Chapter 19

World War II

Section 1: Paths to War

• German Path to War– WWII had its

beginnings with Hitler’s desire to create a German empire.

• He wanted to access land in the east which would eventually lead to war with the Soviet Union

• In order to accomplish this task, Hitler created a new air force and increased the army to over 550,000 troops.

• France, Great Britain, and Italy condemned Germany’s actions and warned against future aggressive acts.– This ended up being an empty warning.

• Hitler sent troops into the demilitarized zone.– France did not respond because they did

not have British support.– The policy of appeasement began with

Britain’s refusal to support military action.

• This policy continued for two years, while Hitler annexed Austria and parts of Czechoslovakia.– Hitler had threatened invasion and was

willing to risk “world war” to achieve his objective of creating a German empire.

** end of notes**

• In August of 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact.– Hitler knew that he would eventually have

to break the pact.

• On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland.– Two days later,

Great Britain and France declared war on Germany.

• Japanese Path to War– Japan was in search of natural resources

to fuel their industries.• They began annexing territory in China in the

1930s.– The US warned Japan that it would apply economic

sanctions unless it withdrew from China. The US would cut Japan off from the oil and scrap iron it was supplying.

• Japan’s military leaders decided to launch a surprise attack on U.S. and European colonies in Southeast Asia.

** end of notes**

Section 2: The Course of World War II• Europe at War

– Hitler hit Poland with speed and efficiency.• His blitzkrieg forces easily broke through the

Polish defenses.• Within four weeks, Poland surrendered.

– At the end of September, Germany and the Soviet Union divided Poland.

• Hitler continued his attack through the Netherlands, Belgium, and France.– Within a month and a half, Germany

occupied three-fifths of France.– Germany was now in control of western

and central Europe.

• Germany began attacking Great Britain.– The Luftwaffe bombed

major naval bases, communication centers, and war industries.

– They would eventually bomb cities, hoping to break British morale.

• Hitler, convinced that Britain remained in the war only because it expected Soviet help, invaded the Soviet Union in June of 1941.– Unprepared for the harsh

winter, the Germans were halted by the Soviets in December.

** end of notes**

• On December 7, 1941, Japanese aircraft attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands.

• By the spring of 1942, almost all of Southeast Asia and much of the western Pacific had fallen into Japanese hands.

• The entry of the US into the war created a new coalition, the Grand Alliance.– The three major allies were Great Britain,

the US, and the Soviet Union.

• The Allies agreed to fight until the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan) surrendered unconditionally.

** end of notes**

• Last Years of the War– In Asia, a major turning

point was at the Battle of Midway Island in June of 1942.

• The US destroyed Japanese aircraft carriers and established naval superiority in the Pacific.

• General Douglas MacArthur would lead the allied forces across the Pacific, “island hopping” until they reached the Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

• On June 6, 1943, the Allies landed on the Normandy beaches under the leadership of General Dwight D. Eisenhower. This day is known as D-Day.– Within three months, the Allies had landed

2 million men and a half-million vehicles.

• The Allies freed France in August of 1944.• In January of 1945, Hitler moved into an

underground bunker in Berlin.– On April 30, he committed suicide after

Mussolini was assassinated.– German forces on May 7, 1945.

• May 8 is known as V-E Day

• War in Asia continued– Pres. Harry Truman decided to drop the

atomic bomb on Japan to avoid heavy American casualties

• August 6 – Hiroshima• August 9 – Nagasaki• September 2 – V-J Day

** end of notes**

Section 3: The New Order and the Holocaust• Newly conquered lands were seen as

living space for German expansion.– 1 million Poles were uprooted and moved

to southern Poland.• They would become slave labor for the German

people.

• The Holocaust– Polish Jews would eventually be

exterminated.• The Einsatzgruppen would be responsible for

carrying out the Nazi plans.• They rounded up Jews, killed them, and buried

them in large mass graves.

• Death Camps– Because of the slow progress of the mobile

killing units, the Nazis decided to build death camps.

• 6 extermination centers were established in Poland.

• Auschwitz was the largest.

• The Germans killed between 5 and 6 million Jews.– Virtually, 90% of the Jewish population

were killed.– The Germans were also responsible for the

shooting and starvation of at least 9 to 10 million non-Jews.