Modern World History - Assignment Example

Study Three Assignment: Modern World History Question First World War’s Causes and Origins in Europe and did the U.S enter the war? What were the objectives of Americans? The First World War started after the fall of the Roman Empire. It has its origins in Europe. The U.S was involved in World War One after 1917 when the Germans started using unrestricted submarine warfare. The main objectives for Americans were to trade with Nations involved in the war. During the war, the U.S traded with allies. Imperialism was one of the causes of the First World War. In 1800, The Germany and Italy were united, but Germany became aggressive in 1990 (Class Notes).Germans were aggressive because they wanted to become great empires such as England and France. The Germans were not happy with Theodore Roosevelt and were the first to say they would go to war. The other cause of the war was the assassination of an Austria-Hungary president. Serbia was not happy with the Austria-Hungarian rule (Class Notes). Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand from Austria Hungry by a Serbian nationalists led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on all Serbian nationals. Countries that supported either Serbia or Austria-Hungary also went to war (Ross 27). The other cause of World War I was nationalism. As mentioned earlier, there are countries that supported Serbia and Austria-Hungary when they were at war. Russia defended Serbia to strengthen their alliance. In addition, Russia also called France to support them against Austria-Hungary (Class Notes). Germany saw that Russia was mobilizing and declared war on Russia. Germany also decided to support Austria-Hungary against the Serbia. Lastly, the other cause of world war one was militarism (Ross 24). In 1900s, countries such as Germany and Great Britain had a lot of military buildup. In addition, the two countries also increased their navies during this time in preparation for war. Russia also joined the two in its military buildup. The increase of militarism between all these countries which has access to powerful weapons contributed to the start of world war one. Question 2: Second World War causes and origins in the Pacific and European theaters and how did it develop from the Great Depression? Unlike the First World War, the second was as a result of long-term and short-term causes. One of the long-term causes of the war was that the League of Nations was not able to deal with some of the main international issues which were causing conflicts. The League of Nations was an international organization created after the First World War to deal with international conflicts. For example, the conflict between Abyssinia and Manchuria was not under control because the league showed it was not able to deal with the two powers (Class Notes). The other long term cause was the anger that was felt all over Germany as a result of the decisions made during the Treaty of Versailles (Ross 68). After the First World War, Germany had lost a lot of its most skilled officers in the battle. Germans were angry with the decisions made, because they believed there was unfair treatment for decisions made by their government in the early 1900s (Ross 68). The Treaty of Versailles was only favorable to certain countries, but not Germany (Ross 69). Germany was also required to accept that they had caused the First World War. Hence, they had to accept the idea that they were culprits. All these changes which Germans saw being forced upon them were enough to make them angry and the Nazis emerged. The energy that countries put into punishing Germany for World War one was only beneficial to some point because it is not all countries which were happy to see Germany punished. Countries such as Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria were on Germany’s side. They were also required to sign treaties and reduce their military capability like Germany. Armies of Great Britain, France, Italy and Greece occupied parts of Turkey. These are some of the problems that angered people in Germany, Turkey, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. Some of the short-term causes emerged as a result of the conflicts between Austria and Czechoslovakia. The war developed from the Great depression because land-locked countries were not receiving food and medical supplies from those which were in power such as Great Britain (Reynolds 2). Question 3: What unites two world wars into a single, world-historical event? There was one cause for two world wars to become one historical event. One is because they all affected Europe’s paramount powers (Class Notes). Secondly, the events in the first war were also contributory to the events that took place in the second war. For example, Germany got the blame for the first war, and as a result its people did not have some of their desired freedom such as the ability to control their territories and having more men in their military. Most countries or at least those that were superpowers during this time wanted to establish themselves as the ultimate number one superpower. Hence, it was common in both wars to see new alliances between countries that had the same goals or wanted the same outcomes. Militarism was highly embraced by most superpowers and if a country did not have the chance to expand its military capabilities, conflicts emerged (Reynolds 3). For example, when Germany, Turkey and other countries had to reduce their military capabilities when they signed treaties, the people in these countries were not happy and would recall the signing of these treaties as treason for those who supported such moves. The fragile balance between most superpowers was a contributive factor for the countries that participated in the First World War and those that participated in the Second World War. The roots of the second war are evidently notable by the way the first war got terminated using what saw countries saw as the solutions; treaties. Lastly, the world’s wars are one historical event because they were both caused by the increasing mode for countries to become industrialized. Given that the undesired changes in the economy for most countries led to the emergence of new technology, it also meant that the European population was also growing. Growing populations meant that imperialism was also on the rise (Strayer 1232). Question 4: Describe the soviet-American Cold War’s beginnings from 1945 to 1950 and the events which occurring on ground from Soviet-occupied Europe to Greece, Turkey and Iran. After the Second World War, anyone would have assumed that the millions of people who died would have provoked most countries to embrace peace. However, this was not the case because there was intense rivalry developing between the remaining strong superpowers. These were superpowers such as United States and the Soviet Union. The two had different systems of economics and politics. This is the rivalry which is known as the