Download - World War II
1939-1945
World War II
The Road to War
Essential Question How did dictators acquire and expand power in
Europe in the 1930s?
The Rise of Dictators
Bitterness over the outcome of WWI and serious economic problems led to the rise of dictators in several countries
American Diary
Many people underestimated Adolf Hitler’s influence, but not journalist William Shirer. He described a rally for Hitler at Nuremberg in September 1934: “Like a Roman emperor, Hitler rode into this medieval town…When Hitler finally appeared on the balcony for a moment,…(people) looked up at him as if he were a Messiah, their faces transformed into something positively inhuman.” The passion of the Nazis shocked Shirer, and soon it would shock the world.
From Berlin Diary
Hitler
Hitler
Italy – Benito Mussolini
Made fascism popularBanned all other political parties except the
Fascist PartyEnded democratic rule Civil liberties and free press ceased to existLeft the League of Nations
Germany – Adolf Hitler
Won support by appealing to German fears about the economy and Treaty of Versailles
Leader of National Socialist Party (Nazi)Believed German people were superior to
othersAnti-SemitismEnded democracy and set up totalitarian
stateFormed alliance with Italy in 1936
Soviet Union – Joseph Stalin
Communist leaderUsed force to gain obedience from his peopleExecuted his rivalsSent millions of people suspected of
disloyalty to labor camps
American Neutrality
1935 and 1937 Neutrality Acts Banned weapons sales and loans to nations that
were at war
Germany on the March
Other European countries stood by as Germany expanded its territory Sent German troops to take over neutral territory Sent troops to Austria to unite them with
Germany Claimed parts of Czechloslovakia
Britain and France thought they could avoid war by accepting Germany’s demands – Appeasement Germany took Western Czechoslovakia Germany prepared to invade Poland
Answer the Essential Question
How did dictators acquire and expand power in Europe in the 1930’s?
War Begins
Essential Question How did peaceful nations confront foreign
aggressors in WWII?
War in Europe
1939 – Hitler invades Poland – Great Britain and France declare war
Germans called their attack a blitzkrieg Swift and fierce Thousands of soldiers entered Poland Soviet Union and Germany divide Poland in half
The War Expands
Germany forces Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium to surrender
1940 – Germany invades France and captures Paris
Allied Powers Great Britain France
Axis Powers Germany Italy Japan
Battle of Britain
Hitler aims to break British morale before invading Bombed airbases, shipyards, industries and cities
(London)Under inspiration of Prime Minister
Winston Churchill, England fought back Never gave up control of the skies and inflicted
heavy losses Hitler ended the attacks
London
Germany Turns East
Hitler wanted resources offered by Soviet land and invaded
Stalin ordered a scorched earth policy Burned their own cities and destroyed their own
crops Made it harder for Germans to supply their
troops as they advanced
America and the War
Roosevelt favored neutrality but began to mobilize Openly supports Allies Built up navy Set up peace time draft
Threatened by war, Roosevelt ran for third term and easily wins 1940 election
Began sending supplies to the Allies
The Japanese Threat
Japan continues their expansion and military conquests in the East
Japan planned to attack British, Dutch and American territory in the area
Roosevelt froze all Japanese reserves of money in US banks
Attack on Pearl Harbor
December 7, 1941: Japanese war plans attack American military base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Destroyed battleships, cruisers and airplanes Americans taken by surprise and more than 2,300
are killedAttack unites the countryRoosevelt asked Congress to declare war
and joined Allied Powers
Answer the Essential Question
How did peaceful nations confront foreign aggressors in WWII?
On the Home Front
Essential Question In what ways did American men, women and
minorities support the war effort at home?
America Prepares
Building an army More than 15 million Americans joined the armed
forces Women joined the military in large numbers (non
combat roles)Mobilization
Nation refocused economy to provide supplies for the war effort
Financing the War
$320 billion dollars spent by government on war effort (10x amount of WWI) Raised taxes Sold war bonds
Making Sacrifices
Civilians provided training, equipment, transportation, medical care, food and shelter for the armed forces
Separation from loved onesShortages of consumer goodsUsed government issued ration books to buy
things like Gasoline Tires Sugar Meat
Ration Books
Women and Minorities in WWII
African Americans 1 million serve in armed forces in low level
assignments and segregated units (at first) 1942 – Army begins training white and black soldiers
together Many migrate North to take factory jobs Fought for equality on the home front
Women and Minorities in WWII
Women More than ever join the workforce “Rosie the Riveter” encouraged women to take factory
jobs Earned less than men Many lose their jobs when men return WWII changes public opinion about women’s right to
work
Women and Minorities in WWII
Native Americans Served in armed forces Worked in industry “Code talkers” – armed forces used a special code in
Navajo language that the Japanese never broke
Where do you think this is?What do you think you are looking at?
