Reflection The Second World War is regarded as the deadliest and the most widespread conflict to have ever happened in the human history which recorded over 50 million deaths and millions of displaced persons. It was the largest armed clash in human history, across the entire globe involving more nations than ever before. The war is thought to have started in early September 1939 and ended in the early days of the same month in 1945. Till date, there has never been any clear understanding on the exact cause of the second world war, but there are believes that the implementation of Adolf Hitler may have been the chief cause. Need to say, the Second World War was generally caused by the territorial ambitions mostly in Africa. The Second World War appeared to have created an unmatched danger to human evolution and geared forward motion to one of Wilson’s vision on the formation of an international organization to campaign for peace. Efforts to this vision were seen long before the end of the war. Over 51 nations were represented in a meeting held in June 1945 in San Francisco, a founding conference which made way for the official formation of the United Nations in October 1945. United Nations, unlike the League of Nations was different in that it was composed and had full leadership and support of the Soviet Union, United States and many other powerful nations in the world. These were the times at least we can say the world community was welcoming a fresh period of international cooperation (O'Brien et al 1995). The beginning of 1944 saw the representatives of the leading economic powers coming together to build the present international monetary fund with the agreement on the international tariff parameter called GATT. All... ... middle of paper ... ...rent generation how things were during those times. The days of conflicts were the background for art which is preserved and displayed currently in institutions like museums. Iconic memorials used during the conflicts are now considered as symbols of tribute (Biesen, 2005). Reference Biesen, S. C. (2005). Blackout: World War II and the origins of film noir. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Fijnaut, C. (2004). The impact of World War II on policing in North-West Europe. Leuven Belgium: Leuven University Press. Harrison, M. (2000). The economics of World War II: Six great powers in international comparison. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. O'Brien, K. P., & Parsons, L. H. (1995). The home-front war: World War II and American society. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. Ross, S. (2003). Causes and consequences of the Second World War. London: Evans.
Michael C. C. Adams' book, The Best War Ever: America and World War II, attempts to dispel the numerous misconceptions of the Second World War. As the title suggests, Americans came out of the war with a positive view of the preceding five turbulent years. This myth was born from several factors. Due to the overseas setting of both theaters of the war, intense government propaganda, Hollywood's glamorization, and widespread economic prosperity, Americans were largely sheltered form the brutal truth of World War II. Even to this day, the generation of World War II is viewed as being superior in morality and unity. The popular illusion held that 'there were no ethnic or gender problems, families were happy and united, and children worked hard in school and read a great number of books.' (115)
The American home front during World War II is recalled warmly in popular memory and cultural myth as a time of unprecedented national unity, years in which Americans stuck together in common cause. World War II brought many new ideas and changes to American life. Even though World War II brought no physical destruction to the United States mainland, it did affect American society. Every aspect of American life was altered by U.S. involvement in the war including demographics, the labor force, economics and cultural trends.
Jeffries, John. Wartime America: The World War II Home Front. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 1996. Print. American Way.
From 1939 to 1945 the majority of the world’s nations were part of a long deadly six-year war, World War II. These included two strong powerhouses, Great Britain and The United States. Millions died world wide, declaring World War II to be the most expansive war to date. The Holocaust, and the use nuclear weapons resulted in such a high death toll. Nations were in a state of “total war,” involving not just the military but also the entire nation. Civilians were aggressively aiding in supporting their military, creating a home front, making a significant impression on the result of the war. Rationing, defense and manpower were concerns for governments; and they made any economic and industrial change to support their efforts in aiding their nation and military.
