Compare and contrast the causes of the First World War and the Second World War
Compare and contrast the causes of the First World War and the Second World War. Both the First World War and the Second World War were initially blamed on German aggression. There are definite similarities in the ways in which the wars broke out however it could be argued that the Second World War was a result mainly of the First, along with and the failure of the peacemakers at Versailles to make a sustainable peace treaty. This essay will demonstrate the similarities between the causes of both wars but will also show the significance of the failure of the peace treaties during the interwar years on the causes of the Second World War. This essay will argue that it was the failure of the peace settlements that directly led to WWII and that this is the main difference between the causes of the two total wars. The orthodox view on the causes of WWI is that it was due to German aggression. This can be supported by a quote from historian A.J.P Taylor who said that; "Schlieffens dead hand automatically pulled the trigger." The Schlieffen plan can be used to argue that Germany specifically wanted war; they had planned a system of mobilization very far in advance. Similarly, it could be argued that Germany planned to go to war a second time pre-WWII, the evidence supporting this being Hitler's 'Mein Kamf' which clearly outlined Hitler's expansionist aims. These two examples show
Why did the second World War Breakout in 1939
Why Did the Second World War Breakout in 1939? World War II or the Second World War was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all of the great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. The war involved the mobilization of over 100 million military personnel, making it the most widespread war in history. In a state of "total war", the major participants placed their complete economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities at the service of the war effort, erasing the distinction between civilian and military resources. Over seventy million people, the majority of them civilians, were killed, making it the deadliest conflict in human history. A reason for the outbreak of the Second World War was firstly and mainly the treaty of Versailles. The treaty of Versailles helped Adolf Hitler come to power in 1933 and it helped by giving the Germans a sense of grievance. The burden of reparations, the territorial settlement and the disarmament terms are the main factors in the Versailles treaty which gave Germany a sense of grievance. The banning of Anschluss and the war guilt clause also gave Germany a sense of grievance. Germany and the Soviet Union was revisionist, the two powers were trying to revive their armies and their countries. The settlements in Central and Eastern Europe both tried to
How did USA Change during the Second World War?
How did USA Change during the Second World War? Over the course of the Second World War, American society changed in various ways. Though some things good, a lot of things also got worse. In this essay I will try to explain how and what exactly happened during and after the Second World War. Women's lives changed dramatically during the war but got no better after it. Before the US entered the conflict, women were portrayed as being basic house wives who did not work or do anything other than look after their husband. This changed a lot after the American Troops fought around the world. Leaving their jobs, homes and families, the women of America were left to fill in for their husbands. They took up the men's jobs, roles in society and still did the usual jobs in and around the house. But all women did not just fill in for the male. Some became cover girls, politicians and even military workers. By January of 1944 WACs (Women's Army Corps) arrived in the Pacific and in July of 1944, WACs landed on the beach at Normandy 100,000 in total serving at this time. Despite the women of America keeping the country going, when the war ended, most of the men returned to their jobs, the women returned home to carry on from what was before and life simply went on. The role of the federal Government during the war became stronger. Everyday Americans were needed desperately to help win
Second World War and The Battle of Britain.
SECOND WORLD WAR A conflict that involved virtually every part of the world during the years 1939-45. The principal belligerents were the Axis powers--Germany, Italy, and Japan--and the Allies--France, Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, and, to a lesser extent, China. The war was in many respects a continuation, after an uneasy 20-year hiatus, of the disputes left unsettled by World War I. The 40,000,000-50,000,000 deaths incurred in World War II make it the bloodiest conflict as well as the largest war in history. Along with World War I, World War II was one of the great watersheds of 20th-century geopolitical history. It resulted in the extension of the Soviet Union's power to nations of Eastern Europe, enabled a Communist movement eventually to achieve power in China, and marked the decisive shift of power in the world away from the states of Western Europe and toward the United States and the Soviet Union. The Battle of Britain When France was conquered, Hitler could now turn his forces on Germany's sole remaining enemy: Great Britain, which was protected from the formidable German Army by the waters of the English Channel. On July 16, 1940, Hitler issued a directive ordering the preparation and, if necessary, the execution of a plan for the invasion of Great Britain. But an amphibious invasion of Britain would only be possible, given Britain's large
What were the causes of the Second World War?
What were the causes of the Second World War? There are a lot of causes for the Second World War. It cannot be justified by saying that it was only due to one thing. The causes I will be explaining are the Treaty of Versailles, the depression, Hitler's foreign policy, America, the failures of the League of Nations, appeasement and Russia. The treaty of Versailles is a cause of the Second World War because of a few reasons. It was too harsh on Germany, so they naturally wanted revenge. Some of the things in the treaty which Germany didn't like were mainly the ones which involved land being taken away, demilitarisation and the reparations. The land which was taken away from Germany included the Sudentenland and the Polish Corridor. These two were the main ones which the Germans objected to. This is because the Polish Corridor was where Germanys only port was and the Sudentenland was where the rich, mountainous, industrial land was. The demilitarisation was for the Rhineland and the army had to be restricted to 100,000 men. Also there weren't allowed to be any warships or tanks. The reparations, which were finalised in 1921, stood at £6.6 billion. After the Wall Street crash the effects of the having to pay reparations and the back payment of the Dawes plan, which was an agreement between America and Germany to help Germany pay back the reparations. These payments for the
How did The Second World War affect America?
