THE SECOND WORLD WAR 1939-1945

• The Second World War took place between 1939 and 1945.
• The Second World War was much more destructive than the first because it was being fought on many fronts.
• The 2^nd World War was also referred to as the Second European War.
• The causes of the Second World War were similar to those of the first.
• However, historians have agreed that the Second World War was a war of revenge initiated by Germany under Hitler.

 

LONG TERM CAUSES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR

• The Versailles Treaty-1919;
• The Treaty of Versailles had origins in the Second World War.
• The terms of the treaty were very unfair to countries such as Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary.
• Germany especially was badly treated. She was forced to sign the “War Guilt” clause.
• She suffered territorial losses, forced to pay reparations and her army was dismantled.
• These unfair terms forced Hitler to seek revenge when he came to power in 1933.
• Hitler followed an aggressive foreign policy that led to the Outbreak of the 2^nd World War.

 

• The Establishment of Dictatorships in Europe;
• This also acted as a cause of the war.
• In 1922, Mussolini established a dictatorship in Italy, in 1933; Hitler established one in Germany and General Franco established one in Spain with the help of Hitler and Mussolini in 1936.
• This divided Europe into two camps of dictators and democracies i.e. Italy, Germany, and Spain on one hand and Britain and France on the other.
• This division represented a conflict of ideologies.
• This was because democratic states stood for the maintenance of the Status Quo while the dictators had expansionist aims and demanded additional territories on grounds of prestige, glory, and strategy.
• This led to aggressive acts by Germany, Italy, and Japan.
• The System of Alliances;
• The dictators also formed alliances against other countries.
• As a result of their common interests, Mussolini and Hitler signed the Rome-Berlin Axis in 1936.
• In the same year, Germany signed the Anti-Commutern Pact with Japan.
• In 1937, the three dictators signed the Rome-Berlin Tokyo Axis.
• In August 1939, Hitler and Mussolini signed the Pact of Steel.
• These military alliances that were signed led to the division of the world into two camps just like before the 1^st world war.
• These camps were the Allied Powers and the aggressive powers.
• These camps started preparing for War.
• The Failure of Collective Security;
• The failure of collective security under the League of Nations also contributed to the outbreak of War.
• The main purpose of the League of Nations had been to eliminate any possibilities of an outbreak of War.
• However, the outbreak of the 2^nd World War was due to the fact that the League of Nations had failed to carry out effective disarmaments and stops the aggressive acts of some of its major member countries e.g. the Japanese Invasion of Manchuria in 1931
• . Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia in 1936 and the many acts of aggression committed by Hitler.
• When the League of Nations condemned such actions, the aggressors left the League to commit more acts of aggression.
• The Policy of Appeasement;
• This was a policy that was followed by Britain and France which also contributed to the outbreak of the 2^nd World War.
• The Western democracies allowed Hitler and Mussolini to carry out acts of aggression in the name of stopping Communism.
• The Communist Soviet Union was seen as the worst enemy as compared to Fascist aggression.
• This policy of appeasement was clearly seen at the Munich Conference of 1938 and the consequent German occupation of Czechoslovakia.
• The other reason for following this policy was that Britain and France were not yet ready for another war and did not want to provoke Hitler.
• By following this policy, they were buying more time.
• The other reason was that Britain and France felt guilty for the way they treated Germany at the Versailles Peace Settlement.
• The Policy of appeasement allowed Hitler and Mussolini to carry out acts of aggression against weaker democracies.
• In allowing this, Britain and France Underestimated Hitler’s ambitions and abilities.
• Therefore, the Second World War was a result of the miscalculations of the statesmen of the democratic countries.
• The 1929 World Economic Depression;
• The depression also acted as the cause of the 2^nd World War because it led to the collapse of Democracies and the rise of Dictatorships e.g. the collapse of the Weimar Republic and the Rise of Hitler and the NAZI Party in Germany.
• Imperialist Policies of Japan, Italy, and Germany;
• As a result of the loss of territories in the Versailles Treaty, the colonial world was divided between Britain and France.
• Hence Germany and Italy wanted to recapture what they had lost in Africa and Europe. Japan on the other hand had increased her imperialist ambitions after 1^st world and these mostly targeted China.
• Arms Race;
• After Hitler pulled out of the Geneva Disarmament Conference in 1934 and started rapid re-armament, the other countries were threatened and also started preparing for war.
• This created an atmosphere for war just like before the 1^st World War.
• German Invasion of Poland;
• This acted as the immediate cause of the War. Germany invaded Poland on 1^st September 1939.
• When Hitler invaded Poland, Britain, and France gave an ultimatum to Germany to withdraw her troops by 3^rd September 1939.
• When this ultimatum expired, Britain and France declared war on Germany.

