Chapter 16 Summary

World War II began when Germany attacked Poland on September 1, 1939. Two days later, France and Great Britain declared war on Germany. The next six years that followed resulted in the most death and destruction of any war in history. Over 60 million people were killed and 50 million were left homeless. As more countries joined the war, it became a world affair and every nation was affected by it. The United States officially got into the war after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, when they declared war, striking back against the Japanese and Nazis. Also during this time was the infamous Holocaust, the terrible mass slaughter of civilians by the Nazis. After throughly discussing the atomic bomb droppings and the Allied victory, the chapter concludes with the destruction clean-up in Europe and the Nuremburg trials.