12/2/14 9:23 PM

David Aldridge
History 1700-400-F14
Jesse Feveryear
12/1/2014
War War War

From the battles in Europe and North Africa to the battles in the Pacific and Asia, World
War II encompassed a majority of the Northern Hemisphere. With such a large part of the world
embroiled in war, it is no surprise that this war had such an impact on shaping the world post
World War II.
Most people think of World War II being in Europe with Nazi Germany. However there
was also the War in the Pacific between the United States and Britain and Japan. World War II
was set into motion in 1931 when Japan invaded Manchuria (present day Northeast China),
although many consider World War II to be initiated September 1, 1939 when Germany invaded
Poland. Regardless of the date, there are lessons that we can learn from the way WWII started
and ended. It was widely regarded in the United States that what was happening around the
world with the Empire of Japan and in Europe was not the problem of the United States. The
United States and Britain continued to skirt involving themselves in the atrocities that Nazi
Germany was carrying out. Only after Germany invaded Poland did Britain declare war on
Germany in response to their agreement to protect the Polish borders. When Japan attacked

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Pearl Harbor, the United States responded by declaring war on Japan. Refusing to engage in the
conflict earlier than they did allowed the Nazi party and Japanese Empire to gain strength and
caused countless lives to be lost.
The lesson that not only the United States but also the entire world should have learned
from WWII is that failure to respond appropriately and timely causes greater harm. It is hard to
remember that lesson when we are faced with the prospect of another war. After fighting two
wars for the better part of a decade, the prospect of another war is hard to swallow. Keeping in
mind the level or crimes and lives lost by turning a blind eye to the Nazis during the late 1930s,
how can we continue to let similar acts go uncheck around the world, such as we are seeing in
the Middle East and Africa.