i) World War II began in 1939 and ended in 1945.
ii) In World War II, had an extensive area of conflict and very high death toll of civilians as well as armed combatants.
New geo-political power Alignment:
i) The world was polarized into two main blocs led by superpowers:
a) United States (Anti communist ideology)
b) Soviet Russia (Communist ideology)
ii) Europe was divided into,
a) Communist
b) Non-Communist
Nuclear Proliferation:
i) The United States and the Soviet Union entered into a race to have more nuclear powered weapons. They built a large stockpile of such weapons.
ii) Defence spending sky-rocketed in many countries.
International Agencies:
i) Many international agencies, in particular the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund came into existence providing a forum for countries large and small.
Social and Economic changes:
i) Social and Economic changes took place in the post-war world.
ii) Colonial powers were forced to give independence to former colonies in a process of decolonization. India was the first to achieve Independence.

Rise of Hitler:
(i) Adolf Hitler was able to exploit the general discontent among the Germans.
ii) He founded the Nationalist Socialist party generally known as 'the Nazis'.
iii) The fundamental platform on which Hitler built his support was the notion of the racial superiority of the German as a pure, Aryan' race.
iv) He had a deep hatred for the Jews.
v) He came to power in 1933 and ruled Germany till 1945.
vi) In direct contravention of the clauses of the Treaty of Versailles he rearmed Germany.
vii) It solved the problem of unemployment in Germany.
viii) Soon Germany and Italy came closer and they formed Rome - Berlin Axis. When Japan joined it, it became Rome - Berlin - Tokyo axis.
ix) Hitler invaded the Rhineland
x) Hitler invaded Austria, Czechoslovakia and Sudetenland.
Fall of Hitler:
i) Initially German army had success. But after the entry of America the axis powers were defeated one after another.
ii) The British Royal Air Force inflicted severe losses on Germany.
iii) In 1941 German army invaded Russia. It was also a failure.
iv) In North Africa the German forces were defeated by General Montgomery.
v) The allied forces under the command of Eisenhower invaded Normandy in France. Slowly, the German army was forced back. Hitler committed suicide in April 1945.

(i) Germany experienced both high unemployment and severe inflation after the War, and its currency became practically worthless.
(ii) There are several pictures of the 1920s when ordinary people had to carry money in wheelbarrows to buy bread.

The end of World War II signaled a change in the world order and political configurations among the major powers. In addition, an era of large-scale social and economic change across the world was ushered in.

While the world at large had experienced many wars, these two wars are referred to as "World wars" because of the extended areas of the conflict and the very high death toll of civilians as well as armed combatants. Both wars were fought on several fronts across Europe, Asia, and Africa.

i) Mussolini of Italy,
ii) Adolf Hitler of Germany
iii) Franco of Spain

There are many clauses but the three main clauses are:
i) Germany was forced to give up territories to the west, north and east of the German border.
ii) Germany had to disarm and was allowed to retain only a very restricted armed force
iii)  As reparations for the war, Germany was expected to pay for the military and civilian cost of the war to the Allied nations.