As your textbook suggests, World War II was in many respects caused by the actions of politicians at the Paris Peace Conference who decided to “punish” Germany for the war instead of arranging an equitable peace. Ironically, the war that had been called “the War to end all Wars” became “the War that led to another even more catastrophic War.”
This raises an important question for us to discuss using both textbook information and our own insights and thoughts.
If we look at the two World Wars of the 20th century, what is the legacy of those wars? Did either of these wars solve any problems? What new problems did they create? Be specific in your answer and “connect the historical dots.”
Finally, we should think about the implications of this discussion. Wars are fought to solve political problems – is this an effective way for humanity to settle its differences? Note that I want us to answer this question as historians (not philosophers). In other words, using only history as our “proof,” can it be demonstrated that war is an effective solution to the political problems faced by humanity?
(To review the historical information necessary to answer these questions, consult the section entitled “The Outcomes of Global Conflict” in chapter 20.)