World War II
Axis Powers of World War II (WWII)
Axis Power
8 countries
1 country
- Yugoslavia signed the Tripartite Pact on 25 March 1941. However, the event sparked a coup and two days later, the Yugoslav government was overthrown. This, in turn, prompted the Axis powers to invade Yugoslavia in retaliation. Yugoslavia was subsequently conquered and dismantled. Roughly half the country became the new country Croatia, a puppet state of Germany, and the rest was divided between several Axis powers, including Germany, Bulgaria, and Italy.
- Slovakia was formed by the dismantling of Czechoslovakia during the country’s occupation by German forces.
- Finland’s role as an Axis country is complex and debated even today by modern historians. Finland initially entered WWII in 1939-1940, fending off an invasion by the USSR (the Winter War), and fought the USSR alongside Axis forces (many of which were stationed inside Finland) from 1941-1944 (The Continuation War). However, although Finland had signed the Anti-Comintern Pact with Germany, it never signed the more significant Tripartite Pact and therefore never formally joined the Axis Powers. Finland signed a peace treaty with the USSR in September 1944 and went on to fight against Germany from late 1944 to 1945 (The Lapland War). Ultimately, Finland fought only against the USSR, which had not yet joined the Allies when it invaded Finland, and Germany. However, the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty that formally ended the war classified Finland as an ally of Germany.
- Additional information:
- Allied Powers in WWII
- Countries Involved in WWII
During World War II, there were two groups of countries fighting. The Axis Powers describes the group of nations that fought against their opposition, a group known as the Allies.
The history of this alliance began in 1936 with the signing of a friendship treaty between Germany and Italy. After the signing of the treaty, the term “Axis” was coined by Benito Mussolini, the dictator of Italy. Japan and Germany in the same year signed a treaty that was anti-Communism.
Germany and Italy further strengthened their alliance with the signing of the Pact of Steel in 1939. The following year, Japan also signed the treaty, which then became known as the Tripartite Pact. With the signing of this treaty, the three countries of Germany, Italy, and Japan became known as the Axis Powers.
During World War II, these countries ruled much of Africa, Europe, and Southeast Asia. Each member of the Axis Powers was ruled by a dictator. In Germany, Adolph Hitler was the Chancellor and later became Fuhrer. In Italy, Mussolini was the dictator. In Japan, Emperor Hirohito ruled over the nation – a role he held until 1989.
In addition to the Axis Powers, there were also other countries that were members of the alliance. Those nations include:
- Bulgaria
- Finland
- Hungary
- Romania
Hungary was the only nation that signed the Tripartite Pact with the Axis Powers. Finland didn’t sign the treaty but fought against Russia. Bulgaria and Romania started on the side of the Axis Powers but ended up siding with the Allies by the end of the war.
