Preview

A Brief History of the Second World War Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
931 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
A Brief History of the Second World War Essay Example
DBQ: WW2

Though the 20s began with a favorable outlook for peace, near the end of the decade and throughout the 30s the clouds of war were forming. Dictators arose in countries dissatisfied with the results of the previous war, World War I. Nations such as Germany, Italy, and Japan took aggressive actions against other nations and neither the League of Nations nor other democratic countries were able or willing to stop them. Multiple methods were suggested to deal with Hitler and his forces. British Prime Minister Chamberlain suggested a policy of appeasement. Actions taken only dredged Europe closer to war. The debate over the causes of World War II provides different perspectives. One of the possible causes of World War II is the failure of the League of Nations. The League of Nations did not include all nations of the world and also had no army of their own. When Italy attacked Ethiopia, the emperor of Ethiopia appealed to the League of Nations for help. The response was ineffective. According to Haile Selassie, the Ethiopian emperor, the League of Nations should have stopped the invasion, and if the aggressors were not stopped, they will continue to take over more and more nations. (Doc 2.) Hitler was becoming more and more powerful as leader of Germany, and declared that he would tear up the Versailles Teaty. In an excerpt from Mein Kampf, Hitler suggested that Germany would need to use force to get what it wants. This method alone could seem threatening enough to draw Germany closer to war. (Doc 1.) Hitler had also began rearming Germany, and sending his battalions into the Rhineland's demilitarized zone. He used the excuse that stationing troops marked the close of the struggle for German equality status and with that re-won equality the path is now clear for Germany's return to European collective cooperation. Paris was infuriated by Germany's treaty violations. They wanted Germany to remove their forces aand appealed to the League of Nations,

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    The Treaty of Versailles included Woodrow Wilson’sfourteen points and a set of points that Germany had to abide to at all times.These rules stated that Germany had to take full blame for starting the war,had to pay for all of the damage stated by the war, had to reduce Germany’sarmy to a hundred thousand men with no air force. Germany also lost anabundance of land due to this treaty such as Alsace Lorraine, Malmedy, andNorth Schleswig. This was the cause that soon ignited Germany into beginningWorld War II. A man in Germany known as Hitler began to claim that he couldchange everything. He provided a new form of government and leadership thatwould lead Germany to the victory they deserved from World War I and turn thetables around to their favor. The war itself first began on September of 1939when Hitler invaded Poland which broke the Treaty of Versailles. By 1940,Germany had defeated French and British forces in France and had taken fulloccupation of France. Japan formed an alliance with Germany and on December 7th1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and bordering islands in the United…

    • 1630 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Ww1 Dbq Essay Example

    • 320 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Have you ever wondered why World War I started? In the late 19th century European leaders thought that by creating a balance of power, meaning all major countries in Europe had equal strength, such things like war could be stopped. However, Germany made and alliance with Austria-Hungary and Italy. France, Britain, and Russia then made their own entente or agreement between their governments. On top of this, tensions rose high in the Balkans and the region was considered a powder keg that only needed a spark to set it off. This spark came in the form of a Serbian group called the Black Hand assassinating the Archduke of Austria. So what were the underlying causes of World War I? The war started for many reasons but there were three major reasons: the formation or alliances, militarism, and imperialism.…

    • 320 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    At the end of World War I, there were numerous fearful and terrible damages that happened in the world. The Allies shifted responsibilities to the Central Powers, especially to Germany. As a result, countries, such as the Ottoman Empire and the Austrian-Hungarian Empire were divided into a couple of small countries. Meanwhile, Germany needed a leader who would tide them over the crisis; and there was a leader, whose name was Hitler. As a military man, Adolf Hitler was fatigued by the debt that had to be paid for all the compensation from World War I. One of the reasons why Hitler planned to start another war was that he could not pay all of the debt back and make proper compensation for World War I. However, Europeans and Americans ignored the threats of Germany as none of their business, and then World War II became the world’s business. There was a plethora of “war guilt” during World War II, for example, persecution of the Jews caused the war to be more painful. World War II is the most important event in history because it brought many results into the world; for example, World War II proved to be the most costly war in history, the number of deaths and amount of money lost during the war transformed the political, social, and economic situations in Europe, the world divided into two “super powers”, and one of the visible results of World War II was the creation of the United Nations.…

