ww1 and ww2 essay

World War I vs. World War II

The First World War (WWI) was fought from 1914 to 1918 and the Second World War (or WWII) was fought from 1939 to 1945. They were the largest military conflicts in human history. Both wars involved military alliances between different groups of countries.

World War I (a.k.a the First World War, the Great War, the War To End All Wars) was centered on Europe. The world warring nations were divided into two groups namely ‘The Central Powers’ and ‘The Allied Powers’. The central powers group consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria. The Allied powers group consisted of France, Britain , Russia, Italy, Japan, Canada and (from 1917) the U.S.

World War II (a.k.a the Second World War), the opposing alliances are now referred to as ‘The Axis’ and ‘The Allies’. The Axis group consisted of Germany, Italy, and Japan. The Allies group consisted of France, Britain, the U.S., the Soviet Union, Canada and China. World War II was especially heinous because of the genocide of Jewish people perpetrated by the Nazis .

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Causes of the war, world war i trigger.

• The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria on 28 June 1914, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary was the trigger for the war. He was killed by Serbian nationalists.
• Austria-Hungary invaded Serbia.
• At same time Germany invaded Belgium , Luxembourg and France
• Russia attacked Germany
• Several alliances formed over the past decades were invoked, so within weeks the major powers were at war; as all had colonies, the conflict soon spread around the world.

This video from Yale explains the events that led to World War I:

Causes of World War II

The Versailles Treaty signed at the end of World War I not only lay the moral blame of the conflict on Germany but also forced the Germans to make huge payments to the victors of the war. France and Britain needed these reparations payments in order to pay down their own debts. But they were highly onerous, arguably unjustifiably so, and were deeply unpopular in Germany. Hitler seized on this growing resentment and promised to "undo this injustice and tear up this treaty and restore Germany to its old greatness". In fact, the payments demanded were so large that Germany was able to repay the final installment of interest on this debt only on October 3, 2010. [1] The following causes of World War II are generally acknowledged:

• Treaty violations and acts of aggression on various fronts.
• Political and economic instability in Germany, combined with bitterness over its defeat in World War I and the harsh conditions of the Treaty of Versailles.
• Rise of power of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. In the mid-1930s Hitler began secretly to rearm Germany, in violation of the treaty.
• Adolf Hitler signed alliances with Italy and Japan to oppose the Soviet Union
• German invasion of Poland on Sept. 1, 1939

The following documentary delves into the causes of World War II:

Sequence of events

World war i.

The sequence of events for World War I began in 1914 with Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia on 28 July 1914 in a bid to reassert its authority as a Balkan power. With war breaking out between Austria-Hungary on one side and Serbia on the other, Europe quickly fell back to the alliances nations had formed. Austria-Hungary and Germany were allies. Serbia was allied with Russia; as was France. Russia aided Serbia and attacked Austria. So Austria-Hungary was fighting in two fronts with Serbia and with Russia and consequently lost on both fronts. In a bid to aid Austria-Hungary against Russia, and fearing an attack from France, Germany mobilized its army and attacked France.

• The French, redeploying round Paris, together with the British, checked the now extended German armies on the Marne. In March and April 1915 British sea and land forces attacked the Dardanelles. The Turks countered both threats, causing the British to evacuate the Gallipoli peninsula at the end of 1915.
• A joint Austro-German offensive at Gorlice-Tarnow (2 May 1915) unlocked Russian Poland and the tsar's shattered armies fell back
• In 1915 the Allies agreed that simultaneous attacks on all fronts were the way to drain the reserves of the Central Powers
• On 21 February 1916 Germans attacked the Verdun salient; however this attack was stalled in June. Austrians' independent offensive against the Italians in the Trentino also stalled.
• Germany finally adopted unrestricted submarine warfare in February 1917, and in doing so drove America into the war.
• The Germans extended their front while reducing their strength by almost a million men. Simultaneously they continued to advance in the east, competing with their Austrian allies in the Ukraine and the Turks in the Caucasus. * The French counter-attacked in July and the British in August. Together with the Americans, they drove the Germans back in a series of individually limited but collectively interlocking offensives.
• On 15th September the Anglo-French forces at Salonika attacked in Macedonia, forcing the Bulgars to seek an armistice by the end of the month.
• The whole of the Central Powers' Italian front crumbled after the Austrian defeat on the Piave in June.
• The German high command initiated the request for an Armistice on 4 October. After the war Germany claimed that the army was ‘stabbed in the back’ by revolution at home. The people of Germany and Austria-Hungary were battered by food shortages and inflation.
• On 11 November an armistice with Germany was signed in a railroad carriage at Compiègne. At 11 a.m. on 11 November 1918 a ceasefire came into effect.

1919 A formal state of war between the two sides persisted for another seven months, until signing of the Treaty of Versailles with Germany on 28 June 1919

World War II

The war that broke out in 1939 was a war for the European balance of power. The immediate cause of the conflict was the German demand for the return of Danzig and part of the Polish ‘corridor’ granted to Poland from German territory in the Versailles Treaty of 1919. Poland refused to agree to German demands, and on 1 September 1939 overwhelming German forces launched the Polish campaign and defeated her in three weeks. Russia also invaded eastern Poland. Poland thus got divided into two parts. In March 1939 Britain and France had guaranteed Polish sovereignty, and in honor of that pledge first demanded that German forces withdraw, and then on 3 September declared war on Germany. America was committed by the Neutrality Acts of 1935 and 1937 of non-intervention in overseas conflicts.

