Unseen Passage for Class 6 - Passage 20

The First World War, also known as World War I, was a global conflict that lasted from 1914 to 1918. It involved many of the world's great powers and spanned four continents, making it one of the largest and deadliest wars in history. The war originated in Europe, with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in 1914, leading to a complex web of alliances and tensions that ignited the conflict.

The major powers involved in the war were divided into two alliances: the Allies, which included countries such as France, Russia, and the United Kingdom, and the Central Powers, consisting of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria. The war saw the widespread use of new military technologies and tactics, including trench warfare, machine guns, and poison gas.

Millions of soldiers and civilians lost their lives during the war, and it had profound and far-reaching effects on the geopolitical landscape. The Treaty of Versailles, signed in 1919, officially ended the war and imposed heavy penalties on Germany, setting the stage for economic hardships and political turmoil in the following years. The First World War laid the groundwork for the Second World War and shaped the course of history in the 20th century.

The Second World War, which lasted from 1939 to 1945, was a global conflict that involved the majority of the world's nations. It emerged as a continuation of unresolved issues from the First World War, coupled with new conflicts and power struggles. The war witnessed the widespread use of advanced military technology, aerial bombings, and significant civilian casualties.

The major Allied powers included the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and China, while the Axis powers were led by Nazi Germany, Italy, and Japan. The war began with the German invasion of Poland in 1939, prompting Britain and France to declare war on Germany. Over the course of six years, the conflict expanded to encompass multiple theaters, including Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific.

The Holocaust, orchestrated by the Nazis, resulted in the systematic genocide of six million Jews. The war concluded in 1945 with the dropping of atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States. The aftermath of the Second World War reshaped the political landscape, leading to the formation of the United Nations and the beginning of the Cold War.