World War Two Essay

Between 1939 and 1945, the Second World War raged, and it was a pivotal period in human history. The conflict ended European colonialism and brought about changes in the technological field. The superpowers of the globe and other countries with competing interests fought in the conflict. The United States of America, the Soviet Union, Britain, Germany, Japan, and Italy were the major combatants. The USA and the USSR emerged as the two superpowers by the conclusion of the war, only to spark the cold war. This essay will give a comparison and differences in the ideas of three authors; Len Deighton, “Fighter: the True Story of the Battle of Britain”, Max Hastings’ ”Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945”, and Dwight Eisenhower’s ”Crusade in Europe” It will further discuss the lessons learnt and the value they have in the study of history.

Comparison

The three authors have taken an interest in highlighting the detrimental effects of the war concerning the casualties and the number of death. The authors have categorically stated that the Second World War was the most destructive global war of the 20th-century history. The deaths caused by the war can total up to fifty million civilians and service personnel especially the military officers. Countries like the USSR, Germany, China, and Japan are ranked highest in the number of casualties. Counties fought with the zeal of winning the war and becoming the superpower; there was no surrender. This led to the loss of lives and destruction of property. Businesses collapsed, and the economy of the participants was significantly affected. Many countries took long to recover after the war. This is because they lost a lot of manpower and technological inputs that are detrimental to the stability of the economy of any country. The three authors have tried to explain the adverse effects of the war how the countries suffered economically. This led to a tough postwar period where the countries were trying to recover the loss they had suffered.

Moreover, the three authors have explained the social changes that resulted after the war. To begin with, the fight brought an end to the European colonialism. The whites had colonized many nations before the war; however, the war weakened the colonial masters, and they grew weary politically, socially, and economically. The Europeans had to withdraw their powers from Africa and Asia peacefully and sometimes guerrilla war had to be used. Many countries rebelled against the colonial powers because they had suffered a lot during the war. There were uprisings calls for independence and land reforms that gave a hint that the communists would take over the global economy especially the Eastern Europe. The civil rights movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King Junior sanctioned the end of segregation and discrimination in employment. The women went for jobs such as welding and other jobs that were thought to be jobs set aside for men. This is because the people were actively participating in the war. After the war had been ended, men returned to their jobs forcing the women to handle their traditional jobs. This marked a period of great civil rights movements against gender discrimination in the job places.

Besides, the three authors have highlighted the power of the involvement of powerful firearms in the Second World War. Every participant of the war employed skilled military personnel with armaments in an attempt to win the war. For instance, Max Hastings discusses how the Nazi Germany developed rockets and launched explosive missiles against their opponents, the Britain. The war ended with an intercontinental ballistic firearm that carried the world to a space race in which every continent was competing on the production of weapons of war. It is also notable that, nuclear power technology developed and it became part of the every day’s life. This also changed the social aspects of the people as there was an emergence of improved solar and sonar microwave ovens with expansion in the chemical industries.

Also, the three authors mentions and explains the personal and political machination that fueled the war. They account for the cause of the war as technical decisions from the most important political leaders of the countries. For example, the Nazi Germany led by Adolf Hitler wanted to fight and take the supremacy from the Britain. Many of the leaders were anti-communalist and they wanted to overthrow the capitalists across the world. Also these political leaders had the doctrine of expansionism. They wanted to expand their territories and their economic influence. The authors have argued that the Second World War was a continuation of the First World War, and thus many countries had suffered economically. The countries had laid down strategies to revive their fallen economy and this might have precipitated the start of the war. It is evident that for any country to expand its boundaries, military aggression must be involved. For instance, Max Hastings and D. Dwight states that the Italians sought to create the New Roman Empire around the Mediterranean thus it invaded the Albania, Greece, and Ethiopia. Also, the Nazi Germany wanted to expand its territories in order to restore the Greater Germany. This led to a great revolution and resistance from the countries whose boundaries were touched, and this was a primary cause of the war. It is evident that the three writers have a common idea that the war was caused by personal and political interests of the leaders.

Furthermore, the authors hold a common idea that the Second World War was a result of these countries desiring autonomy of the airspace. Every political leader was convinced that they needed to have the best technical inputs so as to be able to control and monitor other countries who might invade them through space. They used specialized aircrafts to survey the area and carry out attacks that were controlled using particular devices. Max Hastings states that Hitler was convinced that the Nazi Germany would rule the airspace before the Britain would know about it. Also, the authors have discussed that it was not just a British victory as the air war men were not only from Britain. Many people from the Nazi Germany and volunteer made their way to England to join the space war. These men fought with relentless commitment and dedication, and they managed to shoot more than one hundred and seventy aircrafts from their enemies. It was only the Germany who put the rocket aircrafts into space. However, their victories were counteracted by the Japanese who struggled to be at the same pace with the technology from the United States and the Britain. It was only through the development of the space technology to plan attacks that would make the country attack its enemies.

