The World War II - Nature of the People - Essay Example

? The World War II; the nature of the people Introduction The World War II is a global military war that started at around 1939 and ended around 1945. The war was between the superpowers of the world at the time, and, therefore, it involved two factions. Colonized nations also took SIDES WITH THE TWO FACTIONS. This war was the replica of the earlier global war, The Great War which was later called the 1st World war. About a million military men were involved in the war. Being a war that involved the superpowers of the world at that time, each side used its economic and industrial prowess to outdo the other. Therefore, there was no distinction between civilians and military officers. The world at that time was experiencing an era of technological advancement. Nuclear weapons were dominantly used. The zenith of this was a nuclear attack by troops of the US in the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These nuclear attacks led culminated in catastrophic effects in the attacked places. The effects still continue to be felt. In Japan, for example, 7 generations have passed since Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed. Genealogies of the bomb attack victims have side effects of the nuclear weapons to date. This just shows how the World War II was detrimental to the lives of many.One phenomenon that always arises with the mention of the World War II is the Holocaust. This denotes the widespread massacre of Jews by the Nazi army of Adolf Hitler the German dictator at that time1. The war ended on September 2, 1945 with the subsequent creation of the League of Nations which was later christened the United Nations. The US and Russia emerged as the world’s superpowers. This essay will tackle the nature of the people during this infamous war. It will analyze whether the nature was good or bad. Finally, it will illustrate the affect the nature had on the politics, economy and religion of the world. Christopher Browning’s book, Ordinary Men best illustrates the phenomenal nature in this infamous war. It gives evidence about the perpetrators of the Holocaust and the effects of the war. Browning notes that the draftees of the Holocaust were simply ordinary men who were not necessarily evil. They were only obliging to the demands of one Adolf Hitler. They were not evil at all he notes. For example, we are told that o June 12, 1942 one commanding officer in the Nazi army is ordered to kill all able bodied Jewish males in the city of Josefow in Poland. He did not intend to do this, but had to follow orders. The book tells of one commander, Wilhelm Trapp who gave his men an option of executing the Jews or not doing it. We are informed that only twelve soldiers went ahead and executed the Jews, but about 500 of them did not. This explains that in most soldiers, behind the obligatory roles lay the human character. One that was compassionate and ready to forgive. Browning then reveals in his books about subsequent events that lead to the Holocaust. We are told that in the city of Hamburg, in 1943, about 38000 Jews were shot dead mercilessly while about 45000 of them were thrown to gas chambers. The holocaust had begun. The author explains how ordinary German men graduate and become murderers2. We are left to wonder what went wrong of all these men. A few months changed them. Hitler had cultivated a culture of hate in them. They simply hated Jews for no apparent reason. They actions were not justified at all. Millions of Jews lost their innocent lives in cold blood. The Nazi soldiers became brutal beings. The Germans in the early parts of the war were very aggressive in nature. They managed to conquer most parts in the war. The international community stayed put and mum about the Nazi killings. This can be attributed to the fact that, in the early parts, the Germans were heavily endowed in technology. They took the world by storm with their warfare tanks, armored vehicles and military planes referred to as torpedoes. Their innovative nature contributed to their success in the early exchanges. Success among the nations that were at war, but loss in life to millions of Jews. In the end of the book, the author is left wondering the fact that, if ordinary men would turn and become animals that murdered their own kind, which man would never commit such atrocities? From the author’s analysis of events in the Reserve Police Battalion 101, the author comes up with the idea that the German troops had an anti-Semitic attitude towards the Jews. This is the nature that drives the mass killings. Adolf Hitler had once been employed by an Asian German citizen. He felt he had been mistreated. His actions are, therefore, a form of payback. His nature of wanting to retaliate contributes to the extensive killings. It is sad that one man’s quest for personal vendetta leads to the massacre of millions3. Other teams had a different attitude to the war. The British people, for example, did not approach it in the same manner. The British were in the same camp as the US. They were not enthusiastic as the Germans when the war was announcement. This was a different attitude as compared to the first war when they were very enthusiastic immediately the war was announced. It is no doubt, therefore, that the British did not participate in the massive killings as the Germans. Possibly, their participation was a form of support to the other superpowers. When the first war was announced, large numbers of civilians in the British Empire flocked city streets to celebrate the responsibility they had in the war. Perhaps this non enthusiastic attitude was due to the fact they had witnessed the atrocities of the first war. The civilians were more concerned in other issues than to celebrate the war. Even Hitler resorted to bombing British cities with an aim of killing the will of the British to fight. It is only after this that the British offer resistance of their own. This was the attitude of most nations especially the civilian population. Not many were enthusiastic about the war. Circumstances forced them to take part in the war. Millions of youths were shipped from British colonies to go and take part in the war. Even in the colonies, none of these youths were enthusiastic about the war. They were, however, compelled to take part because the Britons were the colonial masters. Much of the non enthusiastic nature of the people when the war was announced was a good thing. It is an indication that the people of the world had come of age. Not many were interested in the war. The arrogance of Hitler forced other countries to take part. The colonized nations also did not have the willingness to take part because they had witnessed the effects of war in their countries. The Japanese were another group of people that exhibited an aggressive attitude immediately the war was announced. They wanted to prove their supremacy to the other countries such as the United States of America. The US was triggered to act back in response to the Japanese’s continued arrogance. They attack the Japanese cities majorly affecting Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They are, therefore, responsible for the atrocities that affect them. Had they not shown their overzealous nature, maybe the deaths witnessed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki would not have been witnessed4. The people of the US and Russia also take part in the war due to their proud nature. Each wanted to show that they were the superpowers. The US even attacks Japan mercilessly just to prove their point. The attack still remains to be the largest nuclear attack to date. The citizens of Japan suffer. The government noticing that cedes ground. They surrender. Surrender was a nature of most people during the war. The international community combines in fighting Hitler. In the long-run, Hitler and the German troops that had earlier caused major terror in most German and polish cities surrender. Adolf Hitler is later found death. This marks the end of the reign of terror. The Japanese are the other group of people that epitomize surrender in the latter times of the war. In the end, the international community opens its eyes and notices the atrocities. The world economy had adversely been affected by the war. There was political instability around the world. This comes to pass when the war ends. References Browning, Christopher R. Ordinary men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the final solution in Poland. New York: HarperPerennial Publishers, 2003. Spielvogel, Jackson J. Western Civilization. New York: Cengage Learning, 2011. Spielvogel, Jackson J. Western Civilizatio: Source book. New York: Cengage Learning, 2011. Read More