cold war because it also led to the increased buildup of weapons for the military for both countries. American leaders during this time were determined to contain countries which were communist, which resulted to more countries joining in the cold war such as Korea. During the World War II, some countries which were alliances, found themselves being extremely strained due to many differences. During the Second World War, they had a common goal where each ally would use their military capability to weaken a common enemy (Class Notes). After the war, the strain between such allies was evident because of different political goals. An excellent example would be the strain between the Soviets and United States. Soviet leaders wanted to ensure that their enemies such as Germany were weak and under their control. In addition, they were also communists and believed this was the most appropriate economic system in a country. Their influence on such communism was also extended to other countries such as Greece, Turkey and Iran. Most of communist countries during this time were suspicious of any country which was not a communist state. While the focus of the Soviet leaders was on how to secure borders, the American leaders were focused on the economic problems the people in their country faced. Most believed that the Second World War emerged as a result of the Great Depression because without the depression countries such as Japan and Germany would not have tried to expand their territories. The president that time, Theodore Roosevelt believed that if there was economic stability, there would be world peace (Class Notes). The president hoped that by gaining victory over the enemies of new economic strategies and creating the United Nations organization would promote a world that would be more peaceful. However, this was not the case because the Soviet leaders and those in United States increasingly became hostile leading to competition and confrontations lasting between years 1945 to 1950s. Question 5: What were the ideological differences between the Soviets and Americans? How far back were the differenced and was it difficult to reconcile the differences and co-exist? Some of the differences between the Soviets and Americans stemmed from ideological differences such as principles of democratic rule and liberty. America was founded on principles of democratic rule and individual liberty (Class Notes). From this time, most Americans continue to spread these ideals and usually challenge any attempt from anyone who tries to undermine them, whether it is in the country or internationally. Hence, by confronting the Soviet Union, most Americans believed they were only doing what their tradition dictated. Americans believed in free press, property that would also be owned privately by different people and free elections. The Soviets believed that the world would function better if the elections got controlled by the government, the press was state-controlled and the ownership of businesses would be mostly controlled by the government (Ross 68). Based on these differences, it is not difficult for anyone to see why the two superpowers collided on different occasions. These differences between the Americans and Soviets were not only emerging during the cold war. The differences trace back to the time Hitler became the dictator. The U.S and Britain had fought against Germany for many years and did not want to see another dictator taking control of Europe (Reynold part II). The Soviets also had a similar goal, because President Stalin wanted to protect Russia and did not want another dictator to take control as it had happened in Germany. Though these sound like similarities, the problem is that since Stalin’s aim was to protect Russia, the policy makers in the Soviet Union ended up taking drastic measures which in the eyes of other countries such as the U.S seemed more like tyrannical acts and not acts as a way of protecting his people. President Stalin introduced communist ideologies in Poland and had a communist government set up in Poland. This was a move that angered Britain and the U.S because it was against the will of the people in Poland. Such differences were too big for any country to embrace those of the other. As mentioned earlier, one country was trying to embrace the principles of a free and democratic society, whereas the other wanted to establish a country which had most of its activities controlled by the government to avoid emergence of rebels that would lead to another war. Question 6: How, when and why did the Soviet-American Cold War end? In the 1980s, the Soviet Union’s political and economic structures became weak and the crumbling could be noted by other countries. Even when a new Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, came to power in the year 1985, the union was still not strong. As a matter of fact, it only became worse because of the economic hardships that the union continued to face. Moreover, other countries had realized that the Soviets were on a destructive path and they abandoned the idea of having communist states (Reynolds part II). Since the economic structures in the communist Soviet state were getting worse, the Soviets abandoned the wars in which they got involved such as the war in Afghanistan (Class Notes). In addition, the new leader Gorbachev did not support states that supported the USSR when they were at war. This was a move that weakened the communist regimes because they were running out of supporters. The Russian confederation also formed a new congress and ensured that laws which were unfavorable to the Soviets were soon introduced and immediately implemented. As a result, some communists’ extremist leaders became horrified by the move and Gorbachev was under house arrest. This is what was known as the August coup and it marked the end of the Soviet Union. A newly elected President, Boris Yeltsin is the main person behind the passing of laws that chased away any remaining Soviets in Russia. This was a move that made most Russians to praise President Yeltsin as their hero. Though the soviet leader, Gorbachev was still recognized as the highest among the Soviet officials, he recognized that the Soviet Union was no longer powerful and this is what led to the USSR being dissolved. The powerful communist state that once influenced other European countries soon disappeared and this is how the Cold War ended (Strayer 1225). Question 7: How and when did the Cold war spread into Asia, Africa and near East, hence becoming the global cold war? How did it end and what legacies connect it to today’s world affairs and issues? The cold war spread to other parts of the world such as Africa, Asia and near East because of the civil wars which erupted between communists’ countries and those which were not communist states. The cold war spread to Asia and near East because of the civil war between the communist China and other nationalist countries in Asia. The war resulted in China winning