As in World War I, the opposing armies of World War II were made up of two groups of nations. The Axis Powers included Germany, Italy and Japan. The Allied Powers included Great Britain and other members of the Commonwealth of Nations, the United States, the Soviet Union, France and China.

The areas of major fighting were in Europe, northern Africa, Asia, and in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. Battles took place on land, sea, and in the air with a power and destructiveness never before experienced in history. Nuclear bombs were developed and used for the first time, as were high-altitude, supersonic rocket missiles and jet planes – bringing the world into the Atomic Age.

Germany was required to pay about 33 billion dollars to the Allied Powers. Germany was to be completely disarmed and was not allowed to produce or import any military equipment. Parts of Germany were to be occupied by Allied forces, while other parts were to be ceded to Allied countries or to the League of Nations. All of Germany’s overseas territories were to be given over to the Allied Powers.

The Treaty of Versailles was ratified by all the nations that signed it, expect the United States. The Senate would not approve U.S. membership in the League of Nations, so the United States concluded a separate treaty with Germany in 1921.

The German people did not expect such harsh treatment, and their anger against the Allies grew over the years. The severe terms of the Versailles treaty were partly responsible for the terrible economic and political conditions in Germany during the 1920s and 1930s. Money and goods were scarce, and the German people were unable to get jobs. These circumstances and the smoldering anger against the Allies created the conditions in which Adolf Hitler rose to power and which led to World War II.

In 1918, the world’s political leaders had the job of trying to build a lasting peace out of the ruins of war. Representatives from nations involved in the war met at the Paris Peace Conference to decide the conditions of peace with Germany. The principal negotiators were President Woodrow Wilson of the United States, Prime Minister David Lloyd George of Great Britain, Premier Georges Clemenceau of France, and Premier Vittorio Orlando of Italy.

Germany, however, was barred from the conference and had no voice in forming the peace plans. The result of the negotiations was the Treaty of Versailles, which was signed on June 28, 1919, at the Palace of Versailles, located just outside the city of Paris, France.

In 1915, the Germans brought out a “secret weapon” – poison gas – which was then used by both sides throughout the war. Gas masks became standard military equipment. In 1916, the British introduced their own “secret weapon” – the tank. Tanks were a new military invention. They were called “land battleships.”

Although tanks were the weapons that eventually ended the trench deadlock, the ones used in 1916 bogged down in the mud and stopped because of mechanical defects. In spite of this, they were frightening to see, and German soldiers fled in panic.

In 1916, the German high command decided to try wearing down French forces at the town of Verdun. The Germans planned to break the French line by applying a slow, long-term, steady pressure on Verdun. This would eat away French military strength as more and more French troops, sent to defend Verdun, were killed by German artillery fire.

The first German attack on Verdun came on February 21, 1916. The Verdun garrison was under siege for almost six months. Aircraft played an important part in keeping the Germans from taking Verdun. The Germans had superior air power at the start. But by April, the French had gained control of the skies over Verdun.

On June 4, Russia made an overwhelming surprise attack against Austria-Hungary, taking around 12,000 square miles of territory. The siege of Verdun was suspended, and German troops were sent to the eastern front to fight the Russians. Attacks on Verdun were resumed on June 22, but the Germans made no progress. Two powerful French attacks pushed the Germans back, and the deadlock continued.

The Germans tried another maneuver. They struck northward toward the English Channel to cut off the flow of supplies coming from England. The Belgians had other ideas. They opened the dikes (walls along waterways, built to prevent floods), flooded the battlefield, drowned many Germans, and stopped the attack.

By the winter of 1914-15, the Schlieffen Plan had obviously failed. The Germans had lost their attempt to crush France quickly. Germany had misjudged the strength of the French and British forces. The war was deadlocked. Two lines of opposing trenches were dug that stretched across about 600 miles of France from Belgium to Switzerland. Between the trench lines was an area called “No Man’s Land.”

On the eastern front, Russian forces attacked Prussia and were beaten back. But a Russian force in the south soundly defeated Austro-Hungarian forces. These Russian attacks forced Germany to defend its eastern borders, which relieved some of the pressure on France in the west.

British and German battle fleets confronted each other in the North Sea. German ships retreated, and Britain tightened a sea blockade on Germany that lasted throughout the war. Germany’s only superior vessels were its submarines.

