The major Axis countries included:
1. Germany: Led by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, Germany was the central power of the Axis alliance. Nazi Germany pursued aggressive expansionist policies and sought to create a racially pure Aryan state.
2. Italy: Under the rule of Benito Mussolini and the Fascist Party, Italy joined the Axis in 1936. Fascist Italy had imperial ambitions in the Mediterranean and Africa, seeking to revive the grandeur of the Roman Empire.
3. Japan: Imperial Japan joined the Axis in 1940. Japanese militarism and ambitions for territorial expansion in Asia motivated its alliance with Germany and Italy. Japan aimed to control natural resources and establish its dominance in the Pacific region.
Other countries that aligned with the Axis during World War II include:
- Hungary
- Romania
- Bulgaria
- Finland
- Thailand
- Iraq
- Vichy France (The collaborationist French government led by Marshal Philippe Pétain)
Collectively, these nations supported and coordinated their military, political, and economic efforts during World War II. The alliance aimed to challenge the power of the Allied forces, which consisted primarily of the United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and other allied nations.
By the end of World War II, the Axis powers were defeated, leading to the end of Fascist and militarist regimes in Germany, Italy, and Japan.