Women and Minorities in WWII
Japanese Americans Feared and hated by many other Americans Americans were worried about their loyalty FDR ordered more than 100,000 Japanese
Americans to detention centers Internment camps
Had almost everything taken away Crowded and uncomfortable Some were forced to stay for 3 years
Japanese Internment
Making Connections
What kinds of sacrifices did American civilians make during wartime?
What legal action was taken against many Japanese Americans? What does the word “legal” imply?
Answer the Essential Question: In what ways did men, women and minorities support the war effort at home?
War in Europe
Essential Question What strategies did the Allies pursue to defeat the
Axis Powers in Europe?
Setting a Strategy
German forces occupied almost all of Europe and most of North Africa
Allied powers invade North Africa to gain combat experience and attack the edges of the German empire
Under American general Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Allies drove the Germans out of North Africa in 1943
Invasion of Italy under American General George Patton forced Benito Mussolini to surrender
Launched air raids on Germany
The Tide Turns in Europe
Germans focused much of their effort on the Soviet Union
Set up a military blockade on Leningrad (900 days) Thousands starved to death Germans never able to take the city
1941 – Germans tried to take Stalingrad Wintry weather slowed the attack Soviets forced a German retreat and cut off supply
lines Major turning point in the war!
Invasion of France
Allied forces were preparing to invade German occupied Europe
June 6, 1944 – D-Day Allied troops took the shores of Normandy under
heavy German fire and threat of landmines Allies landed millions of troops in France and
pushed into Europe
Victory in Europe
Looked as if war would be over soonGerman counter attacked at the Battle of
the Bulge Americans won and headed to Germany
1945 – With Soviet troops just outside Berlin, Hitler commits suicide Germany signed an unconditional surrender (May
7, 1945)
The Holocaust
As the Allies freed German-held areas, they discovered numerous instances of Nazi cruelty Genocide – Jews targeted for total extermination
(6 million killed) Slavs, Gypsies, Communists, homosexuals and
people with disabilities killed as well Beginning when Hitler gained power in 1933,
Jews were deprived of many rights
Persecution of Germany’s Jews
Marriage between Jews and other Germans banned
German citizenship taken awayKept from voting or holding public officeNot allowed to employ non-Jewish GermansLater, banned from owning businessesCould not practice law or medicineForced to wear a yellow six pointed starSent to concentrations camps
The Persecution Spreads
Mass killing begins in 1941 Shot groups of Jews and dumped in mass
graves
Primary Source
“We marched into a forest where a huge long ditch was already dug…I could hear…a machine gun going…All of a sudden,…I saw my mother and four sisters lined up before I had a chance to say, “Mother!” they were already dead. Somehow, time stands still…But what woke me was the sight of my five nieces and nephews being marched, and the murderers had the audacity to ask them to hold hands…I would have been almost the next one but all of a sudden the bombers came over, we were ordered to lay face downwards, but everyone started running…and I…ran deep into the forest.
From Remembering: Voices From the Holocaust
The Final Solution
1942 – Nazi’s built death camps like Aushwitz (1.6 million dead) and Treblinka to aid in extermination Poison gas chambers Cruel Experiments Some chosen for slave labor Elderly, women and children went to gas
chambers Bodies burned in giant furnaces
The Final Solution
News of atrocities reached western leaders well before 1945
Some historians argue that true atrocities were not realized until the Allies marched through the camps
Other historians debate why so relatively little was done to stop
Making Connections
What was the Nazi’s Final Solution?
What strategies did the Allies pursue to defeat the Axis Powers in WWII?
War in the Pacific
Essential Question: What characterized the WWII in the Pacific?
The Pacific Front
Allies fought the Japanese for 4 long years in the Pacific Attacked the Philippines and other Allied territory American General Douglas MacArthur and his
troops were forced to surrender
Island Hopping
American morale improved as small victories defeated Japan at sea
Island hopping: US captured and used key islands as a base for attacks Thousands died on both sides as American forces
got closer to the Japanese mainland Kamikazes sank several American destroyers
The End of the War
Japanese refusal to surrender led the US to drop the Atomic bomb President Truman believed it was his duty to use
every weapon available to save American livesAugust 6, 1945 – Dropped bomb on
Japanese city of Hiroshima – A second bomb dropped on Nagasaki three days later Killed between 115,000 and 194,000 people Burns and radiation sickness killed more
August 16, 1945 – Japanese surrendered
The Cost of War
Most destructive conflict in history 55 million dead More than ½ the casualties were civilians killed
by bombing, starvation, disease, torture and murder
American dead: 322,000 American injured: 800,000 Soviet deaths: 22 million
Those who survived faced the huge task of rebuilding their countries and their lives
Making Connections
Evaluate what was significant about the cost of WWII?
Answer the Essential Question: What characterized the WWII in the Pacific?