Was World War II Ultimately Beneficial for the US and the Rest of the World - Research Paper Example

? of Was World War II Ultimately Beneficial for the US and the Rest of the World? “The second world war created a crisis in which long term planning for colonial economic, political and social development was seen as vital.” (Havinden and Meredith 314) Second World War is deemed as one of the most important and critical timelines of the world history that shaped its course and paved new ways for the nations and their peoples to enter an altogether different world. The causes and consequences of Second World War are numerous, complex, and generic- likewise, its social, political and moral impacts on the world are tremendous with the formation of the United Nations; advancement in information technology, atomic energy, trade, industrialization, decolonization; and an end to an old world order, making way for new super powers to lead the world. ... since the end of the Second World War, there are two major features of the capitalist world that immediately stand out and call for remark. Firstly there is the marked extension in American and in Western Europe of the economic activities of the state: developments, to a large extent novel both in degree and in kind, of what have been variously called State Capitalism or State Monopoly Capitalism. Secondly, on a world scale there is the radical change in the position of large areas of the former colonial and semi-colonial sector, especially in Asia and Africa, and consequently in the relations, both political and economic, between these areas and the imperialist countries, to which they were formerly subordinated. (Dobb 387) The USA was the only country whose economy boomed during the war. Not a single enemy stepped on its soils and the lives of a few civilians were sacrificed. Even the army did not suffer a heavy loss in terms of causalities. “... the economic prosperity created by World War II left a deep impression on the American people. Before the war, the United States was mired in the Great Depression. Unemployment which was as high as 29.4% in 1933 still averaged 14.6% in 1940. During the war, unemployment dropped rapidly.” (Degrasse 36) This was not true for other countries though- the USSR, Japan, Germany, China, France, Britain, Greece, Holland, and other countries suffered heavy losses. The aftermath of the war was horrifying for the rest of the world. “... with increasing acknowledgement of the United States’ status as the leading democratic power came increased acceptance of responsibility in the global arena... Perhaps with constructive American involvement a better world could be shaped, a world more prosperous, free, democratic and safe.” (Price 71) Decolonization was not only in the interest of the colonies but of the US as well. The US was dreading another depression at the end of the Second World War, and was planning to market its products to the former colonies in Asia and Africa. This was not possible as the colonialist powers would never have granted access to the US as long as they remained in power. The US was also determined to decolonize subjugated nations because of its ideals of equality, freedom and democracy. The US also had its deep interests in the Middle East region and wanted to establish its oil exploring companies permanently over there. This was only possible if this region was decolonized so that America could build its dreams. The colonialists themselves were finding it hard to resist the pressure coming from the colonies for independence- most notable from India. Post-Second World War scenario was already very challenging for them to handle matters at home. Therefore, a weakened Europe was ready to decolonize its territories. Cold War was also a consequential factor of the Second World War. The Nazi Germany fell in 1945 and was divided into 4 military occupation zones occupied by France, Great Britain, USA and Soviet Union. It faced a terrible time of hyperinflation and was rescued by the Marshal Plan to some extent. At the end of the war the problem of Germany held the Big Three together. They agreed that Germany should be kept whole and governed as a unity... Stalin wanted reparations for Russia to come from all Germany; the British and the Americans wanted a modicum of economic revival in Germany to enable that payment of reparations to be made without causing Germany to become a financial and moral burden on the Western powers... the Cold War in Europe began... when the Soviet Union tried to force the Western powers to continue the allied government of a United Germany to enable it to veto the priority the British and Americans gave to German economic revival. (Parker 259-260) In 1949, Germany was divided into East and West Germany, ruled by the Western allies and Soviet Union respectively. It took 40 years to reunite as a country and it came a long way to its current status of being an important member of the EU. It also has the world’s third highest GDP following the USA and Japan. Japan was an unstoppable expansionist before and during the Second World War. The USA and Great Britain had mutually developed Atom Bomb which was dropped on Hiroshima Nagasaki after the event of Pearl Harbor. “At 8:16 a.m. on 6 August the B-29 Enola Gay dropped ‘little boy’ on Hiroshima... Overall an estimated 80,000 were killed but a further 50,000 died in the days, weeks, months and years afterwards, according to the degree of exposure to radiation.” (Lightbody 264) Though this act can never be justified; yet it proved to be effective in forcing Japan to surrender. After the Second World War, during the US occupation, it focused only on developing its technology and industry and recovered from the havocs of the war. As a result, it now stands among the most developed countries of the world with a thriving economy. It also had to shed its ancient system of government and the peoples of Japan saw a new era of urbanization, housing developments, train lines and highways that gave birth to a mass commuting culture. The women also enjoyed freedom and