How was the World a Different Place in 1945 than it had been in 1919

History
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History
How was the world a different place in 1945 than it had been in 1919?
1919 is recognized as the year that led to major nationalist movements, particularly in the developing world. Self-determination was one of the key factors that were carried in Europe and huge amount of money as well as numerous soldiers were involved in the nationalist movements. Most of the old colonial powers had already lost their colonies and some were in the process of giving their colonies the right to govern themselves (MacMillan, 2009). After 1945, most of the colonial powers were feeling the pinch of maintaining their colonies since it cost a huge amount of money to maintain a colony. France and Britain which were the axis of power discovered that their assets were vulnerable in Asia and Africa. After 1945, the former colonies sought for a patron in either the U.S. or USSR.
After the World War One, it was difficult to imagine how the world would go back to being business as usual. Nevertheless, after 1945, everything was so different such that the year was known as Year Zero. The destruction capacity became greater than the earlier wars such that both Asia and Europe lay in ruins. To make matters worse, this time both the civilians and the military were the target of the war (Sharp, 2014). Evidence indicates more than 60 million people died from the effects of the war, 25 million being in USSR alone. Genocide became the new word, particularly after more than 6 million European Jews were killed by the Nazis.
The impact of each world war on international community
During the first and second world wars, millions of people fled from their homes and others were forcibly displaced. As the First World War was coming to an end, combatant nations in Europe were exhausted, while a whole generation of young people died on the battlefield. There were significant changes in the political atmosphere from what was being experienced before the war. Monarchies in Russia, Germany, and Austria were removed from power and they consequently replaced by revolutionary and democratic governments (Murphy & McNiece, 2009). In addition, ethnic groups in Europe that had been subjected to these three nations managed to seize the opportunity to attain independence. Consequently, victorious nations tried to develop permanent peace in Europe. Germany was quickly blamed for having started the war and several nations decided to punish her. This is what happened during the 1919 Treaty of Versailles and it was so harsh since both Italy and France were angry with Germany.
At the Treaty of Versailles or Peace of Paris, the “Big Four” convened a meeting to discuss the effects of the World War One, and they included the U.S., Britain, and France and Italy and they wanted to revenge against Germany. Russia and Germany were not invited since after the defeat of Germany, Russia decided to make a separate peace agreement with Germany in 1917 (MacMillan, 2009). President Wilson of America was the one who provided leadership since the U.S. was the least damaged in the country appeared as the neutral victor. Wilson’s 14 Points plan also appeared as the realistic and idealistic roadmap to a new...