During the Second World War The world was divided into three sides: axis powers, allies and neutral countries.
The Powers of the Axis were formed by the members of the Tripartite Pact: Germany, the Empire of Japan and the Kingdom of Italy, along with the collaborators in the occupied countries and other allied countries.
Map of participating countries in World War II.
The central powers of the allies were the big four: the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union and China, who fought alongside the resistance in occupied countries and other allied countries.
Finally, there were neutral countries. The biggest Day of these, in the end, joined the allies or supported the Axis in a non-military way.
World War II bands
The Powers of the Axis
F The least benefited during the Treaty of Versailles . This block Formed around the Tripartite Pact , Between countries that possessed similar economic ideologies and systems.
First, the Rome-Berlin Hub thanks to Treaty of Friendship Signed on October 25, 1936 between Nazi Germany and the Kingdom of Italy. This agreement was due to the proximity of ideologies (fascism and Nazism) and the government programs of both nations.
Italy was the one that took the initiative, since it looked for the support of Germany in its war of occupation of Ethiopia and Somalia.
In the end, on May 22, 1939, Berlin was signed in Berlin. Steel Pact Between the Ministers of Foreign Affairs Galeazzo Ciano By the Kingdom of Italy and Joachim von Ribbentrop By Germany. Japan would join this agreement on September 27, 1940 when it signed the document. Thus formed the Tripartite Pact.
After the signing of the armistice with Germany , Was established Or Vicky's Government. As well Miklós Horthy , Regent of Kingdom of Hungary , Joined the Tripartite Pact in 1940.
The Hungarian armies collaborated in the invasion of Yugoslavia to obtain in return a percentage of the territory. A territory they had previously lost through the Treaty of Trianon In favor of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the Kingdom of Romania and Czechoslovakia.
Carol II , Regent of Kingdom of Romania , Supported by the Iron Guard Led a pro-German policy. After the weakening of L monarch , Horia Sima , Leader of the Iron Guard, and the general Ion Antonescu Forced him to abdicate and joined the Tripartite Pact formally.
He Kingdom of Bulgaria Accepted that the German forces crossed its border to invade Greece at the beginning of 1941, For this reason Considered that Kingdom of Bulgaria Collaborate Or with the members of the Tripartite Pact.
Finnish participation , Led by the pro-German puppet government in the German invasion of the Soviet Union, was their collaboration with the Axis forces.
Other countries that supported Axis forces, due to puppet governments, were C Croatia and the National Salvation Government of Serbia Y Montenegro . After the German invasion of Greece, in The Hellenic state was formed A government Puppet from Italy and Germany.
The Albanian army joined the Italian troops, when Italy invaded Albania in April 1939 and formed a puppet government under the crown from Víctor Manuel III . Albania Became a protectorate of Italy.
Other countries, such as Spain and Portugal , Did not want to get directly involved in the war. Yet the government of Frank I was indebted to Hitler And so sent the Blue Division To support the German forces in their attempt to invade the Soviet Union. On the other hand, the Spanish republicans supported the Allies.
Denmark Was occupied by Germany, but never joined the Axis. In fact, they signed a non-aggression treaty in 1939, which contained no military obligation.
The Danes had to accept the"protection of the Reich"and the German forces in their territory in exchange for nominal independence. Denmark also broke diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union and signed the Antikomintern Pact In 1941.
The Principality of Monaco was officially neutral during the war. The country's population was largely of Italian descent and its prince was an intimate friend of the French leader of Vichy, Marshal Philippe Pétain , Collaborator of the Axis. But his sympathy never became active military support.
The Kingdom of Iraq Was briefly allied to the Axis against the United Kingdom. Iraq fought in the Anglo-Iraq war in 1941 and saw its alliance with the Axis as an opportunity to free itself from the English.
Anti-British sentiments in Iraq led the Prime Minister's nationalist government Rashid Ali , Who since 1930 had demanded the British leave their military bases and withdraw from the country to support the Germans.
In Asia, Thailand Collaborated with Japan voluntarily. The Thai government considered its collaboration with Japan as a way to free itself from the imperial power of the English and French in Asia.
Many armed groups that professed nationalist ideologies supported Axis forces. Japan imposed the creation of puppet governments in the countries it intervened.
The Government of Japan Manchukuo in Manchuria , the Second Philippine Republic , the Ba Maw's Burma , he Provisional Government of Free India and the Nanking Nationalist China .
The reason the Asian nationalists supported Japan was because of the philosophy of"Asia for Asians". In Burma, Aung San Led the nationalists to with support from Japan, expel the French.
In Mongolia and Laos , The Japanese also supported the nationalists. The Mongol puppet government was headed by the prince Prince Demchugdongrub, who was a direct descendant of Genghis Khan .
