World War II (1939-1945) was a war in which men killed others based on hatred of another's race. It was a hard-fought war in which men shot, beat, stabbed and tortured people in gas chambers. Hatred for a specific race has grown into something unimaginable. Many Jews lost their lives during World War II, through terrible and heartbreaking deaths. In “The Last full Measure How Soldiers Die In Battle,” author Michael Stephenson demonstrates that the root of World War II was simply racism. “One of the major factors linking the Eastern and Pacific fronts was the role racism played in driving the death toll.” (Stephenson, 254) Racism in fact increased the number of men killed, because Hitler's animosity towards the Jews was the main reason for their deaths. Hitler almost killed an entire race and for what? There are many untold things about Hitler and truly knowing why he hated Jews will always remain a secret. Many may believe that racism is not a major factor in why the Eastern Front and Pacific Theater were so terrible. It is the main factor, because if it were not for the hatred towards a specific race, World War II would not have been fought. Many know that World War II will begin due to the assassination of the prime minister in Austria. In the depths of World War II, the war stretched so long, because of racism. “The Germans in Russia, the Americans (including their allies), and the Japanese in the Pacific saw their enemies in racial terms that permitted and approved the killing of an adversary who had been stripped of any pretense of humanity or nobility. The Germans saw the Russians as Untermenschen “Asiatics”: a reincarnation of those barbarian hordes that had emerged from the steppes to rush over the medieval Chr… middle of paper… towards the Japanese. Dr. Seuss, a children's author, also participated in this hate crime. The Japanese were not treated the same as the Jews in Germany, but they faced a lot of hatred from the public. The feeling of hatred towards a specific group was the fuel of World War II; this war was destined to break out. Many may disagree with Stephenson's views on World War II, however he has shown many examples that support his thesis on war and racism. Others who oppose Stephenson's argument believe that Stephenson ignores major factors, such as weather, landscapes, and resources. All of these factors are inevitable in war, and Stephenson recognized the root of World War II and the fuel that started and ended this war. Works Cited Stephenson, Michael. The Last Complete Measure: How Soldiers Die in Battle. New York: Broadway Paperback, 2012. Print.