I believe that WWII was indeed the last total war of the modern era. "Total war is a military conflict in which contenders are willing to make any sacrifice in lives and other resources to obtain a complete victory. " This was made obvious by numerous factors including Operation Meetinghouse or as many know it the firebombing of Tokyo. The United States unleashed a fury of which has never been seen before. Over 1,000,000 were made homeless and 100,000 civilians were killed in this raid.
The book The Best War Ever, by Michael C. C. Adams, is about World War II, the events that led up to the war, and the years following the war. Adams starts the book off explaining some myths that people have about the war. The biggest myth associated with the war is that it was the best war ever. Adams then spends the rest of the book talking about why this may or may not be true. In the following chapters, Adams explains the events that led to the war and the events that accorded during World War II.
Lastly, the people of America and the Founding Fathers “…developed a keen sense of their historical significance even while they were still making history on which their reputations would rest.”
Since the beginning of time, war has been practiced for numerous reasons ultimately to benefit a group of people or nations. But, when war divides the world into two different sides with the capability to destroy faster than we can create, it makes us question, is war really worth it? With the aftermath of World War One, people we’re still divided, but for a different reason, after a war with a catastrophic amount of deaths we had militarists advocating to fight and pacifists demanding peace. The two sources I have used from this essay comes from a European militarist, Friedrich Von Bernhardi with his book “War a Biological Necessity” and United States pacifists, William James, in his book “Moral Equivalent of War”. Therefore this essay will review the
During the 1940s, America was invested in a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945; World War II. America first entered the war in 1941 and after four years of fighting in the war, it was clear that something needed to be done to end the war. After the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman entered the presidency and it was up to him to oversee the end of the war. Truman, after the government of Japan ignored the demand for surrender at the Potsdam Conference, decided to use the atomic bombs to bring Japan to surrender. This controversial choice by Truman was not supported by everyone and brought America into an indefensible moral position.
Peace talks after peace talks and nothing seemed to fix the needs of the coalitions that were fighting. It was not till the constant threatening and ultimately acting of Unrestricted U-boat Warfare of the Germans that thrusted the Americans into war. One of the best quotes in the entire book that the authors using was from the declaration of war by President Wilson, after he declared war and stated that the reason that the United States was going to war to make the “world be must be made safe for democracy”. After the Congress applauded Wilson’s message, he stated to his secretary, “My message today was a message of death for our young men. How strange it seems to applaud that.”
The brutality of war has scarred and devastated the world since the beginning of time, and has drastically changed over the course of history. Many precious lives of loved ones have been lost to war and continue to as fighting rages on. Famous Revolutionary War hero, George Washington, stated “My first wish [as president] is to see this plague of mankind, war, banished from the earth” (George Washington Quotes). General Washington witnessed the terror of war while fighting for independence from Great Britain. Against his wishes, war and violence continued as history went on.
More often than not, soldiers and people in a war zone will be affected by the war one way or another. Either that being during or after the war, one could have a negative or positive outlook on the war, but one single event could automatically change that person's behavior. During 1957-1973, the longest war in the United States history took place, the Vietnam War. Many soldiers have lost their lives in this battle, but the ones that survived have significantly changed from this event.
The United States of America has a rich history filled with success, failure, courage, and drive. Millions have come seeking the “American Dream” and to live in the land of the free. The past is what has shaped this nation’s present and future. Yet, as time drifts, the world around us changes. What was once deemed acceptable can now seem outdated in today’s society.
"The war has renewed and reinstated the national feelings and character which the Revolution had given, and which were daily lessened. The people . . . are more American; they feel and act more as a nation.” -Dolly
War is about principles. It can be used to end injustice, tyranny, or both. It can band people together to form a bond that is unbreakable, all fighting for the same cause. But that bond can have a high price. War kills soldiers, tearing them from family; it kills innocent people, just trying to survive.
History’s importance in the shaping of society is largely regarded by many as trivial and insignificant. Countless individuals make the mistake of missing crucial aspects in which history plays an imperative role in the molding of society through the development of individualism. To emphasize its effect, a man by the name of Joe Mendez volunteered to give a firsthand account of his past and the way American history shaped him into the person he came to be today. Born in March 1948, Mr. Mendez has seen, heard, and been a part of many significant moments involving the history of the United States. The major themes in which he can correlate to the most in his life focus around opportunity/obstacles, war/patriotism, and the ideal view of the American
For a united nation to prosper, its people must overcome obstacles and take on numerous responsibilities. Throughout our lives, there are problems occurring continually in our world related to war and combat. During these times of hardship, we must remind ourselves to persevere and continue to defend the country. In addressing the Sylvanus Thayer Award on May 12, 1962, at the city of West Point, New York, General Douglas MacArthur urged Americans to remember the major responsibilities we have as Americans in his speech Duty, Honor, Country. Throughout the speech, MacArthur does a great job of stirring emotion, using vivid language, repetition, logos, pathos and sensory imagery.
World War II is said to be the worst conflict in human history. About fifty to eighty million people died all together. There were concentration camps run by the Germans and there were essentially two wars raging. The two wars were the war in Europe and the war in the Pacific, which was Japan against the United States. World War II went on for six years and would destroy more land and property around the world and kill more people than any other war before.
I can say without a doubt that being stranded sucks, I never have been but, being abandoned sucks too, and wouldn’t you know it being helpless does too. That’s kind of what it’s like to be an atheist in a dominant Christian family. When I was young, six or eight, I don’t exactly remember the date, that’s the first day I realized there is something wrong with my family. The world was large back then, I hardly realized how tiny that yard was, forever burned into my memory. My grandfather and my grandmother were both their sitting at the tiny table outside, my uncle and my aunt, Renee and Ruby.
