in capturing Hungary, Belarus, and western Ukraine, and they invaded Japanese-controlled territories in Manchuria, southern Sakhalin, and parts of Korea, contributing to Japan's surrender.
China was a vital but often forgotten member of the Allies, battling Japan as early as 1937, two years before the official start of World War II. The war forced approximately 100 million Chinese to become refugees, and the death toll was surpassed only by the Soviet Union, with estimates ranging from 12 to 20 million. The Chinese resistance against Japan, led by commander-in-chief Chiang Kai-shek, played a crucial role in the Allied victory in the Pacific. The Chinese nationalists and communists fought a guerilla war against the Japanese in Manchuria, and despite facing challenges, their stalwart defence prevented a Japanese victory and altered the trajectory of World War II.
These three nations, the United States, the Soviet Union, and China, formed a pivotal alliance that contributed significantly to the Allied victory over the Axis powers in World War II. Each country played a unique and indispensable role in the global conflict, showcasing their commitment, resilience, and determination in the face of adversity.
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Australia, Canada, New Zealand
Australia, Canada, and New Zealand were all allies during World War II.
Australia
Australia played a significant role in the Pacific War, with Australian special forces deployed to Timor, the Solomon and Bismarck islands, and New Caledonia. The Australian Army and RAAF provided most of the Allied radio interception capability in the SWPA, breaking several Japanese codes. The Australian I Corps, under Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead, also led amphibious assaults against Japanese forces occupying Borneo, with the goals of capturing Borneo's oil fields and Brunei Bay to support the planned US-led invasion of Japan and British-led liberation of Malaya.
Australian forces accepted the surrender of Japanese troops at various locations in the Pacific Theatre, including Morotai, Borneo, Timor, Wewak, Rabaul, Bougainville, and Nauru. Additionally, about 14,000 Australians served in the Merchant Navy, crewing ships globally. Australia also played a minor role in the British-led campaigns against Vichy French colonial possessions in Africa.
Canada
Canada's industries played a crucial role during World War II, manufacturing and supplying war materials and other supplies to all Allied countries, valued at approximately $100 billion in today's value. With many men overseas, women took on more prominent roles in the workplace, particularly in agriculture, communications, and food processing.
Canada also contributed to the war effort through military operations. The First Canadian Army played a pivotal role in the liberation of Paris, working alongside U.S. forces to destroy the German Army in Normandy. Canadians received three Victoria Crosses for their service in Northwest Europe and the Battle of the Scheldt.
New Zealand
New Zealand contributed to the war effort through military deployments and the production of war materials and foodstuffs. The 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force was initially deployed to Egypt, with the 2nd Division later defending Greece against Italian and German invasions alongside British and Australian units. New Zealand troops also played a role in the defence of Crete, bolstering the garrison to a total of 34,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers.
New Zealand Air Force and Navy units supported the Allied island-hopping campaign, with RNZAF squadrons assisting Australian ground troops on Bougainville. New Zealand also supplied the bulk of foodstuffs to American forces in the South Pacific, alongside Australia.
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