World War II

Three Dictators

Adolf Hitler - Fuhrer

Adolf Hitler• Born April 20, 1889 in Austria• Father dies – 1903, Mother dies –

1907• Dreams of a career in art, goes to

Vienna, fails• WWI – Hitler serves in Germany’s

army, injured, decorated Corporal• Hitler joins German Worker’s Party -

1919

• Hitler is named leader of Nazi Party – 1921

• Beer Hall Putsch – arrested for attempting to overthrow the German govt. – 1923, put on trial for treason, goes to prison

• Writes “Mein Kampf”• Germany elects Nazis to power – 1930• Hitler runs for president – 1932• German republic collapses• Hitler named chancellor – Jan. 1933• Becomes dictator – March 1933

Nazism

• Extreme nationalism (Germany was ripe for this), Hitler dreamed of unifying all German-speaking peoples in one country

• Racial purification – blond hair/blue eyes

• Expansion of territory

Stalin

Josef Stalin

• Took control of Russia after Lenin died in 1924

• Created a model communist state• Industrialized Russia (2nd largest in

world by 1937, 2nd only to U.S.)• Did not tolerate any threat to his

power, est. 8-13 million of his own people

Totalitarianism

• Complete control over citizens• Citizens have no rights• Govt. suppresses all opposition

Benito Mussolini

Benito Mussolini• Est. totalitarian regime in Italy• 1921, est. Fascist Party • Marched on Rome (black shirts) and was

named head of Italy’s government• Invade Ethiopia

– Ethiopia appealed to L.O.N., but they failed to act

• Controlled every aspect of Italian life• Fascism – interests of state placed

above interests of individuals

Japanese Militarists

• Military leaders gained control of govt.

• 1931 – attacked Manchuria (map), gained control

• Withdrew from the League of Nations

• Desire for more “living space”

Francisco Franco

Spanish Civil War

• Francisco Franco led group of army officers in civil war

• Backed by Mussolini and Hitler• Spread fascism throughout Spain• Rome-Berlin Axis – agreement

between Hitler, Mussolini and Franco, set up totalitarian govt. in Spain

Failure of League of Nations

• Remember the League of Nations?• Why does it fail?

– Didn’t hold Japan resp. for invading China

– Japan withdrew from League– Hitler withdrew from League

• Began violating the Treaty of Versailles• League did nothing

Cont. - Failure

• Mussolini began “empire building”– Ethiopia: Mussolini invaded– League did nothing besides

economically sanction Italy– Ethiopia fell to Mussolini and the

fascists

Map

America Responds??• Isolationism – wanted to avoid war,

felt like we had been dragged into WWI.

• Neutrality Acts: – Outlawed arms sales to nations at war– Outlawed arms sales to nations in civil

wars (I.E. Spain)– Roosevelt gets around this – cont’d

sending arms to China since Japan had not formally declared “war” on China

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Roosevelt’s Reaction• Roosevelt wanted to sanction “aggressor”

nations• Spoke out about U.S. isolationism and

sought to encourage other nations to isolate aggressor nations to contain the spread of war

• Only stopped speaking out against isolationism when American public began accusing him of dragging us into another war

War In Europe

• Hitler reclaimed the Rhineland• Fall of Austria and Czechoslovakia

– Most Austrians were Germans who favored unification, gained control March 1938

– THE WORLD DID NOTHING!!!!!!

Maps of Europe

Cont’d

• Hitler wanted to annex Sudetenland• Hitler claimed that Czech was

abusing Germans – Stationed troops on border– France and Great Britain had promised

to protect Czech.– Hitler called for a meeting with

Chamberlain (G.B.) and Daladier (France)

Munich Agreement

• Hitler stated his reasons for wanting to annex Sudetenland

• Claimed this would be his “last territorial demand”

• Daladier and Chamberlain agreed (they didn’t want another war)

• Sudetenland was turned over to Hitler

Daladier and Chamberlain

Appeasement

• Def: giving up principles to pacify an aggressor, giving in to a bully.

• Winston Churchill (G.B.)- spoke out against appeasement policy.

• Churchill was Chamberlain’s political rival

Winston Churchill

Germany and Russia

• Germany had it’s sights on Poland• Stalin signed a nonaggression pact with

Germany, they feared Germany expanding into Russia

• Committed to never attack one another• Insured that Germany never had to fight on

two fronts • Agreed secretly to divide Poland between

themselves. This gave Russia a buffer between themselves and Germany

Germany Invades Poland

• September 1, 1939 – Germany attacks• Luftwaffe – German air force bombed

Poland• Blitzkrieg – “Lightning War”, use of

tanks and airplanes to totally annihilate their enemy

• Two days later, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany

• World War II has begun!!!!!!!

Phony War

• Maginot Line – system of fortifications built along the French eastern border

• Sitzkrieg – “sitting war” or phony war• Chamberlain steps down and Churchill

becomes prime minister of England

Hitler attacks Norway and Denmark

• April 1940 • Invaded under the guise that he

was “protecting” them.• Hitler wanted bases along the

coasts to strike at Great Britain.• Hitler continued attacking –

Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Belgium

Hitler has an eye on France

• Hitler’s invasion of Belgium threatened to render the Maginot Line useless

• Hitler entered France through the Ardennes (wooded region)

• 400,000 British and French troops were stranded at Dunkirk (map)– Rescued by fishing boats, barges, etc.

Italy joins Germany: France falls• Mussolini allies with Hitler• Italy invaded France – June, 1940• France falls

– Vichy govt. set up (puppet govt.)headed by Marshal Philippe Petain

– Germany controlled northern part of France

– Charles de Gaulle: Fr. Gen. Escaped to England, set up a govt. in exile

Charles de Gaulle

Battle of Britain

• Summer, 1940• Luftwaffe bombing of Britain (57 nights)

– Goal: to destroy RAF– Hermann Goering – head of Luftwaffe– Used over 2000 planes – Initially targeted air fields, but moved on to

target civilian areas– Thousands killed, heavy damage to city– Heavy losses on both sides

Luftwaffe and RAF

British Response

• Used radar to detect incoming German planes

• Shot down over 185 planes• Cut off and predicted places the

Germans were going to attack