This video presents a concise history of the events of World War II:

• German armies invaded Belgium, Luxembourg, and northern France and within six weeks defeated western forces.
• Britain was able to resist German air attacks in the battle of Britain in August and September 1940, and survived a German bombing offensive (the ‘Blitz’) in the winter of 1940-1, but it was not possible for Britain to defeat Germany unaided.
• On 10 June 1940 Mussolini's Italy declared war on Britain and France.
• In December 1940 Hitler turned attention away from Britain and approved BARBAROSSA, the large-scale invasion of the USSR.
• America started giving increasing economic assistance to Britain and China following President Roosevelt's pledge to act as the ‘arsenal of democracy’.
• BARBAROSSA was launched on 22 June 1941 when three million German, Finnish, Romanian, and Hungarian soldiers attacked the whole length of the Soviet western frontier. Soviet Union was shattered.
• In North Africa, Commonwealth forces stationed in Egypt drove Italian armies back across Libya by February 1941
• In Abyssinia and Somaliland Italian forces were forced to surrender by May 1941.
• Italy's complete defeat in Africa was avoided only by Hitler's decision to send German reinforcements under Rommel, and the weak logistical position of Commonwealth forces.
• The US navy became closely involved in the battle of the Atlantic in efforts to break the German submarine blockade of shipping destined for Britain. In March 1941 Congress approved the Lend-Lease Bill which allowed almost unlimited material aid, including weapons, for any state fighting aggression. In the autumn of 1941 this came to include the USSR, despite strong American anti- communism . Throughout 1940 and 1941 the USA tightened an economic blockade of Japan which threatened to cut off most Japanese oil supplies.
• American actions provoked both Japanese and German retaliation. On 7 December 1941 Japanese naval aircraft attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, followed by the rapid conquest of western colonies in south-east Asia and the southern Pacific.
• On 11 December Germany declared war on the USA.
• Russia made a remarkable recovery and in November Germany and her allies attacking Stalingrad (now Volgograd) were cut off by a massive Soviet encirclement, URANUS.
• In November 1942 at Alamein a predominantly Italian force was defeated by Montgomery.
• The USA fought a largely naval and air war between 1942 and 1945, using its very great naval power to deploy troops in major amphibious operations, first in the Solomon Islands to halt the Japanese Pacific advance, then in TORCH, a combined American-British landing in Morocco and Algeria in November 1942.

The entry of the USA signaled a change in the political balance of the war of great significance. German forces in Stalingrad surrendered in January 1943and by May 1943 Italian and German forces finally surrendered in Tunisia, enabling the Allies to mount the invasion of Sicily and then Italy. Italy sued for an armistice in September 1943.

American economic might and political interests helped to bind together the different fronts of conflict, while America's worldwide system of supply and logistics provided the sinews of war necessary to complete the defeat of the aggressor states. A major intelligence deception operation and declining air power weakened the German response and by September 1944 German forces had been driven from France.

• German surrendered on 7 May 1945 following Hitler's suicide on 30 April.
• A long-range bombing campaign destroyed the Japanese cities and most of the Japanese navy and merchant marine. America’s newest weapon, the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.
• Soviet forces destroyed the Japanese army in Manchuria; Japan finally capitulated on 2 September.

War strategies

Many of the weapons that dominate military operations today were developed during World War I, including the machine gun, the tank and specialized combat aircraft. This is a great video that explains the military strategies and tactics used during World War I.

• After the war, the Paris Peace Conference imposed a series of peace treaties on the Central Powers. The 1919 Treaty of Versailles officially ended the war. Building on Wilson's 14th point, the Treaty of Versailles also brought into being the League of Nations on 28 June 1919. In signing the treaty, Germany acknowledged responsibility for the war, agreeing to pay enormous war reparations and award territory to the victors. It caused a lot of bitterness.
• Austria–Hungary was partitioned into several successor states.
• The Russian Empire lost much of its western frontier as the newly independent nations of Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland were carved from it.
• The war ended with the total victory of the Allies over Germany and Japan in 1945. The United Nations was established to foster international cooperation and prevent future conflicts.
• The Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers.
• Although the totalitarian regimes in Germany, Italy, and Japan were defeated, the war left many unresolved political, social, and economic problems in its wake and brought the Western democracies into direct confrontation with their erstwhile ally, the Soviet Union under Josef Stalin, thereby initiating a period of nearly half a century of skirmishing and nervous watchfulness as two blocs, each armed with nuclear weapons , faced each other probing for any sign of weakness.
• The European economy had collapsed with 70% of the industrial infrastructure destroyed.
• A rapid period of decolonization also took place within the holdings of the various European colonial powers. These primarily occurred due to shifts in ideology, the economic exhaustion from the war and increased demand by indigenous people for self-determination.
• Wikipedia: World War II
• Wikipedia: World War I
• Wikipedia: World War I casualties
• Wikipedia: World War II casualties
• World War I - Encyclopædia Britannica
• What are some interesting facts about the Second World War? - Quora

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Anonymous comments (5).

