World War I and World War II are undoubtedly known as the two biggest turning points in our world history. Both these wars included never before seen technology, numerous casualties, and many changes in the world powers. Trench warfare, tanks, and machine guns in World War I and atomic weapons in World War II contributed to over seventy million deaths from both of these tragic wars. With all of these losses came new leading nations. There had never been such a global and devastating conflict before in history. These two turning points in history have shaped our society today and will continue to do so for a long time. World War I and World War II are perfect examples of how history clearly repeats itself.
World War I began in 1914 when Franz Ferdinand, the Archduke of Austria-Hungary, was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist. The participants of the Great War were divided into two groups, the Central Powers- Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire- and the Allied Powers- Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Japan and the United States. The two groups plotted against each other because of the alliances that they had made prior to Ferdinand’s assassination, with the Central Powers on the Austro-Hungarian side and the Allied Powers on the Serbian side. The effects of the war include mass carnage and destruction, fallen empires, new countries, and a booming economy in the 1920’s.
One of the main contributions to the millions of casualties during World War I revolved around the new and improved technology. While on the battlefield, men were placed directly across from one another with one job, to kill one another. While living and hiding out in trenches, men faced rat infestation, lice, disease, and more. These innovations were their only source of protection. Rapid fire machine guns and long-range artillery guns gave the army a huge advantage for their defense. These technological advancements also went beyond just trench warfare. Chemical warfare and aircraft were two main aspects of the Great War. Poison gas, first seen during this war, was one of the most deadly and feared weapons used. This gas was used to fatally blind, choke, and burn soldiers that were in the trenches. Some of these gases were even able to burn the flesh off of whatever it came in contact with. Aircraft changed the course of warfare opening up a new battlefield in the sky. Airplanes used during the war were able to gather information on the location of enemies. Another way this information was transmitted was through the radio which was used to communicate among the battlefields constantly informing the soldiers on their duties. The tank was another insanely powerful weapon created during World War 1. The Allied Powers began developing these armoured landships in 1915 which had the capacity to bombard through anything in its way while providing weapons such as machine guns that could be used while in the tanks. They were used to lead the way of other infantry units and even carried aircraft warfare to rebel against air attacks by enemies. Tanks dramatically improved ways of both air and land warfare by boosting protection.
All these innovations introduced a new warfare, killing thousands and millions. The mass destruction and these casualties showed a shift in global power. From 1750, Germany was the main aggressor but due to this destruction, their power was declined and they became weaker. Before World War I, the United States had never been a leading power. However, there were no battles on US grounds and they were on the allied side, they gained major world power and their economy boosted drastically. The result of World War I and these shifts in global power shaped a new modern society for the United States and a new major world power marking this war as the first most drastic turning point in world history.
World War II’s mass amount of casualties can easily define the war as a whole. From the very start of World War II in 1939, advancements were made frequently in warfare and war techniques. During the war, the Allied powers and Axis powers went head-to-head, introducing new advanced weaponry. This introduced warfare was unlike anything seen before. Opposing sides were not only targeting armies and soldiers, they were targeting civilians and bombing populations. This new warfare was equipped by new technological advancements including the biggest one of this time, the atomic bomb. The advancements in technology and war techniques lead to World War II being the most destructive war in world history. This shift in warfare is what made this war a memorable one.
These powerful innovations lead to an increase in violence, directly displayed in events such as the Nazi Genocide. Germany’s totalitarian ruler, Hitler, used fear tactics to initiate a support system in the government. The Germans only way out of depression was through Hitler who seemed to have the answer. Appeasement was a logical solution issued by British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain. Appeasement was reconciling and conceding to Hitler’s demands. This solution allowed Hitler to grow in power while attempting to keep him away from the idea of violence and war to maintain peace in Europe. “The Germans put Hitler in power; they were the only ones who could turn him out. Also the appeasers feared that the defeat of Germany would be followed by a Russian domination over much of Europe” says British Historian A.J.P. Taylor. As Nazi aggression continued to increase as well Hitler’s power, this war was almost inevitable from the beginning.
The atomic bomb was an insanely powerful weapon created during the Manhattan Project during World War II. This bomb was dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States. This weapon was able to completely change the course of warfare during this time and greatly impact the lives of Americans and Japanese. “To most Americans, Hiroshima- the shattered, atomized, irradiated city- remains largely a symbol of triumph- marking the end of a horrendous global conflict and the effective demonstration of a weapon that has prevented another world war.” It is believed that the dropping of this bomb saved both lives of Americans and Japanese by preventing further fighting in war, as well as shortening the war and forcing Japan to surrender. This bomb had an incredible effect on mass populations, the environment, and the relationships between countries. This topic that occurred during World War II is a turning point that is an important topic today as well. It displays power and is used for leverage over other countries. This can even be seen with modern-day Iran and Korea.
Despite the fact that World War I essentially led to World War II, each individual war shares similarities with the other. Considering that both World War I and World War II were total wars, many technological innovations and warfare changes were introduced in both. Rifles and machine guns used in World War I were seen again in a modernized version in World War II. Tank warfare was of great use in both of these wars as well. Tanks, originally used as a major weapon in WW1, was again used as an extensive form of destruction and even transportation in WW2. The production of weapons in World War I enabled a huge boost in the United States economy as well as the creation of job openings. In World War II, the United States economy was pulled out of the Great Depression through job openings produced by war as well. Aside from the same weapons used in both wars, the battlefield conditions the soldiers in each war faced were brutal. Both battles faced large amounts of bacterial infections and diseases. These unbearable conditions led to many casualties in World War 1 and in World War II.
Both World Wars also shared similarities regarding the causes of each war. Militarism, alliances, imperialism, and nationalism were causes that were seen leading up to the outburst of both wars. Nationalism drove Europeans to search for more land to honor their country. During Both WW1 and WW1 propaganda was used to create and display nationalism. Nationalism contributed to the popular belief that made European war seem like the solution to a victorious nation.