World War I & World War II

Knowing the Difference Between World War I and World War II

Good Day TASC Test Takers
Remember the old adage that "knowledge is power." The more sure you are about what took place during any given historical event, the easier it will be to zoom in on the correct answer during the TASC exam. The power to remove anxiety and jitters during any challenge is in your hands so long as you prepare and are confident in that preparation. One topic that often throws students off in confidence is WWI and WWII. Confusing these two conflicts can lead to a domino affect of wrong answers. Therefore let us clarify the two events and then offer a brief comparison.

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Comparison of WWI and WWII

WWI

or The GREAT WAR

(1914-1918)

WWI began on July 28, 1914 and lasted until an armistice was agreed upon November 11, 1918, resulting in an end to fighting. Treaties that assigned blame and awarded reparations (war payments) would be signed over the next two years between the nations that participated in the war.

Which nations were primarily involved in World War I?

The reasons for the conflict include several long term causes or the M.A.I.N. causes acting like the filling for a "gun powder keg." (see the image below)

Long Term Causes of WWI: A buildup of aggressive long term practices in Europe that included:

Militarism- the glorification of the military and the building up of military might by many nations. This type of military buildup can lead to an arms race (countries compete to have more weapons than other countries) and raise tensions that could lead to fighting. In Europe nations were racing to develop new technologies for war including Tanks, Planes, Submarines, Poison Gas, and Machine Guns.
Alliances- Several countries had secret alliances that contained agreements by nations to defend one another if one nation went to war.
Imperialism- a policy designed to acquire and control colonies or nations for resources. Many European nations competed with one another for colonies all across the world.
Nationalism - an extreme love and obedience to one’s nation. Nationalism can be positive or negative. However, in this case, nationalism led to nations feeling like they were superior to one another.

The short term immediate cause that acted like a spark for the war is the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (Franz was like a Prince) heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary.

ARCHDUKE FRANZ FERDINAND

Heir To The Throne of Austria-Hungary

Was Assassinated, Causing World War I To Break Out Across Europe!

Short Term Cause of WWI: The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Serbian terrorists was the short term cause.

Effects: Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, triggering several secret alliances to go into effect:

Germany is supportive of Austria-Hungary offering a "Blank Check" or total support in a military conflict.
Russia supports Serbia as its "little brother."
France and Great Britain join with Russia and are known as the Triple Entente, later they would call themselves the Allies against Austria-Hungary.
Austria-Hungary, Germany, and the Ottoman Empire, originally referred to as the Allies, become known as the Central Powers.

A long drawn out war ensues due to modern technology (poison gas, machine guns, airplanes, submarines, tanks) and the use of trench warfare (the digging of trenches, see the image below) being introduced into the battlefield. The use of trenches led to the war being drawn out much longer than anyone expected since it was difficult to take a secured trench position.

Turning Point: In early 1917 Russia withdrew from the war due to:

Suffering massive losses by the Germans on the Eastern Front
Failed leadership of Czar Nicholas the II of Russia
The successful Communist Revolution led by Vladimir Lenin, known for his slogan "Peace, Land, and Bread!".

The German-Russian treaty of Brest-Litovsk ends Russians participation in WWI officially.

In April of 1917 the United States enters the War on behalf of the Allies due to:

Germany’s unrestricted submarine warfare (attacking all ships near Great Britain)
A German written request for Mexico to attack the U.S. by sending the Zimmerman Telegram, whereas Germany promised to help Mexico reclaim its lost territories (California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico) from the Mexican-American War (1846-1848)
U.S. fear that Russia leaving the war meant that Great Britain and France would lose, therefore they would not be able to pay back their war debts to the U.S.

Conclusion: The U.S. enters the war with a massive amount of soldiers, economic, and social support. By November 1918 the war comes to a conclusion with France, Great Britain, U.S. and Italy presiding over an Allied victory.

Unfortunately the horrors of the war lead France and Great Britain to pursue harsh terms for surrender against the Central Powers. During the Treaty of Versailles Germany is forced to assume blame for starting the war, make reparations, and surrender vital parts of its economy to France.These harsh financial reparations would result in the German nation entering into a severe economic depression. Although the League of Nations is created out of Woodrow Wilson's 14 points in the aftermath of the war in order to prevent future war, peace would be short lived.

WWII

(1939-1945)

Note: On the TASC exam, World War II is definitely referenced more than World War I.