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May 13, 2014, 5:05pm This is actually really helpful if you'r learning about the ww1 and ww2- it makes things a lot easier. Thxs — 2.✗.✗.119

April 7, 2014, 1:27pm So helpful good for a nerd like me. — 182.✗.✗.155

April 18, 2013, 4:07pm this helped a lot — 150.✗.✗.200

October 7, 2013, 8:12pm Genocide by Germany, was carried out on more than those listed. — 204.✗.✗.1

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World War 1 and World War 2, Essay Example

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The two world wars made significant impacts in the world, which are experienced in various regions and by various groups even today. One of the greatest similarities evident in the two wars is the parties involved in the wars. In both cases, the war was between two parties. While the Allies and the Central Powers were the parties in the First World War, the Axis and the Allies were the parties in the Second World War. The Allies of the First World War included Russia, France, United Kingdom, and Triple Entente. The Central Powers included Italy, Austria-Hungary, and Germany. However, Italy later withdrew from the war after Austria-Hungry took the offensive

World War I was triggered by the death of Austria-Hungary’s Archduke F. Ferdinand. He was the successor of the reigning ruler. The assassination was done by a Yugoslav nationalist. This was seen as war against Austria-Hungary. Therefore, the kingdom’s allies were gathered in readiness for retaliation. On the other hand, the Second World War was triggered by German’s invasion of Poland because it wanted to expand its empire. Subsequently, France and most of the commonwealth countries had declared war on Italy and Germany. Thus, the Second World War began. However, China and Japan were already at war prior to these incidences.

In both wars, the United States’ first attempt was to stay neutral to all parties. However, this attempt did not last long after the United States was pressured to take a stand by the other countries. In both wars, the United States ended up aiding the Allies. President Woodrow Wilson aided the WW1 while Franklin Roosevelt oversaw the second one. This occurred after the United States realized that the Germans were acting as the villains. The United States aided in military and weaponry resources, funds, healthcare and food, amongst other resources. In both cases, the country was on the winning party.

While the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings and the Holocaust are the most memorable war crimes in the Second World War, the genocides in Greek, Assyria and Armenia are the most memorable in the First World War. Armenian genocide occurred under ethnic cleansing. This was done by the Ottoman Empire because they perceived the Armenians as the enemy. The Russians were also involved in the death Jews, and Germans because they killed them in thousands. In the Second World War, the Holocaust involved the death of many Jews who were said to be in millions. These Jews were in concentration camps. The Atomic bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima killed more than 166, 000 people within the first four months. These bombings were done by the United States, the China republic and the United Kingdom, which had urged Japan to surrender from the Pacific War, a continuation of the Second World War, without any success. The aftermath of these bombings are still experienced even today.

While the first world War resulted to the change of larger entities (empires/countries) such as imperialistic foreign policies of Italy, French Republic, Ottoman, Austria-Hungarian, British, Russian, and the German Empires, the Second World War influenced individuals. For example, the women in the United States and other significant regions were significantly impacted towards working and fighting for their rights. During the warring period, they had taken up the factory jobs and other jobs to safeguard their families as the majority of the men were in the warring countries. When the war ended, they still wanted to work. This led to the women’s campaigns for their right to work and do other activities that were limited to the men.

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Causes of WWI and WWII: Comparing and Contrasting Essay

The First World War, as well as the Second World War, are regarded as the most devastating military conflicts in the history of humanity. The First World Ward is also known as the Great War. It was the first global conflict between Central Powers and Allied Powers. Austro-Hungarian Empire, Germany, and Ottoman Empire comprised Central Powers. Russia, France, Italy, and Great Britain were the primary forces of Allied Powers. World War I commenced in 1914 and ended in 1918. More than nine million people were killed during four years of war (“World War I” par. 1). More countries took part in World War II than in WWI, and its destructive outcomes were worse too. The primary aggressors of WWII were Germany, Italy, and Japan. France, Soviet Union, Great Britain, and the United States became Allies. WWI started in 1939 and lasted until 1945. The approximate number of deaths comprised more than fifty million (“World War II” par. 2).

Numerous scientists have investigated the causes of both wars. In the following paper, Kenneth Waltz’s levels of analysis will be used for the comparison and contrast of causes of WWI and WWII. Kenneth Waltz was a founder of structural realism or neorealism who suggested three levels of analysis for the evaluation of causes of war in his book “Man, the State, the War”. The first level of analysis concerns particular individuals.

Thus, wars can be caused by the specific intentions and behaviors of leaders. The second level deals with the examination of domestic factors that may cause war. The situation within the country, the existence and activities of pressure groups belong to this level of analysis. The third level is global. It is the international level of analysis, and it examines international relations between states as a potential cause for war (Dooley 261-263).

The third level of analysis is systemic as far as it presents the highest level of evaluation. According to Waltz, the structure of international politics, power distribution, and national interests are primary causes of wars on the third level of analysis (Dibek par. 2). Waltz believed that the structure of the international system was anarchic. He used the word “anarchy” to describe the absence of absolute world power or the highest government rather than the state of chaos. Thus, at the highest level of their autonomy, countries are on their own. Consequently, they aim at improving their positions and defending national interests.

