In order to explain the extent to which World War Two was a war against world domination, this essay will attempt to present and evaluate evidence which takes into account how global territory was divided up before the start of the war and the interests of both the allied and the axis powers with regards to securing global territory. In addition this essay will attempt to demonstrate that the generally accepted views of World War Two do not accurately represent what actually happened during the war by presenting evidence that suggests that ending the holocaust was not considered a priority by the political leaders of the allied powers.
In the years leading up to World War Two, world domination in terms of landmass and population had largely been secured by the Allied powers. The term allied powers refers to all countries or states that were opposed to Germany, however the main and most powerful allied countries were Britain, France, Russia and the United States of America. By 1921 Britain’s empire accommodated almost one quarter of the worlds landmass and around one quarter of the worlds population as well. Britain built her empire by claiming foreign territories through invasion and colonialism and her lands stretched from Europe to the Americas, Africa and Asia. France's empire was at its peak between 1919 and 1939 and at that time had laid claim to around 8.5% of the worlds landmass. France also had built its empire by invasion and colonialism and owned territories in South America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Russia (at that time known as USSR) held around one sixth of the worlds landmass. Russia started out supporting the Axis Powers but after Hitler invaded Russia in a surprise strike Russia joined the ...
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...de Poland. Chamberlain response was that Britain would declare war on Germany if they attacked Poland but due to the fact Chamberlain handed over Czechoslovakia to him so easily Hitler did not believe he would really declare war. Hitler sent his troops into Poland in September 1939 and Britain immediately declared war on Germany as a result. The Allied and Axis powers were involved in negotiations and conflicts over control of world territory and territory belonging to smaller less powerful nations and were making decisions with little thought of the consequences to the people who lived there.
Winston Churchill (British Prime Minister 1940-1945) had openly supported appeasement in other situations and had voiced an approval of dictatorship and a fear of communism, however he was not willing to appease the Nazis and he did not want to negotiate with them on any terms
"World War II." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Ed. William A. Darity, Jr. 2nd Ed. Vol. 9. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2008. 147-151. World History In Context. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.
"World War II". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 05 Nov. 2013. .
Hitler's Aims and Actions as the Cause of World War II When considering the reasons for the outbreak of war in 1939 it is easy to place the entire blame on Hitler’s aggressive foreign policy in the late 1930s. One British historian, writing a few years after the end of the war, claimed that ‘the Second World War was Hitler’s personal war, in that he intended it, he prepared for it, he chose the moment for launching it.’ In this assignment it is my intention to show that Hitler’s foreign policy was a major factor in causing the conflict but that other reasons, both long term and short term, need to be recognised as well. Probably the first factor that need considering is the Treaty of Versailles, of 1919.
During World War II there was event that lead to deaths of millions of innocent people. This even is known as the holocaust, millions of innocent people were killed violently, there was mass murders, rapes and horrific tortures. The question I will attempt to answer in the course of this paper is if the holocaust was a unique event in history. In my opinion there were other mass murders that people committed justified by the feeling of being threatened. But I don 't believe that any were as horrific and inhumane as Germany’s genocide of the Jewish people.
The foreign policy of Nazi Germany between 1933 and 1945 was different than any other country during that era. Their distinct approach to ruling came from the nation’s many diverse philosophies. Furthermore, every basis of motivation and control came from the beliefs in which they so strictly followed. Many aspects, such as, communism, fascism, and nationalism, influenced these ideologies.
It could be argued that appeasement was a mistake because Hitler would have been defeated if Chamberlain had intervened at an earlier stage; for example, if Chamberlain had shown greater threat and opposition in response to Hitler’s occupation of the Rhineland, Hitler would most likely not have proceeded in his plans to annex Austria and Czechoslovakia. Indeed, if Chamberlain had not allowed Hitler to reclaim the Rhineland, not only would Hitler have felt discouraged to further disobey the Treaty of Versailles, he would not have regained the useful coal, steel and iron resources of the area. This meant that Hitler was harder to stop as he expanded more and more, and
The Origins of the Second World War, by A.J.P. Taylor, proposes and investigates unconventional and widely unaccepted theories as to the underlying causes of World War Two. Taylor is a British historian who specialized in 20th century diplomacy, and in his book claims that as a historian his job is to “state the truth” (pg. xi) as he sees it, even if it means disagreeing with existing prejudices. The book was published in 1961, a relatively short time after the war, and as a result of his extreme unbias the work became subject to controversy for many years. Studying history through his lens of objectivism, Taylor’s theory is that Hitler’s design wasn’t one of world dominance; rather his methods, especially his foreign policies, didn’t differ from his predecessors.
