Was the period from 1914 to 1945 actually one single, thirty-year conflict?
Some historians argue that the two World Wars were not separate events, but a single European Civil War spanning three decades. This framework, popularized by figures like Charles de Gaulle and Winston Churchill, suggests the interwar years were merely a truce in a continuous, ideological struggle for the continent.
The concept of a 'Second Thirty Years' War' emerged in the aftermath of 1945 as a way to frame the catastrophic violence that defined the early 20th century. In a 1946 speech, Charles de Gaulle characterized the era as a drama that France had finally won, while Winston Churchill later adopted the term in the preface to his 1948 work, The Gathering Storm. This perspective treats the period from 1914 to 1945 as a cohesive unit, with the First World War and the subsequent peace serving as a prologue to the eventual outbreak of the Second World War.
Proponents of this view, such as Sigmund Neumann, argued that the era was defined by a persistent revolution and ideological clashes between fascism, Nazism, and communism. Neumann famously structured this period into five acts of a Greek drama, each lasting roughly five years, beginning in 1919 and concluding with the end of the Second World War in 1945. Within this framework, the conflict was not limited to the two global wars but included a series of regional struggles, such as the Russian Civil War, the Spanish Civil War, and various colonial conflicts, all fueled by the unresolved 'problem of Germany'.
However, the thesis remains highly contested. Critics argue that framing the era as a single, inevitable conflict oversimplifies history and risks excusing the specific actions of Nazi leaders. By suggesting that the rise of Hitler was a direct, defensive reaction to the Treaty of Versailles, the theory potentially downplays the role of racist ideology and the contingency of the Great Depression in Hitler's ascent. Many historians reject the idea of inevitability, maintaining that the Second World War was a distinct consequence of specific political choices rather than the final act of a preordained thirty-year cycle.
Source: Second Thirty Years' War