The first similarity between both WWI and WWII refers to the similar structure of wars. Thus, both wars were represented by Allied countries that opposed the German aggression and its supporters. One can conclude that there was a state of anarchy before wars. The second similarity refers to the distribution of power and the division of world order. In both wars, Germany believed that it should receive a better position on the global level.

Although the distribution of power and opposition to aggressors occurred between almost the same countries, wars had different ground. World War I was caused by the instability of Austro-Hungarian Empire. Serbia wanted to become an independent nation. After the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, Russia supported Serbia while Germany — the Empire. The separation of Serbia was catastrophic for Empire’s might and dominance.

The conflict was based on the division of territories. Also, countries fought for national pride (“World War I & II Compare and Contrast” 11-12). In contrast, Adolf Hitler, who believed in the superiority of the Aryan race, initiated WWII. As a result, the war occurred because of the clash of two ideologies such as Fascism and Communism. These differences exemplify various processes of both conflicts. WWI comprised of fighting for territories and countries. WWII included acts of massive slaughtering of people who did not belong to the Aryan race.

According to Waltz, specialized international organizations should monitor the instability in the particular region. Some scholars believe that the lack of such authority as the League of Nations is the primary cause for WWI. The participants of WWI failed to follow rules of diplomatic negotiations. When the WWI was over, the League of Nations was created to promote peace and diplomacy in the world. The history showed that the League of Nations did not possess necessary power and influence to control intentions of Germany and other aggressors before WWII. Still, the presence of such organization and countries’ refusal to follow new principles of diplomacy are primary distinctive features of causes of WWII (“Comparing and Contrasting WW1 and WW2” par. 4).

The usage of the first and second levels of analysis would help me to improve my explanation of causes of WWII. As far as the first level describes individuals, it is directly connected with Adolf Hitler. His individuality, personal preferences, and beliefs were crucial for the beginning of WWII. The second level of analysis, domestic, can be useful for the evaluation of the propaganda of Nazi ideology among people. Hitler had to inspire his nation to follow his idea. The propaganda of the superiority of the Aryan race and the need to make the society clear was essential for the commencement of the war.

Works Cited

Comparing and Contrasting WW1 and WW2 . n.d. Web.

Dibek, Elif. What are the Basic Concepts of Neorealism? n.d. Web.

Dooley, Kevin. Why Politics Matter: An Introduction to Political Science . Boston, Massachusetts: Cengage Learning, 2014. Print.

World War I . n.d. Web.

World War I & II Compare and Contrast . n.d. Web.

World War II . n.d. Web.

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IvyPanda. (2020, June 29). Causes of WWI and WWII: Comparing and Contrasting. https://ivypanda.com/essays/causes-of-wwi-and-wwii-comparing-and-contrasting/

"Causes of WWI and WWII: Comparing and Contrasting." IvyPanda , 29 June 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/causes-of-wwi-and-wwii-comparing-and-contrasting/.

IvyPanda . (2020) 'Causes of WWI and WWII: Comparing and Contrasting'. 29 June.

IvyPanda . 2020. "Causes of WWI and WWII: Comparing and Contrasting." June 29, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/causes-of-wwi-and-wwii-comparing-and-contrasting/.

1. IvyPanda . "Causes of WWI and WWII: Comparing and Contrasting." June 29, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/causes-of-wwi-and-wwii-comparing-and-contrasting/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Causes of WWI and WWII: Comparing and Contrasting." June 29, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/causes-of-wwi-and-wwii-comparing-and-contrasting/.

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Ww1 Vs World War 2 Comparison Essay Sample

At the end of World War 1, the allied powers settled on a treaty of retribution that would eventually throw them into the biggest war documented in history. The Treaty of Versaille made Germany responsible for all of World War I  forcing them to greatly reduce their army and pay forth a great sum of money. Germans were unhappy with this arrangement, which an infamous man the name of Hitler used to gain power, eventually being titled chancellor of Germany. However, his thirst for power didn't stop there. Hitler’s goal was to expand his empire and unite all Germans (or German-speaking people), starting with the attack on Poland. This invasion was the catalyst for pulling in the world powers, beginning their participation in a massive global conflict that would later be known as World War 2. This war lasted for six years, exterminating nearly 60 million people worldwide, the biggest loss of human life caused by warfare.

In World war 1 in which there was far less bloodshed, in comparison to world war 2, merely 16 million people. The staggering difference in the number of fallen soldiers lies in the innovative tactics and weapons utilized in World War 1. While the battle tactics were somewhat changed by world war 1 because of the need for quick and sufficient methods for killing, in world war two warfare other, inclusive methods of aiding the war effort had remained the same. One way that the war tactics remained the same in world war 1 and world war 2 was that they were both total wars. Total war is the utilization of the women in total war to help further advance the war effort.  It is well known that before world war 1, the industrial revolution had taken storm all across Europe, a particularly innovative invention was factories. At the time, the workforce in factories was a male-dominated industry. Women were allowed to work in certain establishments, (sewing sweaters and painting) but their roles were mainly confined to taking care of the home and raising children. However, this would change in World war 1. It was common knowledge that men were sent to the front lines while women were not involved in any sort of direct fighting. However, each country needed everyone’s involvement even if it wasn’t fighting in the trenches. In document 5.5 in canvas women in France were called to take up the roles of the male factory workers and become involved by helping manufacture guns for the soldiers.