 

COURSE/STAGES OF THE WAR

• The Second World War was fought on many fronts some of which were as follows;
• The Western Front;
• In 1939, Germany attacked and defeated Poland within 6 weeks. At first, there was no actual fighting between Britain and France, and Germany.
• This was because Britain and France were not ready for War.
• From September 1939 to April 1940, the two sides were still organizing themselves.
• This period was referred to as the period of the “Phony War”
• However, after April 1940, Germany used “Blitzkrieg” which meant “war of lightning”.
• This was a plan that Hitler formulated to quickly defeat and occupy Denmark, Norway, Belgium, and France.
• The invasion of these countries was code-named “Operation Yellow”.
• After the defeat of the above-mentioned Countries, in September 1940, Germany Launched “Operation Sea Lion”.
• Operation Sea Lion was the code Name for the German Invasion of Britain. Hitler used the German Air Force called the Luftwaffe to bombard Britain in order to weaken her.
• The main assault i.e. Operation Sealion was supposed to have been an attack from the Sea.
• The resulting fighting between Germany and Britain was referred to as the “Battle for Britain”.
• However, Germany failed to defeat Britain because, by this time, Britain had prepared adequately for the war.
• The Mediterranean, Middle East, and North Africa.
• In 1940, Italy was certain that Germany would win the war. She, therefore, joined the war on the side of Germany.
• Italy invaded Greece, Yugoslavia, Crete, Malta, Egypt, and Libya.
• Italy owed her victories in these battles to the help she was given by Germany.
• By 1943, Germany was unable to provide help to Italy.
• This resulted into Italy’s defeat.
• The Eastern Front.
• The main war on the Eastern Front was between Germany and Russia.
• The Code Name for the German invasion of Russia was “Operation Barbarossa”. Germany invaded Russia in 1941.
• By 1942, German troops advanced in Russia as far as Stalingrad and were almost certain of victory over Russia.
• In 1943, Russia entered into a Lend/Lease Scheme with the USA.
• This Scheme enabled Russia to obtain tanks and other war materials from the USA.
• This Scheme greatly enhanced Russia’s progress in the war. By 1945, the Russians managed to drive the Germans out of Russia and captured East Germany.
• The success of the Russian troops in 1945 was partly due to the fact that the German troops were not adequately prepared for the severe Russian winters.
• War in the Pacific and Asia.
• War in the Pacific and Asia was perpetuated by Japan.
• Japan wanted to expand her Empire and win major areas of oil, rice, and other resources for its allies. Before the outbreak of the 2^nd World War, Japan had occupied Manchuria (1931) and North China (1937).
• In 1941, Japan Captured Indo-China and on 1^st December the same year, she attacked the US naval base in the Pacific called Pearl Harbour in Hawaii.
• ON 5^TH December 1941, the USA officially declared war on Japan, Germany, and Italy. Britain also declared war on Japan. During the year that followed, Japan captured the Gawnwake Islands, and the US held the Philippines.
• In 1942, Japan also captured Burma, Malaysia, the Dutch East Indies, and Singapore also surrendered to Japan.

 

ALLIED VICTORY IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR

• Allied Victory in Europe.
• In 1943, the tide of war changed in favor of the allies, with the entry of the USA into the war.
• The USA entered the war with fresh soldiers, advanced weapons, and financial assistance.
• The USA also took over the Allied Leadership.
• In the summer of 1943, the allied powers conquered and Liberated North Africa from Italian occupation.
• In the autumn of 1943, Italy was defeated. Just before the Italian Defeat, there was a revolution in Italy against the Fascists. Mussolini was arrested but managed to escape. In September 1943, Italy surrendered unconditionally.
• Mussolini was again captured in 1945 and was shot dead by the Italians themselves.
• Between August and September 1944, France was liberated from the German Occupation.
• The Liberation of France was launched on 22^nd June 1944 at Normandy, a small French coastal town.
• This day was referred to as the “D-Day”. In 1945, the Russians drove the German troops out of Russia and occupied the Eastern part of Germany.
• On 8^th May 1945, some of Germany’s smaller allies such as Bulgaria, Rumania, and Finland were also defeated.
• In May, 1945, the allied powers launched a final attack on Germany which was code-named “Operation Jubilee”.
• Hitler committed suicide and Germany made an unconditional surrender and Berlin was occupied by the allied forces.
• Allied Victory in the Pacific and Asia.
• Between 1942 and 1945, Japan lost most of its territorial gains in the Pacific and Asia to the USA.
• In 1942, the USA sank Japanese Aircraft carriers and ships in the Coral and Midway Islands.
• Between 1943 and 1945, American troops captured the Islands of Iwo Jima and Okinawa while the British captured Burma.
• After the fall of Italy and Germany, the allies turned their full force on Japan.
• By February 1945 it was clear that Japan was losing the war as she had been surrounded by the Allied Powers.
• The allies demanded that Japan should surrender unconditionally but Japan rejected the demand.
• On the 6^th and the 9^th of August, 1945, the USA dropped Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• On 14^th August 1945, Japan surrendered and the Second World War ended.

