The Axis powers (German: Achsenmächte, Italian: Potenze dell'Asse, Japanese: Suujikukoku (枢軸国), Hungarian: Tengelyhatalmak, Romanian: Puterile Axei,Bulgarian: Сили от Оста), also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, comprised the countries that were opposed to the Alliesduring World War II. The three major Axis powers—Germany, Japan, and Italy—were part of a military alliance on the signing of the Tripartite Pact in September 1940, which officially founded the Axis powers. At their zenith, the Axis powers ruledempires that dominated large parts of Europe, Africa, East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean, but World War II ended with their total defeat and dissolution. Like the Allies, membership of the Axis was fluid, and other nations entered and