The Second World War was the deadliest conflict in human history, with an estimated 70–85 million deaths, including those caused by war-related disease and famine. In Europe, cities were reduced to rubble and those which escaped complete destruction, like London, still bore the marks of a conflict which had been waged as much against civilian populations as military forces.
Out of the chaos of war emerged the postwar consensus that such a conflict must never be allowed again. This led to the creation of the United Nations, but the postwar world was not characterised by harmony and mutual respect between nations. By the end of 1945, Europe, and the world, was heading into the Cold War.
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