VE Day for kids: Facts about World War Two and how it ended, explained
THE horrors of war are thankfully something very few of us have had to experience.
But on Victory in Europe (VE) Day, it's likely some little ones will have a few questions about the Second World War.
What were the dates of World War Two?
The Second World War began on September 1 1939.
It didn't finally come to an end until the surrender of Japan in September 1945.
Why did the war start?
Germany was one of the countries which lost the First World War. The war took place between 1914 and 1918.
As a result, the winning countries - including Britain - made Germany sign an agreement that said they were to blame for the war.
They also had to pay significant fines and were allowed to build just a small army.
However, when Adolf Hitler was elected in July 1932 by a huge margin, his Nazi party ignored the agreement.
They secretly started building up their army, before beginning to invade other countries and take back lands they had lost after World War One.
On September 1 1939, after warnings from other countries not to do so, Germany invaded Poland.
Great Britain and France supported Poland and declared war on Germany, sparking the start of World War Two.
Who were the Allies?
The main Allied powers were Great Britain, The United States, China, and the Soviet Union.
The leaders of the Allies were Franklin Roosevelt (the United States), Winston Churchill (Great Britain), and Joseph Stalin (the Soviet Union).
Who were the Axis powers?
The main Axis powers were Germany, Japan and Italy.
The Axis leaders were Adolf Hitler (Germany), Benito Mussolini (Italy), and Emperor Hirohito (Japan).
How did the war end?
By 1944, many of the countries captured and occupied by Axis powers were freed by the Allies.
Adolf Hitler committed suicide in April 1945.
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A week later, Germany surrendered.
On May 8 1945, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced the war was over.
The date came to be known as Victory in Europe Day, or VE Day.
Despite the celebrations, the war wasn't technically over until September 2 1945, when Japan surrendered after atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9 1945.
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