On September 1, 1939, Nazi Germany, led by Adolf Hitler, invaded Poland, prompting Britain and France to declare war on Germany two days later. World War II (1939-1945) became the deadliest conflict in human history, claiming an estimated 70-85 million lives, including the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. The war reshaped the global order, leading to the creation of the United Nations, the beginning of the Cold War, and the process of decolonization.
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