World War - II , A Note for UPSC Aspirants.

World War II

It was the most destructive war observed by the world. This had impacted at global scale. The conflagration was not confined to Europe alone, but surrounded the entire world. It occurred in the period from 1939 to 1945. The Second World War was debatably the most significant period of the 20th century (Dennis Cove, 2002). The war in Europe started in earnest on September 1, 1939 with the attack of Poland by Nazi Germany, and concluded on September 2, 1945, with the official surrender of the last Axis nation, Japan. Nonetheless, in Asia the war began earlier with Japanese interventions in China, and in Europe, the war ended earlier with the unconditional surrender of Germany on May 8, 1945. The battle spilled over into Africa, included a trickle of incidents in the Americas, and a series of major naval battles. It brought about major hikes in technology and laid the foundation that permitted post-war social changes including the end of European colonialism, the civil rights movement in the United States, and the modern women's rights movement, as well as the programs for exploring outer space.

The main fighters were the Axis nations (Nazi Germany, Facist Italy, Imperial Japan and their smaller allies) and the Allied nations, led by Britain (and its Commonwealth nations), the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States of America. The Allies were the victors. Two world power, the USA and USSR, arisen from World War II to instigate a Cold War with each other that would define much of the rest of the century.

It involved most of the world's major countries divided into two opposite forces: the Allies and the Axis. Engagements were fought in the Pacific, in the jungles of South-East Asia, in the plains of Russia and in the deserts of Africa, in addition to Europe. In total, more than 100 million military personnel were mobilized during the war.

Causes of war: Major causes of World War II were as follows: 

1. German Invasion of Poland
2. German Invasion of Soviet Union
3. The Holocaust
4. Japanese Imperialism
5. Attack on Pearl Harbour
6. Normandy Landings in Europe
7. Dropping of Atomic Bombs on Japan

The instant cause for the occurrence of war was Germany's assault of Poland. Hitler had established one of his key aims as leader of the Nazi party to be supremacy of Europe, which he clearly sought by force. In early 1939, Britain and France cautioned Germany that an attack of Poland would cause them to declare war, so when, in September 1939, Hitler occupied Poland, war broke out in Europe. There were other tensions brewing under the surface which many historians believe contributed to the outbreak of war, but the invasion of Poland is certainly a crucial trigger-cause of the battle.

Another long-term causes definitely helped to create a situation in which Hitler could rise to power as he did. These include disappointment with the Treaty of Versailles. Germany having surrendered in 1918 and were forced to sign a treaty which included Germany taking the blame for World War One, reducing regions, agreeing to disarm and significantly diminish the military, and agreeing to pay roughly 6.6 billion pounds in reparations. The German people felt this was excessively harsh, and developed a deep-set resentment of the Allied victors of WW1 for dealing them this intense punishment. As the economic depression of the 1920s affected most of Western Europe, the League of Nation agreed to reduce some of the limitations of the Treaty of Versailles, but this did little to quell the resentment of the German people. When the Nazis resumed power, some of the terms of the treaty were outright disobeyed, whereas others were easy to plan using loopholes. Hitler was able to systematically increase the military in Nazi Germany during the 1930s due to the treaty being insufficient in its rules regarding military growth. Nonetheless, a harsher set of terms in the initial treaty may have led to an even stronger bitterness in the German people. As such, though the treaty was not sufficient to prevent further outburst of war, it is hard to understand how a balance could have been struck.

Consequences of World War II: 
Major upshots of this war were: 

1. The End of the European Age.
2. The rise of the US to superpower status.
3. The expansion of the Soviet Union and its rise to superpower status.
4. The emergence of the Cold War.
5. The beginning of the nuclear age.
6. The rise of nationalism and independence movements in Asia and Africa.
7. A renewed effort to secure lasting peace through international organizations.

