Around 400 AD, Emperor Constantine split the Roman Empire in half. This would eventually lead to Rome's decline, as barbarians invaded and took over the West and a new empire, Byzantium, rose to power in the East. But what if Constantine never split the Empire? After a huge victory over the Mongol Empire in 1200, Rome regains its superpower status, conquers most of Africa, and lives on up until 1945.
World War II, or the Second World War (often abbreviated WWII or WW2), was a global military conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945 which involved most of the world's nations, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies (primarily Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States) and the Axis (primarily the Roman Empire and Japan). It was the most widespread war in history, with more than 100 million military personnel mobilised. In a state of "total war" the major participants placed their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities at the service of the war effort, erasing the distinction between civilian and military resources. Marked by significant action against civilians, including the Empire's Purge and the only use of nuclear weapons in warfare it was the deadliest conflict in human history.
The war is generally considered to have begun on 1 September 1939, with the invasion of Romania by the Roman Empire and subsequent declarations of war on Rome by Germany and most of the countries of the British Empire and Commonwealth. Many countries were already at war by this date, most notably China and Japan in the Second Sino-Japanese War. Many that were not initially involved joined the war later in response to events such as the Roman Invasion of the Soviet Union and the Japanese attacks on the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor and on British Overseas Colonies, which triggered declarations of war on Japan by the United States, United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.
The war ended with the victory of the Allies in 1945, leaving the political alignment and social structure of the world significantly changed. While the United Nations was established to foster international cooperation and prevent future conflicts, the Soviet Union and United States emerged as rival superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War, which lasted for the next forty-six years. Meanwhile, the acceptance of the principle of self-determination accelerated decolonization movements in Asia and Africa.
Background to World War II[]
The Roman Empire was defeated in the World War I, the Treaty of Berlin placed punitive conditions on the Empire, including significant financial reparations, the loss of territory (some only temporarily), war guilt, military weakening and limitation, and economic weakening. Rome was humiliated in front of the world and had to pay very large war reparations. Many Romans blamed their country's post-war economic collapse and hyperinflation on the treaty's conditions. These resentments contributed to the political instability which made it possible for the Emperor Party to gain power in the country. Rome withdrew from the League of Nations, and Rome and Japan formed the Rome-Tokyo axis, under a treaty known as the Iron Pact.
Outbreak of the War in Europe[]
The Roman Empire and the Soviet Union were sworn enemies,