WORLD WAR 2 What is war? Webster’s Encyclopedia Dictionary describes it as: “an armed clash between nations or factions in the same nation.” That’s how a dictionary describes it, but in fact, it is something much worse. War is the epitome of what is wrong with human nature. War is devastating. Perhaps no other war was as devastating as World War II. (1)“World War II killed more people, destroyed more property, disrupted more lives, and had more far-reaching consequences than any other war in history. It brought about the downfall of Western Europe as the center of world power and led to the rise of the Soviet Union. The development of the atomic bomb in 1945 would begin nuclear war.” There is no one simple cause to World War II. There were many causes, most of which grew out of World War I. World War II was known as the “war to end all wars.” Instead of fixing old problems, it actually crated new ones. Germany was mad at the Allies for making it loose its territory. It lost one eighth of its land, and its army and navy were virtually wiped away. If Germany ever got strong again, it would definitely seek revenge. On September 1, 1939, the German army stormed across the borders of Poland. First came the “stuka”, dive-bombers that blasted the Polish planes on the ground. Then the German pilots bombed major railroads and highways. After that came the motorcycle infantry – the fast soldiers – that moved in to finish the job. This was a new kind of war employed by the Germans known as “Blitzkrieg”, which is a German word meaning “lightning war”. The German soldiers were trained for this and the Polish soil was flat and just right for it. Poland had no chance against the German army. Its army had no chance to fight back or even retreat. Poland was overwhelmed. Within two weeks, Germans surrounded Warsaw, the biggest city in Poland. In a little over a month, Poland was conquered. (2)“The war was only nine hours old that September day. The passengers on the British liner the Athena – which was traveling from London to Montreal – were enjoying themselves. Suddenly someone cried, ‘Look! There’s a torpedo!’” Almost at once, there was a crashing explosion. The unarmed ship began to sink. Women and children were rushed into lifeboats. Nearly one hundred people lost their lives that day. This event was an example of the cruelty of war because so many innocent lives were ... ... middle of paper ... ...he US was compelled to back up their ultimatum. A German physicist named Albert Einstein (not an American citizen) told Roosevelt that such a bomb was possible. The president immediately went into action and shortly after the bomb was created. Experiments went under way, and a preliminary bomb was tested in New Mexico. The first bombing of Japan took place in Hiroshima, the second in Nagasaki. This nuclear warfare caused immediate destruction of whole cities and many deaths of innocent people. After Japan was bombed, the war ended. On September 2, 1945, the United States and Japan signed a treaty that officially ended the war. Here we are, 55 years later, and the world has been living in peace (for the most part). We cannot afford another world war however. It would most likely be a “two button” war. Almost every country in the world now has nuclear weapons that put the atomic bomb to shame. Another world war really could be the war to end all wars because there are enough nuclear weapons to annihilate the earth and all its inhabitants. War is destructive and useless. It very rarely solves problems and only takes the lives of the innocent. We see this especially with World War II.
of the twin towers the whole world was coercively pushed into a state of a war that was waged against terrorism. Previously, in the 20th century two world wars had resulted in the loss of billions of human lives and had also proved that war where on one hand manifested the failure of effective diplomacy, on the other hand cemented the fact that misperceptions and miscalculations constitute an integral part behind any war that takes place. The question has become extremely significant especially
The War On Terror. It is a name that brings many strong thoughts and emotions to mind for Americans still to this today. It is has been Americas longest war, most expensive war, and a deadly conflict. All in all, the Iraqi War from 2003 to 2011 brought a cost of 500,000 lives from civilians to militants (Vergano 1). Among the U.S. army alone it is estimated that around 900,000 veterans have had some form of injury ranging from PTSD to amputations (Ruis 1). Not to mention, many experts say once all
Oh What A Lovely War - Plot Notes. Act 1 * The M.C. chats to the audience to get them involved in the show * The band play an appropriate piece of music for each nationality as stereotypical representative of each enter talking about each countries position in the war. * Secret police from Serbia and Austro-Hungary hear the shot which kills the archduke Ferdinand. We are told that Austria has declared war on Serbia and that Russia has mobilised, and everyone is unsure as to weather
What Started the Trojan War Most information that the world has today that deals with the history of ancient Greece is in the literature from the time. Great epics such as the Iliad and the Odyssey, from the unknown poet Homer, make up most of the literature that has even been found from this era. The problem with getting our history from literary sources is that when Homer first recited his Iliad he was actually trying to entertain, so all of the information might not be accurate, although
