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Pr

Professor Arnold

HI 108

December 6, 2022

Some scholars have made the argument that World War 1 & World War 2 were in fact

the same war. Yes, I agree with this statement because both wars had many similarities. The

murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary on June 28, 1914, was a major factor

that started World War 1. Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist committed it with the aim of

sparking a bigger conflict between Serbia and Austria-Hungary. As a result of this conflict's

rapid expansion to include other European states, World War 1 finally broke out on July 28,

1914. On June 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed in Paris, five years after Archduke

Franz Ferdinand was assassinated. The main cause of World War 2 was the establishment of the

Nazi Party in Germany and its following actions. Germany was forced to pay significant

restitution, accept full responsibility for starting the war, and reduce the strength of its military

after World War 1, which resulted in a significant amount of dissatisfaction among Germans and

set the rise for the establishment of the Nazi Party. The Nazi Party that Adolf Hitler led gained

growing support by promising to reverse the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles, reconstruct

the German economy, and the rebuild German national pride.

There are many connections and parallels between World War 1 and World War 2. Being

the first significant worldwide conflict of the 20th century, World War 1(WW1) began a series

of events that would eventually lead to the start of World War 2. The Treaty of Versailles that
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ended WW1 inflicted harsh penalty on Germany, increased the country's economic woes and

ultimately cleared the way for the rise of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. The circumstances that

led to World War II were also influenced by the League of Nations' failure to prevent the Axis

nations from increasing their aggressiveness. The Treaty of Versailles had set a framework for

the postwar world. One of the most controversial parts in the treaty that directly accused

Germany for the onset of aggression was "war guilt." The treaty compelled Germany to

demobilize concede territory, and pay the enormous sum of $31.4 billion in restitution  to the

Allied powers. As the treaty’s so called “war guilt” forced Germany and other central countries

to take the blame for being responsible in the contribution of WW1 that resulted in territory loss,

a reduction in military capability, and reparations obligations to the Allies. The signing of the

Treaty of Versailles was one of the main causes of World War 2. It contributed to the outbreak of

World War II by treating Germany severely in different ways i.e; by reducing their army,

limiting their territory, and placing all the whole blame on them. The two world wars were

officially two different events that took place over period of time, they were also interrelated

with each other. Many scholars have agrued that the acts of both wars were related and

essentially long battle. Both wars involved a large number of the same nations, and they were

both sparked by similar events.

The growth of nationalism, militarism, and imperialism was the real cause of both World

War 1 and World War 2. Nationalism, that is a sense of national pride and desire to advance the

interests of the nation. Imperialism, the strategy of expanding a country's rule over other lands.

And lastly militarism, the strategy of keeping powerful military capabilities. These were the key
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factors in the both wars. So these are the evidence that support my arguments that ww1 and

ww2 were the same war that took place over a decades.

Work cited:

“Compare and Contrast the Causes of the First World War and the Second World War -
International Baccalaureate History - Marked by Teachers.com.” Marked by Teachers,
https://www.markedbyteachers.com/international-baccalaureate/history/compare-and-
contrast-the-causes-of-the-first-world-war-and-the-second-world-war.html.

“World War I.” Google, Google,

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/topics/world-war-i/world-war-i-
history.

“World War II.” Google, Google,

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/topics/world-war-ii/world-war-ii-
history.