Seventy years since the beginning of World War II

BELGRADE - The first of September 1939, exactly 70 years ago, a German warship opened fire on the positions of the Polish Army in Danzig. Shortly after German troops crossed the border and invaded Poland, which marked the beginning of World War II.

On Friday, 1 September 1939th at half five in the morning called pike, the German air force fighter planes, attacked the Polish town Vielun no official declaration of war.

Nobody in Vielunu is hoped the attack because it was a town with no strategic importance, without an army. Center quickly razed to the ground, and the warship "Schleswig Holstein" then bombed Polish guns ammunition on the peninsula Westerplatte at Danzig.

Hitler's lie becomes the pretext for entering the war. In fact, members of the SS, preobučeni in Polish uniforms, simulate an attack near the German places Glajvic. Million and the German soldiers was going to Poland and the resistance was quickly overcome.

Hitler wanted to expand to Germany, a pact with Stalin to divide Poland between Germany and the Soviet Union, signed only a week before the attack, made him a chance for the occupation.

France and Great Britain have not held previously given promises and instead to attack Germany from the west, the British consolidated their own defense, and the French built forts on the border to Germany.

They declare war on Hitler only two days after the attack on Poland, 3 September, and some historians take this date for the beginning of World War II.

The largest armed conflict in history

Second World War is the name of a great armed conflict, or a series of interconnected armed conflicts that are between the 1939th and 1945. The lead between the two block states - the so-called. Axis, led by Germany, and so. Allied forces, led by the USSR, Britain and the United States.

The number of states or the people who participated in it, and the number of casualties and extent of material destruction, the Second World War is the largest armed conflict in the history of mankind.

It can be said that a number of causes of the Second World War has its roots in World War II. Germany, Italy and Japan were in the 19th century, relatively late profiled as a modern industrial state, and are significantly behind in creating a colonial empire in relation to Great Britain and France.

Germany in World War II was defeated, and is based on the Treaty of Versailles left without colonies, and so was brought in more podređeniji position. Italy and Japan, although the winning side, were significantly disappointed by the spoils of war.

Economic crisis as a catalyst

The outbreak of the Second World War was a process that lasted nearly a decade and which is the main catalyst was the great economic crisis, which originated in the U.S. in October 1929th year. The crisis has occurred extreme left and right ideology and the rapid increase in anti-Semitism.

Attack on Poland was preceded by violent annexation of Austria 1938th and occupation of Czechoslovakia 1939th year.

Second World War lasted more than five years. Soviet and American troops on 25 April 1945. The merged at Torgau and practically cut off the German half. At the same time began during the Battle of Berlin that Hitler committed suicide, and the Berlin surrendered 2nd May.

The new German government under Admiral Dönitz was started negotiations on the surrender, who finished 7th May 8th May 1945. has announced the cessation of hostilities.

Conflicts with Japan was not yet completed. Given the American belief that the classic attack on Japan meant huge losses on the Allied side, the decision was made to force Japan to surrender the use of atomic bombs.

On the sixth of August was dropped on Hiroshima atomic bomb, which so far has caused unimaginable devastation and 9th August was thrown and another atomic bomb on Nagasaki.

The Japanese government has realized that further resistance would be futile and 15 August was published unconditional surrender. It was formally signed 2nd September, the American military ship "Missouri in Tokyo Bay, which is the date that the official end of World War II.

Demographic changes

The exact number of casualties of the Second World War has not been determined, nor will ever be established. Most historians mentioned the figure of 55 million people, with 10 percent of that number killed and 90 percent of civilians.

The number of wounded was several times higher, as the Second World War is the bloodiest conflict in history.

The war has led to dramatic demographic changes in many areas of the world. All ethnic communities are either decimated or forcibly displaced. Najjeziviji example is the almost complete disappearance of the Jews in Europe. Fifteen million Germans were expelled from large parts of Eastern Europe.

Holocaust, whose dimensions and forms discovered after the war, for many, was represented by an even greater shock of the devastation of war themselves.