Axis Powers1.) Italy
Mussolini and the Fascist Party2.) Germany
Hitler and the Nazi Party3.) Japan
Emperor Tojo and General Hirohito
1.) Fascism in Italy Most people in Italy felt dissatisfied after
WWIItaly had entered the war late on the side of
the Allies during WWI—hoping to gain some landItaly did not get what it had hoped for after the
warItaly only received a small piece of Austrian
territoryThis made Italy very bitter with the rest of the
Allies
Italy also suffered from heavy debts caused by WWI
Soldiers coming home could not find workItalian industries had not raw materialsItalian industries had no markets for their
goodsItaly’s largest buyers before the war were
Austria and Germany—now they both had been defeated in WWI and had no $ to buy goods from Italy
Benito Mussolini:Born in 1883 to a working class familyA journalist and very active in socialist
politics before WWIAfter WWI, he left his socialist ideas and
became a nationalist1919: Mussolini created a new political party
in Italy—Fasci di Combattimento (Fascist Party)
Mussolini’s Fasci di Combattimento:Glorified the state, a strong single ruler, and
totalitarian governmentThe state had absolute authorityThe party defended private property and class
structureWar and conquest were glorified to achieve
national goalsAn attempt to recreate the old glory of ancient
Rome
1920s: Italy experience lots of economic problemsValue of the Lira (Italian $) declinedBread prices increasedA coal shortage occurredWorkers began to strike Peasants started seizing land from the wealthy
land ownersThe Middle and Upper classes feared a
communist revolution like that which occurred in Russia
Mussolini tried to win the favor of the landowners by vowing to end all of the unrest and protect private property—what the middle and upper classes wanted
By 1921: fascism was a major force in ItalyMussolini’s Blackshirts—his followers—
physically attacked political opponents and drove officials out of office
The democratic government of Italy did nothing to stop the Blackshirts
The government’s apathy caused Mussolini to do more
October 1922: the Fascists marched on Rome
King Victor Emmanuel II named Mussolini Prime Minister of ItalyMussolini legally assumed power in Italy
Mussolini’s Dictatorship:As Prime Minister of Italy, Mussolini quickly
put an end to the democracy in ItalyIn the elections of 1924, the Blackshirts used
violence to make people vote for fascist candidates
Fascists won the majority of seats in the Italian Parliament
The party’s victory gave Mussolini lots of power in Italy
With his new power, Mussolini began calling himself “Il Duce”—The Leader
He reorganized the government into a cooperate state
The majority of people in Italy supported Mussolini
Those people that opposed fascism and Mussolini were arrested, assaulted, and murdered
The people believed he had done good for ItalyHe had prevented a communist revolutionHe had brought order to Italy
1935: Benito Mussolini wanted to test his powers
He “flexed his muscles” by invading Ethiopia (Africa)
Ethiopian soldiers had no chance against Mussolini’s mechanized militaryEthiopians were fighting on horseback with
outdated weaponsBy the Spring of 1936, Italy had control over
Ethiopia
2.) GermanyWeimar Republic:The Allies wanted to make sure Germany
would never threaten European Peace againThe Versailles Treaty put heavy restrictions
on GermanyLimiting Germany’s sizeForced a democratic government on Germany
1919: the German people voted for delegates to go into the new democratic national assembly
The new assembly met in Weimar, GermanyThe new assembly drafted a democratic
constitution that created a democratic republic in Germany
From 1919 to 1933, the Weimar Republic—the assembly—ruled over Germany
From very early on, the Weimar Republic met with lots of opposition
1920: nationalist army officers attempted to overthrow the Weimar government by staging a coup d'état
The officers believed the Weimar leaders had betrayed Germany by accepting the Treaty of Versailles
The Weimar leaders were able to squash the revolt
Reparations:The governments of Great Britain and France
had promised their citizens that Germany would pay for WWI
The Allies set the cost of the war at $35 billion
1922: German government said it could not pay for the war because the nation had NO $
France still insisted that Germany pay off the debt
1923: French troops marched into the Ruhr Valley and took control of the coal and steal mills
Inflation:To pay off the war debt, the German
government began printing more money—the money had no backingPrinting more $ without backing led to high
