The Second World War is one of the most familiar wars to the everyday person because of its massive effect on the global community’s future. It is arguably the first and only total war in the history of the war. Hew Strachan believes that it is because of its totality, which is seen through all of the components and scale of World War II. His fellow historian Robert Messer agrees saying “That first truly global conflict mobilized economies and populations of the world on a scale and degree that, if not total, was unprecedented in history.” They both agree, that World War II is the best example of total war for basically the same reasons, but Strachan will go more in depth. While, Messer dives into the morality of dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I will first review Strachan’s essay and then will explain how Strachan and Messer both agree that the Second World War was total in nature. First, we will examine Strachan’s essay, “Total War”. He gives a very good and detailed argument for how total war was perceived before and after the war. He explains that total war was used before the war as a means to fully mobilize a nation, but after the war it was used to describe the carnage inflicted on the enemy. This argument gives total war two definitions, which may be fair, because how can something abstract have a truly rigid definition. In reality, the combination of the two definitions lead to a viable single definition of the process of total war.
Basically according to the oxford dictionary, there are several elements which link to total war, which are unrestricted weapons used, territory or combatants involved, objective
“The war to end all wars” was what people called it. Others called it “The Great War”. Many people died in this war. And there was really no right or wrong in this war; meaning that I don’t think there really was a side that was wrong or right, and I’m going to explain why further in this essay. I think both sides were wrong in things, but in the end, Germany was the one that suffered the most because they were being forced to pay billions dollars in the war debts, and let the French control a rich mine for well over 15 years. But before that Germany and the Britain’s were at war with each other. And Germany sent out a warning to everyone saying that every ship crossing the war zone line (which was the
It is striking how much our world has changed in the last 75 years; our technology as well as our knowledge has advanced by leaps and bounds. The World War II era was a time of rampant progression for America on many levels. Women entered the workforce out of necessity, and as a result women became a driving force in the economy: they made money, and they spent it. Marketing agencies understood this and they began tailoring their advertisements toward women. When war broke out and we began shipping our men off to battle, marketing agencies used the American people’s sympathies toward our soldiers to sell more products. With the limited knowledge about the products they were selling, advertisements from this era focused more on how the item made them “cool”, how it was “good for you”, and how it was the better than the rest – all without truly understanding the product, or the long – term effects it might create. Modern advertising has changed dramatically, with the advancement of so many fields; we have more information about the products that are being sold, and there are many more regulations about truth in advertising. It’s a completely different playing field for marketing firms today, they have to employ far more creativity to hook an audience and get their message across than our counterparts in the WWII era. Advertising has a powerful role in shaping the culture of a nation, and has the power to change self-perception. Cigarette advertisements are one of the best
In 1914, a war began that would turn into one of the deadliest combats in all of human history. A war that was fought between two alliances named the Triple Entente, consisting of Russia, France and Great Britain, and the Triple Alliance, which consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. One of the reasons the war was so deadly was because many of the commanders and generals did not develop the tactics at the rate at which the weapons had progressed. Artillery and Machine Guns would decimate anyone who came over the edge of a trench, leading to millions of deaths. The old style of face-to-face trading fire combat had become obsolete due to the invention of the automatic and semi-automatic weapon. A single gun could now kill or injure
"The era of anxiety and economic depression was also a time of growing strength for political dictatorship. Popularity elected governments and basic civil liberties declined drastically in Europe"(McKay 967). Most say the start of the second World War was due to the depression across the world. Others, like Monetarists, believe that the second World War was no accident. The worldwide depression left countries with dictatorship that seemed to be the wave of the future and therefore the start of World War II.
World War II was fought between two powers; the axis and the allied powers. The axis powers consisted of Germany, Italy, Japan, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria while the allied powers consisted of U.S., Britain, France, USSR, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Greece, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, and Yugoslavia. While the United States Armed Forces were deployed in other parts of the world, the ones back home were facing the struggles of a war they had no choice but to be involved in. This war was a war that lasted for six years and tallied many casualties. The hard fought war was not fought for any reason, though. World War II was a pivotal point in the 1900’s for, not only states’ rights, but also human rights. The aftermath of the war brought justice to those wronged and a bright future to look ahead to.
On August 2nd, 1914, Germany’s military began moving troops through neutral Belgium in an indirect attempt to weaken the French Army. Ultimately the plan, first penned in 1905 by German Field Marshall, Alfred Von Schlieffen, involved a swift invasion of France, complete debilitation of its military, followed by a defensive operation on the Empire’s lengthy shared border with Russia. Although the assassination of Austro-Hungarian archduke Franz Ferdinand did not occur for nearly 9 years after the formation of the plan, tensions had been rising within continental Europe for the past two decades. Tensions were especially heavy along the western coast of the continent, where land disputes over the Alsace-Lorraine territories had strained
World War 2 was undoubtedly one of the most important events in history not only for what happened throughout the six years of war but also the aftermath of the war. Beyond the casualties and deaths this devastating war would open new doors for technology advancement, medicine innovations and creations also changes in music ,art ,sports and culture. Furthermore back home in the United States the role of women was beginning to shape up during the conflict at the other side of the world . Previous verbal arguments between countries escalated and led to previous physical encounters.Such as that of the first world war which took place from July 28, 1919 until November 11,1918 with an estimated 16.5 million deaths in both military and civilian
Germany as a country has had significant growth in accomplishment and durability since the destructive repercussions that resulted from the German involvement in World War II (WWII). After the war, the German economy crumbled, the nation was divided and the government was defeated soundly. Now, German economy is the 4th best worldwide, the government is thriving, and the formerly divided country is now unified. Yet even with all of these momentous achievements, the shadow of WWII still remains. Contemporary Germany has grown in stability and prosperity since World War II largely due to the German Pflichtbewuβtsein (sense of duty), and yet this stability and prosperity has been hindered by the current refugee crisis, particularly due to the remnant of the German role in WWII.
