Overview of the War
BEGINNINGS of WarThere are several variables that contributed to the Second World War, but the most important my be the conditions imposed on Germany after World War One. The reparations and strict punishments agreed upon in the treat of Versailles fostered an unstable government, crippled economy, and resentful population (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2018). These issues paired with the Great Depression allowed right wing extremists led by Adolf Hitler to establish the Third Reich and eventually begin preparing for war.
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Axis Powers FallWar officially started throughout Europe in 1939 after Germany invaded Poland and initiated a new style of offensive attack known as “Blitzkrieg”. Germany continued to advance with minimal resistance until Britain was able to secure victory in the Battle of Britain (Robinson, 2018). The Germany offensive stalled and was eventually repealed when the United States joined the war after the attack on Pearl Harbor (Museum, 2018). The allied powers mounted a counter offensive that spanned most of Europe. The relentless bombing of German industry and the advances on the ground resulted in Germany’s surrender on May 9th, 1945 (United, 2018).
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AftermathAfter the end of the war there was the substantial issues of how to treat the government leaders of the defeated countries, rebuilding the decimated infrastructure of Europe, and the start of the cold war. The allied powers, including the Soviet Union had to come to an agreement on what charges to bring to those leaders deemed as committing war crimes. This process was viewed as highly controversial for several different reasons, including the fact that even the allied powers had used some tactics that could have been deemed crimes (Overy, 2018). This would be the first of many tense negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union at the start of the Cold War.
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Why WWII was revolutionary
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Loss of LifeThe war took the lives of countless people. The estimates vary widely, but all the numbers consistently point to a huge number of civilian lives lost. Humanity will never know of the impact these lost lives could have made on the world.
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New World PowersWorld War II reorganized the political standing of many nations. The most notable outcome is the rise of Communism and the ensuing conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union.
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Atomic WEAPONRYThe development of Nuclear Weapons revolutionized the way humanity looks at war. The potential for the extinction of the human race is a real possibility if countries with nuclear weapons fire on each other.
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Learn more with Media
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The rise of the Third ReichBy clicking the photo above you will be the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. You can look over the extensive information on their website to learn more. A movie hosted by the website named The Path to Nazi Genocide depicts some of the causes of WWII dating back until WWI. It does an excellent explaining the war as well as showing impactful historical footage.
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SlaughterHouse-FiveSlaughterhouse-five is a partly fictionalized account of WWII . Mr. Vonnegut experienced WWII first hand and was present at one of the most controversial civilian target bombings of WWII. As a POW Mr. Vonnegut watched as the highly civilian populated city of Dresden, Germany was firebombed by Allied powers. As mentioned in the aftermath section above, this is one of the tactics used by allied powers during the war that could have been deemed a crime. The novel addresses many of the struggles individual soldiers may face during the war as well as larger implications about society. It is worth mentioning that Mr. Vonnegut was a Butler Student like the entire team putting this project together.
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Band of BrothersBand of Brother is another WWII novel written by Stephen Ambrose. It follows the real combat experienced by those in Easy Company as they fought their way throughout Europe to Hitler's famous Eagle's Nest. The book has also been adapted to a popular series on television.
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