World War II is the most vicious war in all of history. There were massive casualties of human lives. It was estimated that casualties in World War II may have approximately 50 million service personnel and civilians. Nations suffering the highest losses, military and civilian, in descending order, are:

USSR: 42,000,000
Germany: 9,000,000
China: 4,000,000
Japan: 3,000,000
Germany was totally beaten, and the Nazi regime brought down. Its leaders were tried for crimes against humanity at Nuremberg, the former site of Nazi propaganda triumphs. Hitler escaped trial and execution by committing suicide in his Berlin bunker at the end of the war. German cities were in wrecks from a massive bombing campaign. Germany was divided into 4 zones of occupation by the victorious powers, pending a more permanent political settlement.

Japan also was in wrecked from excessive bombing. Prominent military leaders were tried and convicted of war crimes, but the emperor was allowed to maintain his position. Japan was temporarily placed under U.S. military rule.

England was devastated by the war, having experienced extensive bombing during the 1940 blitz by the Germans. The economy depended for recovery upon assistance from the United States. England quickly phased out most of its remaining imperial holdings in the years immediately following the war.

France had not experienced the huge human losses sustained in the First World War, but would have to recover from the effects of Nazi occupation. Retribution was taken upon collaborators. Like England, France would be forced to dismantle its colonial empire in the years following the war. This was a particularly disturbing and drawn out process for the French, in Algeria and in Vietnam where they fought prolonged and bitter wars in an attempt to maintain their colonial control.

England and France no longer held a status of power comparable either to the United States or the Soviet Union.

The Russian people had suffered immensely during the war, and western Russia was shattered by the land fighting which was primarily on Russian territory. But, in the process of defeating the Germans, the Russians had built a large and powerful army, which occupied most of Eastern Europe at the end of the war. The great resources and population of Russia guaranteed that the Soviet Union would be, along with the United States, one of two super-powers.

The economy of United States was greatly motivated by the war, even more so than in World War I. The depression was brought definitively to an end, and new industrial complexes were built all over the United States. Spared the physical destruction of war, the U.S. economy dominated the world economy. After 4 years of military build-up, the U.S. had also become the primary military power. The United States emerged as world leader.

The eastern conquerors claimed payment of war reparations from the overpowered nations, and in the Paris Peace Treaty, the Soviet Union's enemies-Hungary, Finland and Romania were required to pay $300,000,000 each to the Soviet Union. Italy was required to pay $360,000,000, shared chiefly between Greece, Yugoslavia, and the Soviet Union. The much larger reparations from occupied Germany to Russia were to be paid not by goods or money but by the transfer of capital goods, such as dismantled manufacturing plants.

Social Impacts of WW II: The Second World War caused a series of rapid and extensive social changes in Newfoundland and Labrador. The establishment of foreign bases provided the Commission of Government with an unexpected amount of wealth, which it used to develop social services. Improvements were made in health care, education, transportation, communication, and other fields. The presence of thousands of visiting Canadian and American troops also changed values and attitudes previously engrained in Newfoundland and Labrador society. Standards of living enhanced, styles of dress transformed, new friendships both romantic and platonic were forged, and the introduction of American radio and other forms of entertainment did much to integrate Newfoundland and Labrador into North American culture and distance it from Great Britain's. Eventually, the social changes of the 1940s helped shape the country's constitutional future, which cumulated in Confederation. Following the war, the American and Canadian Armed Forces turned many of their facilities and structures over to the Commission of Government for civilian use. As a result, the country inherited various modern hospitals, airports, communication systems, paved roads, sewers, recreational centres, and other assets it would not have otherwise been able to afford. Many of these amenities are still in use today, including the airports at Stephenville and Torbay (today the St. John's International Airport). Perhaps of more profound and sweeping significance, however, was the war exposure of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to North American culture.

Cold War

The Soviet-American battle is termed as the "Cold War" hung heavy over global matters for more than forty long years; configuring the world with wide-ranging military build-ups, an constant nuclear arms competition, concentrated surveillance, and persistent technological imitations. This threatening quarrel can be further expounded as the causes and consequences drawn upon the world by the two giants namely, the United States of America and the Soviet Union.