and this led to its ultimate control for most countries in Asia. Since China was a communist country, the relationship between it and European counties such as the U.S was strained. Communism spread to other parts of Asia through the influence of China. It spread to states such as North Korea, Cambodia and North Vietnam. The war also saw communism spreading to other continents such as Africa (Strayer 1230). The republic of Congo became a communist after getting its independence in 1960. Countries such as Ethiopia and Somalia also became communists after they were not under the influence of European civilization. In other countries from other continents, such as Cuba, they became communists after a revolution. In Cuba, communism found its way under the leadership of Fidel Castro. South Yemen also became a communist after being under British colonization. The war came to an end when the Soviet economy failed (Class Notes). Nationalism brought the collapse of the Soviet’s communism not only in Europe, but also in all the other countries in different states which had embraced the ideologies behind communism. Question 8: How and why the global cold war came to Latin America? What propelled it and did the U.S respond? How, when and why did the conflict end there? Latin America was a region which was a battleground between two competing systems that had different ideologies. These were the communism and capitalist ideologies. The geopolitical and economical concerns which were the influencers of countries like the U.S to go to Latin America were also the same that led to communist states to move towards Latin America. The soviets also wanted to gain access to what they saw as America’s backyard. For United States to secure its backyard against those countries with communist views such as the Soviet Union, it signed a treaty known as the Rio Pact in the year 1947 (Class Notes). The treaty was helpful because it warned other European nations against retaking the colonies of other nations after they had left. The defeat carried out by Fidel Castro in Cuba was also important because it defined how the U.S would implement its policies in Latin America. These were policies related to the social and economic lives of people in Latin America. Nonetheless, Castro’s defeat also led to American companies in Latin America being alienated. He also signed pacts which were helpful to his country economically and military wise with Moscow. This was not a good thing for United States. The end of Castro’s revolution also saw the end of the cold war in Latin America. The backyard that was economically and politically isolated now had no support from Moscow or United States. It was no longer a strategic point for the two superpowers after they fought because it was an isolated location (Reynold part II). Since it was no longer valuable to the two, it was left to rebuild its political and economic walls with little help. Question 9: How did the adoption and ratification of organizations that opposed the crime of genocide work in practice for countries such as Rwanda, Somalia and Yugoslavia in the 1990s? Did it work or not? There were many acts of mass violence which took place in many countries such as Rwanda, Somalia and Yugoslavia. These were not the only countries engaged in violence and the reason that organizations such as the United Nations Conventions for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide emerged. The genocide in Rwanda and ethnic cleansing which took place in Yugoslavia are some of the murder crimes which prompted the UN to take action as it was no longer subdued by the treaties formed during the Cold war (Class Notes). In Yugoslavia, such ratifications and adoption of policies against genocide crimes were effective. Today, Yugoslavia is divided into six nations, which are all peaceful. This shows that even if it had some of the worst crimes against humanity, it has moved on. In Rwanda, the stories of genocide still haunt some of the people who are there today, particularly the older generation. Nonetheless, the ratifications made by United Nations were effective because it is now a peaceful country today. A visit to Rwanda in Africa is likely to surprise most people because it is not only a beautiful country, but one which has rapid economic developments. The story of Somalia is not the same as that of Yugoslavia and Rwanda. Today, Somalia is still a failed state, with no government that is in control. Somalia was a scene of intense war (Class Notes). Today, terrorists have taken over some of its cities and pose a major threat to the neighboring peaceful states such as Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Question 10: Narrate the America military intervention in the near East from 1980s to the present. It is all about oil and what is the basic nature of the conflict and who is in conflict with whom? Beginning through 1970s, the American intervention on wars brought about the current modernization. One of the most global significant regions for oil after the world Wars was the Middle East since it was a strategic point for oil (Class Notes). After the Second World War, the U.S needed a lot of oil. It was not only Americans, who needed so much oil, but Japan and countries in Eastern Europe. During this time, ran had a revolution after the president was ousted. Hence, there was a vacuum that had to be filled. Saddam Hussein saw this chance and grabbed it. In 1980, he moved to Iran to gain the land. However, after he had the power and weapon supply from the Americans (Class Notes). Iran was also given the power and weapons. However after some time, there was a war between the people from Iran and those from Iraq (Class Notes). A terrible war emerged and chemical weapons were used on the people of Iran. American moved in to stop the war. The different presidential administrations in the U.S were in conflict regarding the matter in 1998. President Clinton’s administration believed that Saddam was not the national threat and focused on the leader of the Al-Qaeda, Osama (Class Notes). However, Bush administration believed it was Saddam so he was eliminated. After Saddam was eliminated but the Al-Qaeda a terrorist group that emerged claimed that the U.S was moving against Islam. Osama was one among the many leaders in the region who were against modernization and the existence of secular governments. Hence, he was in constant battles with other countries such as the U.S which he believed was a nation imperialist. After Saddam’s death, terrorist groups have emerged and more continue to such as the ISIS (Class Notes). Works Cited (Class Notes).Modern world history. 2015. Reynolds, David. From World War to Cold War: Churchill, Roosevelt, and the International History of the 1940s. London: Oxford University Press, 2006. Ross, Stewart. Causes and Consequences of the First World War. London: Evans Brothers Limited, 2003. Strayer, Robert. Ways of the world. 2nd. New York: Bedford-St Martins, 2013. Read More