Ch.19 WWII 1939-1945

Ch.19 Sec.1 Paths to War

WWI in Europe would start in the mind of Adolf Hitler

Major causes of WWII

1. WWI “The Treaty of Versailles” Article 231- War guilt clause: Germany had to

pay billions in war reparations.

2. Totalitarianism-system in which the state and the leader have complete control.

3. Appeasement- giving something to someone to make them happy that is considered reasonable.

Ch.19 Sec.1 cont.

W- WWI & Treaty of Versailles

A- Appeasement

R- Rise of Totalitarianism

Cont.

Hitler believed the Germans belonged to the Aryan race.

He wanted to build the next Reich but to do so he needed more land

Lebensraum- “Living Space” Hitler makes plans to take back the land

taken after WWI and to expand to the east.

Hitler’s First Steps

March 1935 Hitler announces the creation of a new air force and military draft.

This was a direct violation of the T of V. Hitler is convinced the West will not enforce

the treaty with force. Rhineland- part of Germany but was

considered to be a demilitarized area. Demilitarized- no weaponry or fortifications

allowed in the area

Cont.

German troops enter the Rhineland: Violation of the T of V

France and G.B. do NOTHING as they believe this is a reasonable action

1936 Hitler and Mussolini become allies signing the Rome-Berlin Axis

1937 Hitler will annex Austria to Germany threatening to invade Austria.

1938 Hitler turns his attention to his to Czechoslovakia

Demands and Appeasement Sudetenland- area in NW Czechoslovakia

inhabited by Germans. Hitler demands this land and says he is “

willing to risk world war” West gives in to Hitler’s demands and does

NOTHING. March of 1939 Hitler invades Czechoslovakia

and demands the Polish port of Danzig. G.B. finally offers Poland support in the event

of war with Germany.

Germany & the Soviets

Hitler fears the West will make a pact with the Soviets.

Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact- both countries promise not to attack one another.

Hitler offered Stalin control of eastern Poland and the Baltic states to sign the pact

On Sept.1 1939 German forces invaded Poland and WWII had officially started.

Two days later Sept. 3 France and G.B. declared war on Germany

Japan’s path to War

Japan had rose to power very swiftly in the early 1900s.

Japan was devastated by the Great Depression because countries placed tariff barriers to protect their economy.

Japan lacked the natural resources it needed to be self-sufficient.

As a result Japan embarks on a program of expansion at the expense of China.

Cont.

1931 Japanese soldiers seize Manchuria which has natural resources.

Mukden Incident- Japanese soldiers dressed like Chinese soldiers attacked a Japanese railway.

After this Japan moves into Northern China. Japan would eventually seize China’s capital

and try to build a New Asian Order. Japan believed: Germany & Japan would

attack the S.U. and divide it’s resources.

Cont. Eventually Japan shifts its focus to

Southeast Asia to fuel its military and country.

1941 Japan would move to occupy French Indochina to exploit its resources.

The U.S. objects & cuts the sale of oil and scrap metal to Japan.

With this action Japan’s leaders decide to stop any other American response by attacking the American naval fleet in the Pacific.

Ch.19 Sec.2 Course of WWII “ When starting and waging a war it is not

right that matters, but victory. Close your hearts to pity. Act brutally. Eighty million people must obtain what is their right… The wholesale destruction of Poland is the military objective. Speed is the main thing. Pursue until complete annihilation.”

Adolph Hitler; 9 days before Poland invasion

Cont. Hitler stunned Europe with the speed and

efficiency of the blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg- “lighting war” The German attack consisted of 3 separate

attacks: 1. Luftwaffe (AF), 2. Panzer Division, 3. Infantry Units

Poland falls after four weeks and is divided up between Germany and the Soviet Union

Phony War- period of time from Sept.1939 till April 1940 when Hitler attacks. (sitzkrieg, twilight war)

Hitler’s early success

Hitler resumed his attacks with the invasions of Denmark and Norway.

One month later Hitler attacked the Netherlands, Belgium, & France.

Germans attack through an area in France called the Ardennes Forest.

Maginot Line- series of concrete and steel fortifications armed with artillery along Germany & France’s border.

Germans will basically trap the whole British army on the beaches of Dunkirk.

Under German occupation France will be called Vichy France

After France is defeated Britain turns to America for help.

Hitler would now set his sights on Great Britain. Battle of Britain- German air force will attempt to

gain control of the air over the Royal Air force. Radar technology gave Britain an early warning

system against German attacks.

• The turning point of the Battle came on Aug.24 1940 when German bombers bombed central London.

