WWII Leaders

The Allies (Great Britain, Russia, US, France)

Neville Chamberlain

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Neville Chamberlain was Prime Minister of Great Britain at the start of WWII. He later resigned in May of 1940 because the war was not going well and he was blamed. He thought the government needed a leader that could be seen as serving all the political parties and stepped down.

Winston Churchill

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Churchill was prime minister of Great Britain for most of the war, from 1940 to 1945, and is credited with its victory. He is famous for boosting morale with his stirring speeches.

Joseph Stalin

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Stalin was the Communist dictator of Russia from before and to after the war. He was an evil leader, murdering or imprisoning almost all of Russia’s leading military officers and millions of other Russian citizens who were seen as threats to his power.

F D Roosevelt

FDR was President of the United States of America from 1933-1945, the longest sitting president. He is responsible for declaring war on Japan after the bombing at Pearl Harbor, but died before the end of the war.

Harry Truman

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Truman was FDR’s vice president and became president of the United States when FDR died in the final year of World War II. He is responsible for the decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan.

Charles de Gaulle

A French general who led the French in their fight against Germany. After World War II, he became president of France.

The Axis (Germany, Japan, Italy)

Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler wanted to make Germany the most powerful empire in the world. Part of his vision was to rid the world of “undesirables,” anyone he deemed inferior. He had killed millions of Jews, Roma, Catholics, disabled people, and others. This is known as the Holocaust. It is believed Hitler committed suicide when he knew they would lose the war.

Hideki Tojo