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Lecture 5 –
The Two World Wars and Effects on
PNG
Lecture 5 – Two W Wars and Effects on PNG
Introduction
The two world wars, as the name suggest was a
total war, not only fought in Europe, but also
fought in countries all around the world.
The two wars sometimes referred to as The
Great Wars are unique and different from any
wars that was ever fought in the past.
The lecture for today is divided into two parts;
World War 1 and World War 2.
Lecture 5 – Two W Wars and Effects on PNG
World War One
World War I, from August 1914 to November
1918, involved many of the countries of Europe
as well the United States and other nations
throughout the world.
World War I was one of the most violent and
destructive wars in European history. Of the 65
million men who were mobilized, more than 10
million were killed and more than 20 million
wounded.
Lecture 5 – Two W Wars and Effects on PNG
World War One
The term World War I did not come into general
use until a second worldwide conflict broke out in
1939 (see World War II).
World War I was the first total war. Once the war
began, the countries involved mobilized their
entire populations and economic resources to
achieve victory on the battlefield.
Lecture 5 – Two W Wars and Effects on PNG
World War One
The war began between
the Allied Powers that consist of
United Kingdom, France, Belgium,
Serbia, Montenegro, and the Russian
Empire
and The Central Powers, which consist
of Germany and Austria-Hungary.
Japan and Italy joined the Allied in WWI
Lecture 5 – Two W Wars and Effects on PNG
World War One
The immediate cause of the war was the
assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand,
the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, by a
Serbian nationalist.
However there was a deeply rooted political and
economic conflict existed in Europe since
Germany emerged as a major power in Europe
in 1871
Lecture 5 – Two W Wars and Effects on PNG
By the end of 1914 there were two main battle
fronts 1. North-eastern France, and 2. western
Russia.
The War ended on November 11, 1918
the Central Powers were defeated, - the
German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian, and
Ottoman empires had collapsed.
Bolshevik Revolution in Russia (1917) began
the ideology of Communism.
Lecture 5 – Two W Wars and Effects on PNG
THEATERS OF WAR
A Land Warfare
The two main fronts:
Western front: German armies confronted those
of the British Empire, France, Belgium, and,
later, the United States.
Eastern front, where German and Austro-
Hungarian armies faced the Russians, Poland
Lecture 5 – Two W Wars and Effects on PNG
THEATERS OF WAR
Land Warfare
Since the major participants in the war had colonial
empires in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, the
war quickly spread to those parts of the world.
British, French, Belgian, and South African
military forces invaded German possessions in
Africa.
Japan seized Germany's island possessions
north of the equator
Australia and New Zealand took control of the
German islands to the south including German
New Guinea.
Lecture 5 – Two W Wars and Effects on PNG
THEATERS OF WAR
Land Warfare
The principal infantry weapon was the bolt-action
magazine rifle,
The machine gun, which had been developed in
the 1880s, It could fire rifle ammunition
automatically at a rate of 200 to 250 shots per
minute.
Other important weapons developed during the
war were the flamethrower, the hand grenade,
poison gas, and the tank.
.
Lecture 5 – Two W Wars and Effects on PNG
Theatres' of War
B Naval Warfare
Naval operations were carried out primarily in the North
Atlantic Ocean and in the North Seas with its submarine,
or U-Boat, campaign.
The war at sea was important economically. The Allies
were concerned with keeping open the vital sea lanes by
which ships transported supplies, war materials, and
troops to Europe from the United States and other
overseas sources.
In 1914 Britain implemented a sea blockade of Germany
to prevent the delivery of imports such as food and war
materials. The same year, Germany began using
submarines to disrupt Allied seaborne traffic and prevent
supplies from reaching Britain.
Lecture 5 – Two W Wars and Effects on PNG
Theatres of War
C Aerial Warfare
Airplanes were first used in large numbers for military
purposes during World War I.
Both sides also employed airplanes carrying
machine guns and light bombs to attack enemy
ground forces.
From mid-1915 aerial combat between planes
or groups of planes was common. The Germans
initially had superiority in the air on the western
front.
The Allied advantage in the air gradually
increased thereafter and became overwhelming
when the United States entered the war in 1917.
Lecture 5 – Two W Wars and Effects on PNG
Second World War (WW2)
The Second World War involved virtually every
part of the world during the year 1939-45.
The principal opponents were:
1. the Axis Powers – Germany, Italy and Japan,
2. the Allies - French, Britain, The United States
and Soviet Union and to lesser extent China.
Lecture 5 – Two W Wars and Effects on PNG
Second World War (WW2)
The WWII was in many respects a continuation,
after an uneasy 20 year break, of the dispute left
unsettled by the First World War.