Vishal Sookur 20/2/02 How did The Second World War affect America? Having been drawn into World War II by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, America was inevitably altered in many ways by the wartime circumstances and the affects of which are still noticeably present today. The war induced economical, social and political reforms in America. America is one of the world's great superpowers and with such massive territorial and economical resources she became the main source for arms and equipment flowing into Europe. Existing factories were adapted to cater for the demand for war machines and with this sudden influx of business, provided by the Allied war effort, America found herself in a wartime economic boom. More jobs were available due to the new demand and wages increased leading to a generally higher standard of living. With the primary focus on arms and weapons there was a shortage of consumer goods during the war but following that saw a return of consumer goods and mass exportation to Europe opening up a new market for commerce. To fund the initial production of the arms in demand federal taxes were significantly raised mainly in the form of income tax. Government spending has led to increased taxation remaining a permanent, long-term feature of the US
Why did Germany lose the second world war?
WHY DID GERMANY LOSE THE SECOND WORLD WAR? Alex Nathan May 2003 By 1939 Adolf Hitler had been in power for six years in Germany. Domestically, he had already started to achieve his aims, beginning his ethnic cleansing, and changing government policies on many issues. It was well known at the time that Hitler planned to have lebensraum - living space - for his citizens. He started off by occupying Austria, and convincing France and Britain that the status of Austria was an internal affair. Hitler then invaded the Sudetenland in what was known as Czechoslovakia. Even though Russia already had a protection pact with the Czechs, Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime-minister at the time, stuck with the policy of appeasement, meaning that Europe gave the Germans what they wanted in order to avoid war. The last straw came when, on September 1st 1939, the first German armies marched into Poland, with plans to invade. On September 3, the British and French surprised Hitler by declaring war on Germany. The Anglo-French military plan was based on France remaining on the defensive behind the heavily guarded Maginot Line while Britain built up its military potential for a long war. The French were not prepared to take the risk of attacking even the lightly defended German Siegfried Line while the German army was engaged in defeating Poland. This may have been a big mistake,
The Changing Role of Women: The Second World War.
The Changing Role of Women: The Second World War . a) The aim of this poster is to persuade women to work in factories. The poster shows the woman at the forefront as big, strong and powerful to encourage women to enter employment to help with the war effort. The viewers of the poster, see the woman from below, focusing on a type of ascendance and that women can be very influential in the war. In the background there are factories producing typical symbols of war such as fighter planes and tanks, allowing the women to think that by working in factories they will play a crucial role in the war. b) I think that it is deceiving to the extent that if the women decided to enter into employment in factories, they would not necessarily be producing fighter planes and tanks, instead they could be working in munitions factories. Although some women did work in vehicle manufacture. However the poster does not mention the difficulties that came along with working in factories so it is unable to give a realistic impression of factory work. The poster only shows the positive side of working such as helping the men at war and not the negative side such as monotonous work and being poorly paid. 2. a) The woman is presented as a typical sex object fawned upon by men, as the traditional 'blonde', but the sort of person that would be 'kept' rather than earn her own living. I do not think
Why was Eire neutral during the Second World War?
Why was Eire neutral during the second World War? Introduction. In order to fully answer this question, it is necessary to identify any ambiguities within the title - the most important being the expectation that the reader agrees with the statement that Ireland did in fact hold a position of neutrality during WW2. There are several points that contrast this statement - The British Prime Minister himself never accepted Ireland's neutrality- he held the belief that she was still a part of the Commonwealth and was therefore legally 'at war - but skulking'. There are some differences between Irish neutrality and the traditional types of neutral states, the most notable of which regards the consent of foreign military within neutral territory - Ireland allowed military aircraft of different nations to refuel at Shannon airport. A neutral state may, however, allow its citizens to serve in the armed forces of other nations, whether they are belligerent or not. Ireland did not in any way restrict its citizens from serving in foreign armies and as such around 200,000 men and women served in the Allied Forces against the Axis Powers. Ireland followed the guidelines in some cases, but in others, such as in the repatriation of Allied airmen but not Germany's, chose to act in such a way that made certain states question her neutrality. It can therefore by ascertained that
Why and when did Germany lose the Second World War?
Azhar Syed Azmi History HL History Essay: Why and when did Germany lose the Second World War? From 1939 to 1945, the Second World War ravaged much of the globe, and was clearly provoked by the expansionist policies of Germany, Italy and Japan. Although initially successful, these Axis powers, and especially Germany, were ultimately defeated by the combined forces of the Allies- Great Britain, U.S.S.R, and the U.S. The defeat of Germany during the Second World War can be attributed to a series of tactical mistakes which Hitler carried out, in addition to brilliant strategies implemented by Allied forces. Several key turning points during the Second World War helped turn the tide of war in favor of Great Britain, U.S.S.R, and the U.S, and led to the gradual defeat of Germany. These turning points are war plans and decisions commanded by Hitler, and include the invasion of France, the Battle of Britain, the military campaign in North Africa, the invasion of U.S.S.R, and the declaration of war against the U.S. The actions of German armed forces in the battles that resulted from these decisions were for the most part unsuccessful and disastrous. Thus, the question of when Germany lost the Second World War is best answered by scrutinizing these points during the conflict, as it is not one critical moment which entailed the defeat of Germany, but several- all of which contribute