Likewise, in World war 2, there was a vast need for the participation of every citizen in total war. At this time, weapons and barricades were constantly being refined and built to help the war effort. Still, utilizing and fighting with these inventions was still a male-dominated field. However, in assignment 7.6 the people who built such equipment were women. With so many battles, each nation needs everyone to participate in aiding their side to victory.  According to the assignment (7.6), Great Britain's use of total war, the men would fight on the front lines, while the women were urged to work in the factories to build weapons. The poster attached to the document (7.6) shows a woman presenting the planes and tanks coming out of the factory behind her. Taken together, this evidence demonstrates continuity because of the utilization of women in total war to help aid the war effort. In total war, women were called to work in factories to help build weapons for the war. This tactic remained the same through both world wars. In this way, world war 1 and world war 2 were the same in their inclusion of women in total war. While men fought on the front lines, women built their weapons for fighting. In these wars, these two groups of people were able to participate in their own ways to help their nations in this war. However, there were also significant changes in weapons in world war 1 and world war 2 such as the methods of attack on enemy territories. In world war 1, soldiers fought in trenches or dug out thin stretches of land. In the trenches, soldiers would be protected from bullets coming from the other side. However, trenches were vulnerable to attacks in the sky. In assignment 5.8, the provided website war-museum depicts the use of airplanes was tor drop dynamite bombs on the trenches to lower the enemy’s defenses. In world war 2, previously existing weapons were constantly being altered both for mechanical improvement and purposes. New tactics were implemented to instill physical and psychological damage on enemies. The document labeled, “Unit 7: World War II”, describes a new form of attack the Natis used on British cities, the Blitz. The Blitz was a nighttime raid on Britain using planes to bomb and decimate cities. These attacks were random, installing fear in the British citizens, not knowing if their city was going to get bombed. Previously, in World War 1, planes had been used to only do physical damage on a battlefield. In world war 2, they started implementing attacks with the intent to not only cause immense physical damage but physiological using bombing planes. These tactics differ in their way of attack and their purpose. Additionally, when raiding trenches the intent was to damage defenses on the battlefield. In World War 2, citizens were targeted, not just soldiers. This shows the aggression of the nations had expanded to those on enemy territory. The targets for the attacks were not exclusive in world war 2, unlike world war 1. Though methods for the attack had changed in world war 2 because of the constant improvement of weapons, The tactic of total war for certain groups had stayed the same. Overall, the ways in which the battles were prepared for (weapon-making) remained the same while the methods for fighting hadn’t changed between the wars.

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Historyplex

A Definitive Comparison Between World War 1 and World War 2

World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945) were two of the most important events in world history. Almost all the continents were involved in the wars, and they led to a massive destruction all over the world. Millions lost their lives.

Switzerland maintained neutrality during both the world wars.

Is war necessary, we wonder sometimes. Can the world not live in peace? While some argue that wars are necessary to establish peace, others say that they are fought out of the hunger for power. Conflicting ideologies between countries, and their ambitions to gain supremacy, may take the ugly shape of a war, which may involve only those countries, or sometimes, the whole world. That’s exactly what was seen in both the world wars. There were millions of casualties and the outcomes were disastrous. Here, we try to compare the two world wars on the basis of their causes, effects, and the tactics and strategies used in the two.

During World War I, with several claiming hierarchical control and princely states refusing to shed their independence, the differences peaked. Some countries refused to come to the table to negotiate peace terms. The economic instability brought by the First World War led to the rise of Fascism in Europe, which is one of the factors that further led to the Second World War. Also, the way in which peace settlement was done at the end of the first war, became a major contributing factor to the second one. Here, we try to compare to the two world wars with respect to their causes and effects.

World War I

► The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was one of the events that triggered the war. Austro-Hungarians waged war against Serbia.

► The imperialistic and territorial rivalries between Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and Austria-Hungary were another cause of the war.

► German U-boats sank US submarines which led to the United States declaring war on Germany.

► The alliances between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy formed the Central Powers to stop the triple alliance between France, Britain, and Russia called the Allied Powers. This too, played a major role in triggering the war.

World War II

►The Treaty of Versailles was an important cause of the Second World War. Though it was meant for establishing peace, it did not satisfy the Germans. Germany lost territory and had to face economic problems. The treaty had weakened Germany and hence proved to be a trigger for the rise of Fascism and Hitler’s dominance in the country.

► Adolf Hitler and the Nazis made unreasonable demands. Nazi ideologies created tension. Britain and France, allied with Poland, threatened Germany with a war. Germany and USSR came together, thus dividing Europe.

► The war in Europe that started on September 1, 1939 was triggered by the Danzig crisis.

► Japan joined the war to prove its might and invaded Manchuria in China.

►The bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japan in 1944 gave the United States of America, a reason to join the war.

► Each soldier would be given a rifle, a bayonet, and 3 grenades.

► Tanks were first introduced in the war with the British Mark V.

► The Germans introduced machine guns with each battalion having a minimum of 6. The Russians had 8 machine guns while the British had two.

