Difference Between WWI and WWII

WWI vs WWII

WWI is also known as the First World War, The Great War, The European War, and The War of the Nations. It was fought primarily in Europe from the year 1914 to the year 1918 and lasted 4 years.

There were two warring groups, the Allied Powers composed of France, Britain, Russia, Japan, Italy, and in the later years, the U.S.; and the Central Powers composed of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and Turkey.

It was triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria by Serbian nationalists. The allies of Austria-Hungary then invaded their enemies and it became one of the two largest wars of the world.

It ended with the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 wherein Germany took responsibility for the war. It resulted in the separation of Austria-Hungary into several states, and the independence of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, and Poland from Russia. It also led to the formation of the League of Nations.

WWII, on the other hand, was also known as The Second World War and was fought between the years 1939 and 1945. It lasted for six years which resulted in a very high number of casualties for all the nations involved in both civilian and military personnel.

The two warring groups were: The Axis powers composed of Germany, Italy, and Japan; and The Allies composed of the U.S., Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and China. It was the most atrocious war with the Nazi’s genocide against the Jewish people.

The outcome of WWI and the Versailles Treaty caused bitter feelings among those who were asked to pay for their crimes, especially Germany. Adolf Hitler took advantage of this and led Germany to war.

He allied with Italy and Japan to fight against the Soviet Union, and on September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. It started in Europe but soon spread across the globe drawing in the U.S. and other countries.

While WWI was fought in the trenches and used machine guns and poisonous gas, WWII was fought using modern artillery and machines utilizing more airplanes, ships, tanks, and submarines.

Special operations methods were also developed during this war together with atomic missiles and secret communications. It led to the development of the atomic bomb which was the catalyst in ending the war.

WWII ended with the defeat of Germany and Japan. It led to the rise of two new world superpowers, the USA and the Soviet Union. The United Nations was also established after the war in order to promote cooperation among nations and prevent another war.

Summary:

1.WWI was fought between 1914 and 1918 while WWII was fought between 1939 and 1945.
2.The two warring groups of WWI were the Allied Powers and the Central Powers while the two warring groups of WWII were The Allies and The Axis powers.
3.WWI was triggered by the assassination of the archduke of Austria-Hungary while WWII was triggered by the bitterness over the outcome of WWI which was used by Adolf Hitler to lead Germany to war.
4.While WWI was fought in the lines of trenches, WWII was fought in a broader scale using modern weapons and methods including the atomic bomb.

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