Wednesday 16 November 2011

World War I ( 4 August 1914 to 11 November 1918)










World War I ( 4 August 1914 to 11 November 1918)


Franco-German rivalry proved to be the main cause of World War I.


Main powers:
Central Powers comprising Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria on one side, and


Allied Powers comprising England ,France ,Belgium ,Serbia, Russia and Italy.


How the war broke out ?


When Austria attached Serbia, after one month of Prince Ferdinand’s murder,it drew Russia towards Serbia.Germany entered the fray to support Austria because it had vested interests in Turkey and was committed to support Austria. One after the other, France ,England and other countries entered the war.


Result :
Central Power was defeated. Bulgaria, Turkey and Austria surrendered .Germany signed the Armistice Treaty on 11 November 1918 and World War I ended.
In 1919 the treaty of Versailles was signed which curbed powers of the German empire, further humiliating and weakening it.









World War II : (3 September 1939 to 14 August 1945)












World War II : (3 September 1939 to 14 August 1945)

Cause : The unjust treaty of Versailles, improper behavior of France, rise of the Nazi party in Germany, dissatisfaction of Italy with the treaty, Japan’s policy of expansion and imperialism of England and France were some of the reason for cause of World War II.

Main Powers :

Axis Powers  : also called the Central powers which included Germany, Italy and Japan.

Allied Powers: Britain,France, Russia, US, Poland and Benelux Countries.

Result:

Hitler, who was responsible for this war, was initially very successful but later met with strong resistance when he attached Russia in 1941, and was forced to retreat to Berlin. On learning that Germany has collapsed, he committed suicide on 30 April 1945 in Berlin.
Germany was divided into two parts : East Germany under Soviet Russia and West Germany under  the control of England, France and America.Soveit Russia emerged as the most powerful nation in the world.It was at this time that struggle for freedom in colonies under European control  in Asia (India, Myanmar ,Sri Lanka, Malaysia ,Egypt caught on. The British empire thus lost its leadership as more and more colonies won independence.

When japan did not agree to the demands of the allied powers to surrender , the forst atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on 5 Aug 1945 and Nagasakion 9 Aug 1945.Japan Then surrendered unconditional and World War ended.

The Russian Revolution (1917-1922)



The Czars of Russia were the most autocratic rulers of Europe. The masses were very poor. The First stage of the Russian Revolution began in February 1917 with overthrow of the Czar Nicholas II. The second stage in October of the same year led to the establishment of the world’s first communist state of the Bolsheviks under Lenin. This was perhaps the greatest revolution after the French Revolution and was not limited to Russia alone but affected almost all countries of the world. It established the ideology of Communism and led to independence of several countries.

The French Revolution (1789-1793)


The autocratic monarch, nobles and privileged classes brought the socio-economic order to a point of collapse. King Louis XVI was not only inexperienced but also weak and lacked administrative capabilities. The medieval feud society’s oppression of the serf-peasants led the country to financial bankruptcy.It was a period of French philosophers like Voltaire and Montesqueau .This class of intellectuals were inspired to change the face of social life of France . They gave a call for ‘Liberty, Equality and Fraternity’. King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were executed.The product of the French Revolution was Napolean Bonaparte who emerged as a great warrior bringing glory to France and breaking down feudalism in Europe.

American Revolution



Great Britain regulated trade in the American colonies to such a great extent that there was growing annoyance among the settlers at the controls and checks imposed upon them. There were acts of Rebillion and this hostility flared into war in 1776. A declaration of independence was announced in Philadelphia under the leadership of George Washington. The struggle ended in Victory in 1783.