King George VI:
During the war George visited Allied armies on several battle fronts and toured the home front extensively. He also created the George Cross for 'acts of the greatest heroism or of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme danger. Although his leadership in Britain was crucial during World War Two, George's reign was perhaps most important for the accelerating evolution of the British Empire into the Commonwealth of Nations and the post-war transformation of Great Britain into a welfare state.
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Franklin Delano Roosevelt:
By 1939, with the outbreak of war in Europe, Roosevelt was concentrating increasingly on foreign affairs. New Deal reform legislation diminished, and the ills of the Depression would not fully abate until the nation mobilized for war. When Hitler attacked Poland in September 1939, Roosevelt stated that, although the nation was neutral, he did not expect America to remain inactive in the face of Nazi aggression. Accordingly, he tried to make American aid available to Britain, France, and China and to obtain an amendment of the Neutrality Acts which rendered such assistance difficult. He also took measures to build up the armed forces in the face of isolationist opposition. With the fall of France in 1940, the American mood and Roosevelt's policy changed dramatically. Congress enacted a draft for military service and Roosevelt signed a "lend-lease" bill in March 1941 to enable the nation to furnish aid to nations at war with Germany and Italy. He lastly called Japan to war the day after they bombed Pearl Harbor, which could be seen as one of his best moves during the war.
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Chiang Kai-shek:Chiang’s government concentrated on battling Communism within China as well as confronting Japanese aggression. When the Allies declared war on Japan in 1941, China took its place among the Big Four. Civil war broke out in 1946, ending in a victory by Mao Zedong’s Communist forces and the creation of the People’s Republic of China. With Sun’s support, Chiang founded a military academy at Whampoa, near Canton, in 1924. He began to build up the Nationalist army, based on methods Chiang observed during a visit to the Soviet Union.
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Joseph Stalin:
Under Stalin, the Soviet Union was transformed from a peasant society into an industrial and military superpower. However, he ruled by terror, and millions of his own citizens died during his brutal reign. Born into poverty, Stalin became involved in revolutionary politics, as well as criminal activities, as a young man. Stalin was seen as “the man of steel” meaning that he pretty much couldn’t be touched by anyone and get hurt. |
Philippe Pétain:
During World War II, with the imminent fall of France in June 1940, Pétain was appointed Premier of France by President Lebrun at Bordeaux, and the Cabinet resolved to make peace with Germany. The entire government subsequently moved briefly to Clermont-Ferrand, then to the spa town of Vichy in central France. He was one of many people that agree with this term, but he stated live that "the fighting had become meaningless.” His meaning behind this is, he thought it seemed like the countries fighting weren’t even fighting for the same reason whenever the war started. |