World War II
Section 1
From Appeasement to War
Japan’s Expansion into Asia
1931- took ManchuriaLeague of Nations protested, but was powerless…Japan withdraws from LON1937- full scale invasion of ChinaEase of Japan’s conquest in Asia inspired Italy and Germany
Italy’s Conquest of Ethiopia
1935- Italy invades Ethiopia LON-sanctions against Italy, but no power to enforce1936- Italy had conquered Ethiopia1936-Italy formally annexes of Ethiopia
Hitler Breaks the TreatyHitler inspired by Japanese and Italian expansion1-remiliitarized Germany2-Sent troops to Rhineland (3/36) (demilitarized zone) bordering France*Western democracies denounced Hitler, but chose the policy of appeasement
US passed the Neutrality Acts
10/1936- Hitler and Mussolini sign Rome-Berlin Axis- Axis PowersHitler Breaks Treaty of Versailles
Spanish Civil War
Loyalist were supported by the Soviet Union
Nationalists were supported by Germany and Italy…win the War
Spain headed by Fascist dictator Francisco Franco
Spanish Civil War (test run for WWII)
German Aggression ContinuesAustriaHitler wanted more living space for Germans, and the “Aryan race” had the right to conquer the inferior races1938- bullied Austrian chancellor to appoint Nazis to key government posts3/1938- sent troops and proclaimed it part of Germany…Anschluss was created
Western Democracies- no action
German Aggression Continues
CzechoslovakiaHitler demanded that the Sudetenland (region in W. Czech) be annexed
The Munich Conference9/1938- GB and France again chose appeasementGave Hilter the Sudetenland if he promised no further expansion plans
Compromise:• Germany gets Sudetenland
– Respect Czech sovereigntyChamberlain- “peace in our time”Churchill- “war or dishonor”…”chose dishonor, they will have war”3/15/1939- Hitler took the rest of CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakiaWest Prepared for war---promised to protect Poland
Nazi-Soviet Pact
8/23/1939- Nazi-Soviet PactNot to fight eachother and to divide Poland and Eastern Europe between themNazi-Soviet Pact
9/1/39- Germany Invaded Poland9/3/39- GB and France declared war on GermanyWWII had begun
Section 2
THE AXIS ADVANCES
Hitler Looks to the West9/1/1939- German Luftwaffe targets Poland using Blitzkrieg or “Lighting War”Blitzkreig
1- Air force bombings and dive bombers2- Fast-moving tanks and troops move in
Germany attacked the west, while the Soviets attacked from the east…within weeks Polan ceased to existGB and France who declared war on 9/3 could do nothing to help Poland
The Invasion of ScandinaviaWhile the French and British waited behind the Maginot Line…4/1940- Germany’s Blitzkrieg took Denmark Norway5/1940- German takes the Netherlands and Belgium Meanwhile in GB- Chamberlain stepped down, and Winston Churchill became the new Prime MinisterMAP
Miracle of DunkirkFrench, British and Belgian troops were trapped in the NW corner of France
Hitler halts his forces (inexplicably)
May 26, 1940-850 vessel armada rescues the 300,000 troops and takes them safely to Britain
Under constant air and ground attacksRescue raises British morale
The Fall of France
Germany sweeps into France and on June 14 take Paris June 22, 1940- Hitler forces the French to sign surrender documents in the same railway car used to sign the armistice in WWIFrance signs armistice with GermanyGermany occupies the north while a “pupper government” (Vichy) is set up in the southSome French officers escape to England (Charles de Gaulle) to work on a resistance
Battle of Britain All that stood in the way of western domination for Hitler was Churchill and GB
Hitler thought GB would seek peace…he was wrong
Hitler launched Operation Sea Lion- the invasion of Britain
Massive airstrikes on the island (8/1940)The Blitz (9/1940)-bombing of Britain
6/1941- Britain had not fallen as the Luftwaffe failed to dominate the airs over Britain
Battle of Britain
Eastern Europe and Africa
While Hitler dominated Europe, Mussolini pushed in North Africa and the Balkins (7/10/1940- Italy declares war on GB and France)By 4/11/1941- Axis had pushed Allies out of Yugoslavia, Greece and Libya
Led by Ger. Erwin Rommel
***By 1941- the Axis powers or their allies controlled most of Europe***
Germany Invades the Soviet Union
Due to failed attempt at GB, Hitler looked to S.U. for his expansion…turns out to be a costly mistake6/1941- Massive invasion of S.U. begins (surprised Stalin)- Operation Barbarossa
Made motives clear- RESOURCES and crushing Communism3 million troop invasionThe unprepared Soviets lost 2.5 millionScorched Earth Policy (Stalin)- If Germans force a retreat, destroy everything
Germany Invades the Soviet Union
By Nov 1941 Germany controlled 40% of the Soviet population Dec. 1941- Germany began an assault on Leningrad attacking MoscowAs the Nazi invasion stalled, the winter of 1941 set in…Moscow and Leningrad would not fall
Japanese ExpansionJapan seized opportunity to take European colonies in Asia
Dutch East Indies and French Indo-ChinaGB fled SingaporeInvaded Indo China
Established “Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere”- new order
Asians were happy to get Europeans out
US ResponsePut embargo on the scrap iron
Japanese Expansion- con’t
Tripartite PactGermany, Italy and Japan•9/1940•Right to every nation to “receive space to which it is entitled”
