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Learn World War II

Understand the deadliest war in history, from its roots in the 1930s to its long aftermath.

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World War II was fought from 1939 to 1945 between the Axis, led by Germany, Italy and Japan, and the Allies, including Britain, the Soviet Union, the United States and China. It included the Holocaust, Nazi Germany's murder of six million Jews and millions of others, and it ended with the only use of atomic weapons in war. In Asia, fighting began earlier with Japan's full-scale invasion of China in 1937. Beginners usually start with the causes, then follow the European and Pacific theaters separately. Learnr builds a course around the parts you want, with short lessons, maps and quizzes.

How to learn World War II, step by step

Start with the causes in the 1930s. Before battles, understand the conditions: resentment of the Treaty of Versailles, the Great Depression, the rise of Mussolini, Hitler and Japanese militarism, and the weakness of the League of Nations. Then follow the steps to war, from the Rhineland and Munich to the Nazi-Soviet Pact.
Learn the turning points by theater. Keep Europe and the Pacific separate at first. In Europe, focus on the fall of France, the Battle of Britain, Operation Barbarossa, Stalingrad and D-Day. In the Pacific, focus on Pearl Harbor, Midway, Guadalcanal and the island campaigns, asking why each moment shifted momentum.
Give the Eastern Front its real weight. Most German military losses came fighting the Soviet Union, and Soviet deaths were the highest of any country. Study Barbarossa, the siege of Leningrad, Stalingrad and Kursk so the war does not shrink to the Western Front alone.
Study the Holocaust through documents and testimony. Learn the stages from the Nuremberg Laws of 1935 through ghettos, mass shootings in the occupied East and death camps such as Auschwitz-Birkenau and Treblinka. Use survivor testimony, Nazi records and the Nuremberg trials, with resources from institutions like Yad Vashem.
Follow the fronts on maps. Front lines moved fast and far. Compare maps from 1940, 1942 and 1944, and notice how the Axis reached its greatest extent in 1942 before Midway, El Alamein and Stalingrad turned the tide. Geography explains supply lines, oil and why some invasions failed.
Review with short daily quizzes. Dates, operation names and commanders pile up quickly. A few minutes of Learnr review each day, built around cause and effect, keeps 1941 from blurring into 1943 and helps you explain why events unfolded as they did.

What you'll learn

Explain how the Treaty of Versailles, the Depression and fascism led to war
Follow the major campaigns in Europe, North Africa and the Pacific
Describe how the Holocaust was carried out and how it is documented
Compare the home fronts and war economies of the major powers
Explain how the war produced the United Nations and the Cold War

What's inside your World War II course

A sample path Learnr builds for World War II. Your real course adapts to your goal and level.

1. The road to war: Versailles, the Depression and dictatorships
2. Blitzkrieg, the fall of France and the Battle of Britain
3. The Eastern Front from Barbarossa to Berlin
4. Pearl Harbor and the war in the Pacific
5. The Holocaust and occupied Europe
6. D-Day, the atomic bombs and the postwar settlement

How long does it take to learn World War II?

A clear overview of the causes, major campaigns, the Holocaust and the aftermath takes about 6 to 10 weeks at 3 to 4 hours a week. Military history enthusiasts spend years on single campaigns, so the depth you want sets the timeline more than anything else.

What you need before you start

No background required. The basics of World War I help explain the causes, and a short primer on that war is included early in the course.

Common mistakes to avoid

Studying only battles in Western Europe. Give the Eastern Front, China and the Pacific real time, since that is where the heaviest losses fell.
Treating the Holocaust as a side topic, when it was central to Nazi aims. Study it as its own unit, with primary sources.
Explaining the war through a single cause such as Hitler alone, instead of weighing economics, ideology, appeasement and Japanese expansion in Asia.

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World War II questions, answered

When did World War II start and end?

In Europe it began when Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, and ended with Germany's surrender in May 1945. In Asia, Japan's full-scale war in China began in 1937, and Japan formally surrendered on September 2, 1945.

Why did the United States join the war?

Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and the US declared war on Japan the next day. Germany and Italy declared war on the US on December 11. Before that, the US had supported Britain through aid such as Lend-Lease.