World War II (WWII) was the deadliest and most catastrophic war in human history. Marked by astonishing events such as the Holocaust and the use of nuclear weapons, WWII represented the largest deployment of military forces of the twentieth century. Two factions, the Axis and the Allies, entered into a global military altercation that began with Germany’s invasion of Poland on September 1st, 1939, and finished with the surrender of Japan on September 2nd, 1945. A review of human motives, including the need for revenge, power, and extreme nationalism (jingoism) can explain the roots of WWII. In historical terms, the Treaty of Versailles, the increase in military spending and alliances, and expansionist ideologies were the prime catalysts of nationalistic and diplomatic tensions in the 1930’s Europe, providing a foundation for WWII.
On January 18th, 1919, roughly two months after the culmination of World War I (WWI), the Paris Peace Conference (PPC) assembled to establish the terms of peace and to plan the course of the post-WWI era. The Treaty of Versailles became the conference’s centerpiece. France attended the conference seeking revenge; Great Britain wanted weakened militaries and economies for the Central Powers (losing faction of WWI). Meanwhile, United States President, Woodrow Wilson, promoted his Fourteen Points. In these he traced the need for open diplomacy, disarmament, and respect for nationality groups. Ultimately, the Treaty of Versailles outlined the creation of the League of Nations (LON), forced Germany to accept full blame for WWI, and established harsh penalties focused on debilitating the Central Powers’ governments.
As established by the Treaty of Versailles, the LON consisted of an international org...
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...olar system integrated by the United States, the Soviet Union and the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo coalition. Despite the turmoil caused by the Great Depression, Hitler looked at the United States as the most prominent global economic power. His ultimate goal was for Germany to achieve world domination, and he recognized that to do this Germany had to defeat the United States. Hitler developed a systematic expansionist plan. First, he recognized the Soviets military supremacy and believed that before crushing them he had to conquer Great Britain and France. Secondly, after assuring control of the British and the French, Hitler would unify Europe under a single militia and later attack the Soviets. Thirdly, upon the successful overthrow of the Soviets and achieving European hegemony, Hitler believed he would victoriously defeat the United States and reach Global supremacy.
"World War II." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Ed. William A. Darity, Jr. 2nd Ed. Vol. 9. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2008. 147-151. World History In Context. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.
World War I, or the Great War, lasted from 1914 to 1918. In harsh battles between some of the world’s strongest economic powers, millions of people were killed and wounded. Woodrow Wilson was the President of the United States during these years, and he yearned for peace. Towards the end of the conflict, Wilson delivered a speech called “Fourteen Points” on January 8, 1918. His goal in doing so was to create some stability in a time of crisis. Even though the leaders of some countries did not jump on board right away, they eventually agreed to signing the Treaty of Versailles, officially ending the war. Through emphasizing peace, security, and freedom, President Woodrow Wilson’s “Fourteen Points” paid off overall, ultimately revealing that
World War Two began on the 3rd of September 1939 when Germany invaded Poland, however Adolf Hitler had made a number of actions before this date that are directly responsible for the outbreak of what is bloodiest war in human history. Although there were a number of causes of World War Two, Hitler’s actions were the most important. Hitler’s actions can be broken down into three different points. Firstly, Hitler’s military actions such as the rearmament of Germany and the German assistance in the Spanish Civil War were major causes of the war. Secondly, Hitler’s breaking of The Munich Agreement and finally, Hitler’s invasion of Poland, which many historians believe to be the main trigger for The Second World War. Many of Hitler’s actions can be traced back to being a direct cause of World War Two.
What started with an assassination of an Austrian prince unpopular in with royalty in Vienna and plotters in Belgrade ended in war. Four years of artillery, machine guns, and poison gas had ruined the countryside of Europe. Woodrow Wilson put the blame for dead millions at the feet of secret diplomacy, excessive armament, imperialism, and the lack of international cooperation. His plan for a lasting peace was presented to the world in the form of the Fourteen Points, some of which were present in the final plan for peace, the Treaty of Versailles, which faced internal opposition at home. It was the strength of this opposition, from self or fawning-historian labeled "progressives" to conservatives and isolationists, in conjunction with the intractability and incompetence of President Wilson that encouraged the Senate defeat of the Treaty of Versailles.