Germany and France could complete their mobilizations in about two days. Italy and Austria-Hungary took four or five days. Russia took about 15 days. Each country had a separate war plan for every possible enemy. If one nation began mobilization, all others mobilized, too.

The second basic cause of the war was a gradual breakdown of agreements among the European nations and a breakdown in the balance of power among them. This was due to a lack of strong political leadership in Russia, Germany and Austria-Hungary. The governments of these nations were being run by incompetent civilian ministers. Nations could no longer depend on each other and so became suspicious of each other. New alliances were made. France and Russia in particular pledged to help each other in case of war with Germany.

Although the Treaty of Versailles was meant to prevent Europe from entering any future warfare, it was instead used by the Allied Powers of France and Britain to take revenge upon Germany. The Allied Powers spread propaganda against the Germans excessively during wartime. Germans were portrayed as complete monsters, rapists, barbarians, etc. It was no surprise that Britain and France of the Allies wanted revenge against Germany, who was pinned the blame of the thirty-five million lives lost throughout the war, more than half which were civilian deaths. Ferdinand Foch, a prestigious French Commander during the First World War, said “This is not peace. It is an armistice for thirty years,” after he analyzed the Treaty of Versailles (Foch’s prediction was almost perfect, as the WWII occurred about twenty years and almost a month after the Treaty of Versailles). George Clemenceau and David Lloyd George, the French Primer and British Prime Minister, respectively, disagreed with many of the fourteen points and wanted Germany to sign the War Guilt Clause of the Treaty of Versailles, meaning the War was the Germans’ fault (which was not, as the was erupted after Austria blamed Serbia on the assassination of Austrian Prince Francis Ferdinand and his wife, causing other countries of the two alliances to join the War). Furthermore Germany was forced to pay reparations to the Allies amounting toward thirty-three billion dollars, further intensify the country’s deep debt, and was stripped of an active military. Land was taken from Germany, a large territory forming Poland as well as a small but valuable mining territory becoming territory of France. Although Wilson’s League of Nations was formed, it did not possess as much power as the United Nations in which we have today: it was not politically influential, had no active military, and did not pay attention to the guidelines of the Treaty of Versailles, as when Adolf Hitler avoided all of the Treaty’s appeasements, forming a large and active military. The biggest flaw to the League of Nations was that the United States did not join it. The U.S., now with the potential to become a world power, returned to becoming an isolationist country, leaving Europe to cope with a nation-wide post-war crisis.

Another major cause of World War II was the frustrations faced by people throughout the world after the First World War ended. In France, Germany, and a small area of Russia near the eastern front, many farmers who began to plow their crops once again after the war became accustomed with the corpses and bones of deceased soldiers that fell victim to the war. In France, Germany, and Britain, ten percent or more of the population in each country were casualties. It was no surprise that every person was affected by the war in losing family members or friends. Because young men were enlisted, many families lost sons, and because young men were important to industry, manufactures and large businesses of Europe faltered. Europe and most of the countries including the U.S. entered a recession not soon after the War. While the United States managed to return to it’s feet in economy in 1922, entering a period of U.S. History called the Roaring Twenties, a period of new culture, entertainment, and lifestyle in America, Europe continued in the road of economic distress. Germany fared the worst of all European countries: once a major economic powerhouse, but it now faced nationwide debt and a possessed a weak government, called the Weimar Republic, which possessed a Parliamentary Republic instead of the once-powerful Imperial government, the German Empire (Deutsches Reich). Under the Weimar Republic, Germans faced economic inflation, meaning the worth of German currency, the Marc, was worth less than before the war, due partially to the war reparations. American loans that the Germans received in order to help the German economy was helpful for a short amount of time. Unemployment was on the rise; in 1926 unemployment was ten percent but in 1932, only 6 years later, unemployment rose to thirty percent. Like the Depression faced by the Americans, the Germans faced psychological stresses. Many Germans lost faith in their nation. People gave up their jobs in exchange to simple pleasures such as alcohol or prostitution. To make matters worse, Britain and France refused to trade with Germany after the war because of anti-German sentiment that lasted after the war. Many Germans began to form radical parties, leading often violent anti-Weimar demonstrations. Adolf Hitler was the a World War I veteran and a key member of the German Workers’ Party, a radical nationalist group. He was imprisoned after a failed coup d’eat, and wrote a memoir that were based of of his nationalist and prejudiced views. After he was released he gained widespread support for his promise to the German people to have jobs and future success. In 1933 Hitler, along with the Nazi Party (National Soicalist Workers’ Party), the successor to the German Workers’ Party, managed to successfully coup d’eat the Weimar Republic, replacing it with a single-power totalitarian dictatorship government, a nation under complete power of Hitler and the Nazi Party. Similar to the Nazis’ Socialist and Totalitarian government, Italian radicals were disappointed by their threatment in the Treaty of Versailles and their failing economy. The Kingdom of Italy faced a coup ‘d’eat by Benito Mussolini leading the Nationalist Fascist Party in 1922. Likewise, the Japanese general Hideki Tojo, favoring fascism, easily influenced the Taisho Imperial Family as well as the parliament-like government and shaped the nation into a militarist-expansionist government. These countries, desperate for lives to return to former glory or to find new opportunities, turned their heads to powerful and militant figures that promised them hope.

