...Power had a large impact on the start of World War II. The people in Italy and Germany wanted a powerful leader to lead them. This is known as fascism, and it was another major cause of World War II. Two men were able to fill Italy's and Germany's need for a strong leader, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. Both men were able to gain the trust of their people through their public speech campaigns. Their combined ambitions drove Italy and Germany on a quest to conquer the rest of Europe and become the two most powerful nations. Hitler and Mussolini both respected each other and their goals and decided to form and alliance. With the combined forces of Italy and Germany, and later Japan, Hitler and Mussolini led their nations to a war to conquer...
Words: 758 - Pages: 4
...World War I began July 28, 1914, after years of escalation towards a global war. It was known as the war to end all wars. What was intended to be a short war became a world wide conflict. On one side there was the triple entente, consisting of Russia, France, and Great Britain. On the other was Germany, Austria Hungary, and Italy. The other countries involved, including the United States and the Ottoman Empire were not on a side. There were many reasons the war occurred and historians still do not agree on each cause. Amounting World War I to one sole cause would be unjust and impossible. While Germany was forced to pay reparations after the war ended, and Germany did play a role in starting the war, there are a number of other causes which...
Words: 653 - Pages: 3
...Petersburg’. Discuss this assessment of the outbreak of general European war in 1914. The spark that led directly to the outbreak of war was the assassination of the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. The events that took place in Europe prior to 1914 have to be focused upon as being pivotal motives in the outbreak of war. Russia deeply influenced and played a key role in the outbreak of World War One, but it is difficult to say she was the sole cause. The different alliance groups, Nationalism, economic stability, domestic tensions and the divergent Foreign Policies in the Central European countries were collectively the reasons that brought about a general European war. Russia’s history preceding 1914 constituted to the decision making of the July Crisis. The Russo-Japanese war of 1904 left Russia defeated and powerless both economically and militarily. [1]‘Russia suffered 400,000 casualties, lost two of its three fleets and denuded its western frontier fortifications of troops and armaments.’ The defeat to Japan caused Russia a major embarrassment and Russia was intent on building up her military strength for the countries social security. By 1910 the ‘Small Program’ followed by the 1913 launch of the ‘Great Program’ enabled Russia to add additional spending to the army and military but Russia’s military strength still lacked its initial power. World War One may have been a way in for Russia to regain her losses, build up her...
Words: 2383 - Pages: 10
...The Great World History Debate: “Were German Militarism and Diplomacy Responsible for World War I?” Name Course Date The World War I, among other significant historical events, is the most deliberated event of the 20th century. Indeed, it is accredited to changing the course of the world's history giving it a new dimension to ponder on for the next centuries. Rise of communism, one of the world's most controversial ideologies, was linked to the catastrophic episode. Nonetheless, powerful empires like Austria, Turkey, Russia and Germany saw their rise and fall in communism. In addition, the war resulted to the most number of deaths and annihilation compared to other cataclysmic events in history. In the light of these horrendous outcomes, an undying curiosity arose among renowned historians and researchers in search for answers as to who was the protagonist of the war. The underlying question has been whether Germany was solely responsible for World War I given their military strength and diplomatic prowess. Notorious Professor V.R. Berghahn and Professor Samuel R. Williamson clash in a battle of wit in attempts to shed clear lights on Germany as the cause of World War I. Professor V.R. Berghahn believes that there is great depth of literature that evidences the role of Germany in the heinous unfolding. These evidences, both military and diplomatic certify the German empire as the main protagonist of the First World War (1914-1918). On the other hand, Professor Samuel R...
Words: 1467 - Pages: 6
...The Great War The Great War, which is more commonly called World War I began on July 28, 1914 and lasted until November 11, 1918. It was a global war centered in Europe and involved more than 70 million military personnel. There were over 9 million combatants, and 7 million civilians died as a result of the war (Keegan, 1998). It was one of the deadliest recorded military conflicts in history, and was the reason for numerous major political changes. The main event that led to the spark of World War I was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Who was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne (Willmott, 2003). Archduke Franz Ferdinand was a friend to Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany, the two met in mid-June 1914 to discuss the situation in the Balkans. Two weeks later, on June 28, Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, were in Sarajevo to inspect the imperial armed forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina (Taylor, 1998). Gavrilo Princip along with members of the nationalist Young Bosnia movement learned of the archduke’s planned visit. They decided to take action and were supplied with weapons by a Serbian terrorist organization called the Black Hand, Princip and his fellow members traveled to Sarajevo to reach there in time for the archduke’s visit. The car Ferdinand and his wife were in took a wrong turn near where Princip happened to be standing. Seeing his chance, Princip fired into the car, shooting Franz Ferdinand and Sophie at point-blank range. Ferdinand and his wife...
