· World War I

War refers to fighting between two or more conflicting parties. A world war is a war that is
fought between many countries in different parts of the world, usually over long periods of
time.

World war I was fought between 1914 to 1918

It was fought between the Allied Forces and the Central Powers.

The Allied Forces included; Britain, France, Russia, and the USA.

The Central Powers comprised; Germany, Turkey, Bulgaria, Austria, and Hungary.

Causes of World War I

Economic rivalry due to the need to acquire raw materials and markets created tension among
European powers.

The need for colonies created friction and mistrust among European powers.

Disputes over Morocco intensified enmity between Britain and Germany and France.

The arms race led to mistrust between European powers.

The system of alliances created tension between the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente.

France wanted to revenge for her defeat which she suffered during the Franco-Prussian war.

The need by nationalities in the Balkans to be free from Turkish rule who were supported by
European powers.

The assassination of the archduke of Austria, Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo led to an outbreak of
the war.

The Course of World War I

The war followed the following course between 1914 and 1918;

The tension between Austria, Hungary, and Serbia sparked the war. Austria declared war on
Serbia on 28th July 1914.
Russia mobilized its forces in support of Serbia on 1st August 1914.

Germany declared war on Russia and France on August 3rd, 1914.

Britain declared war on Germany 4th of August 1914.

The war was fought on three major fronts; Western Front, Eastern Front, and War at Sea.

Germany attacked Western powers who including Britain and France before attacking Russia
with the support of Turkey and Bulgaria.

In 1917 U.S.A. joined the Allied forces and in the following year, the war came to an end. One
might wonder why USA had remained neutral until 1917.

Reasons why the USA Remained Isolated until 1917

The isolationist policy in international affairs, where the USA isolated herself from European
affairs as demanded by the Monroe doctrine of 1823.

The U.S.A. feared an outbreak of Civil War back home because of citizens of German descent.

The U.S.A. was benefiting from the War by selling arms to both sides.

U.S.A.'s interests had not been interfered with by the War until 1917 when the Germans sunk
U.S.A. ships in the Atlantic Ocean. Machines used at war.

The Effects of World War I

There was the loss of life and property

It led to the creation of new states for example Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Poland

Huge sums of money were used during the War which led to poverty and slowed the pace of
industrialization.

It led to the emergence of the U.S.A. as a superpower.

It led to the formation of the League of Nations.

The Nursing profession was born.

The League of Nations

The League of Nations was established in January 1920 with headquarters at Geneva in
Switzerland

It was established for different reasons as follows;

Maintain international peace and prevent another world war.

Encourage international cooperation and arbitrate conflicts between countries.

Sorting out the predicament of displaced persons after the war.

Improve the living standards of people throughout the world.

Guarantee sovereignty of world countries whether small or big.

Combating diseases and controlling drug trafficking.

Structure of the League of Nations

The League of Nations was made up of five organs;

1. The General Assembly: This was made up of representatives from all member countries
throughout the world. The members met once a year at the headquarters to deliberate issues
threatening international peace

2. The Council: This was made up of nine countries. There were five permanent and four non-
permanent members. The council met three times a year to implement decisions by the general
assembly. The permanent members were the victorious countries in World War I, i.e. Britain,
Japan, France, USA, and Italy.

3. Secretarial: This was the administrative organ or the civil service of the League of Nations.
The organ was headed by a secretary-general appointed for a renewable five-year term. The
main responsibility of the organization was the day to day running of the organization.

4. International Court of Justice: This was the principal judicial organ of the League of Nations
based at the Hague-Netherlands and made of fifteen judges from different nationalities, races,
and religions throughout the world.

5. Council of Mandated Territories: This organ was in charge of the former colonies of Germany
that were taken over by other European powers and colonized on behalf of the League of
Nations until when they could be mature enough for independence.

Performance of the League of Nations

Some of the achievements of the League of Nations included;

Establishment of the International Labour Organization (ILO) which was able to improve labor
conditions worldwide.

Combating diseases and epidemics through the International Health Organization.

Arbitration in conflicts between several countries eg Greece and Bulgaria, Sweden, and Finland
with great success.

Established the International Court of Justice that dealt with International crimes.

Helped war reconstruction in various countries such as Austria and Hungary.

Challenges of the League of Nations

Lack of finances since some members never paid their contributions.

She was not a superpower but an association of nations, so most decisions depended on the
goodwill of the members.

Never had a police force or army to enforce her decisions or resolutions.

New superpowers, USA and USSR were not members.

Veto power held by some of the members gave them more authority to make decisions on
behalf of others.

Economic sanctions which were the main weapon used by the League of Nations never worked
because many states were non-members.

World War II

World War II took place between 1939 and 1945

It involved two rival groups the Allied forces and the Axis Forces

The Allied forces were; Britain, France and the USA

The Axis forces were; Germany, Italy, and Japan

Causes of World War II

Violation of the Treaty of Versailles

A weak league of Nations

Hitler's Ambition

Economic Problems

Growth of Nationalism

Rise of Dictators eg. Benito Mussolini of Italy, Stalin of Russia

Policy of Appeasement

Formation of Alliances

Territorial violations

Arms race

The Course of World War II

The war followed the following course between 1939 and 1945;

In 1939 German invaded Poland and sparked off the war.

In the same year, Britain and France declared war on Germany.

In 1940, Germany invaded Denmark and Norway

In 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union

In 1942, the Allied troops landed in Algeria and Morocco.

In 1943, Italy declared war on Germany.

In 1944, the Allies liberated France from Germans and Belgium from central powers.

In 1945, the USA dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki which marked the end of
2nd World War.

The Atomic bomb had very devastating effects on Japan, with thousands of lives lost and many
more injured.

It is recorded that the bombs killed between 129,000 1nd 226,000 people.
This forced Japan to surrender unconditionally and bring the war to an end on 15th August
1945.

The Effects of World War II

The social effects of the war included;

Massive loss of lives.

Widespread suffering among the people and nations.

Displacement of people.

The outbreak of infectious diseases.

Change in the status of women.

Formation of European Economic Cooperation.

The economic effects of the war included;

Slow economic development.

Unemployment.

Destruction of property.

Developments in engineering.

Rise in debts.

Formation of European Economic Cooperation.

The political effects of the war included;

Partition of Germany.

The emergence of Super Powers namely the USA and USSR.

Rise of Nationalism in Asia and Africa.

Establishment of Communist Government.

Growth of Military Technology.

Formation of United Nations Organization.