World War II

World War II

Introduction

The Second World War was an encounter which brought the ascent of authoritarian , military governments in Germany , Italy and Japan

History books will tell us that World War II was created after Germany was defeated in the First World War , when Italy was saddened and indomitable Japan were eager to recapture and raise their power . These three countries called for extension of their powers at the cost of adjacent countries

But was the war necessary ? Is it just a result of laziness , appeasement and political naivety

? This essay will try to find out

The Second World War

World War II officially started on Sept . 1 , 1939 when Germany invaded Poland . This turn of event led to Britain and France declaring war against Germany on Sept . 3 . Members of the Commonwealth of Nations except for Ireland , immediately followed suit . The German blitzkrieg or the so-called lightning war defeated the Polish defenses

Other events across the globe took place one after another . There was the surprise invasion of Denmark and Norway by the Germans on April 9 1940 with Denmark offering no resistance while Norway was conquered by June 9

According to accounts made by Douglas MacArthur (1964 , although set to remain neutral , the United States was dragged to the war due to the force of events . In August 1941 , President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Winston Churchill devised the Atlantic Charter as a general statement of democratic aims . To demonstrate foundations to secure its shipping from attacks by German submarines , the United States took over Greenland and later shared in the occupation of Iceland . Relations with Germany were constrained while offensive acts of Japan in China , Indochina and Thailand led to protests from the United States

Winston Churchill in his book (1948 ) stated that talks of peaceful settlements were immediately put on hold when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor , the Philippines , and Malaya on December 7 , 1941 . A war on Japan was declared on December 8 by the United States , the Commonwealth of Nations and the Netherlands . Soon , Germany and Italy declared war on the United States

Despite the creation of the United Nations , the world remained politically weak and slowly recovered from the immerse physical and moral damage brought by the biggest and the most expensive war in history

Among the political consequences brought by the war was the depreciation of Britain and France to powers , the emergence of the Common Market , the independence of many former colonies in Asia and Africa and the start of the cold war between the Western powers and the Communist-bloc nations Also , Germany was completely thwarted and the Nazi regime was brought down

Japan suffered heavily from widespread bombings . England was not spared after having experienced extensive bombing during the 1940 blitz by the Germans

The United States ' economy was largely spurred by the war when new industrial stations were put up all over the United States . Without having suffered physical damage from the war , the U .S . economy towered above the...