To What Extent, and in What Ways, Could World War Ii Be Considered a Continuation of World War I
To what extent, and in what ways, could World War II be considered a continuation of World War I
In 1918, the French population referred to a certain war as La der des der, which in English was translated as “the war to end all wars”. This event was the First World War, the most widespread and casualty-filled conflict the world had witnessed to date. Unfortunately, they were wrong in saying this, for 21 years later, global bloodshed was about to begin anew in the Second World War. In both wars, Germany was a major player, even more so in WW2 as they started the conflict, Hitler was operating with vengeful expansionism, a vengeance which will have been brought about by various factors, but the most important being the Versailles Treaty. Of course, both wars were not fought by the same ‘teams’, albeit the fact that there was always clearly a Franco-British alliance against Germany, players like Russia and Italy fought on both sides. The theatre of war was also geographically similar but considerably different. After the Versailles treaty in 1919, Marechal Foch would qualify prophetically pronounce these words “This is not peace, this is an armistice for twenty years”, a sentiment that, in 1944, would be echoed by Churchill himself in a letter to Stalin, he would tell the Russian dictator, that from 1914 onwards, the events that had followed had been more of a “second thirty year war” than two separate conflicts. The continuity that Churchill’s words suggests concerning WW1 and WW2 is what I will be investigating in this essay.
I will start by introducing the Versailles Treaty and its surrounding context and controversy, I will then follow by explaining how this treaty ensured the existence of a second World War. This essay will mainly be entertaining the idea that the Second World War is indeed, due to the treaty, a continuation of the First World War but arguments proving the contrary will be interspersed in this essay when
In 1918, the French population referred to a certain war as La der des der, which in English was translated as “the war to end all wars”. This event was the First World War, the most widespread and casualty-filled conflict the world had witnessed to date. Unfortunately, they were wrong in saying this, for 21 years later, global bloodshed was about to begin anew in the Second World War. In both wars, Germany was a major player, even more so in WW2 as they started the conflict, Hitler was operating with vengeful expansionism, a vengeance which will have been brought about by various factors, but the most important being the Versailles Treaty. Of course, both wars were not fought by the same ‘teams’, albeit the fact that there was always clearly a Franco-British alliance against Germany, players like Russia and Italy fought on both sides. The theatre of war was also geographically similar but considerably different. After the Versailles treaty in 1919, Marechal Foch would qualify prophetically pronounce these words “This is not peace, this is an armistice for twenty years”, a sentiment that, in 1944, would be echoed by Churchill himself in a letter to Stalin, he would tell the Russian dictator, that from 1914 onwards, the events that had followed had been more of a “second thirty year war” than two separate conflicts. The continuity that Churchill’s words suggests concerning WW1 and WW2 is what I will be investigating in this essay.
I will start by introducing the Versailles Treaty and its surrounding context and controversy, I will then follow by explaining how this treaty ensured the existence of a second World War. This essay will mainly be entertaining the idea that the Second World War is indeed, due to the treaty, a continuation of the First World War but arguments proving the contrary will be interspersed in this essay when