    • 1419 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ironically the League of nation’s answer for world peace was the main cause of World War II. Germany loss World War I and was forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles, saying that there would not be anymore wars ever. The Treaty of Versailles was created at the end of World War I in hopes to keep world peace; both the Allied Powers and the Central Powers signed the treaty and agreed to keep the peace with one another. The Treaty of Versailles was a great idea on paper, but unfortunately it helped cause World War II. The Treaty of Versailles helped cause World War II by taking land away from Germany, limiting the size of Germany’s military, pushing war reparations on Germany, and using the War Guilt Clause against the Germans.…

    • 749 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    World War Two is the cruel, black scar that marks the back of the Twentieth century. Etched out by dictators, genocides and opening of the Atomic Era, how did this fiery conflict erupt into the biggest bloodiest War on this Earth? After World War One the seeds of World War Two were planted through the unbearable burdens put on the German people from the infamous treaty of Versailles. With the rise of the notorious dictator Hitler, the German people thirsted for a new beginning. The Western World appeased Nazi Germany which sought more land and threatened war if it’s demands were not met and the Great Powers complied to try to prevent another fierce war, but the new dictator couldn’t be appeased and eventually invaded Poland, sparking World War Two. In order to liken the prevention of war the League of Nations should have introduced collective security to deal with the German aggression instead of appeasement.…

    • 1068 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The 1920s began with a favorable outlook for peace, however towards the end of the decade, clouds of war began to form. Aggressors began to take charge and strong feelings of nationalism arose. Fascist leaders such as Benito Mussolini of Italy and Adolf Hitler of Germany also helped lead Europe into the outbreak of a war and into a new era.…

    • 436 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    World War II DBQ

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the early 1920s, as World War I ended, nations looked for peace as an outlet and hope for the future. As time passed, most countries were happy that the Great War had ended, however they were upset with the outcome. Since there were many costly expenses from the war, it caused many of the hostile nations to look for strong rulers for change. This allowed many harsh dictators to rise to power. These dictators were aggressive rulers and took forceful actions. In order to combat these aggressive rulers, other nations tried to resist war and give in to their demands. This type of action was known as appeasement. Not all countries felt the same way about this response; other countries believed that a collective security would work better.…

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Second World War is often remembered as the “Good War” for the American’s heroic stand against the Nazis and the Japanese, but the moniker overly simplifies what many consider “history’s greatest catastrophe.” Images of heroic American soldiers bravely sacrificing their livelihoods and breath to bring freedom to Europe were plastered across the 1940’s media to rally support for the War, perhaps cementing the “Good War” characterization in American memory. However, the sixty years that have followed WWII have uncovered many American behaviors that undermine the ‘goodness’ of the War and question the “Greatest Generation.” Stories of Japanese internment camps, racial and gender inequality, and the horrific atomic bombings of Japanese cities call into question the validity of the American fight for liberty and democracy so valiantly portrayed in Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan. However, the undeniable heroism and sacrifice of the American soldiers and the nation’s economic successes upon returning home have deservedly earned these monikers. In that sense, the “Good War” and “Greatest Generation” characterizations are convenient but inaccurate simplifications of a conflict that contained many hypocritical and disturbing actions and cost millions of lives.…

    • 1134 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One very important factor when discussing a nation who is at war is the “home front” or the state that the nation is in not directly pertaining to the war and the daily activities of civilians during war time. While the home front may not have a direct impact on the war itself, many things are done behind the scenes in order to provide any assistance necessary. This includes increasing war time production of goods, weapons and food in order to adequately provide those directly involved in the fighting. The way in which funds are allocated and distributed by government officials during a war, whether it be increasing production of war time materials, food etc., is instrumental in winning a war. Also, Faragher speaks of certain inconveniences that Americans had to face during war time such as rationing food, working longer days, and suffering a sharp increase in their income taxes (Faragher 730). Many Americans who were not Caucasian saw hardship during World War II due to either deep seeded racism or fear that they may be assisting the nation they previously lived in.…

