Qn.1 Explain the events in Europe that led up to the beginning of World War II in the fall of 1939
The main events that resulted in the beginning of the Second World War across Europe were the radical policies used by Germany to expand its territory in Eastern Europe, and more specifically the occupation of Poland which led to the outbreak of the war. Another indirect event that triggered the war is the unwillingness by other European powers to counter the German influence prior to the commencement of the actual warfare (Larry Gates 2012). Adolf Hitler who was the leader of Germany at the time had consistently opposed the Treaty of Versailles which was agreed upon in 1919 due to the common belief that it was unfair. He subsequently facilitated the exit of Germany from the League of Nations and later on invaded Rhineland that was currently ruled by France. France failed to stop the German acquisition of Rhineland although they were entitled to occupy the region (Larry Gates 2012). Adolf Hitler then went ahead and reunited with Austria explaining that the government of Austria invited him into the reunion. He also went ahead and demanded for acquisition of Sudetenland which was part of Czechoslovakia inhabited by German speakers. Consequently, this made the British PM to intervene where he flew to Munich, the capital of Germany and held talks with Hitler concerning the matter of Sudetenland (Larry Gates 2012). It was resolved that Hitler was allowed to reclaim Sudetenland on promise that he would not claim more territories. However, Hitler went on to reclaim the Germany speaking portion of Poland in September 1, 1939, ignored warnings from Germany and France.
Qn.2 how did Hitler’s military moves differ from those of Germany in the First World War?
In the First World War, the German troops utilized aggression and attack popularly known as the cult of the offensive war tactic. These attacks failed terribly because the allied army that included Britain and France utilized the defensive strategy as opposed to German’s offensive strategy which was not favorable to the use firepower especially the quick-firing artillery (History.com Staff 2009). This is because it was difficult using the new weapons technology for the German troops to fire at the defenders while at the same time maintaining the momentum of their attacking pace and therefore proved to be a little threat to allied troops.
However, Hitler’s troops mastered a new war strategy in 1939, popularly known as blitzkrieg or the lightning war. This new concept which had elaborate structures utilized mobility rather than attrition which was used during World War I by German troops. This tactic proved to hugely successful in the early stages of the Second World War and was executed by surrounding enemies thereby cutting their line of supply and communication which forced the enemy to attack in unanticipated directions (History.com Staff 2009). Blitzkrieg resulted in quick and decisive win for Germany and they succeeded in crushing the allied forces in during the invasion of Poland. Hitler improved both the breadth and the depth of his army during reinforcement and had a complete budget for all the needs of his army. He heavily invested in the army before the commencement of the war and even in 1938, the demands of the army nearly crippled the German economy.
Qn. 3 what was the reaction of Americans?
The United States started to provide arms and equipment due to the uncertainty of German’s possible domination of Europe which presented a threat to its position in the world (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). The United States entered the war when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in December 1941 prompting Germany to declare war on US because Hitler that Roosevelt would be too much occupied in reiterating the Japanese attack. US however, had a huge ability to produce enough resources to fight both Germany and Japan simultaneously and could produce almost twice as much arms and equipment produced by Hitler due to its economic power (Evans 2009). In 1943, United States and Britain carried out a bombing operation on the cities of Germany where a lot of people were killed and arms production factories destructed. The US bombed Japan killing around 120,000 people. This ended the World War II and Germany while Hitler hanged himself in 1945.
Works Cited
Larry Gates (2012). “What events led to World War II in Europe? What events led to World War II in Europe in the 1930s?” eNotes, 22 Mar. 2012, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-events-led-world-war-ii-europe-325398. Accessed 2 Apr. 2018.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “Introduction to the Holocaust.” Holocaust Encyclopedia: World War II in Europe www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005143. Accessed on [April 2, 2018].
Evans. J. R, (2009). Why Hitler’s grand plan during the Second World War collapsed. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/sep/08/hitler-germany-campaign-collapsed
History.com Staff (2009). Blitzkrieg. History. A+E Networks. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/blitzkrieg
