When Was WW2?
When did WW2 start?
This seemingly simple question actually has several answers. They are all correct answers, depending on your definition of what WW2 is.
- Do you think WW2 began when the first of the regional wars within WW2 started? If so, your answer is 7 Jul 1937, which was when Japan declared war on China; some scholars actually date the invasion all the way back to 1931, when Japan occupied the northeastern region of China known as Manchuria, though they are a minority, as officially war was not declared between China and Japan until 1937.
- Do you think WW2 began when conflict had spread to multiple continents? Then your answer is 1 Sep 1939, which was when Germany and Russia invaded Poland; although war had been underway for two years in Asia by this time, Russo-German aggression expanded war to Europe, Africa, and the Atlantic Ocean. Most publications cite this date as the start of WW2.
- Do you think WW2 began when all major players had all major players and joined in, and all regional wars that made up of WW2 had started? If so, then your answer is 7 Dec 1941, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and started the Pacific War. With that attack, the last of the major players, the United States, finally took a side.
When did WW2 end?
While the start of the war is somewhat debatable, the end certainly is not. Germany capitulated on 7 May 1945 after Soviet troops entered her capital city of Berlin. Emperor Showa (Hirohito) announced the intention for the Japanese surrender on 14 Aug 1945, and the surrender ceremony took place in Tokyo Bay on 2 Sep 1945. The fall of Germany and Japan brought an end to the costliest war in human history.
Next: Why Did WW2 Take place?
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Chiang Kaishek, 31 Jul 1937
9 Aug 2009 12:58:21 AM
To be strictly correct the state of war between Great Britain and Germany was officially terminated on July 2,1951. The state of war between Japan, Britain and 47 other non-communist countries was formally ended by the signing of the San Francisco Peace Treaty on September 8,1951.