    • 714 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Wwi Essay

    • 867 Words
    • 4 Pages

    "The War to End All Wars!" was a common name for World War One. But when you actually take a look back at our history; did it really end all wars? No, this is quite false, as many wars have followed. Yet, many aspects of warfare were changed during this time. WWI was one of the bloodiest wars that the world has ever seen. Events taking place over a long period of time, such as imperialism, militarism, alliances and nationalism, as well as more immediate effects such as the assassination of Ferdinand, new countries involvements due to alliances, led to tension, and soon the outbreak of WWI.…

    • 867 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The First World War ended in an Allied victory, but the economies of Britain and France were shattered. In order to rebuild their economies, they had to disarm rapidly. The First World War had also given rise to strong anti-war sentiments, especially in Britain and France. Germany, who was blamed entirely for the outbreak of the First World War, received harsh reparations and was forced to sign the unfair Treaty of Versailles, which made Germany lose territory, as well as limited her armaments. This sparked resentment in the Germans who felt injustice that the war was entirely blamed on them which was prominently evident in Adolf Hitler who rose to power as Fuhrer of Germany in 1933. The highly nationalistic Nazi leader came into power a goal: to make secure and to preserve the racial community and to enlarge it. He hated the Versailles settlement and wanted to destroy it, hence fore building up the army and recovering lost territories to preserve German race. Therefore the in contrast to the Allies, Germany under Adolf Hitler was aggressive and influenced by revisionism. In attempt to preserve peace and not start a war with Germany, Britain and France, the two great powers gave in to Germany instead of standing against the aggressive Hitler. Appeasement is a term often applied to the overly acquiescent foreign policy practiced by Neville Chamberlain when dealing with Hitler’s Nazi regime. However, instead of preserving peace that Britain and France desperately wanted, it ironically allowed Hitler who did not have concrete plans on how to achieve his goals, to exploit their weakness and used situations in his advantage, which then resulted in the Second World War. While some may agree to this stand, others argue that Hitler intended a major war right from the beginning as seen from his book Mein Kampf and later on…

    • 2372 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Women: Women began working along with men and they found their places in society. They were no longer just house moms, they had a place.…

    • 380 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    World War I Essay

    • 393 Words
    • 2 Pages

    When we talk about war, many people think about weapons, fire, tension, blood and death. We have had many wars that have happened on the earth. At the turn of the twentieth century, World War I was one of the most important wars in the world. Many people died and were missing and a lot of money was spent for this war. They paid for weapons, food, supplies to win this war but some of them lost. To gain something, you have to lose something.…

    • 393 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    The causes of World War II have been traced back by many historians and figures as the unresolved problems from World War I. Economical and political problems left most countries in strife after the war, with many leaders wanting to fix their countries by any means possible. Shortly after, peace treaties were signed after the end of World War I but many predicted the inevitable subsequent world war. They feared that the victors would demand too much out of Germany and Austria, causing these countries to eventually retaliate. World War II did not begin overnight; there were multiple reasons and signs that it was foreseeable.…

    • 1097 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    World War 2 Dbq Essay

    • 424 Words
    • 2 Pages

    World War II is the cruel, black scar that marks the back of the Twentieth century. After World War I the seeds of World War Two were planted through the unbearable burdens put on the German people from the infamous treaty of Versailles. With the rise of the notorious dictator Hitler, the German people were hungry for a new beginning. Appeasement was one of the biggest things that lead to World War II. It basically just postponed the War from happening. Leaders arose in countries that were unsatisfied with the results of the past war, World War I. Italy, Germany and Japan took action and no one was stopping them. The Most effective response to aggression at this time was surely collective security. Using Appeasement got the countries nowhere…

    • 424 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays