WWII. The Causes And Effects


The course of history in the world was forever changed by World War II. As the causes and effects are reviewed, one can’t help but wonder, could this war have been avoided? WWII was a worldwide conflict that lasted nearly six years and resulted in heavy casualties of human lives and property in several parts of the world. WWII began on September 1st, 1939 and ended on September 2nd, 1945. It has gone down in history as being one of the most gruesome wars ever fought. Most known facts about the war are the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from the United States and the Holocaust. The Holocaust was a genocide of six million European Jews through Nazi Germany.


There were numerous causes for WWII. World War I was the main cause and also the Treaty of Versailles. After WWI, nations were divided into two separate groups. Allied Powers, which included the United States, British Empire, France, and the Russian Empire. Next were the Central Powers, which was comprised of Austria, the German Empire, Hungary, Japan, and Italy. The Treaty of Versailles placed many restrictions on Germany and impacted their economy because they were expected to pay a large amount of money as a fine due to the Allied Powers. The German people were very unhappy with that outcome. Nazism was considered to be a form of socialism, but was characterized by expansionism and racism.


As Germany allowed the ascent of Nazism and Adolf Hitler, Italy had their own leader in Benito Mussolini and the escalation of Facism. The new regime in Italy was a combination of totalitarianism, racism, and violence. Hitler and Mussolini joined forces to make a stand against the Allied Powers through a military alliance. Japan became involved and invaded the Republic of China. When sanctions were heaped on Japan for their defiance, they became more determined to press onward to their goal. In an extreme step, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in an attempt to cripple the United States and hinder their involvement. It didn’t work and the U.S. then joined the war.


The effects of WWII rang around the world. 22 to 25 million soldiers lost their lives and 38 to 55 million civilians also lost their lives. Many others were left homeless as the world was in a great depression. In the Holocaust, 6 million Jews were killed. Nations drew new borders as a result of this war. Allied Forces came together with more countries and the United Nations was formed. It was designed to promote security and peace throughout the world. In WWII dictatorships were ended. Jobs were created during the war and as a result of it, but healing the economy took a long time.


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