► Mortars were explosive bombs that were shot in a projectile motion.

► Heavy artillery was used. It would be rarely successful because of its weak aiming and speed of reloading.

► Gases were commonly used to occupy enemy trenches.

► In 1915, Germany employed flamethrowers against the French.

► Barbed wire would be placed near enemy camps to prevent enemy soldiers from entering. Artillery shot at barbed wire would explode and injure soldiers on both sides.

► Light machine guns were used against low-flying aircraft and cannons on carriers were used against heavy aircraft.

► The bazooka was used as an anti-tank missile against the German Army which could travel at a range of 400 yards.

► Guided bombs were used by the Germans against anti-aircraft guns in the form of the Fritz-X bomb.

► The Panther tank was used by the German Army and formed the backbone of the Blitzkrieg tactic.

► The atom bomb was used to wipe out the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

► Germany used U-boats to sink American ships.

► During World War I, between the trench battles of the Ottomans and British, the Ottomans had run out of cigarettes. The British spread cigarettes wrapped in propaganda. The Ottomans threw them away. At the last minute, the British spread cigarettes laced with heroin which turned the tide of the war.

► The way a trench would be attacked was that about a hundred men ran into machine guns and barbed wire. And to defend a trench, men would stand along it, and shoot at the approaching men.

► Light flares were launched on a half-hourly basis to spot enemy soldiers to spot and shoot them.

► Germany used mustard gas in September 1917 claiming 1,976 British soldiers’ lives.

► Infiltration tactics included letting soldiers occupy enemy sentry points and then bombarding them with heavy artillery.

► Germany used air warfare to bomb cities with the help of its secret air force called the Luftwaffe.

► Fighter-bombers were used to strike enemy outposts and destroy supply and communication centers.

► The Germans were the first to use an airborne invasion during the Battle of Flanders on the island of Crete.

► 700 gliders, loaded with troops and equipment, and three divisions of paratroops were used by the Allies during the Normandy division.

► Germany deployed submarines homing torpedoes to target enemy submarines.

► The US Marines developed methods for landing troops near defended shores, which were used in the Normandy landings.

► The introduction of tanks changed the landscape of the war. The Soviet P-34 and the Panther were the most fearsome opponents on land.

► The German V-2 ballistic missile was used as a long-range artillery weapon.

► The Allies were equipped with semi-automatic weapons.

► Operation Mincemeat was carried out to deceive the Germans by Great Britain in believing they were attacking Sardinia instead of Italy. They used a corpse of a homeless man stuffed with false documents of the war and alerted the Spanish. The Spanish quickly alerted the Germans who repositioned their troops.

► The British had captured Nazi POWs and placed them in a country mansion, instead of prison. They were supplied with lavish food and other material comforts, turning a blind eye to the fact that the house was bugged and their conversations were used to find more information about German tactics.

► The Blitzkrieg was used extensively by the German Army to raze Poland and Czechoslovakia.

► Communism spread among the Soviet Union resulting in the Russian revolution of 1917.

► The Treaty of Versailles blamed the war on the Germans and the German Army was forced to pay $31.5 billion dollars as reparation.

► The empire of Austria-Hungary split their union and formed independent countries of Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.

► Colonies such as India and Nigeria started asserting their independence.

► There was a Great Depression in America.

► The war lasted for 4 years.

► The war ended with the victory of the Allies against Germany and Japan in 1945.

► The European economy had collapsed with 70% of the industrial infrastructure destroyed.

► Germany split into two, with East Germany adopting a communist policy and West Germany, a democratic state.

► Japan was under military rule of the United States (temporarily).

► Hitler and his closest associates committed suicide but many associates, especially Hermann Göring was sentenced to life imprisonment for hate crimes.

► The United Nations was formed on 24th October 1945, promising to uphold the peace.

► The duration of the war was of 6 years.

Though the wars spanned four and six years respectively, the consequences they had were severe and lasted for years.

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From war to war in europe: 1919-1939.

A look at how World War I's ending laid the groundwork for World War II to begin.

Everyone’s been there: something breaks at home, you try to play handyman and fix it, but you only make it worse. Maybe it’s a leaky pipe or a faulty light switch. Just be sure you know what you’re doing, or you might find yourself swimming for your life—or on fire.

The 1920s were a lot like that. A war had just ended, one so immense that people at the time labeled it the “Great War.” Fought to solve a specific problem—an overly aggressive Germany—the conflict took on a life of its own. The fighting stretched on for years and killed millions. The whole world suffered, and in the end, winners and losers weren’t all that easy to tell apart. Defeated Germany soon recovered its strength and became even more aggressive, neighboring powers grew even more fearful, and it wasn’t long before they were all fighting again. The Great War was supposed to be the “war to end all wars,” but it didn’t come close. One wise observer, Marshal Ferdinand Foch of the French army, got it just right. Perusing the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which officially ended the war in June 1919, he stood up from the table and declared that it wasn’t a peace at all, but a mere “twenty year’s armistice.”

Signing of the German surrender in Reims, American Headquarters. From left to right: Major Wilhelm Oxenius (Colonel General Jodl's Adjutant), Colonel General Alfred Jodl, Chief of OKW Operation Staff (who signed the Instrument of Surrender on behalf of the OKW), General admiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg, Commander-in-Chief of the German navy (OKM), Major General Kenneth W. D. Strong (standing).