Words: 1254 - Pages: 6
...Why Germany Lost World War I Since the beginning of World War I, Germany fought through a great number of boundaries no one thought could be broken. With the help of their Allies, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire, Germany managed to gain the upper hand the year following the start of the war. Up until the Battle of the Somme on July 1st, 1916, Germany and the other central powers were hoping to quickly defeat the Allies. These hopes were soon to be discouraged as Germany starts to struggle on account of its insufficient Allies and the lack of supplies due in part to the British blockade. Being that Germany was geographically surrounded by foes, it was near impossible for the newly formed country to gain access to outside supplies. When the United States entered the war on the Allies side in 1917, the fate of the Germans was practically sealed. These factors worked against the central powers, and allowed the Allies to put an end to World War I victoriously. On August 1st, 1914, Germany mobilized their army and declared war on Russia. The following day, Germany waged war on Belgium after demanding to allow the German army to cross its borders. On August 3rd, Germany declared war on France and invaded Belgium, which causes Britain to declare war on Germany shortly thereafter. A domino effect takes place during this short period in 1914 that causes World War I. By now, Germany was forced to divide their great army to fight a two-front war against France and Russia...
Words: 1205 - Pages: 5
...World War II was one of the most important historical periods of the Twentieth-Century. The causes, and consequences of the war helped historian understand the politics of the time as well as to observe the reactions from the different governments and citizens from all over the world. Though some historians recount the events from World War II from a general perspective and focus on the different military strategies and government policies, others discuss the individuals involved in the war and their influence on the causes and outcome of the war. Further on, historians tend to focus on the major leaders during the world: Churchill, Hitler, Roosevelt and De Gaulle. Nevertheless, some historians have paid close attention to those around these great leaders and discussed their influence over them and their respective government policies. Before the beginning of World War II, Adolf Hitler guided the Nazi party into power in Germany during the 1930’s. Hitler did not led Germany into war on its own, but with the help of a few close associates one of them being Joseph Goebbels. As one of the main directors of the Nazi Propaganda in Germany and other parts of Europe, Joseph Goebbels led Germany’s internal affairs during the war especially during the completion of most of Hitler’s objectives during his leadership. It is difficult to imagine Germany’s actions during the war without looking a Goebbels. He definitely changed the outcome of World War II by implementing public enlightenment...
Words: 3182 - Pages: 13
...Many countries - such as Germany and Britain - considered that the war would be over by Christmas 1914. However, the unexpected duration of the fight led to terrible consequences in 1918, such as the death of over 10 million combatants and more than 6 million civilians; a worldwide economic and political destabilization and bad relationships between the countries. What made the war last more than four years? In order to answer to this question, I will put forward the « Triple Stalemate », which were the main reasons why the war wasn’t « over by Christmas ».! ! One of the reasons the war lasted so long was the military stalemate. In 1906, after the alliance between the Allies was built, Field Marshal Alfred von Schlieffen, Chief of the Imperial German General Staff, developed a procedure called the Schlieffen Plan. It was a plan that presumed the war and its main goal was to avoid having to fight against two forces at the same time, Russia in the East and France in the West. Schlieffen wanted to prevent a fight where Germany would be in military disadvantage. He wrote a military plan for Germany, which excluded political, diplomatic...
Words: 1969 - Pages: 8
...Assess critically three causes of the outbreak of the First World War 1914-1918. There were certain events leading up to the outbreak of the first World War , in late July of 1914. For decades different historians have researched and presented what they believe and suggest to be the causes of this war that drastically changed Europe. In this essay, i intend to discuss and assess three longterm causes and to what extent the system of alliances, militarism and imperial rivalry contributed to the development of the crisis of 1914 and consequently the war. Europe was split into two rival alliance groups, connected by a secondary set of treaties and agreements to countries spread out around the globe. A number of alliances had been signed between countries between the years of 1879 and 1914. The division of the principal nations of Europe into two camps, did not necessarily make for war. It only made it inevitable that any conflict involving two great powers would bring general war. This system has often been justified as being necessary to maintain the balance of power and thus initiate peace amongst nations. This unfortunately was not the case as the Alliance System was based on secret diplomacy, mutual suspicion and fear were created among the powers. In 1905, for example, William II provoked the First Moroccan Crisis in order to see whether or not the Entente Cordiale really existed. Secondly, the Alliance System promoted armament races, too. Anglo-French military cooperation...
Words: 1667 - Pages: 7
...qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyui opasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfgh jklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvb nmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwerty uiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdf ghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxc vbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwer tyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfg hjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcv bnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwert yuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasd fghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzx cvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwe rtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdf ghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxc vbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwer tyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopas dfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklz xcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmrt yuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasd fghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzx cvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwe rtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopa sdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjkl ...
