World War 2
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World War I has often been referred to as the “Great War.” This is a rather deceiving statement being that over 65 million men fought, and over 37 million men died in a war that lasted 4 years. World War I was, also, referred to as the “War to end all Wars.” Yet, 20 years later that statement would no longer be true as WWII erupted in 1939. When WWI ended with no real purpose served, it became apparent that a peace conference needed to occur and that someone had to pay reparations for the damage done. So, many representatives from different European and North American countries met and formed the Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty was harsh and punishing towards Germany, whom the rest of Europe felt was to blame for the war. However, the question asked at that time, and still today, is who is to blame for the “Great War” that is known for its great destruction to a generation?
Many historians would agree that Germany was solely to blame for World War I. They would argue that Germany brought other countries (mainly Britain) into the war by invading neutral Belgium. They would, also, argue that by invading Belgium, Germany exercised a nine year old war plan to attack France. The move was offensive by Germany and therefore France and Britain were just defending their allies.
Germany was again blamed for the repercussions of World War I because of their shady past with France. In 1870, Germany and the Prussian Empire defeated a highly confident French army. From this period on until 1914 there was a very unstable peace between the two nations. This tension made for an easy decision to quickly eliminate France as a threat for Germany.
Finally, Germany was an easy target for blame because of their acts of nationalism. On the home front, the war was seen as a glorious opportunity for Germans to set themselves apart from other European nations.
Despite these tough arguments against Germany, there are some historians today who feel Germany was not to blame. They would argue that Germany could not be blamed for a war that they did not start. The Serbs were responsible for the assassination of the Arch-Duke of Austria-Hungary, and therefore started World War I. Germany was only protecting its allies against the Serbs.
Some historians would also argue that with Germanys economic success and constant expansion of its navy, they were a large threat to Britain.