WW-II & its Impact on the Global Order

Why in News?

In a historic move, the UK and Germany signed their first bilateral treaty since the World War II, pledging “mutual assistance” in case of attack remind us the WW-II, in which both states was opposite side.

How WW-I paved way for WW-II?

• Failures of Treaty of Versailles – In 1919 peace agreement, the resentment felt by Germany about unjust conditions imposed upon it gave rise to the WW-II.
• Political factors – After the WW-I, the liberal Weimar Republic replaced the Wilhelmine monarchy in Germany.
• It paved the way for the rise of a politician like Adolf Hitler in Germany.
• Economic factors – The Germany experienced hyper-inflation as it struggled to pay the war reparations that were imposed by the Treaty.
• These provisions  include payment of war reparations to the victorious Allies.
• US president’s lofty idealism – The right to national self-determination faced harsh realities in post-WW Europe.
• US Senate had rejected the Treaty of Versailles due to the unfair treatment eventually.

What are the factors that built up to WWII?

• Economic causes – The Great Wall Street Crash of October 1929 was one of the world’s first truly economic crisis adversely affected world especially Europe.

• Policy of appeasement – This policy relates to the British Prime Minister, reflects Great Britain's approach to the increasing demands of Germany that unfolded at the Munich Conference of 1938.
  • British PM believed that the policy of appeasement was the best way to avoid war and to buy time for Britain to prepare militarily.
• Unstable nature of the Weimar Republic – The Weimar Republic came to an end in 1933 when the Nazi party secured dominance in the German parliament, the Reichstag.
• Hitler was appointed as Chancellor.
• Violation of treaty – Hitler decided to remilitarise the Rhineland.
• Merger of states – Hitler’s Nazi Germany and Benito Mussolini’s Italy came together and backed General Francisco Franco’s fascist assault against the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War.
• Germany aggression - In 1938, Hitler signed the pact with Austria that resulted in the merger of Austria with Germany, this further consolidated his position.
• Hitler kept making the case for the Sudeten Germans in Czechoslovakia, using their minority status to persuade France and Britain that the Sudetenland must be ceded to Germany.
• This was followed the next year in 1939 by Germany’s invasion and occupation of the rest of Czechoslovakia.

What is the course of war?  

• Air power and the Blitz – Germany’s Luftwaffe inflicting severe bombings on London and other cities, leading to widespread destruction.
• Germany’s Blitzkrieg tactics –combined rapid aerial assaults and ground attacks, enabling swift conquests across Europe by spring 1941.
• Formation of alliances – The Allies, including Britain, France, the US, and the Soviet Union, opposed the Axis powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan.
• Entry of USA – Following the Pearl Harbor attack in December 1941, the US joined the war, bolstering the Allies with military resources.
• Downfall of Germany – Germany suffered key defeats at Stalingrad and El Alamein, halting their advances.
• Operation Overlord on June 6, 1944, marked the start of liberating Western Europe as Allies landed in Normandy(France).
• By May 1945, Germany fell as Allied forces advanced, with atomic bombings in August 1945 concluding the Pacific conflict.

How the WW -II reshaped the global order?

• Post-war order – The defeat of the Axis powers established a new global structure dominated by the United States. 
• New order – This was characterized by the development of an international rules-based framework governing relations.
• Landmark proceedings such as the Nuremberg and Tokyo trials introduced critical legal concepts like war crimes and crimes against humanity.
• Genocide convention – The atrocities of the Holocaust led to the adoption of the Genocide Convention by the UN General Assembly in 1948, reinforcing the commitment to prevent such crimes.

What lies ahead?

• It strengthens European security by including military assistance in case of armed attacks, thereby reinforcing NATO's collective security framework and addressing shared threats like Russian aggression.
• It enhances bilateral cooperation beyond defense in economy, migration control, and technology.
• Showcasing a precedent for deeper strategic partnerships in Europe amid evolving geopolitical landscapes and potentially balancing reduced US engagement in the region.

Reference

The Indian Express| WWII & Its Impact on the Global Order