World War 2 - Essay Example

World War 2 World War Two is considered as one of the most devastating event of entire human history. It began with a minor skirmish between Germans and Polish, and it ended with the most brutal act of history. It is also considered as the later part of the Great War. There is no specific reason for World War Two; it was a result of various conflicts between different countries (HistoryNet, n.p.). Some countries were fighting over territorial rights, others were intervening for the sake of survival, and there were some who wanted dominance. If one concentrates on the world map. One would realize that there was no need for United States of America to become a party in war (Blum).
The Second World War was fought on European and Asian soils. There were two groups of countries that are involved in the war. The Allies and the Axis, the former faction included giants like Russia, United Kingdom, United States of America, and other anti-Nazi European countries. The three main players of Axis were Germans, Italians and Japan in the east (British Library, n.p.). Despite, the territorial clashes, there was severe damage to the civilian. There were genocides in the name of purification or superiority; there were mass killings in China and Korea. In total World War Two produced over fifty million deaths, the highest for any war.
The key figures of World War Two were Hitler and Mussolini from the Axis side. Hitler was the leader of Nazi, while Mussolini led the Fascists in Italy. On the other side, there were names like Churchill prime minister of United Kingdom, Roosevelt the president of America, and Stalin, the dictator who ruled Russia. Hitler wanted to gain dominance over Eastern Europe, Germany which was a giant at that wanted to take control of Europe. Meanwhile Italy was on war with England over colonial claims. In Asian soils the main problem was Manchuria province in China. Apart from these key issues there was a competition for conquering crude oil reserves in the Middle East.
World War Two was fought between 1939 and 1945. There was never any side that gained dominance, if Allies secured one base, the Axis would conquer another, the tug of war, continued for six years, and it might have extended even further, if America would have not used its atom bombs to make Hiroshima and Nagasaki silent forever (Weber, n.p.).
The end of World War Two gave birth to formation of two blocs, and a cold war began between USSR and America (US History, n.p.). This led to an arm race; followed by formation of organizations like NATO and Shanghai Five. Another important organization that was formed after the Second World War was the United Nations; it was an offspring of League of Nations that was made for maintaining global and regional peace. All these developments also provided chance to colonial states to claim their independence.
Thus, Second World War can be considered as the most influencing event of entire human history, it not only caused death of millions, but it also gave shape to modern day politics, international relations and trade.
Works Cited
British Library. "World Wars." THE BRITISH LIBRARY - The worlds knowledge. N.p., 2014. Web. 9 July 2014. .
HistoryNet. "World War II | Facts Summary Information." N.p., 2014. Web. 9 July 2014. .
US History. "Cold War." United States American History. N.p., 2014. Web. 9 July 2014. .
Weber, Mark. "The Good War Myth of World War Two." INSTITUTE FOR HISTORICAL REVIEW --. N.p., 2008. Web. 9 July 2014. . Read More