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Encyclopedia entry: World War II (1939–45)
- Article from:
- The Oxford Companion to American Military History
- Author:
Copyright© The Oxford Companion to American Military History 2000, originally published by Oxford University Press 2000. (Hide copyright information)
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World War II (1939–45)
CausesMilitary and Diplomatic CourseDomestic CoursePostwar ImpactChanging Interpretations
World War II (1939–45): Causes The entry of the United States into World War II came formally as a consequence of the Japanese naval air
attack on Pearl Harbor
on 7 December 1941. But although overtly committed to
neutrality
, the U.S. government had been involved in the conflict, both morally and effectively, for over a year before that fateful date.
World War II was a conjunction of two geographically separated armed conflicts. The one that began with the German attack on Poland on 1 September 1939, and the British and French declarations of war on 3 September, was ...