Lecture 4- WWII Flashcards
Why did WWII breakout?
- Hitler’s rise to power- Nazism attractive for people with instability
- Rise of ultranationalist Japan- The Japanese conservative army and emperor concluded the war was in Japan’s interest to increase their empire in Asia- “Asia for the Asians”- They needed raw materials from other countries.
- War fatigue from the UK and France- allowed for the appeasement of Hitler
- American Isolationism- Weakened the authority of the LoN
When did the war break out?
In Asia already in 1937 when Japan invaded Manchuria in China with violence, amongst others resulting in the rape of Nanking
In Europe in September 1939 when Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland, after which Hitler in May 1940 conquered Denmark, Norway the Netherlands, Belgium and France
What was the war’s characteristics?
Even more totalitarian, resulting in 55 million deadly casualties, 50 percent of them civilian
The Holocaust: Industrial extermination of 6 million Jews, not as part of the Nazi war effort but because the war allowed it to happen
Causes of the Holocaust
A century old firmly rooted tradition of antisemitism in Europe based on the idea that it was legitimate to discriminate Jews because of their culture and religion
The transformation of antisemitism in the 19th century, under the influence of social Darwinist ideas, into a political ideology based on racism defining the Jews
Hitler’s move to make racist antisemitism into a central element of his Nazi ideology: the use the caricature of Jews as powerful money launderers conspiring with the ruling capitalist elites for world power to blame them for all misery in the world. as a lesser people
UN Genocide Convention (1948)
Acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, such as:
Killing members of the group
Causing serious bodily or mental harm
Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group
Forcibly transferring children to another group
It does not include political groups, which makes Stalin’s starvation and persecution of millions of kulaks officially no genocide.
Legally recognized genocides after 1948:
- Cambodian genocide, 1975-1979
- Bosnian Genocide, including Srebrenica, 1992-1995
- Rwandan genocide, 1994
Lessons learnt;
Genocide Convention 1948
The establishment of the Military Tribunal of Nuremberg to lift the immunity of individual perpetrators that committed their crimes as representatives of national sovereign states
Establishment of the UN as the 2.0 version of the League of Nations
Adoption Universal Declaration Human Rights
Similarities between UN and LoG
Main objective is to maintain peace and security through international cooperation between national sovereign states (intergovernmental);
Main bodies are Council and Assembly;
Major powers are more equal than other states.
Difference between the UN and LoG
UN more extensive
UN more universal- 193 member states
Most important states were members including the US
summaries John Ikenberrys book Liberal Leviathan
Liberal Hegemony: Ikenberry argues that the post-1945 international order has been characterized by the dominance of liberal democratic principles, institutions, and norms. Liberal democracies, particularly the United States, have played a central role in creating and sustaining this order.
Institutionalism and Order: The book emphasizes the importance of international institutions, such as the United Nations, NATO, and the World Trade Organization, in maintaining stability and cooperation among states. These institutions provide frameworks for resolving disputes, managing conflicts, and promoting collective action.
Crisis of Authority: Ikenberry acknowledges challenges to the liberal international order, including the rise of non-liberal powers like China and Russia, as well as the resurgence of nationalist and populist movements within liberal democracies. These challenges raise questions about the future of the liberal order and its ability to adapt to changing geopolitical dynamics.
Liberal Order and Peace: One of the central arguments of the book is that the liberal international order, with its emphasis on democracy, free trade, and multilateralism, has contributed to the relative peace and prosperity enjoyed by the world since World War II. Liberal democracies, according to Ikenberry, are more inclined to cooperate, negotiate, and avoid conflict with one another.
Continued Relevance: Despite the challenges it faces, Ikenberry contends that the liberal international order remains resilient and continues to provide a framework for managing global affairs. He calls for renewed commitment to the liberal values and institutions that underpin the order, while also acknowledging the need for reform and adaptation in response to contemporary challenges.
VN–Verdelingsplan 1947
The VN-Verdelingsplan 1947, also known as the UN Partition Plan for Palestine, was a proposal put forward by the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) in 1947 to address the ongoing conflict between Jews and Arabs in British-administered Palestine.
The plan recommended the partition of Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem placed under international control due to its significance to both communities. The proposal aimed to provide a peaceful solution to the conflict by creating separate states for each community, allowing for the establishment of a Jewish homeland while also preserving the rights of the Arab population.
However, the plan was met with opposition from Arab states and Palestinian Arabs, who rejected the idea of partition and viewed it as unjust. Despite these objections, the UN General Assembly adopted the partition plan on November 29, 1947, as Resolution 181.
The adoption of the partition plan marked a significant moment in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, leading to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 and sparking a war between Arab states and the newly declared Jewish state. The conflict that ensued continues to shape the region’s politics and remains unresolved to this day.
Korean War
The Korean War (1950-1953) was a conflict between North Korea, supported by China and the Soviet Union, and South Korea, backed by the United Nations, primarily led by the United States. The war began when North Korean forces invaded South Korea in June 1950, aiming to unify the Korean peninsula under communist rule. The United Nations Security Council intervened, authorizing military action to repel the invasion and restore peace.
The war saw significant back-and-forth fighting, with both sides gaining and losing territory. The conflict escalated with the involvement of Chinese troops in late 1950, leading to a protracted and bloody stalemate along the 38th parallel, the pre-war boundary between North and South Korea.
After three years of intense fighting, an armistice was signed in July 1953, establishing a ceasefire and dividing the Korean peninsula along the demilitarized zone (DMZ). However, a formal peace treaty was never signed, leaving North and South Korea technically still at war. The war resulted in millions of casualties and had a lasting impact on the region, contributing to the ongoing division between North and South Korea and shaping Cold War geopolitics in East Asia.
The UN Universal Human Rights Declaration (1948)
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948. It is a milestone document that proclaims the inalienable rights to which all human beings are entitled, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, religion, or any other status. The UDHR consists of 30 articles outlining fundamental rights and freedoms, including the rights to life, liberty, and security, freedom from discrimination, slavery, torture, and arbitrary arrest, as well as the rights to education, work, and participation in cultural and political life. The UDHR serves as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and nations and has been instrumental in shaping international human rights law and policy.
