Economic and Diplomatic Effects
CAUSES of World War IICauses of the WWII:Many historians think that there were a series of events that lead to World War Two. For example, the Treaty of Versailles and the global Great Depression in the 1930’s lead to the desperate measures in Europe and in the United States). The Treaty of Versailles had ceased World War I between Germany and the Allied Powers. This lead the economy in Germany to go down, because many were severely hungry and it was chaotic. This picture is an excerpt of the Treaty of Versailles, which shows the peace agreement they signed between Germany and the Allied Powers on June 28, 1919. The effect of this, in the Encyclopedia of Britannica states, “The war guilt clause of the treaty deemed Germany the aggressor in the war and consequently made Germany responsible for making reparations to the Allied nations in payment for the losses and damage they had sustained in the war.” Since Germany had lost, this document was very cruel against them as they were responsible for the damage they had caused. Moreover, Hitler and the German Nazi Party became powerful. They wanted to restore their economy as well as their national pride. So in 1934, Hitler became the dictator leader in Germany. He felt better towards the restrictions on Germany due to the Treaty of Versailles. So Hitler started to rearm his country and became allies with Mussolini and Italy. He sought to expand his empire by invading Austria in 1938. The League of Nations didn’t do anything to stop him, so Hitler just became stronger and invaded Czechoslovakia in 1939. Here in this picture, it shows that Nazi Germany is marching into Czechoslovakia on March 15, 1939. Historian Christopher Hamner states, “Without Hitler, a megalomaniacal leader bent on establishing a 1,000-year German empire through military conquest, it becomes extremely difficult to imagine the outbreak of such a lengthy and devastating war.” He also had used propaganda to appeal his emotions and reasoning to the Germans in order to get back their honor by the Treaty of Versailles. This is because they see that this document brought shame and punishment for their people since they have to repair the areas in Belgium/France as well as disarm their military. The Great Depression was a traumatic event before the Second World War which gave economic suffering throughout the globe. Several people were put in a difficult situations and were struggling to survive. This lead to unstable governments and a great calamity that pushed into World War II. Thus, the Great Depression destroyed the European and United States’ economies, and Nazi gave way to power in Germany as well as a military group rose to power in Japan. In both United States and of Western Europe, this economic crisis lead to the threat of fascism. Furthermore, United States joins World War II on December 8, 1941 after the Japanese made a surprise attack on pearl Harbor. The U.S. had also declared war on Japan, Germany, and Italy. This lead to a ration of gas, rubber, automobiles, clothes, and food. Prices became restricted and factories started making tanks, rifles, ammo, planes, and ships for the military use. On the other hand, the Canadians got involved in World War II due to the invasion of Poland during the fall of 1939. Here in this picture, one can see that the Nazu Germany troops made their way to Warsaw, Poland on the month of September. Canada's response was to support Britain and France, so on September 1939, a speech by Prime Minister Mackenzie King states, “Unhappily for the world, Herr Hitler and the nazi regime in Germany have persisted in their attempt to extend their control over other peoples and countries, and to pursue their aggressive designs in wanton disregard of all treaty obligations, and peaceful methods of adjusting international disputes. They have had to resort increasingly to agencies of deception, terrorism and violence… The people of Canada will, I know, face the days of stress and strain which lie ahead with calm and resolute courage. There is no home in Canada, no family, and no individual whose fortunes and freedom are not bound up in the present struggle.” This shows that the reason why they declared war was because of the Nazi Party threatening and murdering the lives of many innocent people, which endangers the Western civilization and mankind. Thus, Mackenzie King wanted to stop Germany’s harshness and hostility, as he states in the CBC Radio Special, “To save one, we must make up our minds to save all.” This means he wants to save and rescue the country by joining the war a fighting against the Nazi Regime. Economic and diplomatic effectsFor the economic effects, the involvement of America in the Second World War had left a huge impact on the economy and workforce. Before, the United States was still not yet out of the Great Depression, in which the unemployment rate was still around 25 percent. However, when they entered the war the rate had decreased to about 10 percent as the factories began to make goods to help out the war effort. Many women got to work jobs that were mainly done by men. This video by the Iowa Public Television’s Iowa’s WWII Stories states, “When the war started, all of that changed. More people were needed to produce the foods and weapons for the men on the front lines. The new jobs were taken by many who had been out of work for several years. As more men were sent away to fight, women were hired to take over positions on the assembly lines” (UNC TV). In addition, Tassava states, “The wartime economic boom spurred and benefited from several important social trends. Foremost among these trends was the expansion of employment, which paralleled the expansion of industrial production. In 1944, unemployment dipped to 1.2 percent of the civilian labor force, a record low in American economic history and as near to “full employment” as is likely possible (Samuelson).” This clearly shows how the production for the war materials help boosted the economy and lifted its way out of the depression. This