| Allies | Axis |
| Great Britain | Germany |
>| France | Italy |
| U.S. | Japan |
| Russia |
Axis: given name because all European nations were supposed to revolve around these center nations like a wheel and axle.
Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler
- 1936 – Rome-Berlin Axis between Italy and Germany
- 1940 – Japan joins, making it the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis
together under the “Pact of Steel”
- Together these three countries could take over many parts of the world including the Mediterranean, Europe, and parts of Asia.
Other Countries In the Axis
- Slovakia: Joined in November 1940
- Hungary: Joined in November 1940
- Romania: Joined in November 1940
- Bulgaria: Joined in March 1941
- Croatia: Joined in June 1941
- Yugoslavia: Joined in March 1941 but withdrew two days later
- Libya: Used as an Axis air and naval base
- Spain: Wanted to join the Axis but was rejected because it looked to be a “weak link”, and remained neutral for the rest of the war
- Greece: Went through a series of battles with the axis powers to avoid getting into the war, and they won and were left alone with their independence
Allies: Countries that help one another no matter what during a war
Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, and Josef Stalin
- Great Britain and France are allies from before the war begins.
- Russia is allied with Great Britain from the beginning but only halfway. After a few years, Russia becomes a full ally.
- December 1941 – The United States joins the allies
Axis Powers and Leaders
Germany: Adolf Hitler- 1933: Hitler comes to power. At this time Germany had the best military in the world, full of new weapons and millions of soldiers, plus the country's economy was doing great. Hitler wanted a war, and started it with the support of his people because he made so many promises that he could not keep. Hitler made allies with other countries not because he was a good person to work with, but because the majority of the world felt that it would be better to be on the side of the most powerful country than be against them. He joined forces with Italy, took over Czechoslovakia, tried to take over France but failed, and gathered many other smaller countries that just wanted to be in on the Axis. Finally, Japan joined and the Axis that Hitler helped to create appeared incredibly strong. But in 1943, Hitler's Axis fell apart and he committed suicide after the death of his longtime friend Mussolini.
"The forward march of Hitlerism can be stopped - and it will be stopped. Very simply and very bluntly - we are pledged to pull our own oar in the destruction of Hitlerism." - Franklin D. Roosevelt
Italy: Benito Mussolini- In 1922 he obtained control of Italy. He was a strong dictator like Hitler and wanted to revolutionize Italy. His government was highly military based, and that is how he got involved with the Axis. Before the war, the two countries of Italy and Germany formed a coalition that made the two appear as one nation. When they went to war, Mussolini felt confident that because of the strong Axis they had, a defeat would be impossible. But after long and hard years of war, Italy declined, and in 1945, Benito Mussolini was shot and killed, informally ending the Axis.
"Few people know how close Germany and Italy are to complete domination of the world and how thin the spread of Allied survival has been stretched." - General George C. Marshall
Japan: Emperor Hirohito- Japan was not officially involved in the war until rather late, but they always had the same strong hate for the United States as Germany and Italy. On the day they bombed Pearl Harbor, December 7th, 1941, Emperor Hirohito and the Japanese declared war on the U.S.. By that time they had already joined the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis, but this declaration was the beginning of the end for the Japanese. Because the Japanese made little to no allies with any other countries besides the immediate Axis, it was much easier for the Allies to take them down. On September 2, 1945, Japan formally surrendered after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, after the other two countries in the Axis had already given up.
"Yesterday, December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy..." - Franklin D. Roosevelt
Allied Powers and Leaders
Great Britain: Winston Churchill- Great Britain: Winston Churchill- Appointed Prime Minister of Great Britain on May 10, 1940, and his country was already allied with France. The two were ready at that time to take on the German Army, but then the French army surrendered under one of the first small confrontations. Churchill had to decide whether to fight to get the French army back or take on the Axis alone. He got the French back. He later also signed an agreement with the United States that made the Allies incredibly strong. Churchill did so much for his army, the "Red Army", and was one of the prime factors in the victory. When Roosevelt died, he started to lose a little of his strive, but he was not destroyed. After one more re-election, Churchill retired and lived the rest of his life happily and being very well-respected by the world.
"I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: victory - victory in spite of all the terror; victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival." - Winston Churchill
France: Marshal Henri Pétain- Became the Premier of France on June 14, 1940, about the same time as Winston Churchill. France got involved in the war because they were seen as a threat if they began industrialization, and Germany wanted to take over the country. The French allied with Great Britain, but surrendered to the Germans shortly thereafter. Once they were rescued by the British and rejoined with the Allies, the French had a long and hard struggle to keep themselves alive. The French army was not very strong at all, and Pétain was not a very strong leader. If it had not been for it's smart alliances with the right countries, France would have gone under completely to German rule.
United States: Franklin D. Roosevelt- The United States had wanted to avoid getting into a major European war, but after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt decided that it would be best to go to war. The country was strong at the time and the citizens were filled with a sense of nationalism like none other that would help them greatly. Although the U.S. had gone to war with Japan, they had not yet joined the Allies in the fight against Germany and Italy. As time progressed in the war, Roosevelt decided that it would just be best to join powers and fight one side against another, and therefore in late December 1941, the United States signed onto the Allies.
"We are now in the midst of a war, not for conquest, not for vengeance, but for a world in which this nation, and all that this nation represents, will be safe for our children. We expect to eliminate the danger from Japan, but it would serve us ill if we accomplished that and found that the rest of the world was dominated by Hitler and Mussolini." - Franklin D. Roosevelt
Russia: Josef Stalin- Josef Stalin became dictator in 1924 after the succession of Lenin. Although Russia had a communist government, Stalin was not fully on the side of the other dictators. In fact, Russia was practically split in the middle, helping both the Axis and the Allies. He had joined Great Britain and France before during World War I, and just found it natural to join them again now. But Russia also was allied with Hitler, but that all ended after Hitler pulled a backstabbing move on the Russians. After that, Stalin had Russia join fully with the Allies, mainly because he thought that they had a better chance of winning. After the war, the dictator saw an oppurtunity for Russia to become very powerful, and with the love and support of the Russians he was rather successful.
Hitler-Stalin Pact Signed
Back to the Homepage
Other Axis and Allies Sites
Axis vs. Allies
Axis Powers Unite
The Allies at War
Sources
Snyder, Louis L. The War: A Concise History 1939-1945. New York.
This Page Was Created By Amy Rubin