inflation in GermanyThe German Mark lost nearly all of its value1923: 1 trillion Marks=$1 (US)German money had no real value at all
France eventually backed off a little from Germany
Germany began getting loans from the US, allowing Germany to slowly regain its economic strengthThis will, of course, end when the US enters a
depression and cannot loan money to Germany any longer
Nazism & Hitler:Many different political parties began
challenging the Weimar RepublicOne party in particular was the National
Socialist Workers’ Party—Nazi PartyAdolf Hitler became a member of the Nazi
PartyHitler had tried to enter an Austrian art school
but failed the entrance examsHe had served in the military during WWI—
becoming wounded in the warAfter his failed art career, he decided to go into
politics
Hitler formed a private army—BrownshirtsThe Brownshirts were mostly street thugs and
Hitler’s friends1923: Hitler was arrested and put in jail for
a drunken attempt at to create a coup d'état against the Weimar RepublicWhile in jail, he wrote Mein Kampf—”My
Struggle”The book outlined Hitler’s views on Germany
and why Germany had suffered so greatly during and after WWI
He blamed the Jews and Communists for Germany’s defeat in WWI
When Germany began to recover some in the 1920s, the Nazi Party began losing power and influence
1929: after the American stock market failure and the stoppage of loans to Germany, the German people were ready for the Nazi message
Germans began to believe Hitler’s claims that the Jews were causing Germany’s problems
The people believed Hitler could solve all of Germany’s problems
1932: the Nazi Party won 229 seats in the Reichstag (German Parliament)The victories made the Nazi Party the largest
party in the ReichstagJanuary 30, 1933: the German president—
Paul von Hindenburg—asked Hitler to become German ChancellorThe Nazi’s and Hitler had gained power in a
legal manor
Hitler Speech Video
Hitler in Power:Hitler’s Primary goal when he came to
power: to create a totalitarian stateHe wanted the Nazis to have total control
over the ReichstagHe wanted to hold new electionsOne week before the elections were held, the
Reichstag burned to the groundHitler blamed the communists for the fire, but
Hitler probably had the fire started himself
New elections were heldHitler’s Brownshirts forced German voters to
vote for Nazi candidatesOnce the Reichstag was under Nazi control,
Hitler then set out to crush his opponents—especially the communistsHitler banned all political parties except the
Nazi partyHitler banned freedom of speech, freedom of
assembly, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press
All labor unions would be placed under Nazi control
Hitler and the Jews:Hitler’s most vicious attacks were against the
Jews in Germany1935: Hitler passed the Nuremberg Laws
The laws restricted Jews’ freedomsCitizenship was stripped from the JewsJews were forbidden to hold public officeJewish children could not go to schoolJewish businesses were burnedJews were forced to wear yellow badges
signifying their being Jewish
Kristallnacht: “the night of broken glass”When Jews and Jewish business were
vandalized by the Nazi Party
Hitler even feared some of his own supporters
He feared the radical members of the Nazi Party
1934: Hitler had hundreds of Brownshirts killedCalled Night of the Long KnivesAlso called Operation Hummingbird
Once Hitler believed had had all power, he began calling himself Der Fuhrer (the leader)Hitler called his government the Third ReichHe believed his government would last 1000
yearsOnce in power, Hitler began to ignore the
Versailles TreatyHe began building a massive army and a huge
supply of weapons—actually giving many Germans jobs
“Today Germany; tomorrow, the World.”—A. Hitler
1938: Hitler marched into Austria and proclaimed Austria part of GermanyHitler faced NO opposition in gaining Austria
6 months later, Hitler’s troops marched into the Sudetenland region of CzechoslovakiaThis region had a large German population
No one in Europe was willing to stand up to Hitler and challenge his taking over of Europe
France and Great Britain took on a policy of appeasement toward HitlerFrance and Great Britain were trying to avoid
war with Hitler They would give into Hitler’s demands in an
attempt to keep peace
September 1938: a conference was held in MunichBritish Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain
and French Prime Minister Edouard Daladier agreed NOT to oppose Hitler’s advance into the Sudetenland
The 3 nations signed the Munich Pact—this allowed Hitler’s conquest of the Sudetenland to stand
Chamberlain believed war had been averted by the Munich Pact—”We have secured peace in our time.”