Twenty years later, in 1939, Foch looked like a prophet.

But why? Why did World War I lead, with seeming inevitability, to World War II?

Let’s start with Germany. Although the country lost World War I, many Germans refused to accept defeat. When the armistice ended the fighting on November 11, 1918, German troops still stood everywhere on enemy soil: in Belgium, France, and Russia. Years of Allied blockade had weakened the German economy and led to near-starvation conditions among the civilian population, but there never was a climactic “battle for Germany” that saw the Allies drive deep into the Reich. In modern parlance, the Allies didn’t put “boots on the ground” to teach the Germans the error of their militarist ways. In fact, many Germans focused their anger for the defeat not on the Allies, but on revolutionary groups on the home front who had overthrown the emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II, at war’s end. They weren’t defeated, many Germans argued, but betrayed, “stabbed in the back.”

Election poster of the Deutschnationalen Volkspartei (the German National People's Party) in 1924 with the trope of the German soldier being “stabbed in the back.” Here, the poster for the conservative party depicts the “November criminal” (see the mask) as a socialist (he is wearing red).

Indeed, one political rabble-rouser, a veteran soldier returned from the front and eager to avenge the defeat, rode that very slogan to political power. His name was Adolf Hitler.

Or take the Versailles treaty. Drawn up by the Allies and forced on Germany without negotiation or possibility of amendment, the pact outraged most Germans. They rejected what they saw as the hypocrisy of the Allied powers, who claimed to be fighting for the high ideal of “making the world safe for democracy,” but seemed more interested in a good old-fashioned punitive peace. Germany had to disarm, hand over territory, and pay steep reparations to the victorious powers, essentially footing the bill for the most expensive war ever fought. The German economy teetered on the brink for the next 20 years. The country suffered a runaway inflation in 1923, recovered slowly in the mid-1920s, then plunged into absolute economic collapse with the onset of the Great Depression. Unemployment soared into the 35% range, and once again, unscrupulous politicos like Hitler were willing to stoke the rage. By 1932, his Nazi Party was the largest in Germany, and in January 1933, he became Chancellor of the German Republic.

Just 20 years earlier, young Adolf had spent Christmas in a homeless shelter. Now, his hour had struck.

What of the victorious Allies? Neither Britain nor France was blind. Both could see that Hitler was trouble. But they had their own problems. London ruled a world empire from South Africa to Singapore, the native peoples were demanding freedom, and British planners had to balance their priorities. Should they build a muscular, modern army with tanks and aircraft to fight another war versus Germany? Or a lighter force to police the colonies in Palestine and India? The question had no easy solution, and the British never did solve it. Instead, they did all they could to avoid a new war in Europe by giving in to Hitler’s demands—a disastrous path called “appeasement.”

France had its own issues. Outnumbered two-to-one by German manpower and falling further behind every year, the French solution was to build a gigantic fortified line on the border with Germany, relying on technology and firepower to make up for lack of sheer numbers. In many ways, the “Maginot Line” was the eighth wonder of the world: bomb-proof bunkers, electric lights and ventilation systems, hidden gun emplacements. Even as Hitler rebuilt the German army into an aggressive strike force of tanks and aircraft, France felt confident it had the equalizer.

And finally, toss in one last piece of the puzzle. The United States had played a key role in laying Germany low in 1918, but was missing in action in the 1920s and 1930s. Americans had backed the first war versus Germany, but didn’t feel that they had gained much from the fight. As the global situation deteriorated, US public opinion remained skeptical. “Let them solve their own problems,” was the dominant mood. And so, even as Hitler went from triumph to triumph, Washington was wedded to isolationism. The “I-word” was a policy of wishful thinking: if we ignored Hitler, maybe he’d go away. President Roosevelt saw the peril, certainly, but even the greatest politician in American history couldn’t change the public mood overnight. Only Pearl Harbor would do that.

Add it all up—a rearmed and fanatic Germany, an uncertain Britain, France hiding behind a wall, America looking inward—and you have a perfect international storm, an ideal situation for a gambler like Hitler to launch a new war.

Like an amateur doing a home repair, the Allies botched things in World War I, and World War II was the result. At least we can say that they learned their lesson, however. The next time out, they didn’t stop until the “unconditional surrender” of their enemies. The second German war ended in 1945 with Allied armies parading triumphantly through Berlin. And it’s no coincidence that we haven’t had to fight another one.

The International Conference on World War II

Rob Citino will be one of the featured speakers at this year's annual gathering of WWII scholars, students, and enthusiasts—November 29–December 1 in New Orleans. 

Robert Citino, PhD

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Dauntless: A Conversation with WWII Veteran Paul Hilliard

Visitors at the National WWII Museum had the special opportunity to hear from WWII veteran and Museum Trustee Paul Hilliard as he discussed his life story documented in the new biography, Dauntless . 

Our War Too: Women's History Symposium

The symposium, which took place from February 29 to March 1, 2024, featured topics expanding upon the Museum’s special exhibit, Our War Too: Women in Service .

