FIRST AND SECOND WORLD WAR - HISTORY AND INTERNATIONAL RELATION



World War I
The first  world war broke out when a  Serbian  nationalist  seeking to free slaves  from Austrian domination  assassinated Archduke Ferdinand, heir  to the throne of Austria-Hungary at Sarajevo in June  1914.1 
Before the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, there were already conditions which could cause war even with the slightest provocation. For instance,  two hostile  alliances  had  been  entered into by Austria- Hungary, Italy and Germany  against France, Britain and Russia.
The functioning of triple alliance and triple entente portend danger as the atmosphere was charged, though the triple alliance was a military pact in which an attack on one means attack on all others, triple entente was not a military alliance purposely against Germany’s bid to rule the world.
The efficacy of the  triple alliance as a military pact was tested after the  assassination, the  assassination led  Austria to declare war on Serbia on July  28 russia mobilized  its troops to defend Serbia from Austria. This made Germany to declare war on Russia on  1st  august on  3rd  august,  Germany declared war on Russia’s  ally France.
            The German aggression on a neutral state, Belgium  brought  Britain into the war.  Britain went to Belgiums defence and declared war on Germany on  4th august.
            Historians have not agreed on who were responsible  for the outbreak of war.  The allied forces who won the  war insist that war guilt belonged to Germany alone.
Versailles Peace Settlement
            In January 1918, the delegation of twenty-seven victorious allied nations gathered in Paris to conclude a final settlement of the First World War. Many delegates were  of  the view that the mistakes made at the Vienna conference of  1815  like satisfying the  selfish  ends of autocrats would  be  avoided. In  fact, Harold Nicholson, a British delegated outlined  what he  felt the conference should achieve . In his words: “we were journeying to Paris not merely to liquidate the war, but  to  find a new order in Europe,  we were  preparing not  peace  only, but  eternal peace.  There was about us the halo of some divine mission… for we were bent on doing great, permanent and noble things”2
            Also president Woodrow Wilson, a core idealist outlined a 14-point programme which he believed would  ensure peace.  Wilson soon discovered that secret  treaties  entered into before the war were still strong even when they  conflicted with the principles of self-determination which he  enunciated. National interest and pragmatic motives preoccupied with issues of national security, great Britain  voted David Lloyd in  1918  to ensure that Germans pay for  their war guilt.  Clemenceau,  French premier argued that  French people suffered the highest degree of German aggression.  Therefore,  France needed revenge and security  in case of further  acts of aggression.  Clemenceau insisted on  demilitarized  Germany, and the Rhineland as buffer  zone  between  Germany and France.
            Though  the Versailles peace settlement was composed on 27 nations, major decisions were made by  the big three  Wilson, Clemenceau and Lioyd  George,  Germany was not represented.
It should come as no surprise, given both the intractability of Europe’s  problems and the diversity of the victorious coalition, that the peacemakers failed to agree  amongst themselves on the shape of the  post war world .  While Wilson was determined to create the league of nations to prevent future wars.  Clemenceau and Lioyd George insisted on punishing Germany.
It was compromise which eventually made it possible  for a peaceful settlement on January  25, 1919. The conference adapted the principle of the league of nations. Britain and United  States pledged to assist France if it were attacked by Germany.
1.       The peace treaty consisted of five separate treaties with the axis (defeated countries).  Germany Austria,  Hungary and  turkey. The  treaty with Germany which was signed on June 28, 1919  was perhaps the most important, Germans considered it harsh particularly the article  on war guilt which suggested that Austria and Germany started the war and must pay reparations.
2.      The military provisions of the treaty were equally punitive in nature. For  instance, Germany had no reduce its military force by  100,000 men, reduce its  armory and completely abolish its air force.
3.      On territorial provision, Germany lost some of its  territories. For instance, she was forced to return Alsace-Lorraine to France and a section Prussia,  to a new  polish state.
