IB History Paper 2 | Topic 11: Causes and effects of 20th century wars

Causes of War

Economic Causes:

  • Europe - World War I (1914-1918):

    Germany, France, and the United Kingdom competed for colonies and trade routes in Africa, Asia, and other regions. Economic disparities, such as unequal access to resources and markets, exacerbated tensions among European powers. The rise of industrialization and economic rivalries fueled competition for markets and resources, contributing to the arms race and alliances that ultimately led to war.

  • Asia - Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945):

    Competition over territory and resources in Asia between China and Japan. Japan sought to expand its influence and control over territories such as Manchuria and China's northeastern regions to access resources such as coal and iron. China's weak central government and internal conflicts further fueled tensions and Japan's aggressive expansionism and occupation of Chinese territories escalated into full-scale conflict.

Ideological / Territorial Causes:

  • Communism versus Capitalism:

    The ideological rivalry between communism and capitalism fueled the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.

    Communism led to geopolitical competition, proxy wars, and conflicts over spheres of influence.

    • Korean War (1950-1953):

      The division of Korea into North and South following World War II created a volatile situation, with competing ideologies and interests on both sides of the 38th parallel.

      The Korean War ended with an armistice agreement, but no formal peace treaty was signed.

    • Vietnam War (1955-1975):

      The division of Vietnam into North and South following the Geneva Accords of 1954 with competing ideological and geopolitical interests. Characterized by guerrilla warfare, aerial bombardment, and large-scale military operations. Ended with the fall of Saigon and the reunification of Vietnam under communist rule. The war had significant human and economic costs, with millions of casualties and widespread destruction in Vietnam and neighboring countries.

Ethnicity + Religion:

  • The Bosnian War (1992-1995):

    • Bosnia + Herzegovina was a diverse region with a complex ethnic and religious makeup, including Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats. The collapse of Yugoslavia and the rise of nationalist movements fueled ethnic + religious tensions.

    • Yugoslavia disintegrates (early 1990s). Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence from the Yugoslav federation (1992), triggering armed conflict between Bosnian Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks.

    • The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) of Serb forces supported Bosnian Serb separatists in their quest to establish a Serb-dominated state within Bosnia.

  • Ethnic Cleansing and War Crimes:

    • The Bosnian War was marked by widespread atrocities, including ethnic cleansing, mass killings, rape, and the systematic targeting of civilians based on their ethnic or religious identity.

    • Bosnian Serb forces, under the leadership of figures like Radovan Karadžić and Ratko Mladić, carried out campaigns of ethnic cleansing against Bosniak and Croat populations, including the notorious massacre at Srebrenica in 1995, which was later classified as genocide by international courts.

Practices of War and Their Impact on the Outcome

Technological Developments:

  • The Red Baron was one of the most successful military pilots of WWI flying for the German Air Force (Luftstreitkräfte).

  • Barbed wire defenses and fortifications.

  • Chemical weapons: chlorine, phosgene, and mustard gas to incapacitate or kill enemy soldiers.

Theatres of War:

  • Hydrogen Bomb and the Nuclear Arms Race:

    The development of the Hydrogen Bomb (1952) sparked a new phase in the arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union with its greater destructive power compared to atomic bombs.

  • Cold War Fears and Safety Measures:

    The nuclear arms race and the specter of nuclear war during the Cold War instilled a sense of fear among the public, leading to duck-and-cover drills and the construction of bomb shelters to provide protection and security against the threat of nuclear attack.

  • Space Race and Sputnik:

    The launch of Sputnik by the Soviet Union (1957) marked the beginning of the Space Race between the United States and the USSR fueled by Cold War tensions + the desire for technological and ideological superiority.

  • Influence of Foreign Powers:

    The Kitchen Debate by Richard Nixon (Moscow, 1959) symbolized the ideological rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Effects of War

Peacemaking:

  • The Treaty of Versailles (1919):

    The Treaty of Versailles ended WWI but failed to address underlying grievances, leading to renewed conflict.

    Imposed heavy reparations on Germany, weakened its military capabilities, and redrew national boundaries in Europe, leading to widespread resentment and economic hardship in Germany.

  • SALT I (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks):

    SALT I (1972) was a series of negotiations between the US and the USSR aimed at curbing the arms race and reducing the risk of nuclear conflict. The first sign established limits on the number of strategic nuclear weapons each side could possess which helped ease Cold War tensions and reduce the likelihood of nuclear confrontation between the two superpowers.

  • The Camp David Accords (1978):

    A series of negotiations brokered by U.S. President Jimmy Carter that resulted in the signing of the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty (1979) which normalized relations between the two countries and ended decades of hostility and conflict + long-term stability and reconciliation in the Middle East.

  • The Dayton Accords (1995):

    A set of peace agreements that ended the Bosnian War that established a framework for peace and reconciliation. The creation of a federal system of government and the deployment of international peacekeeping forces.

Changes in the Role and Status of Women:

  • Women in many countries took on new roles in the workforce to support the war effort, filling positions traditionally held by men who were serving in the military. They worked in factories, shipyards, and other industries producing weapons, ammunition, and other supplies essential to the war.

  • The Soviet Night Witches (female bomber pilots in 1942):

    Many were students or graduates of Raskova's aviation schools.

    Conducted night bombing missions against German military targets on the Eastern Front. Their Po-2 biplanes were nicknamed Sewing Machines by the Germans due to the distinct sound of their engines and the rattling noise of their wooden frames.

    Faced numerous challenges and dangers during their missions, including harsh weather conditions, enemy fire, and the constant threat of interception by German fighter planes.

  • The Polish Home Army (1942):

    An underground military organization to resist the German occupation and fight for Polish independence organized into a network of cells and units operating across occupied Poland, with its headquarters in Warsaw.

    Sabotage, intelligence gathering, partisan warfare, and underground publishing against the German occupiers.

    • The Warsaw Uprising (1944):

      Coordinated effort by the Polish underground to liberate Warsaw from German control before the arrival of Soviet forces.

  • Bush Wives:

    Women who were abducted, forcibly conscripted, or coerced into serving as wives or sexual partners for combatants during conflicts, particularly in the context of civil wars and insurgencies.