Great War, also known as The First World War, lasted for four year (1914 to 1918). It brought a huge development of war technics and weapons. More number of countries had been involved in the Great War than any previous war. It involved the mobilization of the whole nations, not just an enormous army that turned the war into a “total war”. (Clare 6) However, historians are still arguing about the major cause of the World War I. The major cause will be one of the four long-term causes of WWI, which are Militarism, Alliance, Imperialism, and Nationalism. In my opinion, the two major causes would be Alliance and Nationalism. Alliance is an association between two or more countries for mutual benefits that formed with different treaties, while Nationalism is feeling and principles of patriotic.
The causes of World War II can be attributed to the following ideas or events: the mentality of power is strength by Heinrich von Treitschke, the Treaty of Versailles, the global depression following the end of World War I, and Nazi Imperialism.
Who started the World War 2?. World war 2 , also known as Second World War is a
The Second World War was caused by Germany’s desire to revoke the Treaty of Versailles of 1919 and Hitler’s relentless quest for empire. This was considered a valid response to why the war began in 1939, until 1961 when A. J. P Taylor...
The Treaty of Versailles was a violation of Wilson’s ideals. The Treaty is one of the most important agreements (or disagreements) that shaped 20th century Europe socially and physically. Woodrow Wilson on January 22, 1917 in an address to the United States Senate called for a peace without victors, but the Treaty signed by the participating nations was everything but that. The blame for the war was placed on Germany and justified the reparations that were outlined by the treaty for the war. The terms of the treaty were very harsh to the Germans and they took on great resentment. It was a fragile peace agreement that would be used as fuel to keep hostilities going 20 years later.
The causes of World War One and World War Two can be traced back to political and economical roots. During the times prior, during, and post both the wars, all of the involved countries were making reckless political decisions, for example: excessive alliances that were both confusing and contradictive of purpose or treaties that had their fingers pointing a little too much at one country. Also during both World War One and World War Two, all of the countries were had little to no government, economically speaking, but that didn’t stop them from spending all of their money and using all of their other resources in order to have the biggest and the best armies, did it?
The United States (US) President Woodrow Wilson “Fourteen Points” speech was initially thought to be an acceptable proposal for peace following the First World War; however, they sparked many controversial issues and were not readily accepted by all the nations involved. His idealistic views were in favor of American Foreign Policies, Allied bias and additional powers in Western Europe. The Fourteen Points were less beneficial to the problem that Europe was encountering and more favorable to the Allied Powers, as the United States main focus was to become a more dominant nation, while the Great Britain wanted more rule over the seas and France on the other hand was seeking vengeance.
After World War I, Woodrow Wilson, the president of the United States of America, created fourteen points in order to develop peace throughout the European nations. The first five points stated general peace clauses between the warring countries. He put forth the five points to ensure a tranquil environment in which the European countries can function without trouble. The last point also dealt with sense of a peace intention. It asked for a general association of the European countries to confirm national integrity (Wilson’s Fourteen Points 1).
Wilson's 14 Points vs. the Treaty of Versailles. When the peace processes were to start after the end of World War One, there were four people who were major components in the treaty of Paris: Clemenceau, George, Orlando, and Wilson. Clemenceau wanted revenge on the Germans by punishing them through the treaties because he believed that they were at fault for the war; George was in agreement with Clemenceau although he did not feel that Germany should suffer severe punishment; Orlando who wanted the irredenta to be re-established; and President Wilson of the United States of America wanted to create a mild peace with Germany in a fair way. In view of this, Wilson created fourteen points that he wanted accomplished in full as a result of the peace treaties. His fourteen points were his plan for a world peace and included plans for the end of secret treaties, freedom of the seas, free trade, arms reduction, the just settlement of colonial claims, the establishment of a League of Nations, and the evacuation of occupied territories and national self-determination.
World War II, or the Second World War, was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all of the great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. The Allied Powers consisted of the British Empire, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the United States of America was known as “The Big Three”. The Axis Powers consisted of Germany, Italy, and Japan, they were part of a military alliance on the signing of the Tripartite Pact in September 1940.
It has been almost a century since the first Paris Peace Conference was held, but even now, it is a popular yet controversial event in the history of the world. The Paris Peace Conference took place in 1919, involving more than 1,000 representatives from over 30 nations. The results of the Conference are five treaties regarding terms that, according to the Conference, shall prevent any upcoming conflicts among nations. Although World War II started only after 15 years, nonetheless, the treaties did function as a buffer between countries. Although many resolutions were discussed, the negotiation of the Conference revolves around four main topics, reparation from the previous war losses or limitations on the main Central Power, Germany, self-recognition, President Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points, and the annexation of land.