World war II
The world has lived through several wars, but none was as horrifying as world war II, also known as second world war. A long and bloody war that began in 1939 and ended in 1945. The principal militants of the war were the Axis powers; Nazi Germany, Fascists Italy and Imperial Japan and the Allies Great Britain, America, France, and the Soviet Union. There were several causes for the Second World War, which included the rise in fascism, the treaty of Versailles, and the economic depression of 1930.
Causes of World War II
The treaty of Versailles forced the Germans to let go of a lot of its territories, prohibited them from having large armies, and compelled them to take the blame for the First World War. It caused anger on the Germans as they felt humiliated by the treaty these events made them vulnerable to persuasion from Adolf Hitler dictator of Nazi Germany. He made promises to avenge his people and restore their pride through military action. Another cause for the Second World War was the economic depression that the world was suffering from in the late 1920s. In a state of depression, unemployment rises as trade is low, industries close and banks fail. It led to people seeking a strong political leader to solve their problems. For the Germans, Hitler became the person to reinstate their wealth and status, while for the Italians, Mussolini did the same (Lesson 1, 6).
Another factor that led to World War II is the rise in Fascism, which is a form of government with one ruling party. Mussolini of Italy created a totalitarian government where labor unions were abolished, and political adversaries were killed. Hitler adopted this type of government for his people, which became a catalyst for the war. Failure of appeasement was another catalyst that led to the war. The western nations, France and Britain, did everything they could to appease Hitler. They let him annex a portion of Czechoslovakia, and in return, Hilter agreed not to expand his territory any further. However, they did nothing when he broke the promise, and this made Hitler gain more power, which led to his attack on Poland.
The Course of World War II
World War II, the greatest war in the world, began in September 1939 when Germany attacked Poland with no provocation. Britain and France came in to defend Poland. However, the Germans managed to conquer Poland and launched attacks on France, Norway, North Africa, and most of the European nations in 1940. The Axis became the dominant power in the first two years of the war. American had stayed out of the war building its economy that had been profoundly impacted by the great depression. However, an attack by Japan on their naval base at Pearl Harbor forced them into war in 1941. They allied with Britain to fight the Axis powers. 1943 marked the beginning of the fall of the German- Japan- Italy union as they managed to push the axis power out of North America (Robinson). The subsequent consequence was the invasion of Italy, it surrenders, but Germany takes over the war. The D-Day marks the allied invade France liberating Paris, which marks the beginning of the fall of Germany. In 1945 the soviets were liberated and joined the allies invading Berlin. As a result, Hitler committed suicide, bringing the end of the European war (Lecture 1, 17). Bombing in Hiroshima ended the Asian war as well.
The rise in Fascism, and the treaty of Versailles, were among factors that acted as catalysts to the Second World War. People in countries such as German and Japan had no choice but depended on dictatorial leadership so they could have food and a roof over their heads. Therefore, they acted in their best interest. The war ended because the axis powers were uncoordinated in their attacks as they attacked nations separately. It became their greatest downfall.
Works cited
Lesson 1. “World War II”
Robinson, Bruce “World War Two: Summary Outline of Key Events” BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/ww2_summary_01.shtml. Accessed 5th May 2020.