World War II: Political Mistakes, Economic and Environmental Impacts - Essay Example

?World War ll: Political Mistakes, Economic and Environmental Impacts When we talk about the World War II, most would quickly think of the Holocaust,Pearl Harbor, and the atomic bomb on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. What if Hitler had been assassinated or had a heart attack in 1940? This might be a miraculous alternative historical event but it is not the case. This paper discusses some of the reasonable and realistic political mistakes that were made and the “What ifs” of these decisions. It also deals with impacts it has on economy and the environment. The outbreak of war was ignited by Germany’s invasion of Poland in September 1939 which could have been avoided if not for poor judgement (Fawcett, 8). The Treaty of Versailles which was imposed on Germany by Orlando of Italy, Georges Clemenceau of France, Lloyd George of England and Woodrow Wilson of the US discussed the punishment they had to give Germany for starting World War I. Woodrow Wilson formulated a 14-point-plan which he believed would bring peace to Europe but Clemenceaue wanted revenge on Germany. Georges agreed with Wilson but the public sided with France. The Germans were expecting a treaty based on Wilson’s 14 points but ended being disappointed. Instead, they had no choice but to take the very harsh agreement. They had to accept the blame for starting World War I, were forced to pay ?6.6 billion for war damages and were only allowed to have a small army. Moreover, Rhineland would be de-militarized. Some of Germany’s territories were given to other countries and union with Austria was also forbidden. Imposing a cold-hearted punishment like this to a poor and starving war struck country made many very unhappy. Germany looked for a saviour and found one, Adolf Hitler. He promised to tear down the treaty. As soon as he was elected Chancellor in January 1933, he wasted no time in building his army in secret. This was no secret for the French and Britain. They did not pay much attention thinking that the actions of Hitler would prevent the expansion of Communism to the West. They were wrong. By 1936, Germany had an army but it was not that strong. In the dawn of March 7, 1936, Hitler ordered his troops to enter Rhineland. At this point, thousands of France soldiers were also at the Franco-German border, yet they did not do anything, a great mistake. One of Hitler’s general, Heinz Guderian, stated that if the French had intervened in Rhineland in 1936, they could have defeated Hitler there and then. Later, it was also revealed that Hitler privately admitted: “The forty-eight hours after the march into the Rhineland were the most nerve-racking in my life. If the French had then marched into the Rhineland we would have had to withdraw with our tails between our legs, for the military resources at our disposal would have been wholly inadequate for even a moderate resistance” (Bullock, 135). If only the French or Britain made an action and put aside their fear, World War II could have been avoided at that point. In 1936, Italy and Japan allied with Germany. After these alliances Hitler started taking back German lands. They started with Austria in 1938, which was a direct violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler promised that Anschluss, union with Germany, would be the end of his expansion and he did not want to risk war. Six months later, Hitler invaded Sudetenland and eventually the whole of Czechoslovakia and yet again no one dared to stop Germany. The British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, thought that pressing military pressure from France and Britain would scare Germany from invading Poland. Chamberlain was wrong. In September 1, 1939, Germany attacked and occupied Poland, World War II officially started. Hitler also made one crucial mistake in 1941 when he declared war on Russia while he was still fighting Britain. It was in December 7, 1941 that Japan unsparingly and deliberately attacked Pearl Harbour despite of Hitler’s advice not to bother the US and concentrate on conquering the British colonies. Japan celebrated on what they thought was a win but little did they know that it was the start of there long term defeat. The actions of Germany and Japan united the forces of three great nations, America, Britain, and Soviet Union which at the end was too big for them to handle. In 1942, submarines played a very important role especially during the battle of the Atlantic, where the U-boats sunk many ships. Regardless of the success of the subs, they were not given much importance. The vessels could have helped end the war earlier if only America or Germany gave importance to it instead of investing on cruisers and heavy battleships. Germany or America could have sent thousands of submarines to stop supply entering Britain or Japan and cut all supply routes. The war could have ended two years earlier. At the later parts of the war, Hitler did not want to show surrender. In Africa, instead of retreating, he ordered his soldiers to hold their ground. It ended with 300,000 dead, 200,000 captured, and a third of their supply ships sunk (Horn, “Mistakes of World War 2”). He again repeated his stubbornness when the allies were driving his soldiers throughout Holland, France, and Germany. Hitler had two choices. He could order his troops to fall back, reorganize, and strike attack; or he could hold on to every inch of ground. He chose the latter.  These mistakes leave us with speculations. What if the leaders before had not made these mistakes? Certainly, our world could have been far different. There could be only three nations governing the entire world: America in the Americas, Germany in Europe and Japan in the Pacific. The Holocaust could have not happened. The ideology of a superior race could not have emerged. Similarly, the devastation of the atomic bomb could have been avoided. World War II had great impacts on the economy and the environment. America benefitted during the war from first to end. Hitler’s aggression caused people to invest somewhere safer — particularly in the United States. The flight to safety caused large gold inflows to America. This was used by President Roosevelt to produce more money and effectively end deflation (Romer, BU6). This is one reason why the international monetary standard of transaction is the American dollar. America also generated money by selling weapons and munitions to Britain at the beginning of the war and lent money to war struck countries after the war. Women got a taste of working outside their homes for the first time. The need for man power in war production provided jobs for lots of people, ending the Great Depression. On the other hand, other countries were left in debt to America and the World Bank. Until now, there are several nations striving to pay war damages. In addition, the economy boost greatly affected our environment. Mountains were stripped off, carbon dioxide emission greatly increased, atomic and nuclear energies were developed which had great consequences (Chernobyl and Nagasaki) and many more. Moreover, the hostilities and destruction of settlements caused much pollution. World War II led to a lot of things. Technology greatly increased. Rockets were invented and the computer was created. It gave the lesson that inhumane punishments can give opportunities for radical thinking. In spite of these, there is only one thing that we can say, we should learn from the mistakes of our past leaders and be sure not to repeat them. Instead, we should work hard to be better united and strive to look after our ideologies and sentiments. Works Cited Bullock, Alan. Hitler: A Study in Tyranny.London: Odhams, 1952. Print Fawcett, Bill. How to lose WWII: Bad Mistakes of The Good War. New York: Harper, 2010. Print. Horn, Joshua. “Mistakes of World War 2.” Horn Herald. 18 April 2012. Web. 9 Feb. 2011. Romer, Christina. “The Hope That Flows from History.” The New York Times 14 Aug. 2011: BU6. Print. Read More