Unaccounted For No More: Sgt. Harold Hammett

WWII US Marine Corps Sergeant Harold Hammett, fallen on Tarawa in 1943, is finally laid to rest in the family plot after 80 years.

The Second Great Fire of London: 'A Dreadful Masterpiece'

In this column, journalist Ernie Pyle describes the bombing of London in late December 1940 as “the most hateful, most beautiful single scene” he had ever witnessed as the city was “stabbed with fire” by the German Luftwaffe .

What Happened to Lieutenant Curtis R. Biddick?

V for Victory: A Sign of Resistance

Created by a Belgian politician and broadcaster fleeing Nazi persecution, the V for Victory symbol became one of the most enduring signs of the war. 

The Origins of International Holocaust Remembrance Day

The commemorations on January 27 remind us that the Holocaust was the result of step-by-step decisions by individuals that led to the largest genocide in the history of mankind in a wave of antisemitism, intolerance, and hatred.

The 'Bloody 100th' Bomb Group

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This unit forms part of the World War One materials at ActiveHistory:

Causes of world war one, life in the trenches in world war one, causes for germany's defeat in world war one, remembrance day: activities for all year groups, battlefields trip: itinerary, workpack and follow-up activities, origins of ww1 and ww2: comparisons and contrasts, in this unit, students will have the opportunity to research the origins of both world war one, and world war two, in considerable depth. the unit is structured so that the factor to be researched are directly comparable. one group of students will focus on the first world war, and one on the second world war. they will present their findings to each other, and then conduct follow-up activities based around some of the big historiographical debates (e.g. the fischer controversy, the structuralist/intentionalist debate, the taylor/trevor-roper clash - pictured - about whether hitler was a 'gambler' or a 'planner'). finally, they will be in a position to compare and contrast the origins of both wars and produce a detailed and sophisticated essay., this unit is best followed by the " origins of war historiography project " that can also be found on activehistory., stage 1: researching each war in depth.

Historiographical Overview : This information sheet outlines the essential historiographical debate - namely, the Fischer Thesis, which suggested that both World Wars were essentially caused by the same consistent factor - namely, German aggression. The task of students will be to decide how far they agree with this idea.

Research Template : Students are then presented with a research template which has NINE key causes of each World War listed within it. "Divide these causes between the members of the group.Research your allocated factor(s) with relation to your particular war. Produce a one-slide presentation which will summarise your findings for the rest of the class".

Additional resources for students researching the Origins of World War One

• Summary Sheet - A summary of the main events , organised by theme; there is also a factual test based on this (note: requires teacher password).
• Main Video Resource : The Great War (1964), Episode 1 - with accompanying worksheet and also a factual test (note: requires teacher password).

Additional resources for students researching the Origins of World War Two

• Main Video Resource: The Nazis: A Warning from History, Episode 3 - with accompanying worksheet .

Stage 2: Presentations

Overview of the procedure : This handout explains how the group working on World War One will present their findings first, and that this will be followed by a whole-class exercise linking the factors together and some historiography work (below). The same format is repeated with relation to World War Two.

Historiography of World War One: Follow-up work after the presentations and linkage of factors

• Introductory video clip : AJP Taylor outlines his "railway timetable" theory - do we find it convincing?

• Factual test on WW1 This factual test could be taken by students at this stage to test their knowledge and understanding of the topic by this stage. Questions are divided into chronological, thematic and historiographical categories (30 questions in total).

Historiography of World War Two: Follow-up work after the presentations and linkage of factors

• Introductory video clip : AJP Taylor and Hugh Trevor-Roper debate whether Hitler was a 'Gambler' or a 'Planner' (this clip is best shown after introducing students to the worksheet that follows - it is directly referenced within it towards the beginning).
• Main Task : Was Hitler a Gambler, or a Planner, in Foreign Affairs? Students use extracts from the 4-Year Plan , Code Green , the Hossbach Memorandum and Mein Kampf to decide where they stand in the classic Taylor/Trevor-Roper debate about the "Hitler Factor". They can then write up their findings . As an extension task they could investigate the Intentionalist/Structuralist debate .
• Introduction and Video Overview
• Why Appeasement? (video link)
• Historiography of Appeasement | Sources to accompany the activity
• Primary source analysis activity: Public Opinion Polls on Appeasement (complete with teacher answer sheet ).
• IB-style Sourcework Paper on Appeasement

Stage 3: Comparing and contrasting both wars

Introductory video clip: AJP Taylor outlines the "Fischer Controversy" With both wars now considered separately, we are in a position to judge whether the "Fischer Thesis" (that both wars can primarily be explained through reference to a consistently aggressive German foreign policy) is accurate.

Main Task: Was Hitler's foreign policy traditional, or unprecedented? In this activity students use extracts from the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk , an Interview with Hitler , Mein Kampf and the September Programme to decide where they stand in regard to the Fischer controversy.

Model Essay by RJ Tarr (note: teacher password required) At this point, students should return to their original research template to complete the final column, which asks them to make some observations about whether the various factors for each war are areas of comparison and contrast. This can then be used as the basis for an essay on the causes of either war, or an essay comparing them both. The model essay provided here was written by the author of this website in timed conditions and could be given to students for extra stimulus after they have finished their own work.

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