table shows that there is an growth in the employed percent of population, as well as a decrease population of unemployment, which shows a great trend due to economic stimulation of production in goods. The Marshall Plan: Europe was in ruins, as millions have died or were injured. The transportation infrastructure was very slow. The United States helped Europe in economic aid from 1945 through 1947 by financial aid. The United Nations provided humanitarian assistance. In January of 1947, President Harry Truman appointed George Marshall, the “architect of victory” for WWII, to be Secretary of State. Truman wrote in his journal, ““Marshall is the greatest man of World War II. He managed to get along with Roosevelt, the Congress, Churchill, the Navy and the Joint Chiefs of Staff and he made a grand record in China. When I asked him to [be] my special envoy to China, he merely said, ‘Yes, Mr. President I’ll go.’ No argument only patriotic action. And if any man was entitled to balk and ask for a rest, he was. We’ll have a real State Department now.” Furthermore, after a couple of months the State Dept. leadership under Marshall with George Kennan, William Clayton, and other people created the concept of the Marshall plan, in which they made a speech on June 1947 at Harvard. This picture shows the European Recovery Program or the Marshall Plan which had a purpose to help the economies of western Europe, as well as to restore the political stability. Thus, the Marshall Plan did help many nations in rebuilding their economy. Trade led to the North Atlantic alliance and steel and coal prospered economically, which lead to the European Union. The United Nations: This picture shows the 26 nations had signed the Declaration of United States during World War II, in which each nation promised to keep fighting the Axis powers as well as to not negotiate another peace with them. The U.N. helps negotiate peace treaties between countries, promote human rights, prevents discrimination of minorities, and provide humanitarian aid (i.e. drop off necessities like food or basic supplies when struck by a war or disaster. On the other hand, Canada had similar effects such as that in the United States. They had made resources and raw materials for the war, which again, boosted the economy. This production in supplies lead to the factories across Canada. For example, Carolyn states, “Canadian Steel Car in Hamilton switched from making freight cars , to making fighter planes…” (Effects of WW2). Also, it states, “Canada was faced with the challenge of creating - practically from scratch - a strong industrial base to produce weapons and war materials for the war effort” (The Canadian War Industry). This picture shows their ammunition and weaponry production that the federal government establish to supply for Canada and the Allies. ContinuitiesIn America, from the beginning of the Great Depression to First and Second World Wars, there were rapid scientific and technological changes that continued throughout this period. This impacted the innovation for scientists, the government, engineers, and many people. Another continuity is that Hitler wanted to maintain their race. He had a vision to be racially pure of German blood across Europe and even to expand it.This picture shows the Nazis utilizing public displays to get the idea across of racial superiority. The title states, “The Biology of Growth,” and is labels as “Stages of Growth for Members of the Nordic Race” (National Archives and Records Administration). Furthermore, he had used propaganda to connect and spread the sources of news and information to other people. It states, “During the holocaust, civilians of countries did not know what was going on in the concentration camps until later in the war (1943)” (Saini). This shows how deceitful Hitler can be because he was bias and misleading when showcasing his political view. In addition, the propaganda he used was trying to convince and mislead people into thinking that what he was doing was correct. People coming out from the Great Depression wanted to truly believe in something and so when Hitler rose to power, he was a “God-like” figure. This picture shows that fighting in the war will make you become a great warrior or here in your country. On the other hand, these propaganda posters show that nazis are bad and evil. Thus, the first one shows Nazi Germany coming close to harm the child and the mother. For Canada, a continuity is that Canada and Britain held a close relationship because Canada was under the British Commonwealth. When Britain entered the war, Canada had jump to join the war automatically. Thus, Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid stated in his 1910 statement from the House of Commons that, “When Britain is at war, Canada is at war.” There is no distinction.” In this picture, you can see that Canada was one of the countries list below of “The British Commonwealth in arms,” along with Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia, Newfoundland, and Southern Africa. Also, British colonialism has helped Canada to develop as a greater nation. The War songs that were produced in popular made a greater connection between Canada and Britain. Some examples include “Boys from Canada,” “Days of Peace,” and “God Protect My Daddy.” ConclusionIn conclusion, the main causes leading into World War II was the Treaty of Versailles as well as the Great Depression. The effect was the increase production in supplies for the war effort helped increase employment rate and hired more women as well as minorities.Thus, the American society had prospered as the economy boosted it way of the Great Depression with more money flow/stimulation. One continuity was that Hitler from the Nazi Regime had utilized propaganda to mislead and deceive people into thinking their political view was right. Lastly, the main ties between Canada and Britain was also a continuity. Sourceshttps://www.loc.gov/law/help/us-treaties/bevans/m-ust000002-0043.pdf
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