The formation of the new political powers that rose in Europe and Japan became a threat to the rest of the world, and issued a number of terrorist acts and battles that forced European nations as well as the United States to respond with force. The three new world powers consisting of Japan, Germany, and Italy, eventually formed the Axis Powers, an alliance unlike the Central Powers of WWI. Although the League of Nations should have intervened because the Treaty of Versailles as well as the fourteen points stated that Alliances would not be formed, the League merely warned the Axis and sent ambassadors. A french ambassador, André-Francois Poncet commented on Hitler: “He was a ice-cold realist, a profoundly calculating person (Quotes About Hitler)”. While the Axis Nations appeared to be thriving from hard work, the nations were actually building their military (something the Treaty of Versailles had forbid Germany from doing). Adolf Hitler had redefined the once depressed Germany and offered the nation jobs in industry and manufacture. A majority of the German industry was military production. In the late 1930s and the 1940s Germany was the world’s second largest war industry, next to the United States. In 1944 Germany spent more than four hundred billion dollars on arms production. The Japanese, too planned for war– in 1937 the Japanese invaded the republic of China. In 1936, Germany invaded the Rhineland. Later in 1939, Nazi Germany unexpectedly invaded and occupied Poland, which according to Adolf Hitler was had belonged to Germany’s Reich. This action, similar to Germany’s occupation of Belgium, triggered the immediate outrage of Britain and France. The Germans used an advanced form of warfare called “Blitzkrieg”, literally meaning lightning war. It took advantage of all terrain vehicles, tanks, and airplanes in order to quickly overwhelm unprepared armies. The Nazi’s occupation stretched to North Africa in 1940 and France in 1944. Fearing further Nazi influence, a new Allied Powers not unlike the allies of World War I was formed led by Britain, France, Poland, as well as Australia, Canada, South African Union and the Soviet Union (who left the Axis powers after Hitler occupied parts of Russia). Eventually the United States, which now faced a nationwide depression was persuaded to join the war after President Franklin Roosevelt announced his proposition to leave isolationism because of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the nation’s fear of fascism affecting the state of Democracy as well as Capitalism.

Even though it can be argued that World War II could have been avoided if the Treaty of Versailles could have been in more acceptable terms for Germany, but that was not a reality as France and Britain would never accept, because what they wanted was to blame Germany for World War I. Although today is is generally accepted that World War I was not caused by any individual country, it is often agreed that it is that the Second World War was Germany’s response to the mistreatment they faced in the Treaty of Versailles. However it was not only the Germans’ militarization that caused the War. Because the Axis Powers were a severe threat to the livelihood and economy of America and the Allies, especially France which had been occupied, the Allied countries had to defend themselves in order to stop the Nazi Party from gaining control over too much of Europe.

Some might have avoided it, and rightfully therefore, for of worry of this World War I movie being too unhappy. I admit, I cried a few times throughout the two-and-a-half hour film.

“War Horse” wasn’t as gory or as upsetting as Spielberg’s different war movies, like “Saving Private Ryan” and “Schindler’s List.” Instead, “War Horse” leans more on the family facet, omitting bloody scenes and implying characters’ deaths instead of showing them.

I went into “War Horse” thinking it’d be another movie about a boy and his horse, with a typical storyline of a horse and it’s owner being separated, then against the percentages, reunited. To some extent this is true, however what “War Horse” really appeared to be about was the acts of kindness, and evil of the Allies and also the Axis powers. 