3.) Japan—Prime Minister Hideki TojoJapan’s government shifted from a civilian
controlled government to a military controlled government after the world wide depression struck in the 1920s and 1930sThe military government was looking to create
an empire for JapanJapan’s growing population placed heavy
strains on the nation’s resourcesJapan needed to find new places to get the
resources it needed—especially land and raw materials
Japan was also tired of being dependent on other nations for much of the resources they needed
A Pacific Empire would make Japan more self-sufficient and less reliant on other nations
Japan started their quest for an empire even before their involvement in World War I
1895: Japan had gained the island of Taiwan
1904-1905: Japan had gained land in Korea and parts of ManchuriaJapan wanted the rest of Manchuria
1931: Japan invaded Manchuria to get its iron and coalJapan also wanted the land in Manchuria so
that Japan could colonize the land to produce agricultural and industrial goods
By 1932, Japan had control over ManchuriaJapan installed a “puppet government” in
Manchuria
The League of Nations looked down on Japan for Japan’s taking of ManchuriaJapan withdrew from the League of Nations
1937: Japan moved its forces into Northern ChinaJapan executed over 200,000 Chinese citizens
in their capture of the Chinese capital—called the “China Incident”
1940: Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Italy and Germany—creating the Axis PowersEach nation pledged to help one another if the
U. S. attacked either Japan, Germany, or Italy
By the fall of 1941, Hideki Tojo had become Prime Minister of Japan
The U. S. had become very upset at Japan’s attacks on China
FDR cut off all fuel and metal shipments to Japan
Allied Powers1.) Soviet Union
Joseph Stalin and CommunismHad a pact with Germany, but the pact was
broken when Germany invaded The Soviet Union
2.) Great BritainNeville Chamberlain and Winston Churchill
3.) United StatesFranklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman
Axis Strategy for WWIIGermany wanted to invade the Soviet Union
to gain access to the Soviet Union’s oil fieldsGermany planned on defeating the Soviet
Union quicklyGermany also wanted to avoid a 2-front war—
having enemies on both sidesMake a pact with the SovietsConcentrate on and defeat FranceThen attack the Soviets
Allied Strategy for WWIIFirst order was to defeat Hitler
Most efforts were placed on gaining Europe back from Nazi control
Most American military resources (once we enter the war) were targeted toward Europe
Settle problems in PacificIsland Hopping—seizing islands closer and
closer to Japan
Non-Aggression Pact and the Soviet Union
5 months after the signing of the Munich Pact, Hitler took the rest of Czechoslovakia
August 29, 1939: Hitler signed the Non-Aggression Pact with Stalin and the USSRThe Pact stated that neither nation would
attack the otherHitler, could then, avoid a 2-front war—he
could concentrate his efforts on the West and France
Invasion of PolandHitler and Stalin had divided Poland
between them in the Non-aggression PactWith Stalin’s approval, Hitler’s mobile
army moved into Poland on September 1, 1939
Hitler’s Luftwaffe (air force) bombed Polish cities
His Panzer tank divisions stormed into Poland
This swift attack style is called Blitzkrieg (lightening) warfare
September 3, 1939: France and Great Britain declared war on Germany—World War II had begun
Invasion of Poland Video
Invasion and Fall of FranceFrance had prepared for a German invasionNearly 1-million French soldiers stood along
the French/German border in an attempt to protect France
England had also sent supplies and troops to help aid the French in a possible German attack
May 1940: German tanks stormed across the French border from BelgiumThe Germans went north and swept in behind
the French troops defending the borderThe fortified guns of the Maginot Line were
never firedThe failure of the Maginot Line to defend
France sucked the life out of many in FranceThe massive tank attacks and constant
bombardment by the Luftwaffe caused the French and British to retreat
By the end of the month, many French soldiers had given up the fight
The British had retreated all the way to Dunkirk—a port on the English Channel
The British were saved by boarding private ships that took them back to England
The evacuation of the British left the French to fight alone
June 3: Paris was bombedOne week later, Italy declared war on France
and attacked Southern FranceJune 14: Germans marched into ParisJune 22: France surrendered to Hitler
Hitler could now focus on Great Britain
Battle of BritainHitler now set out to conquer Great BritainGreat Britain was now led by Prime Minister
Winston ChurchillHitler attempted to use his Luftwaffe to bomb
the BritishThe British conquered with their Royal Air
ForceThe RAF had better planes and pilotsThe RAF shot down hundreds of German
planes
Hitler put a ban on the daytime bombing of Great Britain
Hitler started attacked Great Britain at night from Sept. 1940 until May 1941
Hitler also started using his V-2 rockets to bomb Great Britain
Churchill pleaded for the Americans to give the British some aid against the Germans
America’s ResponseMany in the U. S. felt that the nation should
have stayed out of WWI and were in favor of the Neutrality ActsThese people were isolationists
Others believed in interventionism and believed the U. S. should give all possible support to Great Britain—except a full scale declaration of war
FDR remained cautious as not to offend any groups within the United States
After the French fell to Germany in 1940, FDR began sending aid to the BritishSeptember 1940: FDR sent 50 American
destroyers to Britain in return for the right to establish U. S. naval bases on British held lands
FDR also singed into law the Selective Training and Service Act—the 1st peacetime draft in history All men between the ages of 21 and 35 were eligible Over 1 million men served 1-year terms, but they only
served in the Western Hemisphere FDR was trying to build an American military in case
the U.S. got involved in the war
In 1941, after his re-election—FDR created the Lend-Lease BillThis was open support for the AlliesThe president had the right to sell, lend, or
lease military supplies to any nations deemed vital to the defense of the U. S.
