World War II is one of the most defining moments in modern world history. It set the stage for world events for decades to come. The human cost alone makes it defining. The Holocaust was only a drop in the bucket compared to the total amount of lives that the war destroyed. Estimates of civilian and military dead range from 65-80 million people who lost their lives, the deadliest conflict in world history. The only thing more astounding than the numbers of people who were killed are those who did the killing, their reasons, motivations, thoughts and emotions.
In terms of civil rights, African Americans first began making headway into jobs that were traditionally reserved for white men. The first African American union was started to fight for worker’s rights. World War II propelled women in to the workforce as well, working in factories and building war material. Even after the men returned home from the war, women refused to give back their jobs and continued in the workforce, forever altering what was considered the “traditional” nuclear family unit.
The feats of technology and ingenuity were astounding. Radar, aircraft, new firearms, and the atomic bomb were all a result of the war. New tactics such as carpet bombing created nothing but rubble from cities that had once prospered. Submarine warfare and new torpedo designs sunk hundreds of ships over the course of the war. As tanks tore across the battlefield, armored warfare took its first steps towards realizing its true potential. The German V-2 rocket, while good as a terror weapon during the war, was used as a stepping stone for sending the first manmade objects into space in the subsequent decades.
The seeds the Cold war were sown in the politics of World War II. Russian and the United States claimed the territory that would be their satellite nations and buffer zones with which to fight their proxy wars. The nation of Israel was partially created as a condolence for the horrors of the Holocaust and the nation continues to be a point of controversy and violence decades later.
In terms of civil rights, African Americans first began making headway into jobs that were traditionally reserved for white men. The first African American union was started to fight for worker’s rights. World War II propelled women in to the workforce as well, working in factories and building war material. Even after the men returned home from the war, women refused to give back their jobs and continued in the workforce, forever altering what was considered the “traditional” nuclear family unit.
The feats of technology and ingenuity were astounding. Radar, aircraft, new firearms, and the atomic bomb were all a result of the war. New tactics such as carpet bombing created nothing but rubble from cities that had once prospered. Submarine warfare and new torpedo designs sunk hundreds of ships over the course of the war. As tanks tore across the battlefield, armored warfare took its first steps towards realizing its true potential. The German V-2 rocket, while good as a terror weapon during the war, was used as a stepping stone for sending the first manmade objects into space in the subsequent decades.
The seeds the Cold war were sown in the politics of World War II. Russian and the United States claimed the territory that would be their satellite nations and buffer zones with which to fight their proxy wars. The nation of Israel was partially created as a condolence for the horrors of the Holocaust and the nation continues to be a point of controversy and violence decades later.