World Wars: The Reasons and the Powers Behind the Wars.

When terrorist attacks and war like situations are recurring in many parts of the globe, it is pertinent to point out that the love for power and control leads only to destruction and sufferings.  The two World Wars are classic examples.  

 

 
War is a violent fight between two or more nations. When most of the powerful countries become party to a war affecting majority of the countries, continents and people across the globe, it is termed as world war. In modern era, the term is applied to the two encounters happened in the twentieth century. 

World War I (1914-1918)

World War I was unlike the other wars in the history. It was the major war after industrialization. Weapons invented during industrialization were used in this war for the first time.  Though many socio, political issues were there behind the war, the immediate provocation for the eruption of the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on 28th June, 1914. He was the heir to the Astro-Hungarian throne. He was killed by Gaviro Princip, a Serbian nationalist. Following the murder, a series of events occurred finally leading to the First World War on 28th July, 1914. 
 

Astro-Hungarians used the death of Archduke Franz Ferdinand as an excuse to invade Serbia. But, Serbia had ties with Russia. Expecting the support of Russia to Serbia, Astro-Hungary had sought and support of Germany. Germany extended support and encouraged the Astro-Hungarian stance. By this time, two sets of alliances were formed among major countries. One side of alliance included countries Great Britain, Russia and France. The group of 25 countries together was known as the Allied Powers. United States also joined Allied Powers in 1917.  Major players on the other side were Germany, Austria and Italy. Later on Italy, secretly defected to the other side. The war ended on 11th November, 1918 with the signing of peace agreement, prepared by Great Britain and France, by Germany.
 

World War II (1939-1945)
 

With the surrendering in World War I, Germany was forced to give up land. They were also banned from having armed forces. In 1933, Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany. He was the leader of the National Socialists or Nazis. He pledged to make the country powerful again and started building up the force. 

On 1st September, 1939 Germany invaded Poland. Hitler declined to withdraw from Poland and hence Britain and France declared war on Germany. It soon became a global war with involvement of 61 countries and 1.7 billion people. The participating nations grouped under the banners Axis Powers and Allied Powers.  Germany, Itally and Japan were the major countries in the Axis Power. Allied Power consisted of France, Britain, United States of America, Soviet Union and China. 

On 30th April, 1945 Hitler committed suicide. United States dropped the first atom bomb in Hiroshima on 6th August 1945, followed by the second one in Nagasaki on 9th August, 1945. On 15th August, 1945, Japan agreed to surrender. The war finally ended on 2nd September, 1945. 

 

The war destroyed the supremacy of Axis Powers. At the same time, it gave birth to the two super powers Soviet Union and United States of America.  
 

Let us pray that peace prevails over the world and no more wars occur.