As a result of Germany’s strong leaders, the country was able to take the world by storm and make it to the top. In 1938, TIME Magazine named Adolf Hitler their Man of the Year, declaring that “Herr Hitler reaped on that day at Munich the harvest of an audacious, defiant, ruthless foreign policy he had pursued for five and a half years.” It is to be understood by TIME’s perspective that Hitler was on top of the world; practically unstoppable. His unique foreign policy pushed the reversal of the Treaty of Versailles, the unity of everyone who spoke German, and the reinstatement of all lost German territories. As a result of Adolf Hitler acting upon his policy, “he had torn the Treaty of Versailles to shreds. He had rearmed Germany to the teeth— or as close to the teeth as he was able. He had stolen Austria before the eyes of a horrified and apparently impotent world” (TIME). Hitler had completely achieved the goals of his foreign policy. In addition, h...
World War 2 was the war fought between the Axis and Allied powers from 1939 to 1945. The Axis Powers involving Germany, Italy, and Japan, and the top Allies being the USA, Britain, France, and the USSR. The war was caused by a combination of short term causes -the Great Depression, German Expansion, and Appeasement- and long term causes - the Treaty of Versailles and Fascism-. Technology had a great impact on the outcome of World War 2. The development and use of technology extended the war time, amount of soldier casualties, and the overall victors of the war.
World War II, known as the largest armed conflict in history, began in Europe in the 1930s and led to effect many people. The war resulted in not only the involvement of more countries than any other war but also introduced powerful, new, nuclear weapons that also contributed to the most deaths. As Hitler rose to power in 1933 the Holocaust began, his quest for the ‘perfect’ race resulted in the use of concentration camps, which would help to create the largest genocide of people in history.
In order to stop the fighting between countries, Europe needed to put some actions into effect because appeasement was not working. Germany proved that by disregarding the Versailles Treaty. According to Hitler after disregarding the Versailles Treaty, “I look upon this day as marking the close of the struggle for German equality status…the path is now clear for Germany’s return to European collective cooperation” (Document 3, 1936) This quote explains a vast difference between Hitler’s and the other European countries' views. With Hitler’s affirmation to make Germany equal and even more powerful than the other European countries, the other European countries would have to set up collective security because they would have very little insight on what Hitler would be planning; leading to more destruction. Now, Europe would be more prepared if Hitler decided to attack. A quote from Winston Churchill explaining why collective security is the right answer is, “…I think all of the opportunities to stop the growth of Nazi power which have been thrown away. The responsibility must rest with those who have control of our political affairs. They neither prevented Germany from rearming, nor did they rearm us in time…Thus they left us in the hour of trial without a strong national defense or system of international security” (Churchill). That quote explains how collective security is the best answer to stop war and the destruction Hitler is
The Allies and the Axis powers were the two sides World War 2. The main leader of the Axis was Hitler and during his time as head, he made many great victories but that was overcome by his failures and mistakes, which eventually cost him the war. Hitler’s mistakes were not small ones, but ones that changed the war, even to the extent of killing his own army. From the icy colds of the Soviet Union to declaring war against the United States of America, Hitler’s mistakes have been subtle, but slowly building up to an avalanche of defeat. If Adolf put more time into thinking; perhaps the Axis could have won the war. But this idealist could only handle so much, consequencing in his own failure.
...en dealt with in a firm manor. Hitler was able to use his countries momentum and his negotiation skills to achieve what he wanted for Germany and made a deal he knew that he was not going to honor and eventually lead to WWII. Prime Minister Chamberlain also needed to be aware of possible deception that he was likely going to face with dealing with Germany. “When German troops invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1929, Hitler’s promise that Sudetenland was his ‘last territorial demand’ was revealed for the lie it has always been. At best Chamberlain’s summit diplomacy has bought Britain another 11 month to prepare for war at the considerable expense of Czechoslovakia’s freedom”(Rathbone 19). In fairness, Chamberlin had avoided war for a period of time, but the consequences were much greater in the sense that war was inevitable and his people’s lack of faith.
Examinations of Hitler's role in the formulation of Nazi foreign policy and his goals of that foreign policy leads to questions of the limits of his goal of Lebensraum. This introduces the debate between 'globalists' and 'continentalists'. Expanding on Trevor-Roper's emphasis on Hitler's goals of Lebensraum, historian Gunter Moltmann argued that Hitler's aims were not confined to Europe but at world domination. Andreas Hillgruber expands on this idea with his concept of a three-stage plan he calls the Stufenplan as the basis for Nazi foreign policy. This plan involved Germany gaining mastery over Europe, followed by the Middle East and British colonial territory, and later the USA and with that the entire world.
It’s 4:30am on September 1st, 1939 and the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein awaits for the order to open fire on the Polish garrison of the Westerplatte Fort, Danzig in what was to become the first military engagement of World War II. Meanwhile, sixty two German divisions supported by 1,300 fighter planes prepared for the invasion of Poland. Fifteen minutes later the invasion would take place and spark the beginning of World War II. Two days later at 9am Great Britain would send an ultimatum to Germany, demanding that they pull from Poland or go to war with Great Britain. Four hours later the Ultimatum would expire and Great Britain would officially be at war with Germany on September 3rd, 1939. Six hours later France would also declare war on Germany.