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ICSE Notes 2017 : History and Civics (Isha Home School, Coimbatore)

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Arun Kumar
Isha Home School (IHS), Coimbatore

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The Second World War Began on 3 September 1919. Causes of the Second World War 1. Discontentment due to the Treaty of Versailles The terms of the treaty were very unkind to Germany. It was forced to sign the treaty under the threat of invasion. Hitler the Nazi leader, used their humiliation and misery to gain popular support and pledged to avenge the wrong done to Germany. In 1935, Hitler denounced the Treaty of Versailles. He adopted a massive programme of militarization and war. Mussolini had come to power in Italy and established a dictatorship. By 1937, Italy had joined hands with Germany and Japan to fulfil its ambitions. 2. Rise of Fascism and Nazism Both the governments glorified war and started programmes of militarization. They terrorized people or gave them employment in the army or arms industry. 3. Emergence of Japan as an Imperial Power In Asia, Japan was the first power to become industrialized and begin a policy of expansion. 1902 Japan and Britain signed the Anglo-Japanese treaty 1904-05 Japan defeated Russia in a military battle, proving its strength. 1910 Japan occupied Korea. 1931 Japan had a fascist military regime. It attacked China and occupied large areas of the country. 1937 Signed treaties with Italy and Germany, forming the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis which led to the emergence of Axis Powers. 4. Fear of Communism Rise of the Soviet Union as a powerful nation and the success of communism was a cause of worry and apprehension for both Western Capitalist Powers and Fascist Powers. Western powers worried that with communist ideology, peasants and workers might organize socialist revolutions. Fascists considered communists as their enemies. 1935 Comintern (Communist International) brought the communist countries together. 1937 Germany, Italy and Japan signed the Anti-Comintern Pact 5. Policy of Appeasement and Non-Intervention Western powers allowed Germany and Italy to continue with their acts of aggression. They used fascist powers against the Soviet Union. A strong fascist bloc in the central part of Europe would act as a protection against the spread of communism to western Europe. Example of appeasement Indifference shown by Western powers during the Spanish Civil War. It is often called a dress rehearsal of the Second World War because during Civil War, Spain was used as a testing ground for the dangerous weapons and armaments being produced by Germany and Italy. 6. Munich Pact (1938) Germany wanted to annex Sudetenland (northern part of Czechoslovakia). It had a large German population and was an important industrial region. Assured of help by British and French, Hitler held a meeting at Munich on 29 and 30 Sept 1938. By signing the agreement, Germany got a free hand to occupy Sudetenland. Without warning in Mar 1939, German troops seized the whole of Czechoslovakia. 7. Fascist Aggression Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931. When league of nations protested this unprovoked attack, Japan left the league and invaded rest of China in 1937. 1935 Mussolini attacked Abyssinia (Ethiopia). 1936 it was conquered. 1938 Germany attacked Austria and annexed it. 8. Failure of the League of Nations It was able to solve minor disputes but was a total failure where major powers like Britain and France were involved. Failed when Japan invaded China, Italy invaded Abyssinia and Germany invaded Czechoslovakia. It had no effective means to impose sanctions or take military action. It could not take any steps against the policy of appeasement adopted by the major powers. Its inability to take effective action encouraged the aggressors to continue with their designs. 9. The Polish Question and Beginning of Second World War 1938 Germany demanded the city of Danzig (in Poland). It had considerable German population and provided a corridor through Poland connecting Prussia with the rest of Germany. Poland was accused of committing atrocities against the Germans living there. Britain and France were apprehensive at the rapid growth of Germany. So, they declared their support to Poland. Britain and France could not come to support Poland directly. So the only alternative was to form an alliance with Soviet Union which shared a long frontier with Poland. 