Download The Countries Involved in WWII 1939 - 1945

History/WWII/Participants
The Countries Involved in WWII
1939 - 1945
World War II was a widespread, global conflict. It was
truly a world war. WWII began as two separate wars far
away from each other: The war in Asia started as the
Second Sino-Japanese War when Japan invaded China
in 1937. The other started in Europe when Nazi
Germany invaded Poland in 1939. Between the late
1930s and 1945, more than 100 million military
personnel mobilized around the world, and little distinction was made between military
combatants and civilians. It was the deadliest war in human history— more than 60 million
people were dead by the time it was over. Almost two-thirds of those killed were civilians. This
includes the Holocaust in which almost 11 million Jews, Gypsies and other minorities were
murdered.
WWII was fought chiefly between two major alliances: the Axis and the Allies. The main Axis
countries were Germany, Japan and Italy. These countries officially signed what is called the
Tripartite Pact on September 27, 1940, forming their alliance. An important difference between
this alliance and WWI is that this time, Italy and Japan were allied with Germany, not fighting it
as they had in WWI. They were joined by Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. Austria
also participated (it was annexed by Germany in 1938).
The opposing alliance, known as the Allies, or Allied Powers, consisted of Great Britain,
France, the Soviet Union, China and the United States (the five countries now on the Security
Council of the United Nations – there is a connection). They were joined by dozens of other
countries that participated in the war to varying degrees. These included Commonwealth
countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada; countries in the British Empire such as
India; and other countries including Greece, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Poland,
Yugoslavia, and many others.
Some say there were 51 Allied countries, since that is how many became charter members of
the United Nations when it was created after the war, and to become a charter member of the
UN, a nation had to have been at war with one or more Axis country.
These 51 were: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Byelorussia SSR, Canada, Chile,
China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,
Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, Great Britain, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India,
Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Liberia, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua,
Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, The Philippines, Poland, Russia USSR, Saudi Arabia,
South Africa, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine SSR, USA, Uruguay, Venezuela and Yugoslavia.
France was actually on both sides during part of the war. Following German victory over
France in 1940, the northern part of the country was occupied and controlled directly by
German forces, while the southern part was ruled by a French government known now as the
"Vichy French" which was loyal to Germany. Vichy France lasted from 1940 until 1944.
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When WWII started, the USSR was a neutral nation due to the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression
Pact. But then Hitler invaded the USSR and it became an ally of Great Britain and the USA.
Other countries that tried to remain neutral during the war and failed after being invaded by
German forces include Belgium and the Netherlands. On the other hand, a few European
countries were successful in maintaining their neutrality, such as Ireland (Northern Ireland
fought alongside Great Britain, while the independent south, Eire, remained neutral, although
some citizens volunteered to fight alongside British forces during the war.) Portugal’s fascist
dictator sympathized with Hitler, but remained neutral due to economic ties to Great Britain.
Spain’s fascist dictator Francisco Franco had friendly relations with Nazi Germany, but did not
fight. Sweden remained neutral, although it fought the Soviet Union in what is known as “the
Winter War” in 1939. Finally, Switzerland’s neutrality was largely respected by the other
belligerents, although it did have to defend it with force at times.
The Axis Powers, led by Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan, were the aggressors of the
conflict. Each of the major Axis countries went to war on their own: Nazi Germany invaded
Poland in 1939, Italy entered WWII in 1940 (after invading Ethiopia in 1935), and Japan
invaded China in 1937 and attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, which finally brought the USA into
the war. The Axis Powers made their military decisions to benefit themselves, and not to help
each other. They did not share much in terms of resources or equipment, nor did they
cooperate much in terms of strategic planning.
After Italy surrendered in 1943, Germany and Japan were fighting two separate wars,
Germany in Europe and Japan in the Pacific.
The Allies cooperated more than the Axis powers, but they were a loose-knit group, especially
in the beginning. The original Allied countries were fighting to defend Poland after it was
invaded by Nazi Germany; they were led by the United Kingdom and France. As Germany
invaded more countries, these joined the Allies as well. After Germany defeated France in
1940, the United Kingdom was the only remaining major country of the Allies. The rest of the
Allied forces at that time came from governments-in-exile of countries that had been overrun
by the Germans, or from the British Commonwealth.
Nazi Germany attacked the Communist Soviet Union in 1941, and the British accepted it into
their alliance. Before the attack, Great Britain had not been sure how to deal with the Soviet
Union, as it had also attacked Poland earlier.
After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the United States also entered
the war on the side of the Allies, helping them in both the Pacific and Europe. Even before
Pearl Harbor, the United States had supplied resources and material to the Allies, but after the
Japanese attack, the United States got involved militarily.
So we see that the countries involved in WWII had many different reasons to get involved, and
they got involved to a variety of degrees. Far more countries joined the Allies during the war
than joined the Axis. Some joined because they had been attacked by the Axis. Later in the
war, some smaller countries joined the Allies to ensure their own security, but also to gain the
military and economic support of the Allies during and after the war.
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Choose the best answer for the questions on this page
1.
Which country was not an Axis power?
a. Germany
b. Belgium
c. Bulgaria
d. Japan
2.
Which country was an Allied Power?
a. Germany
b. The Soviet Union
c. Bulgaria
d. Japan
3.
How did Germany start WWII?
a. It invaded Poland.
b. It invaded Belgium.
c. It invaded France.
d. It invaded the Soviet Union.
4.
How did Japan start the war in Asia?
a. It bombed Pearl Harbor.
b. It invaded China.
c. It attacked the Philippines
d. It attacked Australia
5.
How many military personnel mobilized in WWII?
a. 100 million
b. 60 million
c. 40 million
d. 11 million
6.
How many civilians were killed in WWII?
a. 100 million
b. 60 million
c. 40 million
d. 11 million
7.
When did the United States enter WWII
a. When a German submarine attacked Boston
b. After Germany defeated France in 1940
c. After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941
d. When Italy surrendered
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History/WWII/Participants
Name______________________________________________________Date___________
Use complete sentences to answer the questions below.
1. Describe an experience or situation in your life that is somehow similar to neutral
Belgium joining the Allies after being attacked by Germany.
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2. Define neutrality.
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3. In your understanding, what was the result of non-differentiation between military
personnel and civilians??
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4. Imagine it is 1941 and you are an American who has just heard that Japanese forces
bombed Pearl Harbor. Describe how you would feel about it.
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5. What do you understand differently after reading about the countries involved in WWII?
How will you use this information in the future?
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History/WWII/Participants
Name______________________________________________________Date___________
WRITING ABOUT THE COUNTRIES INVOLVED IN WWII
Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935. Japan invaded China in 1937. Germany invaded Poland in
1939. Throughout all this, the United States remained neutral militarily, although it assisted the
Allies with supplies and production. The United States did not enter the war until it was directly
attacked by the Japanese military in 1941. Research this subject – why do you think the United
States waited so long to get involved in the fighting? Do you think it was right to wait so long?
Why or why not? What might have happened differently if the United States had gotten
involved earlier?
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History/WWII/Participants
Name______________________________________________________Date___________
Answers to THE COUNTRIES INVOLVED IN WWII
Multiple-choice questions
1.
b
2.
b
3.
a
4.
b
5.
a
6.
c
7.
c
Short-answer questions
1.
Answers will vary. Accept logical, realistic answers.
2.
Neutrality = noninvolvement, nonalignment
3.
Answers will vary. Accept logical, realistic answers.
4.
Answers will vary. Accept logical, realistic answers.
5.
Answers will vary. Accept logical, realistic answers.
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