The Second World War: Important Watershed Events - Essay Example

The world is in a state of the constant flux of change in which our lives are impacted by all that is happening around us. The Second World War, one of the most important watershed events impacted the world in ways so diverse and all-encompassing, that its tremors are being felt even to this day.

This war also had a far-reaching impact on the economies of the world and led to the creation of new economic policies which brought about greater affluence as well as advances in science and technology.

The world, after 1945, or rather, after the end of the Second World War, had a distinctly different look. Apart from the damage to humans, their habitats, and industry, the war led to a re-alignment in the political and social sphere. The division of the world into pro-U.S. and pro-Russia camps emerged and capitalism and socialism began to define economic systems. Up until the Second World War, Germany had dominated Europe and Europe the world, but now the era of European supremacy was over. The age of global supremacy had begun.

Europe, which was economically, politically, and socially shattered by the war, lay in debris, but from this debris sprung new nations, because the bankrupt European nations could not control their colonies, spread all over the globe. The process of decolonization had begun, and the end of the warsaw numerous new nations were added to the world map. One of the most important of these, in terms of impact, was the nation of Israel. It was born out of the idea that Jews needed a place which they could call their own, and since Judaism as a religion, had roots in Palestine, a portion of this Arab populated and Arab speaking land was handed over to the Jews. A resolution passed by the newly formed United Nations Organization partitioned Palestine into separate Jew and Arab states. While the Jews were overjoyed, the Arabs resented this snatching away of their land, which led to a Civil war between Arabs and Jews. In the first Arab- Israel war, the Jews were the victors, and most Palestinian Arabs left the area. The Jews consolidated their position by making settlements, leading to outrage among the Arabs. This outrage led to hostilities between both sides, which continue till today.

The Middle East continues to smolder due to the creation of Israel, and the Arabs remain bitterly opposed to this Zionist state in their midst. The anger of the Arabs is manifesting itself even now, in the form of terror attacks. Most of these attacks are targeted at Israel. The culture of terror is slowly pervading the whole world and today no country or people can claim themselves to be totally untouched by this horrifying monster.

Economic advancement, seen in the high levels of affluence enjoyed by a greater number of people is slowly giving way to dominance by a few. The economic policies of post-World War II, which resulted in a boom in trade and commerce, are now proving to be the cause of many trade disputes between nations.

The end of the Second World War led to the creation of many independent bodies, such as the UNO, to deal with world conflicts. These associations of sovereign states are equipped to deal with international disputes and problems with the minimum use of force. Due to this watchdog body, the number of conflicts has come down and its specialized organizations help in tackling the day-to-day problems of people affected by natural and economic calamities.

In the six decades since the end of World War II, a paradigm shift is seen in all spheres of world activities, its impact is felt even today. These changes continue to shape our lives and how much more they are going to mold our thinking and world will be seen only in the coming years.