The Cold War was a consequence of the emergence of the US and the USSR as two giants which were opponent to each other, it was also entrenched in the understanding that the destruction caused by the use of atom bombs is very expensive for any country to bear. When two opposing powers are in possession of nuclear weapons, capable of causing death and destruction intolerable to each other, a full-fledged war is improbable. In spite of provocations, neither side would want to risk war since no political gains would justify the destruction of their societies. The Cold War started in Europe after World War II. The Soviet Union gained control of Eastern Europe. It controlled half of Germany and half of Germany's capital, Berlin. The United States, Britain, and France controlled western Germany and West Berlin. In June 1948, the Soviet Union jammed roads and railroads that led to West Berlin. The United States, Great Britain, and France flew in supplies. This was called the Berlin Airlift. When the World War II ended, Korea split into North and South Korea. North Korea became communist. South Korea followed the ideology of capitalist. North Korean army occupied South Korea. The United Nations sent soldiers to help South Korea. China sent soldiers to help North Korea. The war ended in 1953. Neither side won. Korea is still divided.

The United States and the Soviet Union were in a nuclear arms competition. In 1959, Cuba became a communist country and the Soviets clandestinely put missiles there. President Kennedy was worried that the Soviet Union would attack the United States. Therefore, he sent warships to surround Cuba. He hoped a blockade would force the Soviet Union to remove its missiles. This conflict was called the Cuban Missile Crisis. For six days, nuclear war seemed possible. Then the Soviet Union removed the missiles.

The Cold War subjugated the second half of the 20th century, resulting in the downfall of communism. The Cold War was a period of tension and unfriendliness between the United States of America and the Soviet Union from the period of mid-40s to the late 80s. It began with the end of the Second World War. Free society named it as World War III, but instead, used an unusual name pertaining to no direct military conflict between the two nations, fearing nuclear acceleration assured mutual devastation. However, both the nations indulged in indirect conflicts and proxy wars by supporting associated nations in places like Korea and Vietnam. Cuban missile crisis in 1962 was the closest the world ever came to a nuclear war; when an American U2 spy plane took photographs of Soviet intermediate ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear payloads, sending a total of 42 medium range missiles and 24 intermediate range missiles to Cuba. The US, then threatened to invade Cuba over the issue forcing the Soviets to remove the missiles on America's assurance of not invading Cuba.

In the occurrence of a nuclear war, both sides would be so seriously harmed that it would be impossible to declare one side or the other as the conqueror. Even if one of them tries to attack and incapacitate the nuclear weapons of its rival, the other would still be left with enough nuclear weapons to cause unacceptable destruction. This is called the logic of 'deterrence': both sides have the capacity to react against an attack and to cause so much annihilation that neither can afford to initiate war. Therefore, the Cold War in spite of being an intense form of competition between super powers remained a 'cold' and not hot or gunfire war. The deterrence relationship averts war but not the competitiveness between giant powers. The two superpowers and the countries in the rival blocs led by the superpowers were anticipated to behave as balanced and responsible players. Because they understood the dangers in fighting wars that might involve the two world power.

Causes of cold war: Major causes of cold war was as under: 

1. The Soviet Union wanted to spread its philosophy of communism worldwide, which alarmed the Americans who followed democracy.
2. The acquisition of atomic weapons by America caused fear in the Soviets.
3. Both countries feared an attack from each other adhering to mutual mass destruction.
4. The Soviet Union's action of taking control over Eastern Europe was a major factor for US suspicions.
5. The US President had a personal dislike of the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.
6. America was annoyed by the Soviet Union's actions in the part of Germany it had occupied.
7. The Soviets feared that America would use Western Europe as a base to attack it.

