Why This War http://www.whythiswar.com Just another WordPress site Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:15:44 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 World War II http://www.whythiswar.com/world-war-ii.html http://www.whythiswar.com/world-war-ii.html#comments Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:02:23 +0000 admin http://www.whythiswar.com/?p=20 World War II, or the Second World War (often abbreviated as WWII or WW2), was a global conflict that was underway by 1939 and ended in 1945. It involved most of the world’s nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. It was the most widespread war in history, with more than 100 million people serving in military units. In a state of “total war”, the major participants placed their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities at the service of the war effort, erasing the distinction between civilian and military resources. Marked by significant events involving the mass death of civilians, including the Holocaust and the only use of nuclear weapons in warfare, it resulted in 50 million to over 70 million fatalities. These deaths make the war the deadliest conflict in human history.

]]> http://www.whythiswar.com/world-war-ii.html/feed/ 0 World War I http://www.whythiswar.com/world-war-i.html http://www.whythiswar.com/world-war-i.html#comments Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:52:55 +0000 admin http://www.whythiswar.com/?p=15 World War I (WWI), which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918.

It involved all the world’s great powers, which were assembled in two opposing alliances: the Allies (based on the Triple Entente of the United Kingdom, France and Russia) and the Central Powers (originally centred around the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy; but, as Austria–Hungary had taken the offensive against the agreement, Italy did not enter into the war).

These alliances both reorganised (Italy fought for the Allies), and expanded as more nations entered the war. Ultimately more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilised in one of the largest wars in history.

More than 9 million combatants were killed, largely because of great technological advances in firepower without corresponding advances in mobility. It was the sixth deadliest conflict in world history, subsequently paving the way for various political changes such as revolutions in the nations involved.

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