Modern Europe

It was a cold and windy day. I strolled to the Turbo Time Teahouse. I opened the door and entered the time machine. I stared at the buttons and gave my next journey a second thought. After minutes of pondering I decided it was final, I was going to Modern Europe. I pressed the button. Lights shone and the whole world started to spin and boom. I was in Modern Europe.

In fact I was sitting in front of the famous British historian Steven Runciman. He described the cold war and how it all happened. He believed that the Cold war had its roots in the World War I and II. I asked him to explain me how, and he did. He started with World War I.

World War I started on June 28, 1914, when, a Serbian nationalist named Gavrilo Princip assassinated Franz Ferdinand (no, not the band), the Archduke of Austria, in Sarajevo. Due to this exactly one month later, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. The war divided Europe into two armed camps - on one side was the Triple Alliance made up of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy, and their enemy was the Triple Entente of France, Russia and Great Britain. As other countries began to join sides, the Triple Alliance became known as the Central Powers and the Triple Entente became the Allied Forces. This was the beginning of World War I.

World War I - Life in the Trenches

Most of the action took place in the trenches. They were dug deep into the ground in a zigzag pattern to protect soldiers from advancing enemies. Soldiers spent an average period of eight days in the trench, where they were constantly under threat of attack from shellfire, snipers and diseases. Soldiers experienced everything from Trench Fever (a painful infection caused by lice poop) to Trench Foot, which caused a fungal foot infection that could result in amputation!

World War I - Fighting on the Front

WWI was different from previous wars because soldiers used efficient weapons like machine guns, artillery, tanks and the air force. This had never happened before. Military operations began in three major areas in Europe - the western front (France/Belgium), the eastern front (Russia) and the southern front (Serbia). Many of the deadliest battles occurred during WWI, including Ypres, Vimy Ridge, Somme and Gallipoli. Although thousands and thousands of soldiers died during these battles, they were key to the Allied Forces wining the first world war. On October 3, 1918, Germany requested a cease-fire. The war ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, when the warring parties signed the Armistice (Treaty) and agreed to stop fighting.

With the end of World War I came peace and also bitter resentment among some. The Treaty of Versailles (the peace treaty that officially ended WWI) required Germany to take full responsibility for causing the war, and stripped them of their land and military forces. Out of this anger and dissatisfaction rose a man named Adolf Hitler, the Fuhrer ("leader") of the National Socialist (Nazi) party, who promised to overturn the treaty, restore order to their nation and preached that Germans were a superior race. In 1937, Germany signed the Berlin-Rome-Tokyo Axis Power agreement with Italy and Japan, which was an agreement to help each other during wars. Two years later, on September 1, 1939, the Second World War began when Nazi Germany invaded Poland.

World War II - Axis Powers vs. Allied Powers

After the Axis Powers declared war, the Americans didn't want to get involved, but they joined the Allies(which consisted of the British Empire, the Soviet Union, France and China) after Japan attacked the US navy base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7, 1941.

World War II - Atrocities of the War

·         The Holocaust - The Holocaust was the persecution and genocide (an attempt to kill every person in certain groups) of various ethnic, religious and political groups by Nazi Germany. The Jews of Europe were the main victims of the Holocaust. Around six million Jews died, as well as about five million other "undesirable" people including Communists, Poles, Soviet prisoners of war and gypsies.

·         The Atomic Bomb - In an effort to force the Japanese to surrender, the US dropped two atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. At least 120,000 were killed immediately. These were the first and only nuclear attacks in history.

World War II - The Aftermath

WWII ended on August 15, 1945 after the total surrender of Japan. At least 50 million people lost their lives - about 20 million soldiers and 30 million civilians. In order to prevent another devastating war from occurring again, the United Nations was founded to prevent conflicts between countries. Also, Germany was divided into East and West Germany, Austria was separated from Germany and Korea was divided in half along the 38th parallel. However, when WWII ended, the Cold War began between the US and the Soviet Union. It was called the Cold War because it didn't lead to armed conflict between the superpowers, but was marked by political tension and weaponry stockpiling.

The Cold War was often fought between the superpowers of the United States and the Soviet Union in something called a proxy war. These were wars fought between other countries, but with each side getting support from a different superpower. Examples of proxy wars include the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Yom Kippur War, and the Soviet Afghanistan War. 

The United States and the Soviet Union also tried to fight the Cold War by demonstrating their power and technology. One example of this was the Arms Race where each side tried to have the best weapons and the most nuclear bombs. The idea was that a large stockpile of weapons would deter the other side from ever attacking. Another example was the Space Race, where each side tried to show that it had the better scientists and technology by accomplishing certain space missions first. 

I thanked Steven for the great knowledge he gave me regarding the wars that lead to not just the Modern Europe but the whole world. I was amazed at how the brightest and the best had fought these wars and why people could not live in peace. With a heavy heart I walked back to the Turbo Time Teahouse and pressed home. Lights shone and the whole world started to spin. I was back on the cold and windy street where this whole journey started.