Words: 3254 - Pages: 14
...his side that set him aside from those before him, the right circumstances. After World War I, Germany was left in an a state as opposite as ideal that one could imagine. The Treaty of Versailles left Germany with heavy reparations to pay, an overwhelming shame in the country, and massive unemployment rates. Perfect conditions for a revolutionary like Hitler to start a radical change amongst the government. By looking at Hitler's actions after World War I and the punishments left to Germany by the Treaty of Versailles it can be seen how such a ruthless tyrant could be allowed to gain control over a world power. Hitler was a dispatch runner in World War I, where he ran messages between command posts. During his time in the Bavarian Regiment Hitler volunteered for dangerous missions even after near death experiences, seeming almost fearless. The even more unbelievable part is he almost always escaped without a scratch. Although on October 7, 1916 this luck ran out, Hitler was struck in the leg with a piece of shrapnel from an artillery shell. He was sent to Munich to heal and had only a few light duties to carry out while there. In Munich Hitler witnessed something that appalled him, much of Munich was decorated and covered in anti-war protests and posters. Hitler, due to his anti-Semitic tendencies assumed to be acquired in Vienna, blamed the Jews and said that they were undermining Germany's war effort. Two years later, Hitler was laying uneasily and blinded from a chlorine gas...
Words: 1348 - Pages: 6
...to dissect creation and find some sort of semblance of meaning that might justify our existence. The list of our accomplishments is immeasurably vast. However, man might have proved that he can reach for ideals, but he has not proved that he can maintain them. We may have climbed mountains, but we have not been able to live for long in such high places. Despite our accomplishments, humanity’s failings have been just as extensive. Our history is also scarred with a long list of wars, injustices, unnecessary deaths, prejudices, hatreds, and disappointments. The pinnacle of our shortcomings, the end-point to our intellectual development as a species, can best be understood in the context of our World Wars. Although humanity has always lived side-by-side with war, never before in our history has so much widespread violence destroyed so many idyllic hopes and dreams. Never before was there such an example of our ignorance as a species, and blatant disregard for our intellectual successes. Both World Wars demonstrate...
Words: 2315 - Pages: 10
...his village.) 4. Examine the decline of the Ottoman Empire. What factors explain this process? What attempts at reform did the Ottomans undertake? (Bentley & Ziegler, chap.31) 5. Learn how and why Japan became industrialized (make sure you review your notes on the movie; Meiji Transformation). Learn also about hollow modernization of the Latin American countries. (Also Bentley & Ziegler pp. 724-728, 634-636 & chapter 30) 6. Definition, causes, and geopolitical scope and the result of the New Imperialism. (Class notes and read also, Bentley & Ziegler, Chapter 32) 7. African and Asian responses to Western Imperialism: Armed resistance and modernizing efforts. (Class notes) 8. Learn about the causes of World War I. How was it a global and modern war? Major consequences of the war for both Europe and the wider world. (Class notes and also, Bentley & Ziegler, Chapter33) 9. Learn about the rise of Fascism in Europe. (Review your class notes and read also, Bentley & Ziegler, chap.34) 10. Examine the causes and implications of the Great/Global Depression. Why was the Depression so widespread and so devastating? How did different countries respond to the Depression? What would be the long-term consequences of the...
Words: 565 - Pages: 3
...who puts their country above all else The Reichstag: The German congress President Hindenberg: Leader of Weimar Republic Surprisingly, given its vast industrial and military power when the war began, Germany emerged from World War I a battered and, in many respects, a bewildered country. In the final months of 1918, Germans had witnessed the reversal of their army’s spring offensive, the resignation of the chancellor and abdication of the Kaiser, and the signing of a hastily arranged armistice, all in the midst of massive civil unrest. Establishment of the Weimar Republic. Germany had also changed internally. When the Kaiser and chancellor left, members of different political parties vied for power, and the country limped along for several months without a firm government in power. Then, in elections in January 1919, 76 percent of Germans voted for the three parties that favored democracy: the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Catholic Center (plus its allies in the Catholic Bavarian People’s Party), and the smaller German Democratic Party (DDP). In February, the elected officials met in the city of Weimar to draw up a constitution and establish a coalition, and the Weimar Republic was born. Understandably, many Germans could not accept that they were the losers of World War I. And yet that was precisely the basis of the Versailles Treaty (so-called because negotiations, to which Germany was not invited, took place in Versailles, France) presented to the leaders of the...
Words: 3011 - Pages: 13
...Impact of Nationalism During the 19th and 20th centuries, nationalism played a crucial role in shaping the world, both constructively and destructively. Throughout history, nationalism can be found almost everywhere, with the desire for self-determination and independence as its primary catalysts. Nationalism can take form in politicians, national leaders, propaganda and mass media. In the last two centuries, the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the emergence of independent nations, the two most influential wars of all time, World War I and World War II, and the rise of the worlds’ superpowers, the United States of America and the Soviet Union can all be partially attributed to strong sense of nationalism and played an important role in shaping the world. The phenomenon of nationalism hit Europe in the 19th century. For example, self-determination, and the desire to be independent and dominant, fueled the Ottoman Empire. However, this longing proved destructive and led to the Ottoman Empire’s collapse in 1829, because of nationalist revolts. Although the Ottoman Empire ceased to exist, “The collapse led to the independence of Greece in 1830, and many countries pursued the same independence that Greece had obtained a few decades later. These countries included modern day Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria. Slavic peoples’, who included Poles and Serbs, also jumped in on the nationalist movement”. With the Ottoman Empire no longer in control, Greece was able to gain its independence...
Words: 1416 - Pages: 6