Effects of cold war: The Cold War had considerable impact on civilisation, both today and in the past. In Russia, military spending was cut intensely and rapidly. The effects of this were very large, visualizing as the military-industrial sector had previously employed one of every five Soviet adults and its dismantling left hundreds of millions throughout the former Soviet Union jobless.
These effects can be analysed as follows: 

1. Both the United States of America and the Soviet Union built up huge collections of atomic weapons and airborne missiles.
2. The military blocs, NATO and the Warsaw Pact were formed.
3. Cold war led to damaging conflicts like the Vietnam War and the Korean War.
4. The Soviet Union collapsed due to economic flaws.
5. The Berlin Wall was destroyed and the two German nations were unified.
6. The Warsaw Pact collapsed.
7. The Baltic States and some former Soviet Republics achieved independence.
8. America became the single giant power of the world.
9. Communism collapsed worldwide.

After Russia embarked on capitalist economic improvements in the 1990s, it suffered a financial catastrophe and a recession more severe than the United States and Germany had experienced during the Great Depression. The living standard of Russian have deteriorated overall in the post-Cold War years, although the economy has resumed growth since 1999.

The inheritance of the Cold War continues to influence world activities. After the closure of the Soviet Union, the post-Cold War world is broadly considered as unipolar, with the United States the sole remaining world power. The Cold War demarcated the political role of the United States in the post-World War II world. By 1989 the United States held military alliances with 50 countries, and had 1.5 million troops posted abroad in 117 countries. The Cold War also institutionalized a global promise to huge, permanent peacetime military-industrial complexes and large-scale military funding of science.

The US has invested heavily on military during the Cold War years which was estimated to be $8 trillion, while nearly 100,000 Americans lost their lives in the Korean War and Vietnam War. Although the loss of life among Soviet soldiers is difficult to estimate, as a share of their gross national product the financial cost for the Soviet Union was far higher than that of the United States.

In addition to the causalities of uniformed soldiers, millions of people died in the proxy wars of superpowers at global scale, especially in Southeast Asia. Most of the proxy wars and subsidies for local conflicts ended along with the Cold War. The incidence of interstate wars, ethnic wars, revolutionary wars, as well as refugee and displaced persons crises were dropped suddenly in the post-Cold War years.

The inheritance of Cold War battle, however, is not always easily removed, as many of the economic and social tensions that were subjugated to create Cold War competition in parts of the Third World remain acute. The collapse of state control in a number of areas formerly ruled by Communist governments has generated new civil and ethnic clashes, particularly in the former Yugoslavia. In Eastern Europe, the end of the Cold War has accompanied in a period of economic development and there was an increment in the number of liberal democracies, while in other parts of the world, such as Afghanistan, independence was accompanied by state let-down.

After the Cold War, there were many facilities developed such as the availability of new technologies for nuclear power and energy, and the use of radiation for improving medical treatment and health. Environmental remediation, industrial production, research science, and technology development have all aided from the carefully managed application of radiation and other nuclear processes.

It was observed that despite the end of the Cold War, military development and expenditure were continued, particularly in the deployment of nuclear-armed ballistic missiles and defensive systems.

In the end of cold war, there was no formalized treaty. The former superpowers have sustained to maintain and even improve or modify existing nuclear weapons and delivery systems. Moreover, other nations not previously acknowledged as nuclear-weapons states have developed and tested nuclear-explosive devices. Due to continued delivery of military weapons, there was huge risk of nuclear and radiological terrorism by possible sub-national organizations or individuals.

The international non-proliferation government emanated from the Cold War still provides disincentives and protections against national or sub-national access to nuclear materials and facilities. Formal and informal measures and processes have effectually slowed national incentives and the speed of international nuclear-weapons creation.

It can be summarized that cold war grew out of post-World War II tensions between the two nations, the United States and the Soviet Union that continued for much of the second half of the 20th century. It had many consequences such as mutual suspicions, intensified tensions and a series of international incidents that brought the world's superpowers to the edge of calamity.