The sides of the war in the Second World War were comprised of many countries around the world. At first the battle seemed small until every country was somehow brought into the war by a particular reason. The two main sides were the Allies against the Axis. The Allies were originally comprised of Great Britain and France, while the Axis was formed by Germany, Russia, and Italy. Eventually there was a betrayal between Russia and Germany with each country wanting to overtake the other, so Russia started to fight Germany instead and joined the Allied forces. Also, a couple years later the United States entered the war and joined the Allied forces. By the end of the war it seemed as if it was every country against Germany which is why they were finally, after many years, overtaken. Moreover, when the war was coming to a close Italy changed to the Allied forces "at the last minute". In the Pacific region, however, these sides were not as relevant. The main sides were the United States versus China making America the common enemy. The United States officially declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941. Why did all of this happen? The country of Japan has plans for expansion into the Far East which led to the attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941.
As in World War I, the United States, Great Britain, France, and the 47 countries siding with them were known as the Allies. Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 brought the United States into the war on the Allied side. Every country in the Americas eventually declared war on the Axis, but only Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and the United States actually provided military forces.
The heads of government of China, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States became known as the "Big Four." During the war, the Big Four leaders conferred several times. Great Britain and the United States worked out the broad strategic outlines of the war. President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill agreed to concentrate on Germany first, and then Japan. They considered Germany the greater and closer enemy.
The Allies fought to preserve their countries and stabilize Europe, as well as destroy Nazism and establish democracy. The Soviet aim was to drive out the Nazis and emerge strong enough to continue communization of the world. Germany and its six allies were known as the Axis. The Allied and Axis countries circled the globe in World War II. The Allies mobilized about 62 million men and women, while the Axis mobilized about half that number.
The goal of the Axis powers was simple. Germany intended to build up a powerful empire by occupying territory to the east and south. Then, after overrunning France, it would use air assaults to force Britain to make peace. German troops would then defeat the Soviet Union, capture the Caucasus oilfields, and implement Hitler's plan for a European New Order. Hitler had two aims: the first to seize all of Europe and North Africa so he could dominate the Mediterranean, and the second to wipe out Communism and eliminate the Jews. His ally, Benito Mussolini, had his own aims: domination of both the Mediterranean and the Balkans. Italy hoped to take advantage of German successes to grab territory for itself.
Japan intended to cripple the United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, and then quickly overrun Thailand, Malaya, the Philippines, and the Netherlands East Indies. It would then complete its conquest of China, and unite all East Asia under Japanese domination in a Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. Japan had no plans for invading the United States mainland.
The war in the Pacific essentially began on September 18, 1931, when Japan invaded Manchuria, which was known for its natural resources. The Japanese thought that from Manchuria, they could go on to control all of northern China. After Japan had established dominance in China, it could expand elsewhere. The Great Depression, Japan's population explosion, and the need to find new resources and markets to continue as a first-rate power, were other causes of the invasion.
The Japanese struck at a time when most countries were more concerned with the depression than with an invasion in far-off China. The United States introduced a policy of non-recognition, declaring that it would not recognize Japan's conquest.
The Japanese Army and Navy came up with a plan to bomb Pearl Harbor and invade Thailand, the Malay Peninsula, and the Philippines. About 7:55 a.m. on December 7, 1941, while negotiations were taking place between Japanese and American diplomats, the Japanese air force and navy attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
More than 2,300 Americans were killed and the U.S. Pacific Fleet was crippled. Roosevelt gave a speech to a stunned Congress, in which he said that December 7 was "a date which will live in infamy." The United States entered the war against Japan, and would now also have the opportunity to move against Hitler in Europe by aiding the British — this time with forces.
Information taken from: www.answers.com/topic/world-war-ii, www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WW.htm
