World War II (short version)

After World War I, Germany faced severe sanctions, leading to economic collapse and hyperinflation. This instability, coupled with the Wall Street crash of 1929, fueled the rise of nationalism and the Nazi party under Adolf Hitler in 1933. Germany began rearming and pursuing an aggressive foreign policy. Simultaneously, Italy, under Benito Mussolini, embraced fascism and colonial expansion, while Japan pursued an expansionist policy in Asia, invading Chinese territories.

Germany annexed Austria and parts of Czechoslovakia, turning the Slovak Republic into a satellite state. After signing a non-aggression pact with the USSR to divide Europe, Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, prompting the United Kingdom and France to declare war, thus beginning World War II.

Germany rapidly invaded Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Belgium using its Blitzkrieg strategy. France was defeated, leading to its partial occupation and indirect control of its colonies. Germany, Italy, and Japan formed the Axis Powers. Despite aerial bombing campaigns, Germany failed to conquer Britain, leading Hitler to plan an invasion of the USSR.

On June 22, 1941, Axis forces launched a massive invasion of the USSR, drawing it into the Allied camp. German armies besieged Leningrad and advanced to Moscow, encountering a harsh winter. In Asia, Japan occupied French Indochina, leading to a US oil and steel embargo. Japan responded with a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, bringing the United States into the war.

Throughout the war, massacres of Slavic and Jewish populations occurred in Eastern Europe. In Asia, Japan subjected millions of Chinese and Indonesian civilians to forced labor and forced women into prostitution. In Europe, concentration and extermination camps were built by the Nazis to systematically murder Jews, Roma, political opponents, homosexuals, and people with disabilities. Resistance movements formed across Europe, engaging in strikes, sabotage, espionage, and guerrilla warfare.

The Allies landed in North Africa, pushing back Axis forces. The German offensive in the Caucasus suffered a major setback, allowing the Soviets to launch a counterattack. After Allied landings in Sicily, Italy requested an armistice, leading to German occupation. On June 6, 1944, the Allies landed in Normandy, rapidly liberating Paris and other territories. Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945, and Germany surrendered eight days later.

The United States and USSR joined forces to defeat Japan. The Soviets invaded Manchuria, while the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945, marking the end of World War II. The war resulted in at least 60 million deaths, widespread destruction, and the emergence of the United States and the USSR as global superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War despite the creation of the United Nations.