Crash Course World History: World War II - A War for Resources

Introduction

• Host: John Green
• Focus: World War II as a war for resources, particularly food, rather than purely good vs. evil.

Main Points

• WWII is often viewed through a moral lens, but resource allocation (especially food) played a crucial role.
• Absence of food led to more than 20 million deaths, comparable to military deaths.

Autarky and Expansionism

• Autarky: Self-sufficiency amid increasing global trade dependencies.
• Both Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan sought resource self-sufficiency, notably in food.
• Nationalism and resource acquisition drove expansionist policies:
  • Germany: Sought Lebensraum (living space) for agricultural land.
  • Japan: Required colonies for food supply due to limited domestic resources.

Strategies and Consequences

• Hunger and food supply influenced military strategies and decisions.
  • Hitler's Invasion of the Soviet Union: Driven by the desire to transform Ukraine and Western Russia into a breadbasket (Hunger Plan).
  • Battle of the Atlantic: Critical for shipping arms and food from the US to Britain.
• Starvation and resource allocation policies affected millions:
  • British colonies faced food shortages due to war priorities.
  • India: Famine exacerbated by British wartime policies.

Impact on Civilian Populations

• Different war impacts on civilian populations:
  • United States: Rationing and shared sacrifices.
  • Britain: Improved diets due to wartime policies (e.g., Dig for Victory).
  • Germany: Prioritized civilian feeding despite ongoing atrocities.
  • USSR, Japan, China: Severe caloric reductions and famine.

Military Rations

• Varied soldier nutrition across nations:
  • US and Britain: Well-fed, high-calorie diets.
  • Soviet Union: Poor conditions, reliance on foraging.
  • Japan: Severe malnutrition, high starvation rates in troops.

Broader Insights

• WWII narratives often focus on battles and morality, but examining resources provides:
  • A global perspective on war impacts beyond Europe.
  • Insights into responses to globalization and nationalist ideologies.
• The conflict between resource allocation and human ideology shows the persistent potential for conflict over finite resources.

Conclusion

• Understanding resource-driven aspects of WWII can help in avoiding future conflicts.
• Sign-off by John Green with a reminder of the interconnectedness of past and present global issues.