Example research essay topic: World War Ii The Battle For Europe - 1,370 words

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The Great depression was one of the many reasons for World War II ( WWII). The Great Depression was in an economic slump in North America, Europe and other industrial parts of the world. (web) The Great Depression happened in October, 1929 when the New York Stock Market suddenly collapsed. (web -german. htm # great-dep). Although the US economy had gone through a depression six months earlier it was nothing compared to this. This was the longest and most severe slump ever to hit the industrialized world. During the next three years stock prices continued to fall and by 1932 they were 20 percent of their original value.

Although it began in the United States it quickly turned into a worldwide phenomenon. The countries that lost World War I quickly found them broke, having been forced to pay reparations, then dealing with this giant slump. Most countries became desperate and unrest began to appear. This paved the way for dictators to rise. (web).

Adolf Hitler, the leader of Germany in WWII, was a big reason for WWII. He fought in WWI and was bitterly disappointed when Germany lost. He believed Germany did not lose the war but that the German government was weak and could not handle the pressure. Hitler was a failed artist; he tried to get into Vienna Academy of Fine Arts and did not pass the two day entrance exam. After WWI, Hitler joined the German Workers Party. He was delighted to find that they shared the same political views he did.

The party was so unorganized that Hitler saw that he could be the leader. About four years later Hitler wrote a book titled Mein Kampf. Mein kampf in English means my struggle. It sold poorly largely because it was just an unorganized hard-to-follow book written by a self educated man. But Hitler was a spellbinding speaker with a powerful personality and in 1933 Hitler was elected president of Germany. The WWI peace settlement was also a big cause of WWII.

France was very annoyed because Germany wrecked their oil fields, thus crippling France for awhile. As a result, Germany was forced to pay reparations. In 1919 the estimated amount of reparations was 5. 4 billion lira, an enormous amount for that time 100, 000 German soldiers died as a result of WWI. The Treaty of Versailles said that Germany caused the war so the demands on Germany were steeper than other countries. The Treaty demanded that Germany would lose 12. 5 percent of her size, 16. 7 percent of her farmland, 12. 5 percent of her livestock and 10 percent of her factories. Germany lost 6, 000 of her people and as you can imagine most of the German people was not happy with this.

Another cause was the failure of the League of Nations. Germany was part of the League of Nations until they withdrew in 1933, the year Hitler was elected. WWI was supposed to be the war to end all wars, with the beginning of the League of Nations. The League of Nations was a group of nations that attempted to work out their problems in a peaceful manner. Hitler did not want to be in the League of Nations, he wanted to take all of Europe. Nobody stopped home just kept invading countries.

Hitler started by getting back the land that Germany lost as a result of WWI. In 1938 Hitler reclaimed the Rhineland area. Then he set his sights on Austria. Since there were a lot of Germans living in Austria, he thought that Austria should be a part of Germany. In 1937 Germany annexed Austria. The Governor at the time asked his people Are you in favor of a free and German, independent and social, Christian and united Austria?

But his only outraged Hitler and he invaded Austria. He marched his troops into Austria and was greeted by 100, 000 people cheering. He did take a vote and the polls said that 99. 75 % were in favor. Hitler continued his rampage as he prepared to take the Sudetenland. In 1939 he split Czechoslovakia with the USSR and signed a non-aggression pact with them.

With Russia on his side he could invade Poland with worries of retaliation from Stalin. Poland was the Beginning of WWII. Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Germany took Poland in three weeks. It was not that Poland had a weak military status, but that people in high command made some big mistakes. The allies gave no support what-so-ever.

Hitler later invaded France, Norway, Denmark, parts of Russia, Holland, Belgium, Yugoslavia, Greece, Crete, and parts of Northern Africa. Hitler was finally stopped in August 19, 1942 at Stalingrad. This was a big turning point in the war, because the allies would not let America send its troops in for D-Day until the eastern front was prevented for continuing. The battle of Stalingrad was fought between the invading forces of Nazi Germany and the forces of Soviet Union who were defending the city. The battle was fought from August 1942 to February of 1943. This was the decisive battle of World War II because it ended the German offensive as well as destroying much of the German armies.

Though the early stages of World War II focused on Western Europe, Hitler had diverted his attention to Russia by 1941. At first the huge German war machine focused on Leningrad and Moscow. This attack failed and so by the summer of 1942 Hitler wanted to invade southern Russia. Against the advice of his generals Hitler attacked Stalingrad. The German forces took much of the city. German armies surrounded the city and so the Russians were trapped and would remain so for several months.

When reinforcements arrived for the Soviets they surrounded the Germans and forced them to surrender. The battle of Stalingrad not only destroyed much of the German army, but also ended their offensive in Russia and ultimately resulted in Germany's defeat in the Second World War. D-Day happened on June 6, 1944 when the allied forces invaded Northern France. In six months time they made it all the way to Belgium.

In December of 1944 the forces were right on the edge of Germany when Hitler sent his secret armies that nobody knew about and pushed back the forces. As soon as the allied forces recovered from the initial shock they had the Germany's surrounded and closed in. Driving them back into Germany The final chapter in the destruction of Hitler's Third Reich began on April 16, 1945 when Stalin unleashed the brutal power of 20 armies, 6, 300 tanks and 8, 500 aircraft with the objective of crushing German resistance and capturing Berlin. By prior agreement, the Allied armies (positioned approximately 60 miles to the west) halted their advance on the city in order to give the Soviets a free hand. The depleted German forces put up a stiff defense, initially repelling the attacking Russians, but ultimately succumbing to overwhelming force. By April 24 the Soviet army surrounded the city slowly tightening its stranglehold on the remaining Nazi defenders.

Fighting street-to-street and house-to-house, Russian troops blasted their way towards Hitler's chancellery in the city's center. Inside his underground bunker Hitler lived in a world of fantasy as his "Thousand Year Reich" crumbled above him. In his final hours the Fuehrer married his long-time mistress and then joined her in suicide. The Third Reich was dead. The After effects of the war were devastating to the Russians. There was no mercy here, Stalin was angry because he just lost 20, 000, 000 people in that war right after Hitler signed that non-aggression pact.

Germany was split in two East and West Germany. East Germany belonged to the Russians and was a communist society. West Germany was a democratic society. But later this caused great trouble for Germany as nobody wanted to live in East Germany they all wanted to be a democratic society. America and the allied forces learned their lesson not to abandon and take everything from a country. And this was not repeated this time.

We learn from our mistakes and that is why we dont have a World War III happening.

Research essay sample on World War Ii The Battle For Europe