The formal end of World War II occurred in 1945, specifically on September 2, when Japan signed the surrender documents aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. This event marked the conclusion of hostilities that had persisted since the war began in 1939. The end of WWII reshaped global politics, leading to the establishment of the United Nations and the onset of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. The devastation wrought by the war prompted widespread discussions about reconciliation, reconstruction, and establishing a more peaceful international order, implications of which are still relevant in contemporary geopolitical dynamics.