Essay/Term paper: World war ii

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Social Issues

World War II


The 1930's were a very turbulent time period for the entire world. Many
events occurred during this time that lead to World War II. It all began with
a few events that set the stage for the entire thing. Things continued to get
worse, until finally, the seemingly inevitable happened.
There were several events that set the stage for the upcoming crisis.
In Europe, Germany specifically, Adolf Hitler had gained control. Hitler was
the head of the Nazi party, a Fascist political group. Meanwhile, on the other
side of the world, Japan had invaded Manchuria, a province in China. The United
States declared its disapproval in the Stimpson Doctrine, which stated that it
would not recognize any territorial gain made by force. Lastly, Japan had left
the League of Nations, and began building up its navy.
During these events, the United States attempted to stay neutral. One
war that may have helped was the Nye committee. The Nye Committee investigated
how the U.S. got involved in World War I. Many thought that by learning our
previous mistakes, we would not repeat them. There was also the Neutrality Acts.
The first neutrality act made it unlawful for the U.S. to ship or sell arms to
countries where a state of war existed. Roosevelt and the U.S. congress had
different views about isolationism. Roosevelt was not an isolationist, and was
concerned about what was happening. Congress, on the other hand, was not as
concerned. For example, Roosevelt could have eased European tensions somewhat
by wiping out allied war debts. Congress, however, would not go along with such
a thing.
As time went by, the crisis in Europe continued to deepen. Hitler had
started to become more aggressive. In 1938, Germany invaded Austria, and
annexed it two days later. Later, Germany set its sights on Czechoslovakia.
Hitler called Czechoslovakia's president, Emil Hacha, to Berlin. Once he
arrived, Hacha was practically forced to allow Germany's occupation of the
Sudetenland.
Several early events occurred that warned the U.S. that they should
prepare for war. One major thing that occurred in Germany was the Holocaust,
which was a genocide against the Jews. Very few people approved of this, making
it difficult for the U.S. not to act. Another major event was the fall of
France. Germany, with its blitzkrieg tactics, had torn the French army to
pieces, and had taken control of Paris. These events, amongst others, were
definite signs that the U.S. may have no choice but to go to war.
In conclusion, it is important to point out that all of the above events
are very important parts of the history of the world. World War II has been
called the greatest war that has ever occurred. It is my hope that the mistakes
made by our ancestors will not be repeated.