Operation Barbarossa In WWII Essays (2695 words) - Adolf Hitler

Operation Barbarossa in WWII "When Operation Barbarossa is launched, the world will hold its breath!" - Adolf Hitler On the night of June 22, 1941, more than 3 million German soldiers, 600 000 vehicles and 3350 tanks were amassed along a 2000km front stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Their sites were all trained on Russia. This force was part of 'Operation Barbarossa', the eastern front of the greatest military machine ever assembled. This machine was Adolf Hitler's German army. For Hitler, the inevitable assault on Russia was to be the culmination of a long standing obsession. He had always wanted Russia's industries and agricultural lands as part of his Lebensraum or 'living space' for Germany and their Thousand Year Reich. Russia had been on Hitler's agenda since he wrote Mein Kampf some 17 years earlier where he stated: 'We terminate the endless German drive to the south and the west of Europe, and direct our gaze towards the lands in the east...If we talk about new soil and territory in Europe today, we can think primarily only of Russia and its vassal border states'i Hitler wanted to exterminate and enslave the 'degenerate' Slavs and he wanted to obliterate their 'Jewish Bolshevist' government before it could turn on him. His 1939 pact with Stalin was only meant to give Germany time to prepare for war. As soon as Hitler controlled France, he looked east. Insisting that Britain was as good as defeated, he wanted to finish off the Soviet Union as soon as possible, before it could significantly fortify and arm itself. 'We only have to kick in the front door and the whole rotten edifice will come tumbling down'ii he told his officers. His generals warned him of the danger of fighting a war on two fronts and of the difficulty of invading an area as vast as Russia but, Hitler simply overruled them. He then placed troops in Finland and Romania and created his eastern front. In December 1940, Hitler made his final battle plan. He gave this huge operation a suitable name. He termed it 'Operation Barbarossa' or 'Redbeard' which was the nickname of the crusading 12th century Holy Roman emperor, Frederick I. The campaign consisted of three groups: Army Group North which would secure the Baltic; Army Group South which would take the coal and oil rich lands of the Ukraine and Caucasus; and Army Group Centre which would drive towards Moscow. Prior to deploying this massive force, military events in the Balkans delayed 'Barbarossa' by five weeks. It is now widely agreed that this delay proved fatal to Hitler's conquest plans of Russia but, at the time it did not seem important. In mid-June the build-up was complete and the German Army stood poised for battle. Hitler's drive for Russia failed however, and the defeat of his army would prove to be a major downward turning point for Germany and the Axis counterparts. There are many factors and events which contributed to the failure of Operation Barbarossa right from the preparatory stages of the attack to the final cold wintry days when the Germans had no choice but to concede. Several scholars and historians are in basic agreement with the factors which led to Germany's failure however, many of them stress different aspects of the operation as the crucial turning point. One such scholar is the historian, Kenneth Macksey. His view on Operation Barbarossa is plainly evident just by the title of his book termed, 'Military errors Of World War Two.'iii Macksey details the fact that the invasion of Russia was doomed to fail from the beginning due to the fact that the Germans were unprepared and extremely overconfident for a reasonable advancement towards Moscow. Macksey's first reason for the failure was the simply that Germany should not have broken its agreement with Russia and invaded its lands due to the fact that the British were not defeated on the western front, and this in turn plunged Hitler into a war on two fronts. The Germans, and Hitler in particular were stretching their forces too thin and were overconfident that the Russians would be defeated in a very short time. Adolf Hitler's overconfidence justifiably stemmed

