War and Disarmament
(Longman Pearson)
Review Exercise
I. Fill in the blanks.
1. The policy of armament was introduced by the Axis.
2. Hitler came to power in Germany after the First World War.
3. Italy and Japan joined Germany in the Second World War.
4. The two atomic bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
5. The United Nations was formed on 24 October 1945.
6. The two superpowers that emerged after the Second World War were USA and USSR.
7. The Second World War broke out on 3 September 1939.
8. The alliance formed by Germany along with two other allies, during the Second World War came to be known as the Axis.
9. The rivalry between the USSR and the USA after the Second World War gave rise to the nuclear arms race.
10. The Strategic Arms Limitation Treaties were signed in 1974 and 1979.
11. The Cold War ended with the USA emerging as the only superpower in the world.
12. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 September 1996.
II. Answer these questions.
1. What does disarmament mean?
= Disarmament simply means to regulate, reduce and limit the production of arms and ammunitions and the armed forces, weapons and military funds.
2. Why did Hitler continue the policy of armaments?
= Hitler continued the policy of armaments to fulfil his ambition of making Germany the world's superpower with a strong army.
3. What was the Axis?
= Identical hopes and desires brought Germany, Italy and Japan closer to one another. This closeness resulted in the formation of the Rome-Tokyo-Berlin Axis, popularly referred to as the Axis.
4. What was the reason behind formation of the UN? When was it established?
= The United Nations Organisation (UN) was formed with the aim of preventing any future wars and maintaining international peace and security.
It was established on 24 October 1945.
5. What happened to Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the Second World War?
= The Second World War broke out on 3 September 1939. The war brought about untold disaster, horror and immense loss of life and property. The horror ended with the total destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the atomic bombs dropped over these cities by the United States in 1945.
6. Write a short note on the Cold War.
= Even after the formation of the UN, there was 'uneasy peace' in the world. Doubts, suspicions, frictions and rivalry dwelt between the USA and the USSR - the two superpowers that emerged after the Second World War. Gradually, the world got divided into two camps and became bipolar. This situation gave rise to the Cold War. Each camp began collecting sophisticated nuclear weapons which gave rise to nuclear arms race. This further drove the world towards another global war.
7. Do you think that disarmament was necessary after the Cold War? Justify your answer.
= Yes, I think that disarmament was necessary after the Cold War.
Each camp began collecting sophisticated nuclear weapons which gave rise to nuclear arms race. This further drove the world towards another global war. However, people's protest and the horrors of another world war forced the rival powers to solve the crisis through discussions. The USA and the USSR agreed to discuss all the issues by peaceful means. The only solution that surfaced was disarmament. Negotiations were made between both the countries that led to a number of steps towards disarmament.
8. Why did the Axis powers begin the Second World War?
= Germany was not the only country to nurture the ambition to be the world's superpower. Japan and Italy too shared similar aspirations and glorified war as medium to achieve those. Identical hopes an desires brought Germany, Italy and Japan closer to one another. This closeness resulted in the formation of the Rome-Tokyo-Berlin Axis, popularly referred to as the Axis. With this the armament build-up gained momentum. This led to the maximum stain in the world. The Second World War broke out on 3 September 1939. The war brought about untold disaster, horror and immense loss of life and property.
9. List the treaties that were signed before the disintegration of the Soviet Union.
= The treaties that were signed before the disintegration of the Soviet Union are :
❐ The Strategic Arms Limitation Treaties (SALT I and II) were signed in 1974 and 1979 by which the USE and the USSR agreed to slow down the arms race.
❐ The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) was enforced in 1975, preventing the development, production and collection of arms and ammunition.
❐ A step-by-step process to eradicate the nuclear weapons from this world was proposed by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Accordingly, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) was signed in 1987.
III. Write short notes.
1. Cold War.
= Even after the formation of the UN, there was 'uneasy peace' in the world. Doubts, suspicions, frictions and rivalry dwelt between the USA and the USSR - the two superpowers that emerged after the Second World War. Gradually, the world got divided into two camps and became bipolar. This situation gave rise to the Cold War. Each camp began collecting sophisticated nuclear weapons which gave rise to nuclear arms race. This further drove the world towards another global war.
2. Disarmament.
= Disarmament simply means to regulate, reduce and limit the production of arms and ammunitions and the armed forces, weapons and military funds. It has been increasingly felt that it is the only means to achieve global peace. It particularly stands for the abolition of weapons of mass destruction like nuclear weapons.
3. The Axis.
= With a strong army, Hitler followed the path of wars to fulfil his ambition of making Germany the world's superpower. He also wanted to avenge the humiliation and defeat faced by Germany in the First World War. Germany was not the only country to nurture such ambitions. Japan and Italy too shared similar aspirations and glorified war as a medium to achieve those. Identical hopes and desires brought Germany, Italy and Japan closer to one another. This closeness resulted in the formation of the Rome-Tokyo-Berlin Axis, popularly referred to as the Axis.
4. The Second World War.
= The Second World War broke out on 3 September 1939. The war brought about untold disaster, horror and immense loss of life and property. The horror ended with the total destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the atomic bombs dropped over these cities by the United States in 1945. The scale of devastation and loss of life was unprecedented. The horrific results of the use of weapons of mass of destruction, particularly the atom bomb, shocked the world. Disarmament was necessary and could not be ignored anymore.