1939 Soviets and Germans signed the Mutual Non-Aggression Pact. They promised not to attack one another. Secretly, they agreed between themselves to invade and occupy Poland, each taking half the country. Soviet was to get back the Balkan states Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania (they gained independence after first world war) On 1 Sept 1939, Germany attacked Poland. But two days later, on 3 Sept, Britain and France declared war on Germany. The Second World War had begun. Course of the War Blitzkrieg or Lightning war - Germany s assaults in the war involved powerful thrusts by columns of tanks and other armoured vehicles, followed by linking movements of the infantry which surrounded enemy forces. The whole operation was supported by air cover. Aerial Bombing also played an important part in the warfare. Large aircrafts carrying several tonnes of bombs smashed factories, transportation links and air bases. End of the War Sicily was occupied by Allied powers. Mussolini was arrested and shot by some Italian antifascists while attempting to escape to Switzerland. Germany was thrown out of Italy by the Allied forces. 6th June 1944 100,000 British and American troops landed on the coast of Normandy in France. End of April 1945, Soviet army entered Berlin and Hitler committed suicide. 7th May 1945 German Army surrendered. The end of the hostilities became effective from 12 a.m. on 9 May 1945, bringing an end to war in Europe. War in Asia continued for another 3 months. 6th Aug and 9th Aug 1945 Atom bomb dropped by the US on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Meanwhile the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and drove the Japanese forces out of Manchuria and Korea. 14 Aug 1945 Japan accepted the Allied powers demand of surrender, which became effective on 2nd Sept 1945. With Japanese surrender, the Second world War formally came to an end. Consequences Death and Destruction Over 20 million soldiers and 28 million civilians were killed in the war. Total cost US $ 1.3 trillion Formation of the United Nations Britain and the United States signed the Atlantic Charter by which they declared that they would not seek any territory in future. 24 Oct 1945 UNO came into being. Its main aim was to prevent future wars, promote international cooperation and settle international disputes peacefully. Effects of the War on Defeated Countries Germany After the war, the heads of the governments of Britain, France, the USA and the Soviet Union met at a conference at Potsdam near Berlin from 17 July to 2 Aug 1945, where the following measures where finalized: Nazism was discredited and the Nazi Party was banned. Germany was partitioned into four zones, one zone each under the control of Britain, France, the USA and the Soviet Union Germany was disarmed. The negotiations to set up an international tribunal at Nuremberg to try war criminals. The border between Poland and Germany was finalized. In 1948, Britain, France and US - merged their three zones under Federal Republic of Germany. In 1949 East Germany under Soviet control formed the German Democratic Republic Italy Communist parties gained popularity. Monarchy was abolished in 1946 and a republic was set up. Italy was deprived of all its colonies and had to pay a heavy indemnity. Japan Atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japanese emperor lost his power and prestige. Japan was brought under the control and supervision of the American General MacArthur. By 1949, a limited monarchy had been established and American control was removed. Britain and France They no longer enjoyed the hegemony that they had over other countries. In Britain, Clement Attlee became the new prime minister in place of Winston Churchill. New government was compelled to grant independence to most of its colonies including India. Emergence of the USA and the USSR as Superpowers - - US was the only country, which though involved in the war, was not physically and economically affected by it. The post-war period in the US was one of unprecedented economic prosperity. It built up huge armaments and was the only country till 1949 to possess an atom bomb. Soviet Union lost 20 million people in the war. Its power and prestige increased because of the remarkable role of their leader Stalin. Many countries of Eastern Europe such as Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia had liberated with Soviet help. So communist governments were set up. The Cold War Britain, France, the United States and the Soviet Union fought together in the Second World War against Germany. After war, tension began to emerge between the United States and the Western European countries on one side and the Soviet Union and the Eastern European countries on the other. Though there was no actual war, the relations between the two groups began to deteriorate, leading to conflicts. This is referred to as cold war. Reasons for Cold War 1. Western Countries fear of communism. So, US provided aid to other countries in the hope of stopping the spread of communism. 2. Soviet Union and the east European countries believed that Western style democracy did not give true equality to the poor and secured the rights of the rich. 3. Military alliances by US NATO, SEATO and CENTO and Soviet Union Warsaw Pact

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