“War Horse” is Spielberg’s commentary on the human condition and the ordinary folks who are drawn into extraordinary 

wars. “War Horse” is not Spielberg’s best movie in terms of acting or the storyline, however it still resonates with viewers. 

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Its greatest asset is the gorgeous scenery of the English countryside. The sweeping shots of Europe are attractive, and Spielberg’s eye for cinematography enhances the expertise all the more.

If you’re willing to take the danger of crying in the theater, “War Horse” is unquestionably worth seeing.

In the dawn of the new century old alliances were changing. England, Russia and France had formed an alliance called the Triple Entente. In response, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy had also formed an alliance called the Triple Alliance. While this was meant to avoid war it could easily start a war due to a misunderstanding. If a jolt of electricity can stop a heart it can certainly start it back up again. Much like how an alliance can prevent a war but at the same time it can also ignite a war. Since the major powers of Europe were bound by alliances the national leaders would have to make logical decisions. Unfortunately King George V of England, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and Czar Nicholas II of Russia were cousins. Jealousy and the patriotic feelings for their country would be the basis on which the leaders’ made their decisions. This would result in decisions that are irrational and lack long term thinking. The ultimate consequence of these decisions would result in world war. After the formation of the Triple Entente, Germany was surrounded or “encircled” by its enemies. On both the east by Russia and the west by France and Britain. This would increase the tensions between the alliances and boost the chances of a war. Alliances would cause a small misunderstanding or irrational decision to develop into a war plaguing all the countries in Europe.

In the years leading up to world war one, countries felt the need to build up their military for defense and to extend their influence. By the 20th century the nations of Europe starting investing heavily on strengthening their armed forces. Britain had boasted the largest naval fleet at that time and Germany possessed a strong army. Germany wanted to expand its global strength and influence by acquiring colonies. The only way Germany could do so would be by building up its own fleet to rival Britain’s. By 1906 Germany had been developing ships similar to Britain’s powerful and advanced ‘Dreadnought’. This “Naval Race” would negatively affect the economy of both nations and would increase the threat of war. Germany also had stressful relations with France. In 1870 France was defeated by Germany and lost two of its provinces, Alsace and Lorraine. France would not take the German victory lightly and were preparing to recover the lost provinces. Germany was also preparing for the imminent war and had devised the Schlieffen Plan. This plan was in place 10 years before WWI had begun. The tense relations between France and Germany along with the newly formed alliances would result in world war whether or not Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated. In Eastern Europe, Russia had its own agenda for supporting militarism. Like Germany, Russia also wanted to prove its power and strength. Russia had planned to expand its borders into Asia, but it had failed because of the modern Japanese navy. Russia was looking to redeem itself against any enemy. They were taking advantage of the situation in Serbia and were looking for any excuse to go to war. If Archduke, Franz Ferdinand was not assassinated the tense relations between Austria-Hungary and Serbia would still escalate. This would occur due to Russian pressure and the differences between the two ethnicities in Austria-Hungary. The rising tensions between the countries in Europe would lead to the nations investing in their armed forces. It would only be a matter of time before a dispute broke out between the countries.

Imperialism would be another cause why WWI was inevitable. At the time Britain had established many colonies around the world, which had spread across every continent. France had also established many colonies in Africa and Indochina. Germany, who had recently become a country in the 1970’s, was late to establish many of its own. Many of the colonies were already under the control of Britain. Therefore the only way to control other colonies was to take them by force. Britain felt that this notion of imperialism shown by Germany would threaten its influence around the world. The German belief of expanding through colonies would be a reason why war was inevitable. As a direct result of German expansion the Triple Entente was formed. Germany felt that it had been denied the right to expand and this would increase the chances that a war would occur. Germany realized that without a strong navy the chances of establishing a colony through force would be severely hampered by Britain. This lead to the intensification of the arms race between Germany and Britain in naval conquest. The tense relations between Germany and the rest of the countries in Europe over colonies would make WWI inevitable.

