World War II 1939-1945. September 1, 1939 Germany invades Poland – Start of War September 3, 1939 Britain and France declare war on Germany December 7,

World War II1939-1945

•September 1, 1939•Germany invades Poland – Start of War

•September 3, 1939•Britain and France declare war on Germany

•December 7, 1941• Japan bombs Pearl Harbor – USA enters war

•May 1945•Germany Surrenders

•September 1945• Japan Surrenders

Major Dates

WhoAllies

Great Britain• Churchill

U.S.A.• F.D.R. and Truman

USSR• Stalin

France• Surrendered to

Germany-1940

AxisGermany• Hitler

Italy• Mussolini

Japan• Tojo

Why World War II ?

1. Treaty of Versailles• land lost• Reparations

• Germany becomes bankrupt2. World Wide Depression

• Germany’s debt increases• scapegoats are created

3. Rise of Totalitarian Regions• Fascism (Spain, Germany, Italy)• Communism (USSR)• Military Dictatorship (Japan)

Why World War II ?4. Isolationism

• U.S.A. • Great Depression• Perceptions of World War I• Pacifism

• Appeasement• Began with Japan

Manchuria• Italy Ethiopia (Haile

Salessie)• League of

Nations=Sanctions• Germany

Sudetenland• Munich Conference

What About Hitler ?

•Weimer Republic• thought to be decadent and weak

•Great Depression•provided solutions• scapegoats•Kristalhacht• Fascism (military government based on racism and nationalism with strong support of business)

What About Hitler ?

Continued…•Hitler Wanted

• Lebensraum (Return Germany)•Annexed Austria – 1938•Sudetenland (Czechoslovakia)

•Munich Conference (appeasement)

•Nonaggression Pact/Nazi-Soviet Pact

•with USSR – gets half of Poland

World War IIGerman Aggression

Spanish Civil War

•1936–Nationalists vs. Republicans

(Fascists) (Communists)•Guerica (Spanish City)

• (Practice for Germany) Luftwaffe• terror bombing•1,654 people killed• Francisco Franco becomes leader of Spain

Anti Commintern Pact

•1936 – Germany and Japan fight Communism

Nazi-Soviet Pact - 1939•Nonaggression Pact – split Poland•Germany – Fascists (extreme nationalism)•USSR – Communism (international change and classless society)•Shocked Europe•Hitler used communism as excuse:•Build up military •Enter Rhinland•Anticommintern Pact

World War II Begins1. September 1, 1939 – Germany attacks

Poland• Blitzkrieg

• 1st planes = panic• 2nd tanks• 3rd foot soldiers

2. 1940• Germany goes through:• Denmark• Norway• Netherlands• Belgium

World War II Begins

Continued…3. Germany attacks France through mountains• Dunkirk 300,000 rescued• June 22, 1940 – France Surrenders• Vichy Government established

Germany Puppet4. Battle of Britain

• August – October 1940• Goal = destroy Britain’s air force• “London Blitz”• New technology saved Britain• Failure called off in 1941

5. Hitler went after USSR• “Operation Babarossa”• June 1941 – USSR attacked• 3 million German troops• USSR was no match• Germans couldn’t withstand the

Russian winter

World War II Begins

Continued…

World War IIAllies Respond

U.S.A. Reaction

• Neutrality Acts• Forbade sale of arms with any country at war

• Pacifism•Opposition to all war

• Land – Lease Act•Gave aid to Allies

• Atlantic Charter• Issued by FDR and Churchill•Set goals for war

Japan Attacks – December 7, 1941

•Why?•U.S.A. banned sale of oil because of Japan’s aggressive behavior towards Indo China

•December 8, 1941•U.S.A. declares war on Japan

• December 11, 1941• Germany, Italy, and Japan declare

war on U.S.A.

Battle of the Atlantic• Why?

supplies Major Battles

• Coral Sea May 1942 = North East coast of

Australia U.S.A. stops Japan’s

advancement• Midway

June 1942 – island in the middle of the Pacific

America’s Military Base U.S. broke Japan’s code

U.S. destroyed 4 Japanese carriers

Battle of the AtlanticContinued…

•GuadalcanalAugust 1942 - February 1943 = Solomon Islands

Island hopping (capture weak targets)

Allies captured Solomon, Gilbert, Marshall, Caroline, and

Mariana Islands• Leyte Gulf

October 1944 = Allies win Philippines

Battle in Africa

• Suez Canal = oil supplies from Middle East• El Alamein = Egypt 1940-1943

Allies win because Italy was weak and Germans lacked suppliesmoved north to Italy

U.S.S.R.•Siege of Leningrad

German blockaded1 million Soviets starved

•Stalingrad = Volga River = 1942City produced weaponsPorts shipped grain and oilStalin “hold at all coasts”Germans defeated and surrounded by Soviets

Beginning of German failure

World War IIEnd of World War II

War Ends in Europe

• 1943 = StalingradSoviets push back Germans

• June 6, 1944 = D-DayAllies invaded FranceSecured Normandy Beach

•December 1944 = Battle of BulgeGerman counterattacked in BelgiumPushed back Allies (“Bulge”)January 1945 = Allies winAllies race to BerlinSoviets get there in April

War Ends in Europe

Continued…• April 28, 1945

Mussolini was executed by his people (Italians)

• May 2, 1945Hitler found dead

• May 7, 1945V-E Day (Victory in Europe)Allies win war over in Europe

War Ends in the Pacific• February 1945 = Iwo Jima

750 miles south of Japan7,000 Americans dead20,000 Japanese deadMonth long battle

• Battle of Okinawa350 miles from Japan12,000 Americans dead100,000 Japanese dead

• Atomic BombUsed energy by splitting atomsBegan in 1939 – tested July 1945

War Ends in the Pacific

Continued…• May 1945 => FDR dies (Truman takes his place)• July 26, 1945 => Allies demand that Japan surrenders• August 6, 1945 => Hiroshima is bombed• August 9, 1945 => Nagasaki is bombed• August 15, 1945 => V-J Day (Victory over Japan)• World War II now over in the Pacific

Effects of World War II• Atlantic Charter

July 1941 => FDR and ChurchillGoals for war and peace

• Tehran, IranNovember 1943 => FDR, Churchill, and Stalin

Planned D-Day and future peace• Yalta Conference

Goal = Postwar EuropeCreated United Nations

• June 1945 => United Nations charter signed• June 1945 => Potsdam Conference• U.S.A. and USSR become world powers• Conflict = Cold War