COMPARISON BETWEEN WORLD WAR 1(WW I) AND WORLD WAR 2(WW II) reasons - Research Paper Example

Comparison between World War I and World War II World War I and World War II were the bloodiest battles in the history of humankind. It involved most of the powerful countries in the world--that used the latest technology in warfare; and sacrificed millions of lives to fight for its cause. World War I began on June 28, 1914 after the heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist. The recent acquisition of Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Austro-Hungarian Empire angered the Slavic people, who wanted to be part of Serbia, and fueled the killing.

The death of Ferdinand led Austria-Hungary to wage a war against Serbia (Hamilton, 2004). The mutual defense agreement, among countries in Europe, compelled allied nations to fight side-by-side despite not being part of the conflict. Austria-Hungary was supported by their allied nations--Italy and Germany (The triple Entente); while Russia was supported by France and Great Britain (The Triple Alliance) (Hamilton, 2004). Although the immediate cause of war was the assassination of the archduke, spiraling of the war out of control was contributed by other factors that were political in origin; and rooted in greed for power.

Before the explosion of World War I, tension among Europe’s superpowers were increasing as they competed amongst themselves “.for trade and military power overseas”, which is true for Britain, France, and Germany; and for acquisition of the Balkan countries of southeastern Europe, as was true for Russia and Austria-Hungary (Hamilton, 2004, p. 8). The increasing popularity of imperialism; the rise of nationalism; as well as the extensive armed forces and advanced military technology, urged the war to last for four years, until its culmination in 1918, when the Germans failed to conquer the Allied forces.

World War II began in Europe when Germany invaded Poland in 1939. The Germans were led by the dictator, Adolf Hitler, who formed an alliance with Mussolini of Italy, and with the military leaders of Japan (The Axis Powers). The cause of the Second World War dates back to the resolution of the First World War. The defeat that Germany suffered in the previous war resulted in the loss of about one-sixth of its territory; hyperinflation of the economy; demilitarization and “.abolishment of its air force.

”; and “.harsh financial reparations.” for the destruction that resulted in the previous world war (Hickman, n.d., para 1). The blame that was put on them, as well as the consequences that they had to suffer, drove the Germans to engage the world in a Second World War. The causes behind World War I were mostly driven by political innuendos that were aimed at increasing military power overseas; colonizing adjacent empires; and controlling most of the outlets for trade. The Second World War, on the other, were mostly driven by revenge, on the part of the Germans, against Europe’s superpowers; that defeated them, made them suffer, and held them solely responsible for the First World War.

The urge to colonize other empires were no longer politically-driven; but rather, they were personal. The aim was no longer to expand empires, but to eradicate tribes that did not pass the “German standard.” World War I was a fight for power, while World War II was a massacre. References Hamilton, J. (2004). Events leading to World War I. USA: ABDO & Daughters. Hickman, K. (n.d.). World War II Europe: The road to war. Retrieved from http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/worldwarii/a/wwiieurcauses.htm