Historically, the World War II is considered to be the most bloody and brutal military conflict in mankind history. Furthermore, it is the only war in which there was use of nuclear weapons by Americans against Japanese in 1945. In fact, it was fought by 61 countries. Start and end dates of the war September 1, 1939 and September 2, 1945, which are among the most significant dates for the entire civilized world.
World War II was the most widespread war in history and it directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. This war lasted from 1939 to 1945. The war pinned the Axis nations which were Germany, Italy, Japan versus the Allied nations which were led by Britain and its Commonwealth nation, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States. The Allies were victorious in the War. It was one of the most significant periods of time in the 20th century. The war resulted in many changes across the world including major advancement in technology. The post-war world changes also included the end of end of European colonialism, the civil rights movement in the United States, and the modern women’s rights movement, as well as the programs for exploring outer space. Two major superpowers emerged from World War II. This included the United States and United Soviet Socialist Republics. These two countries entered into the Cold War with each other which really defined the rest of the century. The effects of WWII were not all positive. The war had a negative impact on many things including the global economy, the growth of communism in China and the cold war between United States and USSR which was why World War II was bad. The negative impact was present across the world.
The brutality that came with the onset of the Second World War, was that that was unseen by the world in the centuries before. World War Two became one of the defining moments in the 20th century. The scale of the war and the atrocities that came with the desire for the absolute destruction of the enemy was, and will have an effect on the peoples of the world for many years in the future. The Holocaust did not arise through deliberate planning set out right from the time that the NSDAP came into power in 1933. This essay contends to prove that the ‘Final Solution’ arose though the nature of the Second World War, and evolved from previous plans of deportation and exclusion from the 3rd Reich. The official policy statements from 1933-1939,
At the end of the Second World War, France had to leave its Middle Eastern and Asian colonies. The promotion of nationalism and anti-colonialism in the empire and the loss of imperial tenacity in France led to its withdrawal from most of its colonies. Adding to that, France was one of the Allied Powers, and the "The Atlantic Charter" that was produced in 1941 stipulated that the Allied powers needed to achieve certain goals if they won Second World War, and one was that all people and nations had the right to self determination and the right to govern themselves. This resulted in launching the decolonisation process in France.
Over 70 million casualties were a result of World War II (World war 2 statistics,2006) the second global war that succeeded World War I. The results of World War I entailed the punishment of Germany through the treaty of Versailles which made Germany pay for the damages that occurred during the war. The Germans did not agree to this policy due to its unjust tactics since Germany was not the only country that had a large effect in the war. This created frustration in Germany and helped instigate the German invasion of Poland. After WWI passed, it became evident that war was needed to help sustain a country due to the country’s economic struggles. Within a period of twenty-one years Germany attacked Poland which created a chain reaction throughout Europe. The allies of Poland went into war against Germany then Germany’s allies went to war with them and it became this vicious cycle. Although the United States of America had allies within Europe they stood firm with their position of neutrality to avoid becoming part of the conflict. Unfortunately, the attack then happened on Pearl Harbor everything. United States ultimately entered the war. What the United wanted to avoid so badly became a reality they had to face. World War II brought about dramatic changes to every aspect of American life in the United States. The changes that occurred on the home front during the War years, continued to shape the country 's development well into the 21st century. Since the United States
The previously accepted nature of war stemmed from the Clausewitzian trinity: war is emotional, an experience wrought with passion, violence, and enmity; uncertainty, chance, and friction pervade the medium of war; however, because war is not an end in itself, and because, as a means, it is subordinate to its political aims, war must be subject to reason (Clausewitz, 89). With the first employment of nuclear weapons, however, strategists and military theorists began to question Clausewitz’s foundational ideas (Winkler, 58). Similarly, Allan Winkler, in agreeing with Bernard Brodie’s thesis, opines that the advent of nuclear weapons fundamentally changed the nature of war. Winkler’s assertion stems from his argument that such a nuclear duel would yield a post-war environment incapable of recovery for any parties involved (62). He further describes Brodie’s realization that “[t]he atomic bomb is not just another and more destructive weapon to be added to an already long list. It is something which threatens to make the rest of the list relatively unimportant.” (62) Ultimately, Winkler abridges Brodie’s assessment in stating that “the United States was caught in the paradox of having to prepare for a war it did not plan to fight.” (63)