What are some similarities of World War I and World War 2?

Answer 1

World War 1 was the cause (in principal) of World War 2. Therefore the same countries were involved in the two wars. The issues of the two wars were not the same however Hitler's resentment of what happened to him in World War 1 fed into his reasons for taking over Europe. Many Europeans blamed the Jews and the aristocracy for all their troubles with economic collapse, starvation, homelessness and joblessness. They also blamed the governments for not giving them their freedom and self rule. In World War 2 Hitler did the same thing. He blamed many things for ruining Germany, especially the Treaty of the Versailles from World War 1.

Both wars were mechanized wars and used airplanes and ships to conduct war. World War 1 used tanks for the first time (and horrible mustard gas). World War 2 used greatly improved tanks.

Both wars were fought in the same countries. Many battles were fought in the same places. They both had millions and millions of civilians and military servicemen killed and injured. Both wars had treaties and global alliances formed at The League of Nations and the United Nations.

Both wars had one country paying for reparations. Germany had to pay for the damage they did in World War 1. The United States either gave or lent money to many European countries to help repair them.

Both wars left entire towns and cities leveled.

Both wars started another war. World War 1 fed into World War 2. World War 2 fed into the Cold War. Europe was not truly freed and allowed to have self rule until the 1990s when the communist regime of the USSR gave up the Eastern Bloc nations. Now they are free and self ruling. Europe now has the European Union to promote the welfare of the nations within the Union.

Both wars had genocide involved. Serbians were exterminated in World War 1 and the Jews were exterminated in World War 2.