<Paper 2> Compare and Contrast the Causes of Two 20th Century Wars

From: /ibhistory/Causes of WW1 and WW2

• Political and Ideological

  • Similarity: Pan-Slavism and Pan-Germanism
    • Pan-Slavism
      • The desire for unity among Serbs in the Balkans, with the support of Russia
      • This threatened Austria-Hungary’s interests in the Balkans, which was a multi-ethnic region
      • The popularity of Pan-Slavism led to the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913
      • Both long-term and short-term causes of WW1
    • Pan-Germanism
      • Germany’s belief that it should expand into territories where Germans lived, as a result of losing territories in the Treaty of Versailles
      • Germany gradually annexed Austria and gained control over the Sudetenland and eventually all of Czechoslovakia
    • Difference: Appeasement or not
      • Serbia and Austria
        • Austria saw Pan-Slavism as a threat and created Albania to counter it
        • Tensions between Serbia/Russia and Austria-Hungary eventually led to the assassination in June 1914
        • The UK attempted to mediate but was unsuccessful, such as the International conference of great powers on July 26, which was rejected by Germany
      • Germany and the UK
        • Germany also saw Pan-Germanism as a threat
        • Germany successfully annexed Austria and gained control over Czechoslovakia

• Economic

  • Similarity: Economic Growth leading to militarism
    • WW1
      • The UK was the leading economic power in the 19th century, but other countries started to catch up
      • Manufacturing output lost to the US and Germany in 1913
      • Every country feared the economic growth of others, leading to increased military spending
    • WW2
      • Germany experienced economic growth under the aggressive policies of the Nazi regime
      • In 1935, Germany had more exports than imports, enabling the rearmament of the country, which was a direct violation of the Treaty of Versailles
    • Both wars saw economic growth contributing to militarism
  • Difference
    • WW1
      • Many countries experienced economic growth, particularly the UK, US, and Germany
      • Russia and other countries also experienced growth, but to a relatively smaller extent
      • This economic growth led to an arms race, particularly in the number of dreadnoughts
    • WW2
      • Other nations were still recovering from the Great Depression
      • The major powers were appeasing Germany
      • Germany was able to reach the military level of France and the UK

• Territorial

  • Colonialism and Living Space
  • Similarities:
    • Weltpolitik
      • A policy introduced by Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1896 to increase Germany’s influence and colonies
      • This policy led to the Moroccan Crisis in 1905-1911, which increased tensions between the UK, France, and Germany
    • Living Space
      • A policy aimed at acquiring land for Germans to live and increase food production
      • This policy, combined with Pan-Germanism, led to territorial expansion and conflict with the USSR, eventually resulting in Operation Barbarossa
    • The ambition for territorial expansion often threatened other countries’ interests, leading to tensions
  • Differences:
    • Weltpolitik: German Foreign Minister stated, “We do not want to put anyone else in the shade, but we too demand our place in the sun”
    • Living Space: “Living space for the superior race”
    • However, debates exist, such as German historian Fritz Fischer’s argument that WW1 was the result of an aggressive and expansionist German policy

#paper2