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Could We Have Stopped World War Two?

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Could We Have Stopped World War Two? World War II was, and still is, the deadliest conflict in human history. The total deaths numbered between 70 and 85 million people, or nearly 4% of the global population at that time. This number does not include other casualties, such as soldiers or civilians who sustained injuries, animals, and property damage. But this war, like most other wars, took more from the countries it affected than just manpower and resources. Because of the war, two of the oldest nation-states in the world lost their sovereignty and became subject to occupation. Two of the Axis Powers, Germany and Japan, were occupied by Allied, and in Japan’s case, American troops, with Germany being especially affected. While Japan…show more content…
An example of constructivist thinking would be that ISIS is both a product of terrorists deciding that ISIS exists, and also a product of governments around the globe deciding that it exists. Realism examines how the world really works, so how can we apply this theory to the Second World War? First, look at the history through the lens of international relations. In other words, look at the war through the eyes of a country itself. The main goal for any country and government is survival. Therefore, before the war began, during the rise of Hitler, countries like Britain and France did not want to go to war again because of the devastation they experienced 20 years earlier, during the First World War. The governments did not believe they would survive another war. Either, they would be overrun by the Nazis, or they would be overthrown by their own people. As such, the governments chose to appease Hitler, instead of fighting back. (Rigg 1)What would a realist do in this situation? After looking at the size of Germany’s army, which at this time was still small, even though it had surpassed the 100,000-man limit of the Treaty of Versailles, France and Great Britain’s armies would have been enough to overwhelm the Wehrmacht. (Rice and Krout) And one must remember, Hitler was able to rearm Germany because he assumed that the Allied Powers would not
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