What is the Greatest Cause of War? Some of the most common causes of war are religious differences, territory, oppression, and self-defense (Khan). Alliances are made between countries to avoid war. Countries make alliances believing that it will protect their sovereignty, and the security of their nation (HamzaU). In ways it can be beneficial, but it can also cause harm. Alliances can lead to suspicion and fear between two nations causing war. Three of the many wars that were caused by alliances
Frustrating the Collective and Generational War Experience “The generation of 1914” often refers to those who came of age during WWI, and because of the war were robbed of their youth. While this term is a useful expression of a collective experience of universal sacrifice and suffering during the war, the term “generation” fails to recognize the unique experiences of the different genders, races, and classes. Women, soldiers, both officers and enlisted, and colonial forces, like Senegalese soldiers
enters Paris bringing freedom (but not democracy) to Europe in turmoil after the Napoleonic Wars. Russian Empire emerges as one of the great powers. However, with new political realities also new challenges arose. The Bourbon Restoration was not enough, and anxiety about political instability in Europe and further possible revolutions against European monarchies made the Russian Empire assume the role of what was later dubbed gendarme of Europe. This anxiety had a solid ground: in the coming years
Being the closest war to our time that involved the entire world, The Cold War is a point of interest for many people. The Cold War got its name from the idea that the Soviet Union and the U.S. never fought directly, but instead fought "coldly" through other countries. If they had engaged each other directly, it would have most likely been a "hot" nuclear war. The threat of nuclear was was one of the many effects of the Cold War on the rest of the world. The Cold War divided the world, causing tension
The First World War (WWI) was a global war started in Europe from 1914 until 1918 that killed over 9 million soldiers as according to Van Tol, Ottery & Keith (2012). This huge, bloody war was caused by many different factors, such as colonial rivalries, militarism and the alliance system which centred in Europe. Most importantly, the July Crisis in 1914 – began with the murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand – was the immediate cause of World War One. Nonetheless, the two major causes were nationalism
“ ‘Besides, what happened to me is supposed to be funny. I never think about it’ ” “ ‘Oh, no. I’ll lay you don’t’ ” This quote sets up the idea of loss Jake Barnes suffered in the war. His castration led him to lose not only his manhood but also his chance with Lady Brett Ashley. Though Jake tries to play down his infatuation and love of Brett, it sometimes shows. However, the reader understand that Jake does truly love Brett. Jake also understands that since Brett is a women of aficion and passion
people would argue that the war in 1914 started because there were conflicts about the balance of power in Europe. (Kitchen, 2012) Others would say that policies and military reasons caused the war. The truth is both of these ideas contributed to the start of the war. Prior to the war in 1914, Germany was having issues with Britain, Austria-Hungary, France, and Russia. In 1871, Bismark decided that Germany was not only going to be neutral but also try to make amends with other countries. Both Russia
A Hero, Warrior, or Act of Bravery In “What Makes a War Hero,” Karl Marlantes points out the meaning of bravery, a hero, and a warrior. Marlantes explains how acts of bravery are committed by numerous people, but they do not define them as a hero. A hero is someone who goes beyond what is expected and risks their own life for the benefit of others. On the other hand, a warrior may never have to perform an act of bravery but is willing to risk their lives and inflict violence on others. [Thesis]:
What it is like to go to War by Karl Marlantes is an extremely captivating story about what the war is like during and what the veterans who return home have to go through. It was a very intriguing read and gave the reader an inside look on the struggles of combat veterans that come back from war and have to readjust to society. After watching someone die daily and being wounded by a grenade himself, Marlantes’, received several medals for his actions including the Navy Cross, one of the highest
The cold war, an issue of global importance in 1947-1991 that prompted the creation of the H-bomb in 1949 when the Soviets had successfully detonated an atomic bomb (The First hydrogen bomb test, 2011). By using the previously developed formulas and techniques that made the atomic bomb, the combination of nuclear fission and fusion created the H-bomb, a weapon of significantly higher destructive power than the nuclear bomb during this time (The Development and Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, n
The civil war was one of the greatest dramas in American History, a story so filled with blood, glory, terror, and triumph. Not just Americans, but people all around the world have been fascinated by it. The idea of brother against brother has always been compelling. The civil war split Americans, in many cases dividing families so that brothers, fathers, and sons fought on opposite sides. For four terrible years, from 1861 to 1865, Americans from the Northern and Southern halves of the country