unit ix
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Unit IX. WWII. Leading up to the war….. Dictators. Italy - Mussolini’s Fascist Party believed in the supreme power of the state; 1922 he threatened to march on Rome and the King made him the premier. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Unit IX
WWII
Leading up to the war….. Dictators
• Italy- Mussolini’s Fascist Party believed in the supreme power of the state; 1922 he threatened to march on Rome and the King made him the premier.
• Germany- Hitler’s Nazi Party believed in an all-powerful state, expansion and ethnic purity; wanted to expand east into Russia and Poland; Invaded Poland in 1939, France in 1940 and USSR in 1941.
• Japan- Military expansion; attacked Manchuria in 1931; China in 1937; attacked Pearl Harbor 1941.
Causes of WWII
• European nations gave in to Hitler’s demands to try to prevent war.
• Munich Conference- Hitler wanted to take over the Czechoslovakia area Sudetenland; Czech resisted and France, USSR and England opposed him. Met and agreed to give it up.
• Appeasement- agreement to give up something to get peace; this failed.
The War Begins in Europe
• Blitzkrieg- “lightning war;” using tanks, infantry and planes to quickly attack
• Sept. 1, 1939 Germany invades Poland; Poland had horses and lances vs German tanks
• France and Britain sat and waited, allowing Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg to be taken by Germany.
• France fell June 22, 1940, surrendering• London gets bombed and enraged Britain
The Holocaust
• Nazi laws stripped Jews of citizenship and all rights• Immigration restriction made it difficult to leave
Germany• Germany persecuted Jews, disabled, gypsies,
homosexuals and Slavic people. • Nuremberg Laws- took Jews’ rights and forbade
marriage between Jews and Germans• Nazis published propaganda against Jews which led to
anti-Jewish violence and Kristallnacht• Gestapo- Secret police of Nazis; hunted Jews
America Enters the War
• FDR favored changes in American neutrality • America was split on American involvement• Lend-Lease Act- give arms to countries
considered vital to defending U.S. interests• Hemispheric defense zone- Western half of
Atlantic was a neutral zone• U.S. embargoes Japan, especially war goods• December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor was attacked
Mobilizing the Economy
• U.S. quickly pumped out war goods • Factories built tanks, airplanes, trucks, jeeps and
ships• War Production Board- set priorities and
production goals and control raw materials• Minorities and women played key roles• Segregation stayed during the war • Tuskegee Airmen- all black pilot unit• Women’s Army Corps- women soldiers and pilots
Early Pacific
• Japan won the Pacific until the Battle of Midway• Douglas MacArthur- U.S. commander in Pacific• Bataan Death March- 64 mile forced march by
the Japanese; 78,000 POWs; 10K died• Midway- U.S. was ready and won the battle
creating a turning point in the war.
Life on the Home Front• Women and minorities found factory and other jobs open
to them (Rosie the Riveter)• Roosevelt signed order 8802, stating “no discrimination in
employment dealing with defense or the government.”• Bracero Program- Mexican farmworkers in the Southwest
helped harvest food for war• Another migration took place, to where jobs and less
racism could be found.• Zoot Suit Riot- CA racial tensions erupted around Mexican
Americans due to an attack on sailors
Pushing Back in Europe
• Allies step up the bombing of Germany and invade Sicily and Italy
• Tehran Conference- Stalin met with Churchill and Roosevelt in Iran to discuss fighting Germany
• D-Day- Allies invade France in the largest amphibious invasion in History on June 6, 1944
The Home Front Marches on
• Americans bought over $150 Billion in War Bonds to support the government
• Due to potential attacks on our West coast, many Japanese were interned out of military zones
• “Double V”- victory over Hitler’s racism and racism at home.
• American ships used convoy system bc of attacks on American ships by Germany
• Roosevelt disregarded G.W. by running for a 3rd term• Office of War Information- inform public about the war• Neutrality Act ‘35-illegal to sell arms to country at war.
End Game: Europe• 1st country that Germany unified with them was Austria.• Nazi’s “final solution” = kill Jews; Auschwitz killed all
elderly, sick, kids and women immediately• Allies attack Sicily=Italian King arrests Mussolini• Roosevelt and Churchill attack the outlying countries of
German territory bc they weren’t ready for a full invasion of Europe yet; invaded Africa to help British
• Battle of Stalingrad- put Nazis on the defense• 761st Tank Battalion- Black unit commended for Battle of
the Bulge• V-E Day- May 8, 1945 Allied accept Nazi surrender.
End Game: Pacific
• Japan invaded Manchuria for resources• Japan attacked the American fleet at Midway; US
broke their secret code and won.• Iwo Jima- important bc we could bomb Japan• US causes fires in Tokyo by dropping napalm• US used Navajo language as a code• Manhattan Project- secret US project to build nukes• Nuclear Bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki• VJ Day- Victory in Japan August 9, 1945
After the War
• African Americans in WWII fought so well, Truman fully integrated the Army in 1948
• USSR and USA rise as superpowers and immediately start butting heads
• New countries form in Europe• United Nations begins• Cold War becomes a focus for the next half
century.