The Second World War

The Second World War ended the Nazi domination of Europe and Japanese aggression in the Asian Pacific but created two superpowers and another world crisis, the only recently concluded Cold War. What were the causes of this, the second major conflagration in 20 years? How did the war progress, and could the Axis powers have succeeded? What were the consequences of a conflict that cost the lives of 53 million people, left many countries devastated and led to the creation of a bi-polar world?