What Are The Negative Effects Of Ww2

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The monstrous World War Two was to a significant extent, a war of desolation for Europe. The grisly details of the Holocaust, the purposeless and terrible firebombing of Dresden, and the awful bombing and terror caused by the Blitz in Britain highlight the devastation caused by the Second World War. Nevertheless, the substantial improvements in technology during the war indicate that World War Two generated positive aspects as well.

The horrendous Holocaust illustrated the monstrosity man is capable of and the devastation that World War Two produced. The Holocaust generated widespread suffering for victims in a way almost indescribable. Before the Second World War, the Nazi government intended on a mass Jewish emigration in order to solve …show more content…

The German town of Dresden was a town renowned for its beauty, nicknamed the “Florence of the Elbe”. It was not central in relation to the war, and did not host much wartime production activity. Ergo, the firebombing of Dresden by Allied forces seemed pointless as it would not negatively impact Germany in the context of the war. Instead, it was attack on German citizen’s morale, questioning the ethicality of the brutal firebombing. Nobel Prize Laurette and World War Two survivor Günter Blobel recalls that “few people believed that [Dreden’s] beauty would ever return” after the attack, showcasing the demoralising effect the bombings had on Dresden and the little effect it had in slowing Germany down in terms of the war. After the firebombing, the city was almost flat with little buildings left standing. A staggering estimated 35,000 to 135,000 civilians perished as a result of the attack, emphasising the devastation the war produced. Professor Gregory H. Stanton asserts that the Allies’ firebombing of Dresden was as “war crime and … [an] act of genocide”, earning the Second World Wars label as a war of total wreckage. Therefore, the destructive firebombing of Dresden reinforces the idea that World War Two was a devastating …show more content…

The Blitz spanned from 7th September 1940 to 10th May 1941, with Luftwaffe attacks and nightly raids that made sleep troublesome for Britain civilians. Hitler’s plan to bomb cities at the expense of leaving airfields meant that the Blitz was not a tactical decision but one that would lower Britain’s spirit, raising the question of whether the attack was morally right. The blitz killed a staggering 43,000 citizens and seriously wounded a further 87,000, exhibiting the annihilation that the Second World War fabricated. Moreover, the night raids that occurred during the Blitz made life arduous for residents and increased the population’s fear of the bombings. By situating the raids during the night, Germany disrupted the sleep of British citizens, perpetuating the feeling that the ghastly bombing was never-ending. The darkness and mystery of night furthered this feeling of anguish. Blitz survivor Len Philips states that he “kept thinking: ‘is it ever going to end?’" due to the strategic scheduling of the air raids. Furthermore, Britain tried to maintain confidence during the Blitz by adopting the slogan ‘we can take it’. This left many feeling unheard as their obvious suffering was not being recognized. Historian Juliet Gardiner contends that “people felt during the Blitz that they were expected to take it, especially the working class population who