affluence and overall the Japanese society was transformed altogether. Holocaust or the murder of the European Jews was a horrifying incident among many others during the Second World War by Nazi Germany. However, it legitimized the formation of Israel in the heart of Palestine with the aid of the US and Britain. The existence of Israel might not be in the favor of the Palestinians and the Arab region as a whole, but it is of great significance to the foreign interests of the US who is the greatest supporter of the state of Israel. It can keep a check on the Arab states in case of any insurgency and in the current world situation, can wage a war against terror with the help of this strategic partner. The British government attempted to keep Palestine peaceful... Unable to find a political situation and confronted by implacable Arab opposition to a Jewish state of any kind in Palestine, the British government... decided in February 1947 to refer the Palestine problem to the UN and pulled out. The Jews then took up arms against the Arabs... and evicted half of the Palestinian population through violence and fear. On 14th May 1948, the state of Israel was proclaimed and a new chapter in the Middle Eastern history was opened... The Mediterranean and the Middle East region nevertheless remains what it has been for centuries- one of world’s most convenient arteries for travel and commerce- and in the twentieth century it became one of the world’s primary sources of oil wealth. For these reasons the rest of the world maintains its interests there, and, although, the interests have taken on a new guise, the region remains as unsettled as ever. (Hastings 449) The face of commonwealth nations changed after the Second World War with an end to the Empires of France, Japan and Great Britain. The former colonies enjoyed their new status of independence; yet they realized that they would be relying heavily on their former masters for the implementation of the new systems of governments. “The racial emphasis touches the heart of the historical process marked by the independence dates of India and Pakistan, Ceylon, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanganyika, Zambia, Jamaica, Malaya and the other commonwealth states... dark faces suddenly appeared, and in fact even formed the majority.” (Ansprenger 159) British and French colonies had lived under the rule of their respective masters for centuries. Before their countries were invaded, they were living by their traditional customs and forms of government, if any. It was not easy for them to let go their ancient forms of governments and ways of living. However, a lot was changed and overhauled by the colonial powers and when they were liberated at the end of the Second World War; they found themselves in states of great confusion and anarchy. While WW2 liberated a great number of Asian and African colonies in its aftermath, the peoples of such countries had to initiate a new struggle to adjust to the new world order. Most of the colonies are clipped as ‘Third World Countries’; yet they have learnt to sustain their independence and adjust to the ever changing realities of the post-Second World War world. International Aid activities after the Second World War became the basis of the modern day’s aid, relief and reconstruction machinery. In this regard, it can be justly said that the world as a whole became more humanitarian and more concerned about the miseries and afflictions of others. Oxfam first catered to the refugees from Greece; CARE was originally the Centre for American Relief in Europe (Europe later became Everywhere); and the development work of the UN began with the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency (UNRAA) founded during the Second World War (1943). Also, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, or IRBD (now commonly referred to as the World Bank) began with loans for war reconstruction... (Tarp & Hjertholm 82) It is for this reason that disaster management has become relatively easy for us today. It was a great challenge to put an end to imperialism, communism, and fascism from face of the world. Decolonization and military inventions were also to be suppressed to restore peace and ensure economic stability in the world. There were many stakeholders in the Second World War and many great powers that thought they were invincible. The aftermath of the war was unpredictable in many ways: the degree of devastation and the number of causalities were much higher than it could ever be estimated. It altered the geography of the entire world. With the creation of the new world map, new histories were to be written. The decades following WW2 proved to be beneficial for the US and the rest of the world in terms of economic growth, stability, technological advancement, atomic energy, space exploration etc. however, the threat of a nuclear war looms and threatens to annihilate everything that was achieved so far Work Cited Ansprenger, Franz. The Dissolution of the Colonial Empires. Great Britain: Routledge, 1989.Print. Degrasse, Robert. Military Expansion, Economic Decline: The Impact of Military Spending on the US Economic Performance. Council on Economic Priorities. New York: M. E. Sharp, Inc., 1983. Print. Dobb, Maurice. Studies in the Development of Capitalism. Great Britain: Routledge, 1981. Print. Havinden, Micheal and David Meredith. Colonialism and Development: Britain and its Tropical Colonies, 1850- 1960. London: Routledge, 1996. Print. Hastings, Max. The Second World War: A World in Flames. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2004. Print. Lightbody, Bradley. The Second World War: Ambitions to Nemesis. London: Routledge, 2004. Print. Parker, Robert. The Second World War: A Short History. USA: OUP, 2001. Print. Price, Mathew. The Advancement of Liberty: How American Democratic Principles Transformed the Twentieth Century. USA: Praeger Publishers, 2008. Print. Tarp, Finn and Peter Hjertholm. Foreign Aid and Development: Lessons Learnt and Directions for the Future. London: Routledge, 2000. Print. Read More