Causes: Three nations, Japan, Italy, and Germany seek to increase their territory and resources through the practice of Totalitarianism, Militarism, and Fascism. The German leaders believed that their nation had suffered humiliation, harsh economic sanctions, and territorial restrictions at the hands of the Allies during the Treaty of Versailles in World War I. Also a global economic depression has prompted some nations to correct their economic problems through war. NAZI Germany’s leader, Adolf Hitler, repeatedly violates the WWI Treaty of Versailles. In 1939, Germany invades Poland with the help of the Soviet Union. Many of the worlds leaders feared military conflict and decide to adopt a policy of appeasement (giving in to an aggressor or belligerent) to avoid war with Germany. Italy, led by Benito Mussolini conquers Ethiopia in Africa. Meanwhile Emperor Hirohito of Japan along with his military generals sanctions several invasions of Pacific nations and dominates the region. Eventually Japan turns its military might against China.

Effect: Italy, Germany, and Japan form the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis, and agree to support one another in their military conquests. The Soviet Union (formally Russia) signs the German- Soviet non-aggression pact. At first the Allies, France and Great Britain, led by Winston Churchill stand against the Axis with little support. However, the Soviet Union, led by Joseph Stalin joins the Allies after a German attempt to invade the Soviet Union in 1940. With the defeat of France, Great Britain attempts to convince the United States to join the war. Instead the U.S. remains neutral and tries to maintain an isolationist strategy that is supported by Congress. However, president Roosevelt still lends military equipment to the Allies through the "Lend Lease" program. Japan was also busy in the Pacific seeking more resources. China attempted to resist Japan’s conquest by halting its own civil war in order to fight the Japanese. Only after Japan initiates a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in 1941, did the United States, led by Franklin D. Roosevelt enter the war. The U.S. joins forces with the Allies. A massive war in Europe, Northern Africa, and the Pacific all act as theaters or locations for the Second World War.

U.S. HOME FRONT: - On the home front, the U.S. response to the war is massive, with record numbers of minorities, women, and military volunteers answering the call to assist with the war effort by joining the army or working in wartime factories. Through increased factory production, the selling of war bonds to raise money, and the planting of victory gardens, along with the canning of food to ration supplies the American public is able to ensure that U.S. troops are the best supplied of any of the worlds armies. Unfortunately the home front reaction is not all positive. Several states view Japanese Americans suspiciously, and authorize authorities to gather up and transport over 100,000 people of Japanese descent to internment camps. Over 60% were citizens whose constitutional due process rights were directly violated. In Korematsu v. United States (1944) the Supreme court upheld the U.S. governments right to intern (arrest and house in specific areas of the country) Japanese Americans during World War II.

Turning Point: At the Battle of Stalingrad 1941, the harsh weather conditions and the Soviets halt the German advance into their territory by sacrificing over 1.1 million soldiers. At the Battle of Midway, June 1942 the U.S. defeats a massive Japanese fleet, clearing the path for U.S. forces to initiate the Island hopping strategy, capturing one island at a time bringing U.S. forces closer to Japan's capital, Tokyo. In Africa, British and American Forces manage to defeat out Italian and German forces during Operation Torch concluding with the battle of El Alamein in October 1942. The massive Allied D-Day invasion of Normandy, France in June 1944, allows the Allies to successfully recapture the French coast.

Conclusion: On September 8^th, 1943 Italy surrendered, but was run by the NAZI’s as a puppet state for over a year. Hitler and Mussolini were both dead before Germany unconditionally surrendered on May 8^th, 1945. With the taking of Berlin by a massive Soviet Army, the European theater was over. In the Pacific theater Japan refused to surrender to the United States. This prompted the U.S. to drop 2 atomic bombs on Japanese cities, one on Hiroshima and the other on Nagasaki in August of 1945. The world had formally entered the Nuclear Age. Japan surrendered immediately afterwards. WWII resulted in several outcomes. Japan and Germany were permanently forbidden from maintaining armies. The Nuremberg War trials due to human rights violations were held for the first time in order to hold NAZI leaders responsible for the Holocaust, the systematic killing of over 6 million Jews, and 5 million other non-combatants. Since the war had caused so much destruction, a new international peace organization, The United Nations was created in NYC. The United States and the Soviet Union were known as the world’s only remaining “Super Powers.” The war leads to the end of the depression era as the United States reaps tremendous economic benefits from its wartime production. Mistrust between the two former allied nations, U.S. and the U.S.S.R. would lead to a nearly 40 year Cold War.

World War I Videos