Causes and Consequences of Second World War

Questions: 1. Causes of the Second World War?2. Consequences of the Second World War? Answers: Introduction The Second World War was a continuation of the tensions as well as the resources and markets that partially led to the First World War. The fascist Italy invaded Ethiopia in the year 1935. With an attempt to expand beyond Korea, Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931 and soon concur mainland China in the year 1937. Within the Europe the aggression of Germany against neighboring countries soon led it into the serious war with Britain as well as France in the year 1939. Within no time the conflict became global. The attack on Pearl Harbour soon intensified the environment. The World War II was therefore fought in Europe, North Africa, East Asia, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Soviet Union, West Africa. In relation to the Second World War the historians identify a series of incidents and comprehend them as the key cause behind the out break of the War. Causes of the Second World War The World War I abruptly ended without answering the key question of who would rule or dominate the Europe. The havoc dislocations and damages caused by the war soon laid the groundwork to collapse of democratic institutions and encouraged the Germans to attempt at the conquest. A worldwide depression soon affected the nations and in 1929 it set the stage for German to attack for the second time. In 1933 Adolf Hitler moved forward with the National Socialist German Workers (Nazi) Party, a mass movement that was antidemocratic and anti-Semitic. He was against the parliamentary government and embraced dictatorial powers. This Nazi government helped in increasing the overall strength of the German armed forces. Problems soon engulfed the situation after the failure of the Treaty of Versallies. When the treaty was signed in 1919 countless people hoped that a destructive war will never happen again (Lukacs). However, the expectations met a devastation caused by the Great Depression. Incre ased military expenditure also affected the public sentiment and the economic effects of the Great Depression were severe. The World War two is a severe global military conflict which affected the nations across the globe. It also affected the great powers, organized two opposing military alliances, Axis and Allies. The Allied powers on the one hand included the British Empire, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, United States of America was known as The Big Three. The Aixs Power included the countries such as Germany, Japan, and Italy. Historians identified that Hitlers rise to power was one of the key causes behind the conflict which gripped the world between 1939 and 1945. There are various reasons behind the Second World War (Taylor). Such as already mentioned that Germany decided to expand; rise of dictatorship in Germany, Japan decided to expand in Asia and Pacific. The weakness of the League of the Nations led to the war. Powers rose against ach other, and indulged into endless conflict till the Japan was attacked with Atom bomb by the US, which not only weakened the great power but also crippled it permanently. Consequences of the Second World War The consequence of the global war was immense. Countless died and many were homeless. The impact of Atom bomb in Japan changed the lives of the people for ever. More than 15million soldiers died and about 20million civilians were disabled permanently. Destruction of property, loss of resources, economic loss and shortage of commodity affected the countries severely. People had no food, work or money. Lives were miserable. Hardships of the common man in these countries increased daily (Keegan). While at the national level, humans suffered, at the political level, the end of the World War marked a new beginning which was initiated by the decline of the old super power and the rise of two new super powers, namely the Soviet Union (USSR) and the United States of America (US). Allies during the Second World War, the USSR as well as the US evolved as steep competitors. The US, USSR became competitor and engaged in the Cold War that thought never got expressed as an open war like the previous global wars, but engaged in accumulating ammunitions and evolving as a powerful group that the other by spending immensely on military arms and ammunition (Lukacs). This came to be known as the Cold War. The Cold War saw the race of nuclear armaments and threatened the nations with its slow growing power which if released would end the harmony and civic life forever. Finally the consequences of the war, the Allies created the United Nations, a new global organization to manage and cooperatio n as well as diplomacy. Members of UNO signed and greed to end the wars of aggression to avoid the Third World War. References Keegan, John. The Second World War. 4th ed. New York: Viking, 2000. Print. Liddell Hart, Basil Henry. History Of The Second World War. 3rd ed. New York: Putnam, 2005. Print. Lukacs, John. The Legacy Of The Second World War. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2010. Print. Taylor, A. J. P. The Origins Of The Second World War. 4th ed. New York: Atheneum, 2009. Print.