World War II killed more people, destroyed more property, disrupted more lives, and probably had more serious consequences than any other war in history. This caused the downfall of Western Europe as the center of world power and led to the rise of the Soviet Union. The exact number of people killed as a result of the war will never be known. Many nations came together to form the Axis. As they face each other, the Allies numbered fifty nations at the end of the war. The early stages of the war are what captured the attention of the United States. Although the United States was determined to stay out of this war, Pearl Harbor was the deciding factor for its entry. The aftermath of the war led to many deaths and even more power struggles after the war ended. Overall, World War II was a large-scale and extremely destructive war that forever changed the world and its superpowers. At the start of World War II, Germany won a series of rapid victories over Poland, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway and France. He then attempted to bomb Britain into surrender, but to no avail. After Hitler took control of Czechoslovakia, he began demanding land from Poland. Britain and France pledged to help Poland if Germany were to attack. Unfortunately, helping Poland would involve invading Germany, which neither country was willing to do. Britain and France hoped that the Soviet Union would help protect Poland. But Hitler and Stalin shocked the world when they became allies. On August 23, 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact; in which both agreed not to attack each other. They secretly decided to divide Poland between them. On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland and began to become the central powers of the world. The wartime alliance quickly collapsed as the Soviet Union sought to spread communism across Europe and Asia. The struggle between the communist world, led by the Soviet Union, and the non-communist world, led by the United States, is known as the Cold War. Soon after the war ended, the Allies began drafting peace treaties with Italy. and four other countries that had fought with the Axis. Throughout world history, there have been major power shifts, wars, and abrupt changes in society. World War II, as destructive as it was, was inevitable. But despite death, destruction, surprise attacks and torn cities, peace was achieved at a great cost. -three-mistakes-made-in-japan-pearl-harbor-38550.html