German land west and as far  as thirty miles east of  the Rhineland was established as a buffer  zone,  and stripped  of all armaments or fortifications,  to serve as a barrier to  any future German military  moves  westwards against  France.  The German government described the  treaty as “dictated peace”  it, however, accepted, though outraged by it.
The  peacemakers made separate treaty with  other powers  who lost the war (Bulgaria, Hungary,   Austria  turkey),  essentially redrawing the map of Eastern  Europe. Both Germans and Russians lost considerable territory in Eastern Europe while Austro-Hungarian empires disappearance  completely.  The ottoman empire was  dismembered  by  the  peace settlement . new  nations emerged from the lands of the  three empires. And  in Eastern Europe,  the  peacemakers   created avenues for compromises because it was difficult  to   draw boundaries along neat ethnic lines.  Virtually  every  Eastern European nation was left  with minorities  problems. There were Germans in Poland, Hungarians, poles, and Croats, Slovenes, Macedonian, and  Albanians in Yugoslavia  all became  causes of future conflict. The peace settlement  negotiated at Paris  was heavily criticized not only by the  defeated countries but by others who felt  that   the peacemaker did not  see beyond the period of settlement.  The  French general force predicted after the signing of the treaty, “Versailles  would not bring peace, only armistice for twenty  years. It  had solved none of Europe fundamental problems”. 
 The famous British economist john Maynard Keynes criticized the  peacemakers because they preoccupied  themselves with frontiers at the expense of economic issues that left  Europe’s inefficient , unemployed, and disorganized”.4
Generally, the Versailles peace settlement  of  1919  was too hard on Germany and many Germans argued against the treaty. For instance, Adolf Hitlers regime vehemently opposed the peace arrangement. Many non-Germans  maintained that the Versailles peace arrangement gave Germans legitimate grievances. However, A.J.P  Taylor, a well –known British historian  advanced the  view  that the Versailles  peace treaty was not  harsh. He  maintained that the  German problem was not resolved by the peacemakers. The  treaty failed to destroy  largest unitary state in the heart of Europe.
However, whether the peace treaty was too hard  or not hard  enough, it was clear that it   would fail because no major power was clearly committed to upholding it.
Causes of World War II
            There were profound structural forces which undermined stability in Europe. In fact, the Second World War was the continuation of the first. There was clear imbalance of power which had existed in Europe since the unification of Germany. The war was a manifestation of deep-rooted instability in Europe.
To many historians.  The second world war was not only propelled by structural forces but human angle also played a role in bringing about the second world war. For instance, no story of the origin of the war would be told without particular reference to Adolf Hitter. In fact, some   historians argue that it was simply  Hitler’s war the post-war  Nuremberg trials of Nazi  war criminals  equally admitted that  it was Hitlers war.
            Generally,  the  origins of World War II have been subject of controversy among scholars. Most   historians maintain that Hitler and Nazi Germany were responsible for the war, that is their attempt in expand German power in Europe.
            Perhaps the most controversial of the origin of World War II by a known historian is that by A.J.P Taylors.  The origin of world war ii: in this text,  Taylor argues that  Nazi  ideology had nothing whatsoever  to do with the second world war though responsible for the evil of the   gas chamber.
            However, many reasons accounted for the outbreak of World War II
1.      German nationalism propelled the people to recover lost territories and regain people of German origin living in Austria, Poland and Czechoslovakia.
2.      German imperialistic desires were pushed by Nazi regimes ideology (fascism) which encouraged racism, nationalism and imperialism.
3.      There was a strong desire to forcefully expand the German state.
4.      German aggression was inflamed by resentment of punitive, unfair and unfavourable terms arising from the 1919 Versailles peace treaty.  For instance, under pressure, the peacemakers accepted  French  insistence  on the destruction of German armed forces  and the loss of German territory (alsce-lorraine) a rich territory which Germany had acquired earlier following the  Franco Prussian war, 1870-1871.
5.      There was the disintegration of Austro-Hungarian empires.
6.       Germany was denied entry into the international system as co-equal member. She  was only admitted into League of Nations in 1926
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