World Wars from 1865 to Present - Essay Example

World Wars from 1865 to Present al Affiliation World Wars from 1865 to Present The Franco -Prussian war in 1870 was among the modern day feuds that have occurred between 1865 to the present. Other wars that have occurred include the World War one that occurred from 1914-1918 as a result of the Sarajevo massacre of Austria Hungary by a Serb teenager. The Russo- Japanese war occurred from 1904 to 1905. Conversely, between 1930 to the present there have been a number of wars, which included world war two and the cold war (1947-1991), which was between the Soviet Union socialism and American capitalism (Selcer, 2006). World war two occurred from 1939 to 1945. The reason to the emergence of world war two was the rise of the German dictator called Adolf Hitler. The war ended with Hitler committing suicide in 1945. The Vietnam war has also been documented among the notable wars of the 20th century. The Vietnamese war started after the withdrawal of France that led to the division of the country into two halves i.e. the south aided by the Americans. The Franco Prussian war (1870-1871) The war was between the second French empires against Germany (Prussia) that had formed a union with the North German confederation together with her south German allies. The French was led by Napoleon III whereas Germany had her counsellor called Otto Von Bismarck. The reason the war erupted was because France felt insulted by the Prussian king (Feuchtwanger, 2001). The Germans had high numbers in terms of her forces and utilised advanced combat tactics that involved rail and road transport. To add on that, they were tactically better than France and her allies. The result was the capture of Napoleon III and his troop and finally the defeat of France (Franks & VanWyngarden, 2000). Ultimately, a treaty was signed to mark the end of the war with Lorraine and Alsace islands lost by the French to Germans. The Ruso- Japanese war The war is termed as the first war of the 20th century. The rivalry was because of the rivalry between Russia and japan over Korea and Manchuria. The war was fought majorly around Liaodong Peninsula and Mukden as well as Japan, the Yellow Sea and Korea. Efforts by Japan to have a mutual understanding where Russia would take control of Manchuria while japan owning Korea hit a snag. The result led to Japanese troops attacked Russia at the Russian eastern fleet at Port Arthur in Liaotung province (Selcer, 2006). Later on, japan defeated Russia in a series of battles that led to the balances of power among the countries in the Asian east. 1930 to the Present World War Two The war was also called the global war. The war was fought in every continent of the planet with a vast majority of nations either being on the axis or allies front. Most major military powers invested a lot in the war. An estimated 60-80 million people are said to have died during this war that lasted 6years (1939-1945). The axis was led by Germany, japan, and Italy whereas the allies were led by British, China, the Soviet Union, and France (Punka, 2002). Later on the USA also became part of the allies. The war was engineered by Hitler who wanted to rule over Europe and the world at large. He killed millions of Jews in an effort to wipe them from the world. Several allied powers tried not to attack, but the advancement and rate at which Germany and her allies attacked and put other countries under control became a concern. The war ended with allies leading an all attack on Germany and the capture of Berlin by soviet and polish troops forcing Germany to surrender on 8th May 1945. Later on 26th July the same year, USA bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The bombing that left Japan on her knees making her surrender. The cold war Cold war was between the capitalists and communists. The war, this time, was not fought using the military. A new strategy was introduced; propaganda. The war was between the western blocs, which were made up of the USA and NATO while the other front was led by the Soviet Union together with member states of the Warsaw pact. During the war, a new movement arose. It was called the non-aligned movement that was led by Egypt. The non-aligned movement represented the neutral states. The reason to why the two major powers were involved in the war never engaged in a full combat war was because, at this time, the nuclear race was at peak and if there could emerge a war it would be a nuclear war resulting to massive loss of lives (Punka, 2002). The war ended with the western bloc exercising her dominance over the Soviet Union and Warsaw pact members. In 1991, the cold war ended with the eventual collapse and disintegration of countries that had once been aligned to the Soviet Union. The Vietnamese War The war occurred in Laos Vietnam. The war began in 1956 and ended in 1975. The war was among the fronts where the cold war was fought. The northern Vietnam was under the control and funding from the Soviet Union, china, and her other communist allies, while the south was funded by the USA together with her capitalist allies. The war did not favour the capitalists and in the long run America withdrew from Vietnam in 1973 after the case church amendment was passed by the congress (Punka, 2002). Conclusion Between 1870 and 1973, there were episodes of wars that left the world nursing aftermaths. A clear case is in japan where the bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki almost trembled down the all generation of Japan. Evidently, wars are destructive and should be a way of sorting out differences. In this regard, diplomat method should be given priority. References Feuchtwanger, E. J. (2001). Imperial Germany, 1850-1918. London: Routledge. Franks, N. L. R., & VanWyngarden, G. (2000). Albatros aces of World War I. Oxford: Osprey. Punka, G. (2002). Hungarian aces of World War 2. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. Selcer, R. F. (2006). Civil War America, 1850 to 1875. New York: Facts On File. Read More