Compare and Contrast the causes of the First and Second Worl
One of the similarities one can observe between the causes of WWI and WWII is that of the role of Germany. Concerning WWI one of the greatest causes of the war can be seen as the effect of the growth of Germany had on Europe. She was a relatively new country but one that was rapidly growing financially, militarily and industrially; this threatened to disrupt the delicate balance of power achieved in Europe after centuries of conflict. However, the situation was exacerbated by her actions resulting from this new found power. The Kaiser began to feel increasingly endangered by the perceived encirclement of the entente powers and so resorted to militarism, as illustrated through the arms race, a situation which would inevitably earn the concern and anger of Britain with Germany’s obsession with the growth of their navy. This along with his militaristic alliances, plans made on a war footing and aggressive foreign policy convinced Europe that a war was inevitable. Prior to the Second World War the situation was similar. For, with Hitler’s rise to power there was a dramatic change in the foreign policy of Germany. Hitler believed, along with the rest of Germanys, that the Treaty of Versailles was unfair, he stressed how the nation
The system of alliances that existed before the respective wars can also be seen to show similarities, although there are some obvious differences in this factor as well. Consequently one can observe many similarities in the outbreak to the two World Wars. Those being intense nationalism that permeated Europe, the political and economic rivalry among the nations, the maintenance in Europe of large armaments and the subsequent emergence of two hostile military alliances. As well as this more similarities can be observed in imperialism and the growth of Germany as a perceived threat, the role of Germany in the two wars being very similar in importance. The differences in the causes of the two World wars can be seen in the fact that whilst after WWI there was no punitive settlement but after WWII the consequences of the Treaty of Versailles played a role in the outbreak of War. Another difference can be seen in the global economic state prior to either of the wars, before WWI the global economy was strong in the post industrial revolution propriety whilst preceding WWII due to the effects of the Great Depression caused by the Wall street crash extreme parties gained power and the Imperial Preference practised by both France and Britain meant they lost important links in the east; two factors which ld to the outbreak of war. In the above essay I have attempted to address the main causes of both of the two wars and in so dong have observed the many similarities (that outmen the differences) in the outbreak of either wars. This highlights the fact that few lessons were learnt from the First time and the treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations failed in their aim. Significantly, the immediate causes have not been addressed due the acute differences between them.
Some topics in this essay:
Treaty Versailles,
Russia Nazi-soviet,
World Wars,
German Italian,
Germany Europe,
Italy Spain,
Versailles Hitler,
Anchluss Germany,
Nazi-Soviet Pact,
Peace Paris,
treaty versailles,
foreign policy,
outbreak war,
aggressive foreign,
aggressive foreign policy,
outbreak wwi,
led war,
overturn treaty,
balance power,
world wars,
overturn treaty versailles,
balance power achieved,
underlying cause,
delicate balance power,
wall street crash,
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Approximate Word count = 2024
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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