•Cooperate with goals and aid if attacked
Anglo-American Cooperation
Leading up to WWII American government stressed neutralityFDR- worried by German expansion felt GB and France could not stop Germany aloneAfter Dunkirk, US gave GB 50 destroyersCash and Carry Policies- Cash for needed supplies (GB running out of money)Lend-Lease- President can lend war equipment to any country vital to US security
Pearl Harbor
US demands Japan to withdraw from Indochina and China
Embargo on oil and froze Japanese assets in US
War with USUS stands in way of expansionKey to success against US was to destroy the American Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor• US and other Japanese though Pearl Harbor would be safe from attack (Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto disagreed
Pearl Harbor- con’t
Dec. 7, 1941- attack on Pearl Harbor
19 ships, 2400 people killedFortunately for US- aircraft carriers were at seas and escaped attack
Dec. 8- US declares war on JapanPearl HarborJapanese American BacklashExecutive Order 9066
The Nazi Order
Hitler hoped for “New Order”Nazis rule EuropeEnslave conquered people and force them to work for the “Master Race”
Master RaceExterminate “undesirable elements”•Jews and Slavs, etc…
The Holocaust
July 1941- implemented plan for extermination of Jews (“Final Solution”)Millions rounded up and taken to Concentration Camps (Dachau and Auschwitz)6 million Jews murdered6 million Slavs and Gypsies
The Allies
Dec. 11, 1941- Germany and Italy honor Tripartite Pact and declare war on USGB backs US and declares war on JapanStalin pleads for a second front to take pressure off of SovietsAllies postponed invasion of Europe
Set sites on North Africa and the Mediterranean
The Allies
Section 3
The Allies Turn the Tide
The Soviet Offensive
July 1942- things going badly for Soviets- full retreat
Germans approaching StalingradSoviet counterattack and encircled Germans• Soviets and winter cause German surrender in February 1943
*Major turning point in war- broke the back of the Nazi Military Machine
Battle of Stalingrad
War in the Desert
GB led by Bernard Montgomery against the Germans led by Rommel (“Desert Fox”) and Vichy French who controlled French North AfricaAllied Commander Dwight Eisenhower brokered a deal with a Vichy official
Gave Vichy French N. AfricaEnded resistance
French Resistance moves in to help Allies
War in the Desert- con’t
Rommel tells Hitler the situation is helplessHitler refuses
Germany later surrenders in TunisiaWar in the Desert
Invasion of ItalyAllies meet in Casablanca to develop a plan
Invade SicilyLeads to Mussolini’s downfall• It. King Emmanuel III
– Fires and arrest Mussolini– Dissolves Fascist party and surrenders
Germany continues to control peninsula6 month artillery bombardment to rid the Germans
Invasion of ItalyFirst Allied foothold in Europe
D-Day
June 6, 1944Confusion and heavy German resistance made invasion difficult•Huge Allied success
– Within 1 Million troops poured in France– July 25- broke though German line
D-DayAugust 25- Paris is liberated
Yalta and PotsdamVictory Over Germany
Allies attack Germany while Soviets moved from the eastDespite heavy losses Hitler refused to surrender.• Last offensive- Battle of the Bulge (12/44)
Allies cross the Rhine River (German defensive barrier)May 7, 1945- Germany surrenders
Postwar Conferences:Yalta-(2/1945) Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin
Postwar Plans-divide Germany and creation of United Nations
Potsdam(7/1945)Occupy GermanyUltimatum to JapanWartime alliance pulling apart
Section 4
Victory in Europe and the Pacific
V-E Day
May 7 Germany surrenderedMay 8, 1945 was proclaimed V-E Day (Victory in Europe)
War in the PacificWhile war waged in Europe Japan had a great deal of success in Asia
Taken:Malaya, Singapore, Burman, Dutch East Indies, Guam, Wake Islands and Philippines
Allied successCoral SeaMidway-ended Japanese naval superiority in PacificGuadalcanal
*Leapfrogged its way to Japan
After a pause to rebuild…Allies resumed quest for Japan in 11/1943Led to kamikazes attacks•Suicide mission
War in the Pacific
War in the Pacific- con’t
Victory Over JapanSummer of 1945- Allied victory was inevitable (Japan refused to surrender)Iwo Jima and Okinawa- fiercest battles in Pacific- Allied VictoriesAfter refusing multiple ultimatums the US decided to use their new weapon- Atomic Bomb
Hiroshima(8/6/45) and Nagasaki(8/9/45) were bombed- 200,000 Japanese lost their livesSeptember 2, 1945- Japanese surrender- WWII over
Victory Over Japan
Section 5
The End of WWII
War’s Aftermath
The war had killed as many as 50 million people around the worldAs the war ended people began to learn the full extent of the inhumanity of the HolocaustAt the Nuremberg Trials nazi leaders were tried for “crimes against humanity”The western allies occupied Germany and Japan with democratic constitutions
Establishing the United Nations
April 1945, 50 nations convened in San Francisco to draft a charter for the United NationsGeneral Assembly- all members votedSecurity Council- had the right to veto any decision (US, Soviet Union, Britain, France, and China)
Effects of the War
70 Million Fought50 Million+ casualties
SU-22 MillionGermany- 8 MillionJapan- 2 Million6 Million Jews (Holocaust)400,000 Americans
Use of new weapons made WWII the most destructive in history