The
Second World War was arguably the most significant period of the 20th
century. It brought about major leaps in technology and laid the
groundwork that permitted post-war social changes including the end of
European colonialism, the civil rights movement in the United States,
and the modern women’s rights movement, as well as the programs for
exploring outer space. The primary combatants were the Axis nations
(Nazi Germany, Facist Italy,
Imperial Japan and their smaller allies) and the Allied nations, led by
Britain (and its Commonwealth nations), the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics and the United States of America. The Allies were the victors.
Two superpowers, the USA and USSR, emerged from World War II to begin a
Cold War with each other that would define much of the rest of the
century.
10. Battle of Monte Cassino, 17 January–18 May 1944: 185,000 casualties Waged between the Allies and the joint German and Italian troops in the early part of 1944, the Battle of Monte Cassino was one of the hardest fought battles of the Second World War. The main objective for the Allied forces fighting their way up from Southern Italy was to break through the Germans’ Gustav Line — a series of military fortifications running across Italy — and gain control of Rome. Named after the 1,400-year-old monastery of Monte Cassino that stood at the center of the German defensive line (and which was controversially destroyed by American bombers during the battle), the fighting was made up of four smaller battles that took place in January, February, March and May, respectively. The eventual capture of Rome came at a high price, with at least 125,000 casualties on all sides — and as many as 185,000 by some estimates. 9. Battle of the Bulge,...












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