Compare And Contrast Ww1 And Wwii

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Compare/Contrast Essay

Ever since the dawn of mankind there have been wars. WWI and WWI were two of the most lethal and devastating wars in our history. In both wars, the Allied Powers defeated Germany in hopes of terminating German expansion and dominance. Although somewhat similar, WWI and WWII were drastically different from each other. WWI was caused by an issue between countries for control of colonies, territories and resources. WWII began due to nationalistic tensions and unresolved issues from WWI. The “Great War” or the First World War launched the transformation of the world, but not until after the Second World War was anything really accomplished.

WWI and WWII were similar in that they both exceedingly devastated
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WWI was caused mainly by imperialism. Increasing competition and desire for larger empires led to an increase in conflict that pushed the world into the “Great War”. WWII was virtually an extension of WWI. It was caused by unresolved issues between countries as a result of the First World War. Although both world wars were devastating, WWII was the deadliest military conflict in history. By the end of WWI, it is estimated that nearly 10 million people died. At the conclusion of WWII, the death count exceeded 78 million. Forty to Fifty civilians were killed in WWI, and almost half of them were due to war-related disease and famine. The total military deaths in WWII were as many as 25 million. WWII was a global conflict, whereas WWI was fought over approximately one hundred miles of territory. Up until WWII, Europe remained dominant politically and militarily. But after WWII, Europe was split and two new superpowers emerged: the United States and the Soviet Union. The financial cost of the two world wars differed drastically. $334 billion was spent during WWI and $4.1 trillion spent during WWII. After WWI, few attempts were made to prevent economic distress. But after WWII the World Bank, International Trade Organization, International Monetary Fund, and the Marshall Plan were created in order to counteract economic decline.

While WWI and WWII have their similarities, there are so many more differences between the two. Both wars left Europe destroyed, caused widespread economic distress, and were won by the Allied Powers. On the other hand, WWII and WWII began for very different reasons, and WWII had a more substantial effect on our society in terms of peacekeeping measures, deaths, and financial cost. WWI was the beginning to the tragic Second World War which changed the course of the world in its

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