A Journey in History

World War 2

Cause of WW2

Woodrow Wilson wanted a treaty based on his 14-point plan which he believed would bring peace to Europe. Georges Clemenceau wanted revenge. He wanted to be sure that Germany could never start another war again. Lloyd George personally agreed with Wilson but knew that the British public agreed with Clemenceau. He tried to find a compromise between Wilson and Clemenceau. Germany had been expecting a treaty based on Wilson's 14 points and were not happy with the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. However, they had no choice but to sign the document. The German people were very unhappy about the treaty and thought that it was too harsh. Germany could not afford to pay the money and during the 1920s the people in Germany were very poor. There were not many jobs and the price of food and basic goods was high. People were dissatisfied with the government and voted to power a man who promised to rip up the Treaty of Versailles. His name was Adolf Hitler. Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in January 1933. Almost immediately he began secretly building up Germany's army and weapons. In 1934 he increased the size of the army, began building warships and created a German airforce. Compulsory military service was also introduced. Hitler also made two important alliances during 1936. The first was called the Rome-Berlin Axis Pact and allied Hitler's Germany with Mussolini's Italy. The second was called the Anti-Comitern Pact and allied Germany with Japan. 

Consequences of the War

The effects of World War II had far-reaching implications for most of the world. Many millions of lives had been lost as a result of the war. Germany was divided into four quadrants, which were controlled by the Allied Powers — the United States,United Kingdom, France, and the Soviet Union — and itself was one of the survivors. The war can be identified to varying degrees as the catalyst for many continental, national and local phenomena, such as the redrawing of European borders, the birth of the United Kingdom's welfare state, the communist takeover of China and Eastern Europe, the creation of Israel, and the division of Germany and Korea and later of Vietnam. In addition, many organizations have roots in the Second World War; for example, the United Nations, the World Bank, the World Trade Organization, and the International Monetary Fund. Technologies, such as nuclear fission, the electronic computer and the jet engine, also appeared during this period. A multipolar world was replaced by a bipolar one dominated by the two most powerful victors, the United States and Soviet Union, which became known as the superpowers.

Lesson Learnt

Lesson #1 - You can't determine who your enemy simply due to their ethnicity.
Despite their efforts to concentrate citizens of Japanese decent after the attack on Pearl Harbour, Hawaii on December 7th, 1941, the measure had little or no effect on national security. Most of the citizens targeted had lived in the United States for generations and had little or few ties to Japan. In most cases, the only people that Japanese-Americans contacted in Japan were family and friends who remained. In the end, Japanese internment was a futile attempt to use race and ethnicity to single out potential enemies.

Lesson #2 - Not all perceived enemies will be treated the same.

While Americans of German decent were subjected to discrimination during World War II, but they weren't subjected to internment as were Japanese-Americans. Why? In essence, while the United States was at war with both Japan and Germany by January 1942, Japan was the country that had attacked United States soil. By attacking the US territory of Hawaii, Japan ensured that US couldn't feign a policy of neutrality any longer. By bombing Pearl Harbour, Japan took a step that Germany was unwilling to take (at least at that time).

Lesson #3 - Paranoia of being attacked on the home front can effect policy decisions in a way that few other events can.

In the paranoia that was left in the wake of the "surprise" attack on Pearl Harbour, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt faced pressure to intern all Japanese Americans. It was the reality of an attack on American soil that caused this clamour for decisive action on the part of the President. Without this public pressure, it is doubtful that internment would have occurred.

Lesson #4 - You can learn from history, and should take great care to do so.