The Role of Government Regulations in Human Economic Activities

The Role of Government Regulations in Human Economic Activities Thesis section Since governments emerged in the evolutionary history of humans, they have been involved in the regulation of social, political, and economic activities of people (Ashcroft and Ashcroft 39). Governments are initiated with the aim of averting social anarchy and stagnation of development in society. Therefore, regulation is a process through which rules are made, applied, and adjusted according to the needs of the targeted society (Jennings 231). During the past 20 years, economic regulations by most governments have been enhanced.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Role of Government Regulations in Human Economic Activities specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Nonetheless, the decline in economic activities witnessed in the industrialized nations has been associated with strict government regulations of economic activities (Jennings 120). Most government regulations are aimed at protecting the well being o f citizens especially when conducting economic activities. However, the current regulations have made it almost impossible for most economic processes to proceed. The situation has been made worse due to incessant government demands and regulations for small and well established businesses. In comparison to the early 20th century, the current regulations are failing the economic system. It is evident that the disadvantages that emanate from government regulations tend to outweigh the perceived merits (Carroll and Buchholtz 390). Therefore, regulation of businesses by governments is unnecessary because the market forces such as demand and supply can effectively control the much needed dynamics of propelling business growth. Body of the argument Government regulation has been perceived by several people as the best way of ensuring accountability in the distribution of resources (Carroll and Buchholtz 684). Most stable governments have put in place measures to ensure that the rich dona te more to the government that the poor. Measures have been instituted in certain businesses in order to spur the growth of large companies that have helped most developed nations to realize the current economic status. These regulations often aim at redistributing and balancing resources in an economy. As much as the latter is usually the intention of governments, the practice has resulted into economic decline since the large companies are cutting down their expenses so that they can be able to meet the current regulations and expenses needed in running businesses. In addition, unemployment rates have continued to rise as a result of the regulations on economic activities (Ashcroft and Ashcroft 365). Furthermore, governments have been using regulations with the aim of enhancing high quality services. These regulations have greatly reduced competition. The decline in competition has also resulted into reduced efficiency and quality of economic products.Advertising Looking f or essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The current trends that are also being witnessed globally are quite alarming. There is a global economic decline. The government is supposed to instigate measures that will stimulate economic development. If the current regulates are effective, then the prevailing economic hurdles could not be experienced. The issue of over taxation of individuals with a huge financial base is a total failure (Ashcroft and Ashcroft 439). Increasing levels of unemployment attributed to retrenchment of workers by large companies is directly influenced by government regulations. Moreover, most people who are losing their jobs are the ones that governments want to uplift. The dilemma seen in these scenarios is a major setback in the effectiveness of government regulations. In addition, the strict government regulation of businesses negatively affects people with limited capital. Su ch people cannot afford to meet all the requirements needed to obtain licensing form their respective governments. Such regulations have also affected economic growth of several poor communities. As much as regulations were initially put in place with the aim of ensuring that economic development could be achieved substantially, there are myriads of limitations of these regulations. Most of the limitations are associated with the inability of the government to fully implement the actual regulative measures. This leaves loopholes that allow several other people to acquire wealth inappropriately at the expense of others (Ashcroft and Ashcroft 555). Most of the measures instigated by the government in order to boost economic recovery or stimulation have been a failure due to lack of effective implementation mechanisms. In some cases, the failures are attributed to lack of political will. The latter limits government policies on economic development (Carroll and Buchholtz 447). The laws governing economic processes have also resulted into massive failure of the economic regulatory processes. Some individuals take advantage due to the ambiguity of the laws in order to sabotage government regulations. A free market that has no government regulations offers opportunities for participants in economic activities to offer the best in what they can do (Jennings 76). Unregulated market allows increased efficiency due to the availability of market forces such as competition.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Role of Government Regulations in Human Economic Activities specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Moreover, such a market ensures that the participants in the economic activities are responsible. If an individual participates in a business that is producing poor quality products and services, the market forces will work against that business entity. Such a business cannot survive in a competitive market. Conclusion Government regulations have proven to be effective in managing human economic activities and peaceful coexistence. Nevertheless, the current economic regulations are negatively affecting development and hence slowing down economic process in some economies. The weaknesses of government regulations have been clearly illustrated. It has been observed that a free market will allow economies to advance faster than in regulated economy. Ashcroft, John and Janet, Ashcroft. Law for Business. New York, NY: Cengage Learning, 2010. Print. Carroll, Archie and Ann, Buchholtz. Business Society: Ethics Stakeholder Management. New York, NY: Cengage Learning, 2009. Print. Jennings, Marianne. Business: Its Legal, Ethical, and Global Environment. New York, NY: Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.