• Winston Churchill was outraged and ordered a bombing raid on Berlin, Germany.

• This was a huge embarrassment for Nazi leaders because they boasted Berlin could not be attacked.

• Hitler immediately ordered German bombers to bomb G.B. cities. `

• Sept. 1940 Hitler postpones the invasion of Britain indefinitely.

Never was so much owed by so many to so few….. Winston Churchill

Hitler Attacks the Soviet Union

Hitler believed the only reason G.B. was still in the war was due to the S.U.

June 22nd 1941 Hitler invades the S.U. and expects to be done before winter sets in.

Operation Barbarossa- Germany’s attack on the Soviet Union.

The attack stretched out over 1800 miles and was set to capture the following 3 cites: Leningrad, Stalingrad, & Moscow.

German troops moved rapidly capturing some 2 million Russian troops.

Cont.

Because Germany expected a quick victory in Russia they issued no winter fatigues.

This along with an early winter started to change German success in the S.U.

Battle of Stalingrad- considered to be the turning point in WWII in Europe. After this battle Germany will retreat from Russia.

After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor Stalin moves forces from eastern Siberia to the West.

By 1943 the German offensive was in full retreat.

Japan & Pearl Harbor

Dec. 7, 1941 Japan will attack the American naval base located at Pearl Harbor.

Why? 1.The U.S. quit supplying oil and scrap metal to Japan. 2.U.S. also froze all Japanese assets .

Results- 8 battleships destroyed, 200 airplanes, 2000 sailors would die.

Japan had hoped this attack would hurt America to badly to fight in the East.

The attack of Pearl Harbor brought America into WWII

The Allies

With the U.S. entry into the war it created a new coalition called the Grand Alliance. (G.B.; U.S.; S.U.)

The members agree that Europe should take precedent over south-east Asia.

The alliance also agreed that the Axis powers would have to surrender unconditionally.

Unconditional Surrender- surrender without any favorable conditions.

Afrika Korps- German forces under Erwin Rommel in North Africa.

European Theater

Erwin Rommel- “Desert Fox” One of Germany’s most well respected commanders during WWII.

Battle of El Alamein- turning point in the North Africa front because it ended the Axis hope of occupying Egypt.

Battle of Midway- considered to be the turning point in the war in Asia. Japan’s navy was crippled by the U.S. and never recovered.

Douglas MacArthur- America’s supreme military commander in Asia during WWII.

Cont.

Island hopping- Allied policy that was to capture some Japanese held islands and bypass others up to Japan.

Dwight D. Eisenhower- Supreme commander of the Allied forces during WWII.

D-Day- 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy.

Largest naval invasion in history. The success of this allowed the allies to set up a

second front in western Europe.

Cont. Battle of the Bulge- (Dec. 1944)- last major Nazi

offensive against the allies in WWII. German commanders would surrender on May

7th, 1945. In 1945 Harry S. Truman would become

president of the U.S. The war continued in the east with the allies

advancing closer to the main Japanese islands. Truman decides to use atomic weapons and

drops the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Aug. 14 1945 WWII is officially over.

Ch.19 Sec.3 The Holocaust

Beginning in the 1930s the Nazis started their program of discrimination against the Jews.

Hitler’s answer for the Jewish problem was called the Final Solution or extermination.

Reinhard Heydeich- head of the SS’s Security Service: responsible for administering the Final Solution.

Einsatzgruppen- mobile killing units set up to carry out the killing of Jews and others.

• Ghettos- segregated parts of cities where Jews were forced to live in isolation.

• The Nazis first method of extermination was shooting the victims and burying them in mass graves.

• This however turned out to be to slow and death camps were built.

• Auschwitz- largest concentration/death camp in Poland.

• The Germans would kill over 6 million Jews before it was over.

The Home front

WWII is still the best example of a total war since the industrial age.

Mobilization- act of assembling and preparing for war.

United States would become the arsenal for the Allied Powers.

By 1945 1 &4 four married women were in the workforce.

Rosie the Riveter- women who toiled in the defense industry.

Cont.

• Rationing- a fixed portion (ex. food, gas,)• Victory gardens- gardens planted by civilians

during WWII to help the war effort. • Total victory after WWII was not followed by peace

but a period of time called the Cold War. • Tehran Conference- Nov. 1943- Big Three decided

the allies would meet in Germany along a divided line.

• Yalta Conference- Soviets and Americans spilt over the issue of self-determination in Eastern Europe. (United Nations also created)

Self determination- nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and their gov’t.

Iron Curtain- line dividing Europe between the communists and democratic governments.

As WWII ended the Cold War would dominate the world for years to come.