The final reason why WWI was inevitable is nationalism. Britain, Germany, France, and Russia felt that their country was the best and most powerful nation in Europe. From these patriotic beliefs a competition sparked between the nations of Europe. Britain had already established itself as a world power because of its navy. Germany set out to rival Britain by producing its own powerful navy. The arms race was initiated by the feelings of nationalism and greatly increased the risk of a war. The people of Bosnia were also feeling nationalistic and wanted to separate from Austria-Hungary and be part of Serbian control again. This would severely raise the tensions between Serbia and Austria-Hungary. Russia had also wanted to establish itself as a major world power and the dispute between Austria-Hungary and Serbia would be a good excuse to go to war. France had lost two of its provinces to the Germans, Alsace and Lorraine. They vowed to reclaim the provinces no matter the cost. This dispute between the French and the Germans would prove that France was still a major power in Europe. Nationalism would play a big role in igniting the war and these patriotic beliefs would make WWI inevitable.

WWI was the clash between the powers of Europe that had different ideologies, ethnicities and beliefs. WWI changed the face of history and claimed the lives of many soldiers. It was a war where the achievements of nations were overshadowed by their losses. All the bloodshed and destruction of WWI was inevitable because of alliances, militarism, imperialism and nationalism between the nations in Europe. 

This epic work is a wonderful echo of giddy Steven Spielberg, who must’ve had an explosion of work on this film if the final product is any indication. Objectively, the story of lifelong friendship binding the courage and honor, and to overcome the enormous obstacles, and the rising inflation of emotion family is the kind of things can pull off the Spielberg in his sleep. Challenged – and ultimately his greatest success – lies in the formulation of the film form and style, which raise the level of material in the encyclopedia weepie very large-scale classical filmmaking. War Horse Entertainment Spielberg and researchers together and gone with the wind, or any other two mythical masterpieces that come to mind from that era large American movie of the border. On the surface, it is a film about a boy to love the noble horse, but it is really about honoring the myth of modern cinema that inspired him.

The scenario is based on the film, through the hall Lee Curtis and Richard, on a novel by Michael Morpurgo, which became later in the crush on the theater on Broadway with the horse in the masterful storytelling is a wonderful, emotional puppeteering. Spielberg is a master of emotional nicely, but employs a brilliantly true to his horses, and the provision of puppeteering to catalog the endless visual references woven throughout. Story follows Joey, a lean, Jawad smaller, through the worthy life of strife and adventure, and after it was purchased at auction and training on all odds to become a horse plowing effective, and sold in the First World War, recoil coincidence of the owner to the recruitment, owner heroicthrough the appalling conditions and sexual abuse, and to some extent restore hope and meaning to every life he touched. Such a long journey to be just and the imposition of taxes to the public as they are on the horse, but Spielberg finds the best way to make this story sing.

As air moves out of the bittersweet circumstance to another, the film takes on a sense of the band, and the introduction of a new set of characters to a thumbnail image and a short but effective, which contribute to the overall narrative. But in essence, is the story of the war horse and the owner of an air loyal to him, the young Albert Narracott (Jeremy Irvine), who make up the bond that stands the test of time, secession, and war. This relationship can easily function as a central fax the old crow’s diabetes, and the fact that the film’s first 30 minutes, test the strength of our will to quell cynicism towards this deliberately, cut from old-fashioned obscenity. But weakens Spileberg this issue by placing the story in the context of the epic of the American ’30s ’40s or full of big shots and create carefully organized dialogue scenes and battle sequences offered on a larger scale of life. Content, then, becomes a dissection of the postmodern aesthetic classic, firmly and seriously, and the spirit of the height of the film early on, but with the activity to honor the modern.

Actors, from Irvine in the role of his first film, to Watson Emily Mulan Peter and his parents farmers struggling for Hiddleston Tom and British soldier who rides air in the First World War and Arestrup Niels the grandfather of French granddaughter delights in the company Joy, are all first class, and an amendment to the performance of this pattern is very courteous, and become part of the nostalgia for the film. But the most prominent managers in this outing special is how Spielberg, even with a large cast of great actors, he keeps the focus on the horse, and create a character totally sympathetic to the ratification of this creature, stoic silent. The protagonist is the central air film, and we care about him very tangible way.

All performance elements of the second round, though, plate stylistic revered film, which is stunning. Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski earns each shot with the escalation of visual mood, and re-lighting with high efficiency soundstage major epics of ’40s classics. Composer John Williams evocatively References Gone with the Wind to raise him, and the original stressful meaningful result. Editor Michael Khan is a beautiful reference with a long and slow dissolves fade outs.Bring everything together Spielberg, who loved the film and makes clear that the war horse in the neo-classical spirit of the old classics.