 

REASONS FOR INITIAL VICTORIES FOR GERMANY AND HER ALLIES

• During the initial stages of the War, Germany and her allies achieved Initial Victories due to the following;
• Germany Generals were skilled in war while the troops were brave and efficient.
• Hitler had carefully planned and prepared for the war since he rose to power in 1933.
• The Swiftness with which the Generals carried out the war enabled them to achieve early victories. (War of Lightening-Blitzkrieg).
• The Allied powers were not ready for the War. As a result, they were involved in a Phony War. This gave Germany an advantage.
• Germany and the Axis Powers maintained an element of surprise in all their attacks. This ensured victory in all the wars they fought.

 

REASONS FOR THE FINAL DEFEAT OF GERMANY AND THE AXIS POWRES

• Germany’s victory in the Second World War was dependant on the Success of Blitzkrieg. The Survival of Britain in 1940 kept the Western front alive until the USA entered the War.
• After 1943, the allies knew how to counteract Blitzkrieg using air support and aircraft carriers. They also built up air and Naval supremacy which enabled them to win battles in the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. They also used this advantage to slowly starve the Axis powers of essential supplies.
• The Axis Powers took on too much. They fought the war against too many countries at the same time e.g. Hitler’s war against Britain involved not only Britain but her entire colonial Empire and at the same time, Hitler was fighting Russia on the Eastern Front.
• The entry of the USA also contributed to the final defeat of the Axis Powers. The USA brought with it financial relief and fresh soldiers when Britain was completely exhausted while Germany and the Axis Powers did not have such help.
• Towards the end of the War, German Soldiers became undisciplined and Hitler lost popularity while the allied forces were fully supported by their people.
• Germany had weak allies such as Bulgaria, Romania, and Finland and these could not help much towards the end of the War.
• The Axis Powers were not as advanced as the Allied powers technologically and scientifically e.g. the allied forces’ invention of the Radar and Atomic Bomb.
• From the beginning of the war, the allied forces used what is referred to as “Total Warfare”. This was using all the available material and human resources for the war. But Hitler did not use women initially.

 

RESULTS/EFFECTS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR

• Loss of Human Life;
• During the Second World War, it is estimated that about 12 million people died in the U.S.S.R, 8 million in Germany, 6 million in Poland, 4 million in France, and about 2.5 million in Britain.
• Destruction of Property;
• The worst property damage was recorded in Russia and was worth £30 million.
• Most of the European cities were also destroyed especially in Britain.
• These only recovered due to financial assistance from the USA in the Marshal plan after the War.
• The Second World War also led to the Emergency of Two Super Powers, the USA, and the USSR.
• This was because the balance of power in the World was upset.
• This was due to the fact that before the 2^nd World War, the balance of power had been concentrated in Europe i.e. in Britain, Germany, and France.
• The Second World War led to the destruction of these powers.
• The emergency of The Cold War
• The war also led to the emergency of the Cold War which was characterized by tensions and conflicts between the capitalist USA and the Communist USSR and their respective supporters.
• Environmental Impact;
• The 2^nd World War also had a serious environmental impact as a result of the nuclear weapons and especially the dropping of Atomic Bombs on Japan.
• The 2^nd World War also led to the division of Germany into East and West Germany.
• The war also led to the formation of the United Nations.

 

QUESTIONS.

1. Show how the war which began with the German invasion of Poland in September 1939 became a World War by the end of 1941. {20}.
2. Write on ant THREE of the following Aspects of the Second World War;

• Operation Sea Lion.
• Operation Barbarossa.
• The North African War.
• The Normandy Landings.
• The Pearl Harbour. {7,7,7}

3. What were the reasons for the Outbreak of the 2^nd World War in 1939? {20}
4. What was the Policy of Appeasement? Why was it followed and how did it contribute to the Outbreak of the Second World War. {20}.
5. Describe the role played by the USA in the Second World War. Give reasons for the final defeat of Germany and the Axis Powers. {10, 10}.