Question

Describe the causes and consequences of the Second World War.

Answer 1

Hint: World War ll saw two major alliances forming, the Axis powers; Germany, Japan and Italy and the Allies; France, Poland and the United Kingdom. It lasted from 1939 to 1945. Looping in over 30 countries, the war is the deadliest in human history with a death toll of more than 75 million, with more civilians than military personnel.

Complete answer: World War II was caused due to many factors which were as follows:
-Failure of peace efforts, primarily the lack of effectiveness of the League of Nations.
-Treaty of Versailles, as it robbed Germany of its resources, resulting in the establishment of its ultra-nationalism and eventually Hitler’s regime.
-Another economic accelerator was the Great Depression of 1929, which took a toll on Europe and Asia, leading to similar imperialist governments.
-Rise of fascism and military totalitarianism in Italy, Germany and Japan. Correspondingly, the formation of the Axis coalition.
-Inaction of Britain and France in the context of Germany’s arms build-up and violation of the Munich Agreement, due to their ulterior motive to stop the spread of communism.
Consequences of the war include:
-New centres of power emerged, namely the United States of America and USSR, replacing Britain and France.
-Britain and France could not afford to hold on to their colonies due to both domestic and international costs incurred, hence this period witnessed the declaration of Independence by Asian and African countries, beginning with India.
-The United Nations was established for international cooperation as a successor of the League of Nations. However, it was agreed upon under the Atlantic Charter before the war had ended.
-This did not mean that international conflict had subsided; the Cold War between the capitalist and communist nations shaped world politics after, while also impacting economic systems.
-The United States asserted dominance with the Bretton Woods conference, making the US dollar the reserve currency for international trade and establishment of IBRD (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development), now the World Bank, and the IMF (International Monetary Fund).

Note: - The war also had far-reaching socio-cultural consequences, primary of which is the shift in the family dynamic. With the men out in the field, women took over the role of both care-givers and bread-winners.
- There were advancements in warfare, diversification in occupation and the rise of slavery and concentration camps.