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World conflicts: the Second World War (1939-1945) (2/3)
The Second World War is a war of annihilation. Each side wants to destroy the other completely: its army, economy and population.
Key points of the sheet
- Violence against civilians is extreme: bombings, genocides, deportations. The fighting goes on until the enemy is defeated.
- It is also an ideological war: each side defends opposing ideas. For example, the Allies defend democratic values.
- It is a total war: the whole society is mobilised, with the economy, culture and propaganda. Germany, the USSR and Japan even use forced labour.
- The war causes more than 60 million deaths, soldiers and civilians. There are also millions of wounded.
- The Nazi regime kills more than 11 million people, including 6 million Jews and 25,000 Gypsies (Tziganes). The Shoah is the genocide committed during the Second World War.
- Jews, political opponents, Gypsies, homosexual men (or men accused of it), the mentally ill and disabled are deported to camps. There they are gassed and then burned.
- After the war, Germany is divided into zones. Nazi leaders are tried at Nuremberg. The UN is created in 1945. The Cold War begins.
- Adolf Hitler leads Germany from 1933 to 1945. Himmler organises the Shoah. Churchill, British Prime Minister, leads the Battle of Britain.
Words to know
- war of annihilation (guerre d’anéantissement)
- It is a war in which each side wants to destroy the other completely.
- ideological war (guerre idéologique)
- It is a war in which each side defends opposing ideas.
- propaganda (propagande)
- It is the will to influence public opinion.
- the Shoah
- The Shoah is the genocide committed during the Second World War.
- concentration camps (camps de concentration)
- Deported people live there in inhuman conditions: cold, hunger, forced labour, violence.
- Nuremberg trials (procès de Nuremberg)
- Nazi leaders are tried there, from 20 November 1945 to October 1946.
- Cold War (guerre froide)
- After the war, it begins between the United States and the USSR.
Test yourself: 3 questions
In which year was the UN created?
In French, the language of the exam: En quelle année l'ONU est-elle créée ?
The UN is created in 1945 to keep the peace.
How many deaths did the Second World War cause?
In French, the language of the exam: Combien de morts la Seconde Guerre mondiale a-t-elle faits ?
The Second World War caused more than 60 million deaths, soldiers and civilians.
Which British Prime Minister leads the Battle of Britain?
In French, the language of the exam: Quel Premier ministre britannique mène la bataille d'Angleterre ?
Winston Churchill is the British Prime Minister. He leads the Battle of Britain against German bombing.
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More in this topic (World conflicts and the new world order)
- World conflicts: the Second World War (1939-1945) (3/3)
- The Second World War (1939-1945): the consequences
- Rebuilding the world order: the construction of Europe
Source
Sheet “Les conflits mondiaux : la Seconde Guerre mondiale (1939-1945) (2/3)” of the French Ministry of the Interior: formation-civique.interieur.gouv.fr. Content published under the Etalab Open Licence 2.0. This page is a plain-language adaptation made by Hexaciv, which is not an official site: if in doubt, the ministry's text is the one that counts.
Ministry sheet read on 23 October 2026, still identical on 25 October 2026.