Territorial Changes

In 1940 the Soviet Union annexed Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Armistices with Finland in 1940 and 1944 gave the Soviet Union the port of Petsamo and the province of Karelia. The Soviets also received land from Romania under an armistice in 1944, and from Poland and Japan under agreements made in 1945. Poland received lands in eastern Germany.

Peace treaties later confirmed most of these changes. In addition, Italy gave up land to France, Yugoslavia, and Greece. Ethiopia regained its independence. Italian colonies in Africa (Eritrea, Libya, and Italian Somaliland) were placed under a trusteeship by the United Nations. Hungary lost territory to Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia. Transylvania was restored to Romania, and Romania ceded land to Bulgaria. Japan lost its territories outside the home islands, including Korea and parts of China.