Benefits versus Negative Effects of World War II - Research Paper Example

number Analysis on of the Benefits versus Negative Effects of World War II The Advent of the World War II saw the experience of suffering and inhuman actions on a large number of people. There was uncontrolled terror and violence all over as a result of the massacres in different towns (Heilbrunn par. 1). Despite this, there are individuals who feel that the World War II was a good war. According to McIntosh, it was a great influence to all aspects of life in America (par. 1). In particular, the war brought the economy in America back to life. A number of contradictions thus arise from the actions taken by leaders during the activities of World War II. That is why there has been a heated debate regarding the beneficial aspect of the war. While one group of people believes that Hitler always had plans to exterminate the Jews, the other group of functionalists argues that the war and the holocaust were reached at in a random way. Nonetheless, it can be agreed that the war was not an accident. Negative effects of the War All parts of the world experienced the effect of World War II. It is due to the fact that most of the world’s most powerful military groups such as Germany, Britain, Italy, the United States and Japan were involved. It included attacks of different countries that included Japan whose negative experiences after the bombings at the Pearl Harbor are still felt today with the birth of children with physical disabilities (Plog par. 2). There were five times more the number of casualties as compared to the First World War with many people amounting to fifty-five million were killed. Adolf Hitler, who was a dictator, was a key player and a participant in the activities before World War II. He mainly made the decision that related to the extermination policy as a state sanction (Fic par. 10). It mainly involved inhuman acts that lowered an individual’s level of decency as portrayed by Himmler who thought that the elimination of Jews and the other groups, which were considered undesirable, was a burden and an unpalatable task (Heilbrunn, p. 2). The associated atrocities committed during the invasion of Poland elicited a high level of criticism. The actions of Hitler and two of his two main aides and lieutenants can be considered to have been founded on wrong reasons. As Heilbrunn indicates, Himmler was involved in fights mainly in an effort to spread anti Semitic ideas, racism, extreme nationalism, and hostility to democracy. These radical ideologies were meant to be incorporated with a more comprehensive world view. It was a good move as it provided grounds for educating the peasants in Lower Bavaria about the connection between Jews, capitalists and Freemasons. Moreover, Longerich and Gerwarth assert that the Nazis were involved in sinister delusions about the power of the Jews. It is because of this that Thomas Mann describes their activities as the transformation of the entire continent into a “thick-walled torture chamber” in his novel “Doctor Faustus” (Heilbrunn p. 3). However, Hitler claimed that the war was started on the effort to solve most of the problems in Germany. These included the versatile treaty which if defied German would become a great country again. As Heilbrunn indicates, Hitler was involved in the war in order to bring “peaceful coexistence” between Czechs. Himmler, on the other hand, contends that members of the SS killed “decently” (Heilbrunn p. 3). He indicates that, unlike individual views that the Jews were killed out of sexual, selfish and sadistic reasons, the Nazis conducted the executions purely on grounds of valid political motives. It is as a result of this that he made a decision to deport millions of them (McIntosh, p. 1). Effect on Women During the war, the lives of numerous women were disrupted as they had to adapt to difficult conditions such as several nights of blackout. They additionally had to go through terror and fearful moments from the planes that constantly flew above them and Lorries that made terrible noises along their streets. Some of them were also recruited to “work for the war workforce” (NBC news par. 3). As McIntosh explains, it was a combination of “helplessness and terror” (par. 6). Many people including children were injured as demonstrated in “charred bodies of children” (par. 7). It shows that more civilians were killed and injured during this war than the military personnel. From this, it is evident that, in spite of its challenges and negative effects, the World War II was a good war. This is mainly because, after many years of stagnation in America, it enabled women to secure jobs. It also opened numerous employment opportunities for African Americans, Hispanics, among other minority groups. Positive Contribution of the war Additionally, the trend established during the great depression was continued. It is in the sense that the influence of the government was felt in America. As such, the cooperation between the government and the industry was expanded. It is also depicted as an essential tool in the eradication of isolationism. As such, for the US and its friends the war enabled them to protect and build their empires from the rubbles of Europe’s colonies. It also influenced the relationship between Japan and other international communities as it was forced to seek for raw materials (Rosenbaum, par. 15-16). This is a similar case to most of the countries which received numerous job opportunities after the war as had been promised by Hitler (Mooney p. 182). Besides this, he had promised the restoration of self respect in Germany which is shown by “...... had promised us that unemployment would come to an end, and that Germany........ would take its place in the world as a state worthy of respect. He did this by defying those who had defeated Germany in 1918. It can be concluded that the World War II with its direct negative implication on human beings was meant to bring about peace and prosperity. This was confirmed by the British prime minister; Neville Chamberlain who confirmed that they had achieved “peace of our time” after Sudetenland had been sacrificed to Germany. It is for this reason that it can be considered a good war despite the numerous losses of lives, injuries and other mental effects. Its consequences have made many people to view it as a good war since it brought an end to fascism and helped to create democracy. Thus, as indicated by Mooney, although the World War II had not been won, the production in America had (194). Works Cited Fic, Victor. The Myths Surrounding Hiroshima. Asia Sentinel, August 3 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2013 from http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4727& temid=201 Heilbrunn, Jacob. Himmler and Heydrich: Hitler’s Lieutenants. The New York Times. January 6, 2012. McIntosh, O. Elizabeth. Hono­lulu after Pearl Harbor: A report published for the first time, 71 years later. The Washington post. Retrieved 11 March 2011 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/honolulu-after-pearl-harbor-a-report published-for-the-first-time-71-years-later/2012/12/06/e9029986-3d69-11e2-bca3 aadc9b7e29c5_story_1.html Plog. Photos: The Pacific and Adjacent Theaters in WWII. Retrieved 11 March 2010 from Denverpost http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2010/03/18/captured-blog-the pacific-and-adjacent-theaters/1547/? source=ARK_plog. Rosenbaum, Ron. Stalin's Cannibals: What the new book Bloodlands tells us about the nature of evil. Slate, February 7, 2011. 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