CHAPTER CONTENTS A. The Course of World War II Special Focus: The Holocaust B. Results of World War II
C. Ireland during World War II: The Emergency
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A short history of World War II On 3 September 1939, World War II began. The two groups of countries that fought against each other included:
THE ALLIES Britain, France USSR (joined in 1941) China (invaded by Japan in 1937) USA (joined in 1941)
THE AXIS POWERS Germany, Italy Japan (invaded China in 1937) Romania (joined in 1941) Hungary (joined in 1940)
There were many other countries involved in this war, some of which were invaded and occupied by the Axis powers but continued to fight. In countries such as Yugoslavia, Greece, France and Holland, groups of soldiers fought the invading forces throughout the entire war. These soldiers were known as
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This war was the most devastating war ever known. It is estimated that between 50 and 60 million people died during the six years of the war. Sixty-one countries and 1.7 billion people were involved in it. By the end of World War II, the world had changed completely.