The Watershed War

The Watershed War
World War 2 is the deadliest war in human history, with over 60 million killed, including the systematic genocide of over 6 million Jews. The war in Europe began in on September 1, 1939 with the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany. Following this, Great Britian and its colonies as well as France declared war on Germany. The United States would join the war following the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour. This formed The Allies consisting of Great Britain and its colonies, the U.S.S.R. and the United States of America. Germany, Italy and Japan made up the Axis powers. The war ended with the unconditional surrender of Germany on May 8, 1945. What the world saw prior to the war was the rise of Germany under the Nazi
regime. Through the remilitarization and the promise to return Germany to its former glory Hitler created a new identity for the German people. This new regime helped to stimulate the German economy through the production of tanks and aircraft. The Nazi’s also changed the way the wars are fought. They fought in a new uptempo war that was known as blitzkrieg, essentially changing the way that wars are fought. Hitler’s authoritative rule in Germany showed the extreme measures people took to carry out his demands. World War 2 also saw the Holocaust, which was the systematic killing of the jewish race as well as other groups of people the Nazi’s deemed undisirable. This not only changed the way people viewed human rights, it also changed the structure of international law. So that such a travesty could never be repeated again World War 2 also marks the only time that an atomic bomb has been dropped on another country. This was the first time people saw the horrible effects to could have on a person. Many believe that the United States dropped the bombs to flex their muscles and show the rest of the world that they were the global. What people didn't realize was that this event would spark the nuclear arms race between the United states and Russia. World War Two is the most significant event in european history because the lasting effects the lasting effects of Nazi Germany uprising uprising, the holocaust and the dropping of the atomic bombs, impact the way the world is today.
In many ways Nazi Germany has changed the way the world is today.
Adolf Hitler came to power following the death of President Paul Von Hindenburg, the roles of President and Chancellor merged to form the position of Fuhrer. Hitler promised to return Germany to its former glory. When he was in power the Germans began re-militarization, by expanding their army and forming relationship with countries like Italy and japan. They also began the mass production of tanks and aircraft weaponry. In September of 1939, the Germans put their plan into motion by invading Poland. Following this Great Britian and France declared war on Germany. The Nazi’s are responsible for introducing a new form of warfare, blitzkrieg. This was the German word for “lightning warfare”, this emphasized the quick movement of troops, tanks and the mass use of air power. This was effective of the Germans as they were able to roll over Poland, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and eventually France. With this new form of warfare to also brought in expansion of technology. World War 2 saw the refinements of aircrafts and tanks. While also introducing the world to new technologies such as radar and radio navigation. To show how fast technology advanced in World War 2 an excerpt from an article said “The entire technology of radar, which is the ability to use radio waves to detect objects at a distance, was barely invented at the start of the war but became highly developed in just a few years”. This showed how
during World War 2 the remilitarization of Germany introduced the world to a new form of warfare, as well as the introduction of new technologies, and the refinements of old ones.
One of the greatest tragedies of World War 2 was the holocaust. The Holocaust was the mass extermination of whoever the NAi’s deemed undesirable. These people included the Jews, communists, homosexuals, disabled people and POW’s. It is estimated that there was over 6 million people killed within the concentration and death camps. When these camps were liberated the world was left in shock. Anne Frank wrote, “If we bear all this suffering and if there are still Jews left, when it is over, then Jews, instead of being doomed, will be held up as an example.” This quote held true for years to come as the events that took place during the holocaust would change human rights and international law. Following the holocaust the world was forced to address its international law policies. This showed that the league of nations had failed, this was because of its unfair treatment of Germany following World War 1 with the Treaty of Versailles’ policies being too unfair towards the Germans. Also, because they left out a global superpower like the United States. As a result they formed the United Nations, rather than excluding Germany from the league of nations they included them in the United Nations. The Holocaust was one of the largest tragedies the world has ever seen, it changed the way that international laws are structured and it also lead to the creation of the United Nations. When the Japanese bombed the United States naval in Pearl harbour in 1941, they thought they would scare the U.S.
into staying neutral, and cripple their naval power. Instead this made the U.S. join the war and declare war on Japan. The United States join the allies and eventually won the war. However a moment that remains in infamy was when they dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This marks the only time that nuclear weapons have been used in war. There are many reasons people think the bombs were dropped. This was the first time people saw the devastating effects it had on the cities as well as its citizens. Some believe the bomb was dropped to bring an immediate end to the war. Some people believe that the bombs could have been dropped to show the world that the United States was the largest global superpower. What people did not realize was that this would spark the cold war and nuclear arms race between the United States and the U.S.S.R. The tension was also heightened by the two nations different political views, with the United States being Capitalist and the U.S.S.R. being communist. A direct division between the two countries beliefs could be seen in the division of Berlin. With the East being communist and the West being capitalist. Because the West was far more prosperous and the East German government called for the construction of the Berlin Wall to insure people would stop leaving from the
east.
In conclusion, World War 2 was the most significant watershed event in European history. This is because the Nazi regimes rapid militarization and the and the advancements in technology, changed the way that wars are fought. The tragedy that was the holocaust changed the way that international law is structured and eventually lead to the formation of the United Nation to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again. Finally the dropping of the atomic bombs has had a tremendous impact on the way the world is today. It marks the only time that nuclear weapons have been used in war. It lead to the nuclear arms race and the cold war, in which almost all countries today have a nuclear weapons program and or own nuclear weapons.