Essay Question: Historians sometimes speak of \"watershed\" moments in history. These are critical turning points that signaled an important and permanent change of historical fortunes. Do you think there are \"watershed\" moments between the American Civil War and the war in Vietnam? Please discuss and analyze their historical importance. Please defend your choices with specific examples that justify your belief that an important change took place.
Essay on Watershed Moments in History
Watershed moments or events are the
moments or events in history that are so important that they changed the course
of history forever. These are important
and monumental events that can be considered as the turning point in human
history. It can be argued that without
these events, therefore, no significant change would have been enough to alter
history.
One
of the watershed moments in history was World War II. World War II is known as the war among the
Allied versus the Axis countries. The
Allied countries were the United States, USSR and the Great Britain which
fought against Italy, Germany and Japan.
Historically speaking, World War II is known as the most devastating wars
because it claimed more than 60 million human lives, six times that of World
War I (Strayer 1008). World War II also initiated
the use of technology in warfare which was so precise that it could hit targets
from miles away.
One
of the reason why World War II can be considered as a watershed moment in human
history is that it significantly altered the world order. Before World War II, England and France were
the superpowers with colonies extending as far as Asia. Serious casualties during World War II left
these two countries impoverished and unable to match the rising powers such as
the United States. “As the war ended,
Europe was impoverished, its industrial infrastructure shattered, many of its
great cities in ruins, and millions of its people were homeless or displaced.”
(Strayer 1009) With the weakening of these countries, their colonies took
advantage by fighting these colonizers and demanding their freedom. Nationalist and anti-colonial sentiment
caused the people in their colonies to unite together to fight what they
perceived as abusive tyrants. As a result, Great Britain and France lost
control of their colonies.
More
importantly, World War II saw the rise of the United States as a new super
power. After beating Japan, it came to
the realization that military development is one of the key areas in ensuring
that it maintains its new status.
Substantial economic development after the war helped stimulate its
economy and become a superpower together with the USSR which was at that time extending
its grip in Europe and Asia.
The
World War II also helped boost the USSR as a superpower. After beating Germany which has extensive
plan to dominate Europe, the USSR continued its expansion throughout Europe and
Asia which caused concerns from the United States. This led to a period in history which is
known as the Cold War because though these counties never truly declared war against
its each other directly, they had their missiles pointed at each other. Moreover, both countries were making sure
that each other’s ideology does not extend further.
Cited
Works
Strayer,
Robert. Ways of the World: A Brief
Global History. Boston: Bedford, 2013.
This is a sample Essay on Watershed Moments in History from smartessaywriters.com – the leading provider of reliable and
affordable essay writing
services and research paper writing
services in the United States and the United Kingdom
No comments:
Post a Comment