The first movie I would like to concentrate on is the film that is considered to have started the development of the genre – M by Fritz Lang (1931). Born in Germany and originally starting his career there, Fritz Lang shot this film in Germany as well, before moving to the U.S. later in life. This film was also later translated in the United States in 1933 (Garncarz 219-25). Although, earlier in the 20th century Hollywood had already produced a number of films that had similar features to “film noir” (among them are Nosferatu (1922) and Sunrise (1927)), but which still were shot more in the stylistic traditions of horror (Wexman 49). This film (M (1931)) was also the first one to start a whole line of black and white movies with similar characteristics and techniques used in them. Although color movies have already taken their established place in the film industry, the decision to shoot films in black and white was a creative technique that provided films with a certain atmosphere and allowed using more denominated shadows and light accents. Everything in this film, from complex, maze-like narrative which includes crime, police and court and leitmotif as a background music to the shadows on the columns and in the windows and simple shots that presuppose something horrifying. Lang also explores an unsavory subject in his work which is now considered one of the features of “film noir” (Brégent‐Heald 125-38). M’s plot and narrative shifts from protagonist’s to antagonist’s point of view (the viewpoint of Hans and the cops trying to catch him), blurring the boundary between
World War Two was the most devastating conflict in the history of humanity. It crippled many nations and caused millions of people to die. One of the major causes of this disastrous war was the Treaty of Versailles which ended the First World War. This treaty was destructive towards the Germans. Germany had to pay large amounts of reparations to the Allied nations at the end of World War One resulting in a Great Depression in Germany. Additionally, the Treaty of Versailles’ war guilt clause forced Germans to admit full responsibility for starting the war. Furthermore, to gain the support of the German populace, Adolf Hitler adopted an effective propaganda campaign. Adolf Hitler employed a successful propaganda campaign to gain the support of the German people combined with the Treaty of Versailles harsh economic and political sanctions ignited World War Two.
o Isserman, Maurice. America at War World War II. New York: Facts on File Inc, 1991.
Classic film noir originated after World War II. This is the time where post World War II pessimism, anxiety, and suspicion was taking the world by storm. Many films that were released in the U.S. Between 1939s and 1940s were considered propaganda films that were designed for entertainment during the Depression and World War II. During the 1930s many German and Europeans immigrated to the U.S. and helped the American film industry with powerf...
The first World War is recorded down as one of the “deadliest conflict in human history”. With over 16 million dead, it was one of the first wars with a high amount of casualties. However, the one that tops the list with around 60 million deaths was World War II. What caused such a large scale war to happen in the first place? Seven and a half months after World War I, a treaty was signed between the victorious countries, Great Britain, France, United States, and Germany (Overview). It was created with the intention to create peace Europe and ensure that another war like World War I doesn’t happen again. However, the peace was short lived before the second World War engulfed Europe and the rest of the world in a brutal bloodshed. Instead of lasting peace, the Treaty of Versailles contributed greatly to the cause of World War II as it caused humiliation and anger within Germany. The pent up emotions eventually led to the rise of the Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler, who were angered by their loss in territory, military restrictions, economic reparations, and the war guilt clause.
Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War 1929-1945. Oxford History of the United States: Oxford University Press. Davidson, J. W., Delay, B., et al. (2005). The 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary'.
World War II, known as the largest armed conflict in history, began in Europe in the 1930s and led to effect many people. The war resulted in not only the involvement of more countries than any other war but also introduced powerful, new, nuclear weapons that also contributed to the most deaths. As Hitler rose to power in 1933 the Holocaust began, his quest for the ‘perfect’ race resulted in the use of concentration camps, which would help to create the largest genocide of people in history.
The League of Nations was an Intergovernmental Organisation which persisted from 1919 up until 1946 where it was formally replaced with the United Nations towards the end of the Second World War. Many consider the League as one of the International Systems greatest failures due to it being widely regarded as an ‘ineffective instrument to tackle aggressors’ (Catterall, 1999, p. 52) and its inherent failure to prevent international conflict. However,
World War II was one of the deadliest wars we know of in history, with as many as sixty million casualties, most of whom were civilians. It impacted a lot of countries, almost all over the world, which is why the name is given. This war impacted many countries in the world, and damaged almost all of the countries involved greatly. It also led to the downfall of Western European countries as world powers, leaving it to the Soviet Union, and the United States. The war started in 1939 and ended in 1945, with the invasion of Poland and the Axis surrender, respectively.
John Maynard Keynes was known for advanced economic theories which helped him reflect upon the Treaty of Versailles with a higher knowledge in the themes of actual payment as well as economic statuses of countries due to the treaty, having this information made his article, “The Peace of Versailles”, a valuable piece of evidence. The article was written in 1920, shortly after the treaty was put into action, and was written from a British viewpoint with several economic factors contributing greatly to the overall information inside of the article. It was put into a very well known magazine Everybody, and had a large impact upon society at the time and the people’s views of the treaty of Versailles.
Sayre, Henry M. "The Great War and Its Impact." The Humanities: Culture, Continuity & Change. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008. 1355-356. Print.