Explain how world war ii began, the different countries involved, how it progressed, how it ended and finally how it lead to the cold war.

Causes:
- In terms of European countries (like France and Great Britain) World War II was caused by the aggression of Adolph Hitler and the Nazi army. Their invasion of Poland and other countries forced them to declare war on German to stop their reign of terror.

- As for the United States, they did not enter the war until 2 years after it started. The US entered the war after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The day after the US officially joined World War II.

Allied Powers:

The following countries were part of the Allied powers: United States, Great Britain, France, Soviet Union.

Axis Powers:
The following countries were part of the Axis powers: Germany, Japan, and Italy.

Ending:
The war ended with the Allied powers achieving victory in both the Pacific theater and the European theater.

Cold War:

After World War II, the United States and Soviet Union emerged as global superpowers. Despite being on the same side during World War II, these two countries had vastly different ideas on how a country should be run. The US favored a capitalist and democratic system while the Soviet Union was in favor of a communist system. For the next four decades, these two countries would compete with each other for international power and influence.