World War II
World War II
World War II is one of the most tragic things that happened to humankind and the most significant period of the mid-twentieth century. It was one of the deadliest wars we’ve known in history, having as many as fifty-seven million deaths, most of the casualties are of but civilians that were caused by the Holocaust (and the war), a massive carnage by Japan and Germany responsible for their deaths. The war involved all of the six major continents of the planet, (not including Antarctica) the three of the five great oceans; Pacific, Indian and Atlantic, and including millions of people across the world.
This war influenced the many countries of all six major continents, nearly the entire world, hence its name… World War II. It caused such unimaginable human suffering and caused approximately 57,000,000 casualties but it is also an important event to remember in history. There are many causes that made World War II to occur.
We can count as many causes of World War II, political and others like the failure of peace efforts after World War I, anger over the Treaty of Versailles, the rise of Fascism, the many goals of Adolf Hitler, the Holocaust, the isolationism by the United States and Great Britain, etc. But the three main causes of World II are appeasement, the Prussian Militarism and the Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler himself. First going with the first main cause, beginning with the Prussian Military, it all began with “the soldier king” of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm I (2worldwar2, 20).
Since the sixteenth century, a tiny state in eastern Germany around Berlin, the capital city, had been developed by the “soldier king” for about two centuries, making Prussia what it was. It is one of the most militarist countries in history Prussia was a very efficient and strongly disciplined military-oriented state (a military that has a state), with a warmongering, warlike mentality and the most successful and powerful army of the world. (2worldwar2, 24)
At the beginning, Prussia was only but a tiny agricultural state with very few resources originally, but then Friedrich Wilhelm I and his successors converted this “tiny agricultural state” with a spectacular blend of ruthless, unrelenting will and organizational talent converted it from a small state into today’s Sparta or even greater. (2worldwar2, 22) Prussia basically pooled about sixty-five percent to eighty-five percent of its budget on all but its military, a massive spending for a former tiny kingdom. (2worldwar2, 23)
Such a system that Friedrich Wilhelm I and his successors created could be sustained for such a long time could be only be by a combination of efficiency, professionality, obedience, discipline, education and expansion (2worldwar2, 27) that made the military of Prussia. But going back to the mid-twentieth century, the Prussian Militarism was the force that made Germany