Korea became divided along the 38th parallel after Japan was defeated in World War 2 and from 1948-50, there were armed clashes along this border. The division was supposed to be temporary; with Kim Il Sung occupying the North and Syngman Rhee occupying the South. The USA had interests in Japan after Japan was defeated by them in World War 2. Therefore, the USA had to get involved in the Korea to defend these interests. The USA was occupying Japan before the Korean War started and the original aim was to make Japan pay for the damage done in World War 2.
Later that year in Potsdam, many open disagreements took place because Germany had lost the war so Russia had promised to fulfil, Churchill had lost the 1945 election and Roosevelt died so Truman, who replaced him was angered by the large scale reparations imposed on Germany and the setting up of a communist government in Poland. He did not trust Russia, so kept him in the dark about him having the atomic bomb in 1945 before he dropped it on Japan to get them to surrender. By America using the atomic bomb, Stalin knew that it was possible for it to be used against them. Russia was therefore tricked by America preventing the Red Army from going to Japan. This threatened Russia and warned them that America was wary of them and could act on it.
The relationship between the Americans and the Japanese thawed further during the outbreak of World War I. The Japanese had entered into a treaty with Germany where it got concessions China and issued a list of demands on China. This aggression by Japan received strong opposition within the US administration that foothold on China by the Japanese would nullify the Open Door Policy. The American then secretary assistant
Moreover, as Britain was one of the major power of the WWI, the effects on both of their men and arms were not recovered from the WWI. This also led Chamberlain hesitant to take part for a large war at this time. Thus, making an appeasement with the Germans was the best solution for them to be recovered and prepared later in the future because rather than fighting a big war against advanced army with unprepared-no men army, they would fight a war with recovered army even if the opponents might grow more. ! Back again to 1919, the Treaty of Versailles made conclusions to the German’s territorial, armed forces, colonies, preparations and indemnity, and the war guilt issues.
The peace settlements left a layer of bitterness specially in Germany. Germans felt that Treaty of Versailles was unjust in holding Germany alone responsible for the war because even if Germany played a vital role in causing the war, the other nations also participated in it and therefore, made a minor war into a total war. In addition, the military terms of the Treaty (army of 100,000, only 6 battleships, no submarines or aeroplanes) is another part that disappointed Germans a lot. For Germans, not to be able to send troops even to places inside Germany was a national insult.The Germans were not invited to negotiate the treaty even. The Versailles Treaty required Germany to pay stiff reparations.
It is commonly accepted that Germany were eager for a war, however in 1914 they were only responding to events in Sarajevo by agreeing to back Austria, as opposed to starting a war with no origin. The Germans also felt cheated by this treaty, because virtually none of Wilson’s ‘Fourteen Points’ had been included in it. On the 5th November 1918, Germany had accepted the Fourteen Points as the basis for peace and an armistice, however when the Treaty of Versailles was signed, the Fourteen Points had been largely forgotten. This shows Clemenceau’s’ and Frances’ determination to crush Germany as they were largely forced to accept charges that they knew would greatly weaken and inhibit them in the future as they tried to rebuild. Germany understood that they would have to ‘reduce weapon numbers’, however they did not expect to
Firstly, the European powers avoided war up until 1914 because the Alliance System wasn’t as well developed until then. Many historians, such as Sidney Bradshaw Fay, who was writing in the late 1920s, blame the Alliance System as evidence of “shared responsibility” for the outbreak of war. However, this view doesn’t take into account that Germany was the nation largely responsible for the creation of this system. Given that the Triple Entente had existed since 1907, and the Triple Alliance even before that, then war should have broken out, if Fay’s view is to be accepted. What was not present pre-1914 which, during the July Crisis, led to war was the closeness between nations and build up of tensions that meant that the powers would follow each other into war.
The League of Nations was an organization thought of by Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of United States. He thought of the group of nations to be working together to maintain peace and balance throughout the world. He wanted the League to be based on his 14 idealistic points but was rejected as France wanted heavy compensation from Germany. Also America opposed on joining the league as they didn’t want to get involved in the business of Europe. This was the weakness of the league.
The injustice of the settlement unintentionally gave birth to long term problems, including key events for the lead up to the Second World War. The peace treaties were poorly established due to the restless state of Europe after the war. It was not a reasonable time to try and create peace amongst countries that are still feeling hatred towards each other after the war. The aim of the treaties was to avoid another war. The German people resented the fact that they alone were blamed for the war.
They expected to have open discussions with everyone involved to produce a treaty and that there would not be any secret treaties. They hoped to be treated equally amongst other allies and managed fairly especially with negotiations. They did not expect the treatment they were given, and most of the fourteen points did not apply to Germany when she lost the war. Germany was not allowed to be part of the League of Nations, which meant she wasn’t involved in key decision making, the Germans felt this was hugely unexpected and unfair as she lost much of her strength and power. It resulted in diplomatic isolation, as she couldn’t defend lost Germans in other countries, and there were huge military restrictions where she was only allowed an army of 100,000 soldiers and very little weaponry.