Besides, the authors present the strategies the states used during the war. The three authors discuss the use of campaigns and motorized force of air power that was used to break through the enemies’ boundaries. These spacecrafts were operated by specialized pilots who were trained on handling missiles and weapons of war. They also discuss the military force used to invade other countries. The military strength and the political leadership would determine which state wins and takes up the super power. They made sure that they elect competent commanders who would lead them to victory. Again, the participants had to join hands with other countries to form strong base attacks. For instance, there were only two groups of political powers, the capitalists and the communists. Each wanted to gain power and control over the global economy. Despite, the two forces having robust and powerful control regarding the military personnel and the technological development, the United States of America emerged as the superpower after the end of the war.

Contrast

Despite the three authors having common ideas regarding the Second World War, they also seem to differ in ideologies because of the different time of history they wrote their pieces of work. For example, Len Deighton, the writer of the ”The True Story of the Battle of Britain” explains how the Britain participated in the war as well as explains the involvement of the Germans too (Deighton 90). His book is an aftermath of Fighter that was written mostly from the German point of view by his friend. Len Deighton shows the human factor that affected the twist of the war between Germany and Britain. He describes the political and technical aspects that affected the two countries. For him, it is not about the machinery or strategy, but rather, the person behind this strategy. He talks about the foreign pilots and how they were involved in the war. He tells that these foreign fighters were motivated by hatred and fought mercilessly without despair. Also, the author covers some of the errors that were made by Britain and Germany that can be analyzed by considering their technical and strategic decisions. In an era of the firm belief of British efficiency, Deighton destroys this false mirage. According to him, the British won because they made fewer mistakes as compared to the German army. Deighton further portrays the chief air Marshall, Hugh Dowding as the hero in his book. He is described as a person who viewed and reacted to the situation of the British battle accurately. Hugh’s strategy is the only thing that led to the failure of the Germans in the war against Britain. However, the author argues that the Marshall was dismissed by the Whitehall bureaucracy shortly after the British’s victory (Deighton 187). It was really after a great battle that the Britain won. He also focused on how technology played a role in the war that made the British survive against the Germans (Deighton 2017).

On the other hand, considering Max Hastings, the author of ”Inferno: The World at War 1939-1945” He presents a monumental work that outlines the global history of the Second World War and its social and economic effect (Hastings 2). He spent a lot of years researching and writing different aspects of war. He highlights on the conflict that resulted in the outbreak of the misunderstandings. He gave a detailed story about the soldiers of the war, the sailors, and the airmen. Hastings provides an intimate portrait of the First World War. He elaborates the role played by the indigenous people, namely the Indians and their wives. Hastings’ account is considered by far the most honest account of the World War two events. His book is extremely authoritative and states that which the other authors have merely been glossing over. He explains about how the families suffered the death of their loved ones and the loss of property. He gives an approximate of about sixty millions soldiers who lost their lives during the war. Averagely, twenty-seven thousand military officers would die every day. Hastings has explained much about the Japanese suicide soldiers. The author of Inferno has outlined the major developments that came with the war. For example, he has talked about Adolf Hitler, the leader of Nazi Germany refusal to surrender to the Soviet Union until it was too late yet the war had caused a lot of effects to his state. Another example is with Stalin; he used his greater population to bring down the Germany armies ruthlessly. Again, he has used Roosevelt ability before and after the Americans joined the war. He puts these three developments in the human context to help his readers understand the organization and the key players of the war (Hastings 350). Again he wants to make the readers understand the role of the political leaders in the progression of the World War and how they were significant factors in the commanding of the fight.

