What are some reflections from World War II?

World War II was a conflict that had a significant impact on the world. Starting just 21 years after World War I ended, it taught us several lessons. One lesson it taught us was that it isn’t good policy to ignore aggressive actions and violations of treaties. When the Axis Powers began to take land and ignore the Versailles Treaty in the 1930s, countries needed to act to stop these actions. Giving into the demands...

World War II was a conflict that had a significant impact on the world. Starting just 21 years after World War I ended, it taught us several lessons. One lesson it taught us was that it isn’t good policy to ignore aggressive actions and violations of treaties. When the Axis Powers began to take land and ignore the Versailles Treaty in the 1930s, countries needed to act to stop these actions. Giving into the demands of aggressive nations usually doesn’t work. The Munich Pact is a good example of this concept. We learned how inaction could lead to deadly consequences.

World War II ushered us into the atomic era. It showed us the destructive capabilities that can be developed and used. We continue to live in fear that nuclear weapons might be used. Countries have nuclear weapons, and others are trying to develop them. We are concerned these weapons could fall into the hands of groups or of nations that wouldn’t hesitate to use them.

World War II showed us the evil side of human beings. The killing of six million Jews and five million other people in the Holocaust showed us how evil a government can be. It also showed us how it is possible to get decent people to go along with such ideas because of fear of what will happen to them or because of extremism getting out of control.

World War II also led to the development of the Cold War. The United States and the Soviet Union became the two superpowers. These countries competed for power and for control in many areas. The Soviet Union wanted to spread Communism while we wanted to keep it from spreading. This led to series of confrontations and competitions that included a race to get into space, supremacy in athletic competitions in the Olympic games, and attempts to spread a way of living in many areas of the world.