Essay Sample about 1940, the Most Important Year to World War II

World War ll was one of the most devastating and tragic event in the history of the world.

But World War ll is not just one event, it is multiple events and tragedies that make up the bigger picture. World War ll lasted a total of seven years, from September 1, 1939, to September 2, 1945. “Most of the combat action took place in Europe, East Asia, and islands in the Pacific Ocean, but others were seen in places as far away as Madagascar and the Aleutian Islands.”(“Where Did WW2 Take Place?”, World War ll Database, 2014). The war took place mostly in one general and broad area with a few exceptions. Blitzkrieg, the Evacuation of Dunkirk, France Surrendering, and the Battle of Britain all took place in Europe in the year 1940, the most important year to World War ll.

For background on each event that occurred in the year, Blitzkrieg was an attack that the Germans unleashed that they won. The Evacuation of Dunkirk was when General Viscount Gort, the commander of the British Expeditionary Force in France realized German forces were continuing on in France and ordered his troops to retreat to the port of Dunkirk. The army had to fight in order to get to the ports and in doing so, according to EyeWitness to History, “40,000 [British, French and Belgian soldiers] were left behind and killed or captured.”. France's Surrendering was when Marshall Petain who became the head of a new government in World War I made an announcement to the people of France to stop the fighting. Lastly, the Battle of Britain was a battle when Hitler's army was destroyed across the Dutch-Belgian border and flowed into northern France. These are all important examples of why 1940 was the most important year because all of these battles created new tactics of fighting and introduced a different way of thinking and the events of 1940 have had an impact to this very day, if these events did not occur, the present as people know it would be very different. According to Adam Tooze interviewed by HISTORYNET in the article “WHAT WAS THE TURNING POINT OF WORLD WAR II?”, he claims “If the Allies had been able to isolate or significantly hold up the German advance, then not only would the Nazis have lost the battle for France, they would have lost the whole war. …. If the British and French had not performed so appallingly in this one fight [German victory over the British and French in spring 1940], then World War II would have ended by the summer of 1940 in an ignominious defeat for the Germans.”.

After all is said and done, the year 1940 was the most important year when it pertains to World War ll. Blitzkrieg, the Evacuation of Dunkirk, France Surrendering, and the Battle of Britain all had a monumental impact on how the war was headed, it impacted not just the lives of people during that time but also the lives of people today. World War ll was a tragedy and disastrous event, but with all spoken it was an important part of history that people today and people in the future will look back on and learn from, that is why the year 1940 was the most vital year of World War ll.