World War II was the most destructive war in history. The unprecedented war brought the world closest to “total warfare”. The Axis nations consisting of Germany, Italy, and Japan fought a long hard battle against the later victorious Allied nations. The Allies were compromised of Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States. World War II surfaced out of unresolved conflict from the first world war. Germany who was politically and economically unstable, gave rise to Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. “After becoming Reich Chancellor in 1933, Hitler swiftly consolidated power, anointing himself Führer (supreme leader) in 1934.” (World War II). There is no known count of how many casualties actually exist, but on average 27,000 people died each day, beginning September 1, 1939, until the surrender of Japan, on September 2, 1945.
The war led to the declination of powers such as Japan, Germany, France, and Britain and the rise of two new superpowers: The Soviet Union and the United States, thus creating a bipolar world. These two newly powerful forces would later combat in the Cold War. The decolonization of Europe occurred after World War II, as well as the growth in economy due to the mass production of war materials. “The war precipitated the revival of the U.S. economy, and by the war’s end, the nation would have a gross national product that was nearly greater than all the Allied and Axis powers combined.” (“World War II). World War II would lead to the spread of communism from the Soviet Union into Eastern Europe.
The balance of power theory is when one or more states’ power being used to balance that of another state or group of states. Alliances are key actors in the balance of power theory. The failure of the democratic states to prevent Nazi Germany from advancing is one of the leading roles of the beginning of the Second World War. Germany’s rise in power began with the upsurge of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. Once the Nazi party was in power, they created an idea surrounding how to stay in power; using fear. States don’t always balance against the strongest actors; sometimes states lean more towards the most powerful states. “For instance, after World War II, a broad coalition did not form to contain U.S. power; rather, most major states joined the U.S. bloc.” (Pevehouse, 45). The United States’ power was less threatening to Japan and Europe but was far greater than that of the Soviet Union after the war.
Along with the balance of power theory, the game theory is also used to analyze World War II. The game theory is used to study strategically defined interactions between states. It uses past actions to determine future action. Game theory was very much involved in making battle plans during World War II, with one example being the Battle of the Bismarck Sea. “The battle of Bismarck Sea was a battle fought in February 1943, during World War II in Southeast Asia, between the Japanese Navy and the U.S. Air Force.” (Liu, 1). This example is a game used in theory to analyze zero-sum games consisting of two players. General Kenney was a commander of the allied powers. His mission was to seize the convoy and impose the most damage possible. Kenney must analyze the four possible routes of the convoy and choose the one he believes will be the next move for the Japanese. He made the right decision by using previous knowledge of the Japanese and anticipated their next move resulting in the victory of the battle of Bismarck Sea.
In conclusion, between the balance of power theory and game theory, the Second World War can be analyzed and better understood. The Germans contained all the power before World War II using fear and genocide throughout the war. Being the most destructive war in history, the Second World War came to rise out of unresolved conflict with Germany from the First World War. Germany was blamed for a war they didn’t necessarily start, with Hitler soon coming to rise. The battle of Bismarck Sea is one of many examples of game theory used in World War II, but one of the most effective. By better understanding the strategies of the Japanese and being able to anticipate their next move, Kenney was able to intercept the convoy and win the battle.