Furthermore, Hastings he gives light concerning the less explored aspects of the war. For example the conflict between the Finland state and the Soviet Union is much elaborated (Hastings 400). He gives an account in which the Finns resisted Stalin and also elaborates on the 1943 and 1944 famine that claimed about one million people. This was truly an inferno as it turned out to be what the Nehru called the final rule of the British state in India. The Inferno gives a detailed explanation on how the ordinary citizens suffered during the Second World War (Hastings 413). The author focuses on the first person experience by considering the testimony of the eyewitnesses. Unlike other authors such as Deighton who has emphasized on providing statistics as evidence to his work, Hastings aims at restoring the mind of the readers to have an experience of how the personal lives of those who were involved and affected by the war especially the soldiers (Hastings 437). He brings painful feelings to the minds of his audience as he gives accounts based on personal experiences. He does not dwell much on statistics. The book Inferno is a panorama that connects the entire world but keeps the details of what was happening in sharp focus (Hastings 450). Unlike Deighton who has only wrote about Britain and Dwight about Europe. Hastings is all round with diverse ideas about the war at global perspective. The author of Inferno presents disastrous scenes in the global history without considering what happened in margins of some countries. However, these events were marginal for those who experienced them. For instance, it is indeed shocking to know and read about what people went through during the brutal struggle for Greece and the tropical fighting in the New Guinea. However, Hastings brings these episodes in Inferno as little horrifying worlds in and of themselves. It is evident that Hastings is diverse in his presentation of ideas about the war as he handles them from a global perspective. His approach to the work gives the readers and the historians of the past and the present time an understanding of how the war was terrible from a personal and the global point of view (Hastings 505).

Besides, D. Dwight wrote the Crusade in Europe, and he tells a complete history of the war as Eisenhower planned it. He gives a full account and story of the scope, drama, strategies, battles, movements, and the fateful decisions that came up with the war. He illuminates these issues in their dreadful glory. He associates the above aspects with a rich and warm human connection (Dwight 2). He recalls how people worked for long, waited, and planned for the Europe’s victory and success. He explains his first hours of fear after he had issued orders for attacks and that there was no retreat and turning back. This leaves the readers with no doubt that Eisenhower was a great leader and a supreme commander of the forces during the war (Dwight 4). The author writes about the role of the Unite States in Europe during the Second World War. The Americans supplied weapons of war to the Europeans in order to help them win against the Soviet Union.

Dwight also offers valuable insights by providing an analysis of some of the special duties and problems that were associated with the war. Examples of these problems include logistics difficulties and the emotional discomfort of sending men into war. The people who participated in the war were deeply affected by the war and so were their families (Dwight 5). It is also evident that, Dwight does not only focus on Europe alone, but also looks at the conflict in Pacific and the detrimental effects it had on the armies. He employs a style that critically explains his personal observations and knowledge concerning the formulation of the strategies and plans of the European’s war. He gives a detailed explanation of the policies Europe had to overthrow and destroy the Nazi Germany (Dwight 5). Dwight gives attention to activities such as the invasion of Africa as well as the Africans’ campaigns to address issues of the war. Crusade in Europe also focuses on the aftermath of the war such as the deterioration and the fall of the global economy. It also gives a warning about the consequences of remaining allied to the Soviets. The author of the books presents his ideas sequentially by providing an overview of the early years of the war before the Americans joined the fight and the reasons why they joined hands to resist Adolf Hitler (Dwight 6). The author explains that when the war started Americans had weak military officers and backup. However, he further explains that as the years moved on, the Americans armies were strengthened and at the end they were regarded as the best fighting force in the world. The author is unique in giving the readers insights concerning the war in Europe.

Lesson Learnt and Value.

The lesson from this essay is that history is a crucial part of understanding the world one lives in. it is only through the reading and understanding of the main historical events as recorded by different historians that one can be able to understand some occurrences such as the World War. It is also crucial for a learner and a reader to read and integrate knowledge from different sources so as to be able to compare and contrast the ideas of the authors. The pulling together of the different ideas and opinions gives a rich history that can be preserved for the future generations. The value it has on the reader especially a student who wants to learn history is that it gives greater insights and understanding of historical events. It can also help them in writing history and also in teaching because they have a broad range of references.

History has often been written by those who won the war, rather than those who won the battle. In most cases, the losers ended up being blotted completely. It is necessary to study history from an objective perspective. The three authors gave what they perceived to be an honest account of events, though it is clear that some details were left out.

Conclusion

The Second World War was a significant period in the global history. It marked a shift of power across the globe and saw the formation of new alliances that were intended to keep another war out of the world. Many authors have written on the period and the major happenings of the time. Some of them share same ideas while others have presented different views which are both fundamental in strengthening the war history and helping learners to understand history. It has also helped readers to have opinions as they read the historians work. This makes history to be accepted globally as a way of preserving major events and occurrences in the world.

Works Cited

Deighton, Len. Fighter: The True Story of the Battle of Britain. New York: Random House, 2008.

Dwight, D. Eisenhower, Crusade in Europe. Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Co 157, 1948.

Hastings, Max. The World at War, 1939-1945. New York: Vintage, 2011.