How Hitler Rose
Humiliated by WWI's Treaty of Versailles, Germany was ripe for extremism. Adolf Hitler promised to restore German glory, blaming Jews and communists. By 1933 he was dictator; by 1939 he had rebuilt a terrifying war machine. Britain and France hoped appeasement would satisfy him — it didn't.
Blitzkrieg and World Conquest
On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland — WWII began. The Blitzkrieg ('lightning war') used tanks, planes, and radios in devastating coordination. By 1941, Hitler ruled most of Europe and invaded the USSR. In Asia, Japan — allied with Germany — bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, pulling America into the war.
Turning the Tide
Stalingrad (1942–43) broke the German army — 2 million casualties in history's bloodiest battle. On June 6, 1944 (D-Day), Allies stormed Normandy — the largest seaborne invasion ever. In the Pacific, America island-hopped toward Japan. By 1945, Germany was crushed between East and West.
The End and the Cost
Hitler killed himself on April 30, 1945; Germany surrendered May 8. Japan fought on until atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki (August 1945) forced surrender. The cost: 70–85 million dead — 3% of humanity, including 6 million Jews in the Holocaust. The UN was founded to prevent it happening again.