Reasons for the Beginning of the First World War - Term Paper Example

Reasons For The Beginning Of The First World War Patrick Buchanan's latest book is a powerful revisionist history of the origins of the Second World War and what might have been. He takes on the decisions made by the British through the first half of the 20th century which he says led to the First World War and the Second World War, the destruction of the British Empire and the rise of the Iron Curtain over half of Europe. He blames many people for these results, but especially Churchill. Churchill he sees as someone who is lionized for saving Britain from Nazi occupation, but who in fact was responsible for many of the bad decisions that led Britain unnecessarily into war and much of the terrible aftermath of the war including the collapse of the British Empire. As Buchanan tells it World War One was an unnecessary war that Britain entered, not realizing that Germany was not a real threat to it. The result was a war that was a disaster for Germany. The war that began as a result of German aggression ended with a total German defeat. The victors of the war, Britain and France, were in no mood to be forgiving after the ceaseless slaughter of the previous four years. They pressed for maximum reparations from Germany for their own economic losses in the Treaty of Versailles. As Buchanan tells it the result was economically crushing for Germany and the German governments that followed the peace. Germany in the 1920s was a poor and broken country. The Treaty of Versailles, unnecessarily forced on the Germans, led eventually and directly to the rise of a man named Hitler, who, promised a revival, a new Germany that would last a thousands years. But what he gave the German people was more death, more destruction. His multiple mistakes in starting and prosecution the Second World War led to a new and this time total defeat for Germany. The truth, however, according to Buchanan is that Hitler was not the only one who made mistakes throughout this period that led to death and destruction. The British also made serious errors, for example, promising to defend Poland should it be invaded. This was a promise that they gave for nothing in return and which led to their serious detriment. According to Buchanan, Hitler never wanted to take over Britain and he hoped that Britain would stay out of the war. Buchanan has an interesting thesis and it is a fact that Churchill and the British made many mistakes. But it would have been useful for Buchanan to also write more about Hitler. Hitler made numerous mistakes during his period of leadership, but among the most blatant and serious was attacking the Soviet Union in 1941. Since the remilitarization of the Rhineland in 1936, Hitler had been on a role. He had successfully annexed Austria and Czechoslovakia, and he had managed what seemed impossible the invasion of Poland and France. His western front was threatened only by Britain which was back on his heels. Therefore his major concern was with the Eastern front. There he had secured peace with Stalin in the Ribbentrop-Molotov compact which had divided Poland. Stalin didn't care what Hitler did to Europe; as far as he was concerned, Hitler could take the whole continent so long as there was peace between the two men. It was therefore a serious error for Hitler to declare war on the Soviet Union. To be fair, he thought that Stalin's purges of the army has massively weakened the Soviet Union's defences. Nevertheless, the lesson had been well learnt by Napoleon 150 years earlier, that Russia was never an easy place to invade and that the brutal winters made it very hard to hold ground there. Hitler thought his invasion of the Soviet Union could be complete within a few months, but he overestimated the speed and equipment at the disposal of the Wehrmacht. At Stalingrad, the Soviet army delayed the Germans long enough to effectively freeze them out and encircle the Sixth Army—a devastating blow. Hitler refused to listen to many of his best generals—a crucial error. Buchanan acknowledges much of this throughout the book, but perhaps could have spent more time on the ins and outs. Buchanan also points out that Churchill was often motivated by a healthy opinion of his own actions and by hubris. The same is said of Hitler. The invasion of the Soviet Union is a good illustration of one of Hitler's most significant errors: he never knew when to stop and consolidate his victories. He became hubristic after conquering so many countries and when he finally met obstacles he thought he could roll right over them. He became detached from reality and refused to listen to advice about anything. This is an important part of the story of how the war developed and expanded. A strategic error that Buchanan says that Britain made was isolating the Japanese by accepting the United States' edict that Britain should break off an alliance with that Asian country. He argues that this may have forced Japan into Germany's arms. There is also little doubt that during the early days of the war most of the Axis powers as well as the British made the mistake of underestimating the power of the United States. The Battle of Kasserine Pass in North Africa was especially significant as the first fight between American and German soldiers, and for the bad defeat the Americans faced there. However, it was far better to lose in this way at the beginning of the engagement then later in the decisive days of the campaign. What the American army learned in this loss helped them immeasurably to improve their command structure and strategy when dealing with the Germans later on. This led Hitler and the Germans to underestimate the Americans too. History, as Buchanan tells, is all about underestimating and overestimating opponents. It is about human beings making foolish decisions on very little available information. In his eyes, no country was as guilty of this as Britain was. Much of Britain's actions led unnecessarily to massive conflict. There is clearly an alternative theory to that of Buchanan's. Many people would argue that Hitler made many mistakes which prolonged and intensified the war. Perhaps Hitler's biggest mistake was not seeking to surrender when it was clear that he had lost the war. If he had chosen to surrender unconditionally the allies, he would have saved millions of lives. The last months of the war were very bloody and they required the Allies to fight for every last inch of territory. He might even have been able to come up with a conditional surrender—although it was against the Allies policy dictated at Casablanca—had he been willing to step down. Nothing was gained by fighting to the last man except the total destruction of his own country. This was a terrible, culminating mistake. Buchanan does not spend much time on this but it is important to acknowledge. Buchanan's book is an interesting read and presents a verious of history that should be required reading. There are many different ways to interpret history and to create various theories to explain it. Buchanan seems to want to pick on Britain and blame them for everything. The truth however is that Hitler ratcheted up the Second World War into a total war, not the British. This “global architect of human misery” as Max Hastings has described him, made many errors during his time as German dictator. He was hubristic and believe his army was invincible. He refused to learn from past mistakes. He underestimated his opponents. And most unfortunate of all he refused to surrender when it was clear he had lost everything. Buchanan's book would be better if he spent more time discussing this aspect of the conflict. Read More