When Did WW2 End?
What Was World War 2?
World War 2 was a global war, which began in 1939 and ended in 1945. It was the deadliest and cruelest war in history. It ran over 30 nations, affecting at least hundred million people with approximately fifty to 85 million people dying. The major parties involved in World War 2 were the Allies and the Axis (Italy, Germany, and Japan). Allies included the United States, France, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain. It all started when Adolf Hitler and the German Nazi party established war against Poland in September 1939.
Germany and the Soviet Union divided Poland. Germany also frequently declared war on UK and France and was able to take over most of Europe. With Italy and Japan, Germany was able to form the Axis alliance in 1941. Mid that year, Germany launched a massive war against the Soviet Union as Japan invaded the United States and other European colonies. Despite this, the Axis alliance victory was soon diminishing after it lost its war in North Africa. It progressively lost battle one by one across the Soviet Union together with the Eastern front. The Allies on the other side invaded Sicily and Italy (leading to the surrendering by Italy).
End of World War 2
The Germans surrendered on May 8, 1945, which has since been celebrated annually on the 8th or 9th of May as Victory over Europe Day, commonly known as V-E Day. However, Japan refused to surrender, leading to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6th and 9th respectively. In the aftermath of the bombing, Japan surrendered on August 15th and formally surrendered on September 2, 1945. Victory over Japan Day, commonly known as V-J Day, is celebrated annually on August 15 in the UK and September 2 in the US. With both the Germans and Japanese having formally surrendered, the Second World War was officially ended on September 2, 1945.
Aftermath of the War in Germany
When World War 2 ended in 1945, Germany faced massive economic, social and physiological problems. Many cities in the country suffered destruction in places including churches and schools. The citizens spent most of their time moaning their fellow citizens and picking the pieces to start over again. The Allies agreed upon dividing Germany into three subdivisions (British zone in the northwest, the Soviet Union to the east, and American and France to the Southwest).
Germany also lost most of the territories it had acquired during the war, among them Austria and Saarland. Some part of Northeastern Germany was taken by the Soviet Union. The citizens who lived at the borders of Germany (Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia) were driven out. The Allies faced a rough time trying to agree on what to do with Germany since they never wanted a repeat of war. They even had thoughts of turning it into an agricultural state. They finally settled on the idea that they would deform Nazi. An agreement came up citing that every citizen wishing to seek a political position should produce a document stating that they were not supporters of Nazi.
With time, Germany was able to pick itself and develop after America saw it wise for Germany to try to sustain itself economically. A new currency, German Mark was incorporated into the German market with the help of America. The Soviet Union, on the other hand, got furious over the fact that they were not involved in initiating this new currency. Consequently, the division of Germany arose leading to the formation of West Germany and East Germany. Berlin City split into East Berlin and West Berlin. A wall was constructed to separate the two sides and was named the Berlin wall.
