IB History Causes and Effects of 20th-century Wars Notes

Overview of 20th-Century Warfare

1. At the end of the 19th century, many people believed that war could no longer be used as a tool of diplomacy, but the 20th century proved otherwise.
2. The century saw two world wars, with World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945) killing millions of people; World War II alone caused the deaths of more than 50 million.
3. In addition to these global conflicts, numerous other wars occurred between and within nations, often with extremely high casualty rates.
4. The changing nature of warfare blurred the distinction between soldiers and civilians; by the 1990s, more civilians were being killed in wars than combatants.
5. Technological advances, including the development of nuclear weapons, meant that humanity faced the possibility of total destruction for the first time in history.

Importance of Studying War

1. World War I swept away empires, destroyed the old order, and prepared the ground for new political and social developments in Europe.
2. World War II resulted in the emergence of the United States and the Soviet Union as superpowers while accelerating the decline of European powers such as Britain and France.
3. These changes led directly to the Cold War and the collapse of European colonial empires, shaping the global political landscape of the late 20th century.

Types of War

Interstate War

1. An interstate war is a conflict between two or more states that use their national armed forces to fight.
2. World War I and World War II are examples of large-scale interstate wars involving multiple nations on a global scale.

Civil War