World War I - questions

World War II

World War II

Introduction

Undoubtedly , one of the most complex historical events of the twentieth century was World War II . Quite literally , the future of the world hung in the balance , and everyone hung on a nervous thread , awaiting the outcome . With the complexity and gravity of World War II in mind , this essay discusses many of the key s of the war itself

Hitler and the Holocaust

The catalyst of the atrocities that were thrown upon Europe prior to and during World War II was the

despotic ruler of Germany , Adolf Hitler By understanding Hitler 's goals and foreign policy mindset , one can better understand why Hitler did what he did , the fact that it was nothing short of pure evil aside

Ostensibly , Hitler sought to return Germany to the status and territory it held prior to its sounding defeat in World War I , and it was this premise , along with the promise of stable employment and economic recovery that gave Hitler the favor of the population . However , it appears in retrospect that he was bent on world domination , fueled by his hatred for several races of people , including Jews and Slavs , based on his belief that certain races of people contributed impurities to the human race , and therefore , they needed to be exterminated enmasse (Friedrich , 1948 . Hitler 's Final Solution ' centered around the genetic engineering of a superior master race , which would essentially be the perfect human being . Ultimately , this genocide came to be known as The Holocaust , and likewise became one of the pivotal issues of the 20th century for if Hitler was allowed to proceed unstopped , no group of people would be safe from his wrath , and quite literally , entire races of people would disappear from the face of the earth

Appeasement and Attempted Conquest in Europe

As Hitler gained power in Europe , and his conquest threatened to overtake such nations as France and Great Britain among others , France and Britain specifically sought to survive the actions of Hitler through appeasement , which is to say that they believed that if they accommodated Hitler 's requests , and did not oppose him , they would survive unscathed . Eventually , however , Hitler continued with his plans to take over these nations France , falling to Hitler 's assault in 1940 did so because of its lack of military might and the fact that by the time that Germany invaded France , the French had caved in to Hitler so much that the nation was basically there for the asking . Britain however , proved to be a much more formidable opponent . Because of Britain 's geographic situation , being a free-standing island , the only way that Germany could effectively attack the island was by air However , the Royal Air Force of Britain was simply too determined prepared and effective for Germany to be able to successfully attack While Britain would suffer tremendous damage from air raids , and would have to fight for freedom during every day of the war , its tenacity made the...