Axis countries facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Axis powers
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| 1936–1945 | |
_in_Tokio.jpg)
Celebration of the signing of the Tripartite Pact in Tokyo
Major Axis powers:
Other Axis states:
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| Status | Military alliance |
| Historical era | World War II |
| 25 November 1936 | |
| 22 May 1939 | |
| 27 September 1940 | |
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• Defeated
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2 September 1945 |
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Footnotes
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The Axis powers were a military coalition that fought against the Allies during World War II, primarily consisting of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan.
Contents
Formation
The Axis powers emerged from a series of diplomatic efforts in the mid-1930s. The term "Axis" was first used by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini in 1936, referring to the alliance between Italy and Germany, which he described as a rotation around a central axis.
Key Treaties
- Anti-Comintern Pact (1936): Initially signed between Germany and Japan, this treaty aimed to combat the spread of communism, particularly targeting the Soviet Union. Italy joined in 1937.
- Pact of Steel (1939): This military and political alliance formalized the cooperation between Germany and Italy.
- Tripartite Pact (1940): Signed by Germany, Italy, and Japan, this pact established mutual defense commitments and expanded the Axis coalition to include several other nations such as Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria.
Major Powers
Germany
Under Adolf Hitler, Germany pursued aggressive expansionist policies, violating the Treaty of Versailles and annexing territories such as Austria and Czechoslovakia. Germany's military strategies included blitzkrieg tactics that led to rapid victories in Europe.
Italy
Led by Mussolini, Italy sought to expand its empire through invasions of Ethiopia and Albania. However, Italy's military effectiveness was often hampered by poor planning and execution.
Japan
Japan's expansion began with the invasion of Manchuria in 1931 and escalated into full-scale war with China in 1937. Japan aimed to dominate Asia and secure resources through military conquests across the Pacific.
Other countries
Subsequent signatories of the Tripartite Pact
In addition to the main three countries, the less important Axis countries were:
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Hungary
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Romania
Other countries that helped the Axis without being a part of them were:
Co-belligerent states
- Finland fought against the Soviet Union and participated in the Siege of Leningrad.
- Iraq
- Thailand
Client states
- Slovakia
- Philippines (Second Republic)
- Vietnam (Empire of Vietnam)
- Manchukuo (Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia)
- Reorganized National Government of China
- Independent State of Croatia
- Province of Ljubljana
Defeat
At its peak in 1942, the Axis powers controlled vast territories across Europe, North Africa, and East Asia. Their military campaigns resulted in significant territorial gains but also led to fierce resistance from Allied forces. The tide began to turn against the Axis powers with significant defeats such as The Battle of Stalingrad (1942-1943), where Soviet forces decisively defeated German troops.
In July 1943, Mussolini was deposed, and Italy surrendered to the Allies in September 1943, although German forces continued to fight in northern Italy.
Following a series of defeats on both the Eastern and Western fronts, Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945. Germany surrendered unconditionally on May 8, 1945. After the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945, marking the official end of World War II.
Legacy
The Axis powers left a profound impact on global history through their aggressive militarism and ideologies that led to widespread destruction during World War II. The war resulted in millions of deaths and significant geopolitical changes worldwide. The defeat of the Axis powers also paved the way for the establishment of international organizations aimed at preventing future conflicts, such as the United Nations.
Images for kids
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Nazi Germany
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Fascist Italy
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Empire of Japan
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Germany's Führer Adolf Hitler (right) beside Italy's Duce Benito Mussolini (left)
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Japan's Prime Minister Hideki Tojo (center) with fellow government representatives of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. To the left of Tojo, from left to right: Ba Maw from Burma, Zhang Jinghui, Wang Jingwei from China. To the right of Tojo, from left to right, Wan Waithayakon from Thailand, José P. Laurel from the Philippines, and Subhas Chandra Bose from India
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The signing of the Tripartite Pact by Germany, Japan, and Italy on 27 September 1940 in Berlin. Seated from left to right are the Japanese ambassador to Germany Saburō Kurusu, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Galeazzo Ciano, and Adolf Hitler.
