WEEK 10

REASONS AND RESULTS OF SECOND

WORLD WAR
 MAIN REASONS OF
WAR

We can define the main reasons of Second World War
(or World War II) as follows:
 German and Italian expansionism
 Rise of other fascist regimes and movements
 Position of USSR in the geopolitical map
 British & French efforts to maintain their supremacy
 And also global economic crisis of 1929 (Great
Depression)
 WHAT IS GREAT
DEPRESSION?

According to Encyclopedia of Britannica,
 “Great Depression is the worldwide economic
downturn that began in 1929 and lasted until about
1939. It was the longest and most severe depression
ever experienced by the industrialized Western
world, and it sparked fundamental changes in
economic institutions, macroeconomic policy, and
economic theory.”
GREAT
DEPRESSION: A
GLOBAL CRISIS
Although it originated in
the United States, the
Great Depression caused
drastic declines in output,
severe unemployment,
and acute deflation in
almost every country over
the world.
PHASES OF THE CRISIS

 The main reason of the crisis was a decline in
spending. This also led to a decline in production.
 In 1929, stock prices gradually fell and investors lost
their confidence to stock market.
 On October 24, 1929, many investors liquidated their
holdings and this led to a total collapse. That day is
called “Black Friday”.
 This paved the way for banking panic in United
States. Panic continued and even accelerated until
1933.
 GLOBAL RESULTS

 The crisis spread all over the world. Many items
were not produced and international system was
severely affected.
 Even in the most industrialized countries, one-fourth
of the labor force became unemployed and couldn’t
find a new job.
 An economic chaos was everywhere, and this
intertwined with a political chaos, which would pave
the way for totalitarian and nationalist policies.
GREAT DEPRESSION AND
WORLD WAR

 According to Eric Hobsbawm,
 “Perhaps the next war might have been avoided, or at least
postponed, if the pre-war economy had been restored
again as a global system of prosperous growth and
expansion. However, after a few years in the middle
1920’s when it seemed to have put the war and post-war
disruptions behind it, the world economy plunged into the
greatest and most dramatic crisis it had known since
industrial revolution.” (Age of Extremes, p. 35)
GREAT DEPRESSION AND
WORLD WAR

 Basically, it means that, the international system
could maybe create necessary mechanisms to
prevent another global war, but the extraordinary
situation caused by Great Depression made a new
war inevitable.
 Hobsbawm also argues that it was this crisis who
brought militarist and far-right political forces to
power, especially in Germany and Japan. And these
political forces deliberately tried to break the status
quo and create another one.
 NAZIS’ MAIN AIMS

 During 1930’s, totalitarian regimes had emerged in
Western Europe and in other parts of the world.
Especially Nazi Germany was very ambitious to expand
towards Central and Eastern Europe. His aims were:
- Reviving the German Empire and getting new territories,
- Opening new live spaces (lebensraum) for German race,
- Getting control of capital and other resources
- Eliminating the “harmful” communities, like Jews and
Gypsies throughout the continent,
- And defeating communism / eliminating Soviet Union.
GERMAN-SOVIET PACT

 An “unexpected” event in the period just before the
war, was the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact,
signed in August 24, 1939, in Moscow, promising
that these two countries wouldn’t engage in war
with the other one.
 Indeed, this was not more than a “tactical”
agreement. Hitler’s intention was to start to Europe’s
invasion from Poland and he had to neutralize the
possibility that the Soviet Union would resist the
invasion of its western neighbor.
GERMAN-SOVIET PACT

 Also Stalin gave green light to this pact because he
knew that he would sooner or later find his country
in war against Germany. So, according to many
comments, he was trying to gain time to make
preparations for the inevitable conflict.
 Another reason is that, Soviet regime couldn’t
persuade Britain & France to form an alliance against
Germany. So they believed that they could not enter
in conflict by themselves, without any cooperation
with Great Forces.
 OUTBREAK OF WAR

 Several days after this pact, the war broke out when
Germany invaded Poland on September 1st, 1939.
 Two days later, on September 3, Britain and France
declared war against Germany. World War had
started.
 MAIN SIDES OF WAR

The main sides of the World War II were:
 Axis Powers: Alliance of fascist regimes of Germany,
Italy and Japan.
 Allied Powers: Alliance of democratic regimes of
Britain, France and USA
 Soviet Union: Both alliances were against them, and
Soviet Union was against both. But after 1941, Soviet
Union and Allied Powers would join against fascist
regimes.
 ADVANCE OF
GERMANY

 Quickly advancing, Nazi Germany invaded parts of
Central and Eastern Europe, as well as Scandinavia. In
1940, Nazi Germany invaded France as well.
 In April 1941, Nazis occupied Yugoslavia and installed a
puppet regime led by Ante Pavelic. This also gave rise to
a multi-part civil war in Yugoslavia, between Serbian
nationalists, Croatian and other Nazi collaborators as well
as communist partisans led by Josip Broz Tito.
 So Nazis could get control of Balkans and finally in June
1941, German troops violated the Nonagression Pact and
they invaded Soviet territories.
CHANGING SITUATION

 Course of events would definitely change when
Soviet troops defeated Germans in Stalingrad in
1943.
 After this date, Soviets started to attack Nazi forces
and pursued them until Berlin. On their way, they
helped communist partisans.
 Also USA and Britain gradually undermined and
defeated Germany and Italy.
WAR AGAINST JAPAN

