The Similarities Between World War I And World War II

Many might think World War II was a great war but out of the two was it the best war? World War I began in 1914 and ended around 1918 whereas World War II began in 1939 and ended around 1945. In both World War I and World War II, Germany and its allies played a huge role in the continuation of the wars. Although the world wars happened in different eras, they have many similarities and differences that are often overlooked. They had similarities in the way that the wars were caused, who lost, and how they initially ended. The cost, military tactics, and transportation however, were some of the major differences between the wars.

World War I and World War II had similar causes including: nationalism, imperialism, alliances, and militarism. Germany,

Each country also believed that their military, government, and way of life were above any other country. Therefore, none of them were afraid to proceed with war because they all felt they would come out on top. Because of their raging confidence, countries began advancing their militaries in preparation for war. Upon the United States playing an important role in the world wars, they didn’t join either right away. The United States joined World War I when Germany continued to follow through with their policy of sinking our ships without any kind of warning. The United States joined World War II when Japan surprisingly bombed pearl harbor leaving nothing but fear distilled in the minds of civilians. Besides engaging in combat, the United States supported the allies in both wars by supplying the resources needed for them to achieve victory. Another similarity would be that the United States was willing to help the allies more than the central and axis powers in World War I and World War II. With our government being like Great Britain we held more control of our own decisions. The United States was trading with France and Great Britain more so than that of Austria-Hungary and

During World War I the weapons they were composed of were normal weapons like pistols, rifles, and shotguns. More advanced weapons for this time frame were machine guns and deadly gases. They also had planes, tanks, and blimps. World War II weaponry consisted of rifles that were more up to date: Anti-Aircraft guns (AA guns), mines, and hand grenades. During World War I when they started using deadly gases it would get into their lungs and fill them with a heavy liquid causing them to choke on air, which led to them essentially drown from the inside out. They were not prepared for gases, so they didn’t have gas mask to protect themselves, and all they could do is run from the affected area. Although they both had the same type of guns, like rifles and pistols, they were built completely different and had different capabilities. For instance, a rifle that was used in World War II would shoot a lot quicker, it would reload faster, and it was a lot more reliable than a rifle used in World War I. The vehicles like tanks and planes were built different during the two wars. Each had its own purpose and reason for being built. For example, a light tank would be built different from an infantry tank. Each had different weapons, and different armor all at different levels of advancement. Most of the weapons during World War II had similar concepts of those used in World War I. Most weapons