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World War 2

A comprehensive World War 2 history guide with facts and information on one of the most important events in British history.

  • Overview
    • World War 2 Summary
    • World War 2 Facts
    • World War 2 Timeline
    • World War 2 Prisoners Of War
    • Soldiers In World War 2
    • WW2 FAQ
      • Who Started World War 2?
      • Causes of World War 2
      • When Did WW2 Finish?
      • Which countries were involved in World War Two
      • When was World War 2?
      • Who won World War 2?
      • How Many People Died In World War 2
    • WW2 Planes: A History of World War 2 Aircraft
  • Battles
    • The Blitz
    • Pearl Harbour
    • Battle Of Britain
    • Dday
    • Operation Barbarossa
    • The Battle Of Kursk
    • Operation Overlord
    • Battle Of Midway
    • Battle of Stalingrad
    • The Invasion Of Poland
    • Operation Cerberus
  • Leaders
    • Winston Churchill
    • Franklin D Roosevelt
    • Adolf Hitler
    • Benito Mussolini
    • Emperor Hirohito
    • Joseph Stalin
  • Home Front
    • Evacuees Of World War 2
    • World War 2 Recipes
    • World War 2 Shelters
  • Anne Frank
  • Miscellaneous
    • World War 2 Books
    • World War 2 Movies
    • World War 2 Poems
    • World War One
    • The Phoney War
    • Blitzkrieg
    • World War 2 Allies
  • World War 2 For Kids
    • World War 2 Facts Kids
    • Children in World War 2

Emperor Hirohito

Born in 1901, Hirohito was Emperor of Japan from 1926-1989.

Under his rule, Japan emerged as one of the greatest economic powers in the world. As the only one of the leaders listed here to have inherited his power, there was no contested election: when his father died in 1926, he assumed the throne.

His early years in power saw economic difficulties throughout the country, and an increased military presence in government. In February 1936, a military coup was attempted, which he quickly had quashed. In the early 1930s, Japan was engaged in the Sino-Japanese War, during which Hirohito controversially authorised the use of chemical weapons against the Chinese. In 1940, Japan entered into the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy, despite the fact that Hirohito expressed reluctance where the war was concerned. He emphasised his desire for peaceful resolutions, but the consensus at the Imperial Conference was in favour of war. In December 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour, declaring war on the Allied forces.

Once Japan had entered into the war, Hirohito sought to boost spirits around the country, and took an active interest in the progress of the Japanese Army. In the latter years of the war, the public were being told of great victories when there were none, and discontentment grew as Japan neared defeat. After the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Hirohito told his ministers to hasten a surrender, which eventually came in August 1945.

There has been much academic and historical debate as to whether or not Hirohito should have been tried as a war criminal after the war, and how much control he had over the actions of the Japanese armed forces during the conflict. There was immediate pressure after Japan’s surrender for Hirohito to abdicate, which he refused to do. He was later forced to abandon claims that he – as Emperor – had divine power over Japan, and in 1946, his title changed from ‘imperial sovereign’ to ‘constitutional monarch’. The rest of his life was spent in a way appropriate of a constitutional monarch, attempting to repair the damage to Japan’s diplomatic relations with visits overseas. He died in 1989.

 

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Overview

WW2 Summary
WW2 Facts
WW2 Timeline
Soldiers in WW2
WW2 Planes
WW2 Prisoners Of War

Leaders

Winston Churchill
Franklin D Roosevelt
Adolf Hitler
Benito Mussolini
Emperor Hirohito
Joseph Stalin

Home Front

Evacuees of WW2
WW2 Recipes
WW2 Shelters

Misc

WW2 Books
WW2 Movies
WW2 Poems
World War One
The Phoney War
Blitzkrieg
WW2 Allies

Kids

WW2 For Kids
Children in WW2
WW2 Facts For Kids

Battles

The Blitz
Pearl Harbour
Battle of Britain
D-Day
Operation Barbarossa
The Battle Of Kursk
Operation Overlord
Battle Of Midway
Battle Of Stalingrad
The Invasion Of Poland
Operation Cerberus

Common Questions

Who started WW2?
Causes of WW2
When did WW2 finish?
Which countries were involved in WW2?
When was WW2?
Who won WW2?
How many people died?

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