 When Japan bombed American warships in Pearl
Harbor in Pacific Ocean at the end of 1941, they
made their greatest mistake.
 Because USA entered in war and one of their main
targets would be Japan, which would be finally
defeated in 1945 using two atom bombs.
 Also China had participated to the war and played a
certain role in defeating Japan.
 END OF THE WAR

 Briefly said, at the end of war in 1945,
 Winners were USA, Britain, France, Soviet Union
and China.
 Losers were Germany, Italy and Japan.
EMERGENCE OF NEW
ORDER

 The new world order / new international system
would be based on the results of Second World War,
and the winner countries would have the leadership
position of the new order.
 This was the second time that Britain & France
emerged victorious from a world war. But two wars
had eroded these two countries both economically
and militarily.
 RISE OF USA AS MAIN
HEGEMONIC POWER

 On the other hand, USA was not as weakened as them
because USA had participated to both wars lately and it
hadn’t experienced the war on its own soils.
 So USA would quickly become the strongest country of
the world and one of the “super-powers”.
 It would also become the leader of capitalist bloc. Britain
and France would still remain as very strong countries
but they would lose their positions as main hegemonic
powers.
 NEW SOCIALIST
REGIMES

 After the Stalingrad War, Soviet troops (Red Army)
had started to attack to German forces and pursue
them until Berlin. Throughout their ways, Red Army
worked with local communist / partisan forces.
 This paved the way for creation of new socialist
regimes in Eastern and Central Europe just after (or
in some cases during) Second World War.
 NEW SOCIALIST
REGIMES

 Such regimes, led by communist parties, were
created in: Albania (1944), Bulgaria (1946),
Czechoslovakia (1948), Hungary (1949), Poland
(1945), Romania (1947) and Yugoslavia (1945).
 Also Germany would be divided in two, and in 1949,
socialist “German Democratic Republic” would be
founded in 1949.
 The capital city, Berlin, was divided in two. (Bonn
city also became capital of West Germany)
 TOWARDS «COLD
WAR»

 These socialist regimes would come under Soviet
Union’s hegemony and leadership.
 So, beginning from the end of 1940’s, Soviet Union
would become the second “super-power”.
 Period of 40 years that follow is called “Cold War”
(which will be elaborated in later sessions).
CREATION OF UNITED
NATIONS

 One of the most important issues of the post-Second
World War period is the creation of United Nations
in 1945.
 The aims of United Nations were defined as follows:
Preventing new wars, promoting mutual
cooperation between nations and creating an
international law that would be binding for all
members.
 STEPS OF UN’S
FOUNDATION

 It is the result of “United Nations Conference on
International Organization”, convened in San
Francisco, USA, and opened on April 25, 1945.
 Representatives of 50 governments had participated
to this conference. Following the ratification of its
charter, UN is officially founded on October 24, 1945.
 Poland signed this charter 9 days before the official
declaration. So UN had 51 founding members.
 STEPS OF UN’S
FOUNDATION

 United Nations was also holding Germany and
Japan responsible from the Second World War and
only the countries that engaged in war with them
could participate to San Francisco Conference.
 So many countries – including Turkey – technically
declared war against Germany and Japan in 1945,
only to participate to that conference and become
member of UN.
 MAIN AIMS IN THE
CHARTER

In the Preamble to the United Nations Charter, main aims of
the organization were defined as follows:
 to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,
which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to
mankind,
 to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the
dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal
rights of men and women and of nations large and small,
 to establish conditions under which justice and respect for
the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of
international law can be maintained,
 to promote social progress and better standards of life in
larger freedom.
 STRUCTURE OF UN:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY

 The main organ of United Nations is the General
Assembly. Each member country participates to
Assembly through their representatives. Decisions are
generally taken by simple majority (1/2 + 1), but some
important decisions are taken by qualified majority
(2/3).
 On the other hand, except decisions about budget,
General Assembly’s decisions are not binding. Simply
said, these “decisions” are only “recommendations”.
Real important and binding decisions are taken in the
upper organ, which is the Security Council.
 STRUCTURE OF UN:
SECURITY COUNCIL

 United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has 5
permanent and 10 non-permanent members.
 Permanent members are USA, Britain, France, Soviet
Union (after 1991: Russia) and China.
 Non-permanent members are elected by General
Assembly for two years.
VETO POWER IN UNSC

 The permanent members have veto power. And if
any of them vetoes a decision, it cannot be adopted
even if all the other permanent and non-permanent
members vote for that decision.
 If UNSC takes a decision without any veto, all the
members are obliged to obey to this decision.
Otherwise, it’s accepted as violation of international
law and this may lead to sanctions against that
country.
 STRUCTURE OF UN:
SECRETARY-GENERAL

 UN has also a Secretary-General, which functions as a
“spokesman”.
 Most frequently, people from diplomatic background
are elected for this position, because Secretary-General is
supposed to take moderate, diplomatic and problem-
solving position in many controversial situations.
 SPECIAL AGENCIES

 UN also works for economic, social and humanitarian
issues and it has special agencies like “Food and
Agricultural Organization” (FAO), “International Labor
Organization” (ILO) “United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization” (UNESCO), World
Health Organization (WHO).
 In 1940’s, UN had 9 such agencies, whereas today total
number is 17.