World War II was the single most destructive war in the history of people. It was caused by many countries and was a direct result of the Treaty of Versailles. The Great Depression was such a troubling time and that people were willing to give up their individual rights to regain economic stability. Nations including Japan were beginning to invest their economy in militaristic rule to attempt to expand their influence, thus expanding their resources. The Treaty of Versailles limited the German army to 100,000 soldiers, but when Adolf Hitler rose to power within the German Socialist Worker’s Party, he broke the Treaty of Versailles to build his military power.
So, the Treaty of Versailles was the solution to World War I but ultimately led to World War I, creating the “Greatest Generation”. World War II was a mess. Ten years before WWII Japan was expanding its influence by fighting with China. As Hitler rose to power in Europe, he allied with Italy and Japan, and invaded Poland on September 1st, 1939.
Within six weeks, the German army had taken Paris and forced them to surrender. The French had English support even before WWII broke out. The English army arrives only in time for the surrender of France and are pushed back to Dunkirk.
At Dunkirk, it appeared as if the English were going to be destroyed, but enough soldiers survived for England to stand a chance against Germany. Hitler decides to break his Hitler-Stalin pact, creating yet another two front war. America was decidedly neutral during the start of the war, for they did not want to get involved in another war that would destroy their economy.
However, America did enter the war on December 8th, 1941, after the attack on the American military base of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. The rest of the war was brutal, killing an estimated 60 million people. The war did not even end after the death of Adolf Hitler, rather it ended after the surrender of the Japanese in 1945. World War II undoubtedly changed many people’s lives and altered the thinking of an entire generation. World War I created a “lost generation” because extremely young men fought and adapted to war.
They grew to only know war and this sense of disillusionment made them “lost” in the post-war world. World War II created the “Greatest Generation” for many reasons. First, this generation grew up during the midst of the Great Depression. Most of the soldiers had grown up having little and they usually go without the finer things in life. The only thing the soldiers in World War II had of extreme value was their homeland, so they fought protect their land. European empires were expanding and this was threatening to the Greatest Generation’s way of life. Secondly, the generation that fought in WWII grew up in the world’s worst economic conditions.
It was really difficult to live during this economic downslide and the push for WWII in a way made the world a better place. When Japan finally surrenders on September 2nd, 1945, the surviving soldiers from the war have a new appreciation for life. The economy started to boom once again after WWII, thanks to the Greatest Generation. I agree that the “Greatest Generation” is truly the greatest generation in our nation’s history. The soldiers from this generation grew up during the Great Depression, so they have never seen the booming economy that existed during the Roaring Twenties.
The mere fact that the children of the Great Depression were able to stand together to fight against the tyrannical forces of the Axis powers is amazing. They knew they had nothing else to lose, so they laid down everything to defend their countries. After the surrender of Japan, Americans celebrated the end of the war, as it signaled the end of struggle. By fighting in WWII, America ended the Great Depression and life seemed at its best for the “Greatest Generation”. This generation was great enough to fight to defend a state of a nation that was not in good condition. However, the generation saw the ending of the war and the betterment of the economy, so they felt an amazing sense of pride in their sacrifices. The Greatest Generation was great solely because they knew that serving in WWII made the world a better place, giving this generation an idea that they could do anything,
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