The key figures are:
1. Generals in the U.S. Army - Douglas MacArthur defeated the Japanese in the Phillipines and George Patton defeated and the Germans in Germany, Italy, and France.
1, British and Dutch royal families- Saxe/Coburg/Gotha/Windsor-Orange/Nassau
http://birdflu666.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/the-british-royal-familys-links-to-nazis-and-eugenicists-alex-jones-reports/
http://www.fpp.co.uk/online/05/01/Royal_Nazis.html
Heirs of Roman empire and christianity, descendants of Charlemagne aka Saxe/Coburg/Gotha/Windsor-Hohenzolern-Hanover-Orange/Nassau dynasty. As Prescott Bush nad prince Bernhardt.
Wider picture
Main force on the world affairs scene since 1600 was British East India Company,The
mother of modern corporatism, later transformed into "Club of Isles". Those forces of Holly Roman Empire medled on European soil since French Revolution. See books: Builders of Empire:Freemasonry and British Imperialism, 1717-1927.Secret Service: British Agents in France, 1792-1815. Wall Street and Bolshevik revolution. Wall Street and rise of Hitler. The Forced War.
We known 'em today as "Central banking cartel" and their actions as globalization.
"The East India Company deserves to be looked at as what it was - a profit-making corporation that generated great wealth, but contributed to immense suffering. Just as corporations today should be judged by the impacts of their core business rather than their often peripheral donations to charitable causes, so the East India Company has to be assessed on the basis of its underlying activities rather than the occasional philanthropy of its executives.
The continuing reluctance in Britain to examine the full scope of the East India Company's impact is part of a more general amnesia about the historical role of business. It remains an oddity that although companies are among the most powerful institutions of the modern age, our histories still focus on the actions of states and individuals, politics and culture, rather than on corporations, their executives and the consequences of their activities. If we are to fully understand our corporate present, then we must understand our corporate past - and this means grappling with the legacy of John Company."
http://www.redpepper.org.uk/The-mother-of-modern-corporatism/
The Greatest Speech Ever Made http://youtu.be/WibmcsEGLKo
Another ineteresting point is that rullers of Britain, USA, Germany and Holland in time of WWs were cousins, descendandts of Charlemagne, heirs of Roman empire and christianity. They jointly own "Club of Isles." De facto banking cartel- Bank of England- Federal reserve-Bank for Interantional settlements- ECB also BP, Shell and other 10 trilion dollars stuff. Main reason for WW1 was to take control over Russia-and it's natural reserves- and Ottoman empire's territories.
http://www.ihr.org/jhr/v04/v04p135_Weber.html
It was continuity of "Northern Crusades" known as colonialism/imperialism.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Crusades
What is interesting is that a question about the key figures in WW2 ends up as a somewhat one sided view of my mother country i.e. Britain......
None of us would move on or talk to any other nation if we continually went back to the very distant past...the East India Company and such like have nothing to do with what happened in WW2. And if the last contributor is from the USA then with all due respect this contribution does not contribute to the question asked, and answered really well at the start of this. The only other key figures I can think of that has not been included is General De Gaulle of France, whom the Britsh helped and gave sanctuary to. and our famous General Montgomery.Oh and sorry folks I forgot to mention I had no idea that General Patten defeated so many people,..tongue in cheek, too many war films depicting Americans winning the war, where were they before Pearl Harbour ? Do not get me wrong i love the Americans and have spent many holidays there, but get real, us Brits soldiered on alone till Pearl Harbour.....
*****
May I add that while General Patten struggled to get up to speed in North Africa, Montgomery had defeated Rommel several time and would do so again in Italy and at D-Day. That it was Montgomery's brilliant organisation that led to the American relief at the Battle of the Bulge and to his clumsy attempt to gain the credit he was due over the likes of Gerneral Mark Clark and the perfectly dreadful Patten the rascist and high born bigot. Now while we're at it we should point out that MacArthur's neglect in the Philipines should have seen him sacked and despatched at the first opportunity rather than allow him to persue his grandiose return, especially because he was perfectly aware that the process of by-passing was far less destructive. Though we must give MacArthur credit for recognising that the British plan of treating the defeated Germans with dignity, would also work in Japan after the defeat.
To be honest there where so many people who where involved in a world war that lasted 6 years. The list could be in the 100's. It was such a group effort it is hard to single out a small number, the list above are major players but there where others who had a part on the outcome. Chief of Staff George Marshall is one that isn't listed (i think) he had final say on appointmnets and operations of the American Military
The Marshall Plan.
1. Truman Doctrine (from USA) 2. Marshall Plan (from USA) 3. Molotov Plan (from USSR after they rejected Marshall Plan)
The Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was, indeed a loan. No, the Marshall plan was not a loan. It was aid. There were loans made but they were not part of the Marshall Plan itself.
who did not accept the marshall plan
The main figures involved in the Marshall Plan were U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall, who proposed the initiative, and President Harry S. Truman, who supported its implementation. European leaders, such as British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman, were also significant as they collaborated with the U.S. to rebuild their war-torn countries. Additionally, key U.S. officials like Paul G. Hoffman, who oversaw the Economic Cooperation Administration, played crucial roles in administering the plan.
The Marshall Plan involved providing grants to Europe, that were not loans. The funds were paid directly to the European nations under the plan, and for the most part, the money was spent in the United States, creating both jobs as well as export economic gain for the country.
The Marshal Plan was instituted on July 12, 1947.
Marshall Plan
Marshall- JS
The plan which assisted European nations with war reparations was called the Marshall Plan.
George C. Marshall