Comparative Essay covering the causes and consequences of World War II.

Author 's Name 1

Author 's Name

Professor

Course Subject

Date

Causes and Consequences of the Second World War

What Brought the World to War

World War II commenced with the invasion of Poland by German troops on the 1st of September 1939 . But the underlying causes of the war are not from a single military offensive , rather from the cumulative effects brought by economic depression experienced by the world during the 1930 's , and due to the peace treaties of the First World War

A combination of

factors caused the outbreak of the war . First was the condition of Germany in the 1920 's second were the political and military ambitions of certain nations , particularly Germany , Italy Japan and Russia third was the apathetic tolerance of Western democracies and fourth was the misconception that a strong military machinery would ensure victory and then dictate a durable peace (Warner 4

After the defeat of Germany at the end of World War I , the nation found itself in desperate straits and the people were prepared to accept any leader who could alleviate and provide solutions to their persisting problems . The turmoil experienced by Germany was due to the conditions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles as she lost her overseas possessions , her military reduced and her Air Force dissolved , and she was to pay a huge sum in reparations to France and other nations Germany was facing bankruptcy and economic inflation . This is why the German public was enticed by the fierce oratory of an ex-soldier by the name of Adolf Hitler . His intentions of eliminating the Jews , of invading the whole of Europe , and building a 1000-year Reich would then be tried to realize . Because Hitler believed the

Author 's Name 2

superiority of the Aryan race , he sought to invade land for the purpose of lebensraum , or providing the German people land in to proliferate . Together with the Fascist leader of Italy Benito Mussolini Nazi Germany tried to conquer the world (Weinberg 11-22

In the Asia , formerly known as the Far East , the Imperial Government of Japan invaded Manchuria in the early 1930 's . They launched a series of invasions and conquests to serve their program of expansionism and the Greater East Asia Co-prosperity sphere campaign . The empire shared the Nazi and Fascist ideology of racial supremacy , and being at the opposite side of the world , it was convenient to divide territories between Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan (Warner 28-33

The Aftermath of War

The world became a witness to an unprecedented human death toll resulting from both military and civilian casualties . Richard Sheldon stated in this article The Consequences of World War II ' that the atrocities of the war brought an estimated 50 million people to perish in those six years . Up to 19 million combat deaths were recorded , Russia accounting for the greatest mortality rate of about 10 million . Another 15 .5 million people died in the hands of the Nazis in extermination and concentration camps...