In Laos a nationalist party was formed, which feared the French occupation and also the Thais, who intended to take the territory of Laos.
Between 1930 Y 1945, Argentina Did not cooperate with The interests of the United States and its allies and Demonstrated his Sympathy for Germany and Italy.
It is important to remember that the German and Italian emigration to Argentina were very important during the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.
Argentina allowed the German intelligence services to operate in the country and at the end of World War II received many war criminals, despite having declared war on the Axis. Even so Argentina is not considered a collaborationist country.
The allies
In September 1939 The Allies against Nazi Germany were France, Poland and the United Kingdom. TO They joined later Some Commonwealth countries (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland and the Union of South Africa), the British Raj (Region of India under British control) And the Kingdom of Nepal.
On the other hand, the Soviet Union, which had Covenant Ribbentrop-Molotov On 23 August 1939 with Nazi Germany, had not yet entered the war.
In 1940, Free France, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Kingdom of Greece and Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1941) were united.
After the Nazis invaded France, he settled The French government in exile In London, led by Charles de Gaulle . Supporters of free France supported the Allies.
The movement of the resistance Within France that cooperated from within with the Allies. Other free governments formed in exile also supported this side.
From 1939 Hitler began his offensive to conquer the neighboring countries. The German invasion of Poland began.
On the other hand, the sovietic Union Invaded eastern Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and a part of Romania.
On 22 June 1941 the Pact between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany was broken, when the Nazis entered Soviet territory and attacked their army. This operation was called Operation Barbarossa and propitiated the union of the USSR to the Allies.
The Asian theater of the Second World War opens with the Japanese offensive in The French and Dutch colonies. The United Kingdom, the Netherlands and the United States decided to block Japan economically by not allowing it to use the Panama Canal.
As a result, Japan began its attack on the European colonies and Pearl Harbor , One of the American Hawaiian Islands.
The Korean Provisional Government also cooperated with the Allies against Japan, which had colonized Korea in 1910. The Korean Liberation Army (KLA) participated in the battles in China with the forces Kuomintang Against Japan.
In 1943, clandestine KLA activists, cooperating with British forces in Burma and India, began joint operations. At the end of World War II, Korea gained independence.
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States The Latin American countries To declare war on Germany and support the US military in war.
Many of them declared war on Germany after Pearl Harbor, but did not really support the de facto Allies. For example, the Dominican Republic.
Already in 1939, Brazil and the United States Had signed a treaty on cooperation and economic assistance. Washington would receive raw materials from Brazil, while Brazilians would receive borrowed money.
In 1942, 18 Brazilian ships were destroyed by German submarines, which caused Brazil to declare war on the Axis countries. 30,000 Brazilians participated in the occupation of Italy by the allied forces.
In 1941, Cuba Was the seat of the Second Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the American Republics, where the"Declaration of Havana"was drafted. The American countries agreed that aggression against any American state would be considered as an aggression against all countries.
Cuba, honoring what was agreed during the Foreign Ministers' meeting, declared war, after Pearl Harbor, to Japan. Then Cuba declared war on Germany and Italy. It also authorized the creation of air bases in its territory and cooperated with the naval patrol.
It is noteworthy that the German submarines operated actively in the American territory. Their goal was to cut off the supply of resources to European countries, so they attacked merchant ships.
Mexico Also supported the United States. Although at first it protested against the invasion of Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
In 1942, Germany attacked Mexican merchant ships destroying Potrero del Llano, Faja de Oro and Tamaulipas. The Mexican Congress declared war on Germany.
Venezuela Also played an important role in supporting the United States with oil resources. As well Colombia Declared war on Germany and supported the United States after one of its commercial ships was destroyed by a German submarine.
So the United States of America united To the Allies , Followed by China And with Latin American support .
China officially joined the allies in 1941, But the Asian country was already at war with Japan since 1937. And L incident Marco Polo bridge Began the conflict between the two nations. Japan also took advantage of the situation of internal instability, since within China different forces fought to obtain the power.
The TO Was formalized by the United Nations Declaration of January 1, 1942. However, the name" Allies" Was rarely used to describe the Enemies of the Axis during the war. The leaders or "Big Three"- the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the United States - controlled Allied strategy during the war.
Note that l Between the United Kingdom and the United States were plus Narrow.
China and the big three were referred to as the"big four"allies in the Declaration and later They became the permanent members of the United Nations. This organization was formed after the war to ensure that warlike events such as the First and Second World Wars are not repeated.
References
- Comellas, José Luis The European Civil War (1914-1945). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Davis, Norman Europe at war 1939-1945: Who really won World War II? Barcelona: Planet, 2014.
- Dear, Ian C. B. Foot, Michael; Daniell, Richard, eds. The Oxford Companion to World War II. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
- Fusi, Juan Pablo The Hitler effect: a brief history of World War II. .