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Adolf Hitler, Führer and Reich Chancellor of the German People, 1933–1945
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Engelbert Dollfuss, Chancellor of Austria, 1932–1934
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Hideo Kodama, a wartime cabinet minister in the Empire of Japan
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Japanese writer Shūmei Ōkawa, a key exponent of Japanese nationalism
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Lt.Gen Hiroshi Ōshima, Japanese ambassador to Germany before and during World War II
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German Führer Adolf Hitler along with General Walther von Brauchitsch, during the victory parade in Warsaw after the defeat of Poland, October 1939
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German Heinkel He 111 bomber aircraft during the Battle of Britain
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German vehicles advancing during the Second Battle of El Alamein in the North African campaign
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German soldiers during the Battle of Stalingrad in the Eastern Front campaign
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German submarine U-118 under air attack in June 1943
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The Duce Benito Mussolini in an official portrait
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Italian soldiers in the North African Campaign in 1941
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Italian Fiat M13/40 tanks in the North African Campaign in 1941
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Italian battleships Vittorio Veneto and Littorio during the war
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Italian Macchi C.200 fighter aircraft during the war
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IJN super-dreadnought battleships Yamashiro, Fusō, and battlecruiser Haruna, Tokyo Bay, 1930s
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IJN Special Naval Landing Forces armed with the Type 11 Light Machine Gun during the Battle of Shanghai
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Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter aircraft and other aircraft preparing for takeoff on the aircraft carrier Shōkaku on 7 December 1941, for the attack on Pearl Harbor
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IJA paratroopers are landing during the Battle of Palembang, February 13, 1942.
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IJN Yamato-class Battleships Yamato and Musashi moored in Truk Lagoon, in 1943
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Japanese Military Attaché, Makoto Onodera, visiting Fjell Fortress in Norway, 1943. Behind him is Lieutenant Colonel Eberhard Freiherr von Zedlitz und Neukrich (C-in-C Luftwaffe Feldregiment 502.), and to the right is Fregattenkapitän doktor Robert Morath (Seekommandant in Bergen). Behind Onoderas hand (raised in salute) is General Nikolaus von Falkenhorst (C-in-C German military forces in Norway).
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Japanese officers training young Indonesian recruits, circa 1945
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Bulgarian soldiers in Vardar Macedonia during the Balkans campaign
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MÁVAG Héja fighter aircraft, derived from the Reggiane Re.2000, an Italian fighter design
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Adolf Hitler meeting with NDH leader Ante Pavelić
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Ion Antonescu and Adolf Hitler at the Führerbau in Munich (June 1941)
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A formation of Romanian IAR 80 fighter aircraft
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The Romanian Mareșal tank destroyer's design was likely used by the Germans to develop the Hetzer
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Romanian soldiers on the outskirts of Stalingrad during the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942
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Slovakia in 1941
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Mannerheim with Hitler
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Finnish troops passing by the remains of a destroyed Soviet T-34 at the battle of Tali-Ihantala
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Manchurian soldiers training in a military exercise
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Manchurian pilots of the Manchukuo Air Force
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Front row in order from left to right: Karl Wolff, Heinrich Himmler, Francisco Franco and Spain's Foreign Minister Serrano Súñer in Madrid, October 1940
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Francisco Franco (centre) and Serrano Súñer (left) meeting with Mussolini (right) in Bordighera, Italy in 1941. At Bordighera, Franco and Mussolini discussed the creation of a Latin Bloc.
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Phraya Phahon (far left), Thawan Thamrong (left), and Direk Jayanama (right) with Hideki Tōjō (center) in Tokyo 1942
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Philippe Pétain (left) meeting with Hitler in October 1940
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An RAF officer investigates wrecked Iraqi artillery near Habbaniya.
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Italian Social Republic
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RSI (Repubblica Sociale Italiana) soldiers, March 1944
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Greece, 1941–1944
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Hitler declaring war on the United States on 11 December 1941
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Italian pilots of a Savoia-Marchetti SM.75 long-range cargo aircraft meeting with Japanese officials upon arriving in East Asia in 1942.
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German and Japanese direct spheres of influence at their greatest extents in Autumn 1942. Arrows show planned movements to an agreed demarcation line at 70° E, which was, however, never approximated.
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See also
In Spanish: Potencias del Eje en la Segunda Guerra Mundial para niños
