Many wars were fought throughout the 20th century. However, there are a couple of them that stand out, both for their size and their impact; the First World War, which took place between 1914 and 1918, and the Second World War, which lasted from 1939 to 1945. These two wars involved many of the best armies in the world at that time. In addition, a large number of alliances were formed between various countries, involving countries from various continents, for this reason they were considered “world” wars. What is the difference between WWI and WWII?
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The First World War took place in Europe. It was a confrontation between two groups, the Allies and the Central Powers. The Allies consisted of France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, and the Russian Empire. The United States joined this group in 1817. On the other hand, the Central Powers were constituted by Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire. What is the difference between WWI and WWII?
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As for WWII, this was a confrontation between the Axis, Germany, Italy, and Japan and the Allies, France, Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, and China. This war is particularly remembered for the genocide of the Jews at the hands of the Nazis. What is the difference between WWI and WWII?
First World War |
Second World War |
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| Duration | The First World War lasted four years in total. It started in 1914 and ended in 1918. | As for the second world war, this had a total duration of six years; from 1939 to 1945. |
| Predecessor and predecessor conflict | The Napoleonic Wars / WWII | The First World War / The Cold War |
| Also known as … | The great war | The great patriotic war (in Russia) |
| Belligerents | There were two factions, the Central Powers (Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire) against the Allies (France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, Japan and the United States). | There were also two belligerent groups, the Axis, Berlin-Rome-Tokyo (Germany, Italy and Japan) against the Allies (France, Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union and China). |
| Causes | The main reason (or pretext) behind the First World War was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in 1914. Furthermore, the combination of nationalism, militarism and imperialism that ruled in the countries involved helped to worsen the situation. | Germany was left in a very bad condition after the First World War. This in large part due to the severe conditions of the Treaty of Versailles. This crisis together with political and social instability facilitated the rise of Adolf Hitler to the rank of Führer . |
| Type of conflict | This confrontation was a war between countries. | Instead, this war was a clash between ideologies. |
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| Genocide | The Ottoman Empire committed genocide against the Armenian people. | One of the best known, the genocide of the Jewish people at the hands of the Nazis. |
| Armament | Mainly this war was fought from the trenches. Artillery, machine guns, infantry attacks, tanks, planes and poison gases. | Nuclear weapons were used for the first time in human history. Missiles, submarines and tanks, among many others. |
| Outcome | Victory of the Allies. The Ottoman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire ceased to exist. | In the same way, the alliance called Allies obtained total victory against the Axis. |
| Post-war | Signature of the Treaty of Versailles. As a consequence of its severity towards Germany, Hitler’s party gained popularity. Many believe that the greatest consequence of this war was the Second World War. | As for the Second World War, not long after this the Cold War began, which was a confrontation between the USSR and the United States. What is the difference between WWI and WWII? |
