World War II came to an end due to the unconditional surrender of the Axis powers, specifically following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. These two atomic bombings by the United States on Japan forced Japan to surrender, effectively concluding the war in the Pacific. Additionally, by May 1945, the European theater had already ended with the defeat of Nazi Germany, marked by Adolf Hitler's suicide and Germany's subsequent unconditional surrender on May 8, known as V-E Day. The conclusion of WWII ushered in a new geopolitical landscape characterized by the emergence of the United States and the Soviet Union as superpowers, leading to the Cold War era.