Most Americans supported the Lend-Lease BillThe U. S. was not physically at war with
Germany, but was in an economic war with Germany
FDR compared Lend-Lease to “lending a garden hose to a next-door neighbor whose house is on fire”
March 1941: Congress approved the Lend-Lease bill
Summer 1941: German subs sank many American and British ships carrying supplies to Great BritainFDR ordered the US navy to help track German
subsThe Navy was ordered to escort British ships
and destroy any subs trying to sink the ships
Fall 1941: a German sub sank an American destroyerFDR ordered the navy to shoot Axis ships on
sightOctober 1941: German subs sank 2
American destroyers killing 100 American sailorsCongress responded by repealing the
Neutrality Acts
FDR and Churchill met to talk about what would happen in the world when and if the war ended
The 2 created the Atlantic Charter—becomes the basis for the United Nations
German Invasion of the Soviet Union
1939: Germany and the USSR signed the Non-aggression Pact
Stalin still did not fully trust HitlerJune 22, 1941: Germany invaded the Soviet
UnionThe invasion took Stalin and the Soviets by
surpriseGerman troops used Blitzkrieg warfare to take
Leningrad and the Crimean Peninsula
By November 1941, Germany had the capital of Moscow surrounded
The harsh Soviet winter helped the Soviet military push the Germans back
Spring 1942: Germans attacked Soviet oil fields in SW Russia
September 1942: 300,000 German soldiers were attacking Stalingradthe Battle of Stalingrad lasted 5 months until
the Germans surrendered in 1943The surrender stopped the German’s advance
eastwardStalin never forgave the Allies for failing
to support the Soviet’s defense—one reason for the Cold War
United States Enters the WarAlthough the US had gone a long ways to
help Great Britain, the US had not officially entered the war
Japan had started taking steps that made FDR upset
FDR placed further embargoes on Japan after Japan made an alliance with Germany and Italy—Rome-Tokyo-Berlin Axis
The US continued to use negotiation to deal with the Japanese instead of taking hostile actionThe US would only reopen trade with Japan if
Japan pulled out of China and IndochinaBy November 1941: war with Japan was
just about inevitable—everyone knew itJapan decided it was time to actMost Americans believed the attack would
come in Malaysia or the PhilippinesThe Japanese planned to attack the
Americans at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
December 7, 1941: the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor destroying many American ships and killing thousands of American sailorsThe attack only lasted 3 hours19 ships were destroyed188 planes were destroyed2400 men were killed
December 8, 1941: FDR asked Congress for a declaration of war against JapanA few days later, Germany and Italy declared
war on the United StatesThe US had officially entered WWIIWWII had become a true world War
Video on Pearl Harbor
The US had to prepare for war on 2 frontsOne in EuropeOne in the Pacific
As soon as war was declared, the draft was increased in the United States
Thousands of men and women voluntarily enlisted in the military
By 1945, the US had 12 million people in the military
About 1 million soldiers were African-Americans
The military was segregated into black and white unitsMost black units were commanded by whitesMany black soldiers were put into cooking or
laboring jobsRacial discrimination existed on most military
basesSome African-Americans did get to see some
battle actionTuskegee Airmen—an all African American air
fighting force
Video on teh Tuskegee Airmen
Japanese-Americans were the most decorated war heroes in World War II—Nisei RegimentsNisei Regiments were all Japanese
American soldiers
Other minority groups also contributed to the war effort
Hispanic-Americans fought for the US in WWIIFought in non-segregated (integrated) units
Communication codes of the Navajo Indians were usedThe Navajo was an oral, not written, languageThe Navajo code was impossible for the
Japanese to break Minority units usually received very high
casualties
The War @ Home in the United States:Conflict between the different races was
going on in the US while the US was fighting in WWII
Segregation was the norm in the southern states
1.) African Americans:Many African Americans migrated to the cities
to find work in the war plantsSegregation was legal in the 1940sThe war gave many civil rights groups a
reason to protest against segregationA. Philip Randolph led the movement for
black equalityRandolph was upset that minorities were excluded
from the high paying industrial jobs in many wartime plants
Randolph organized the March on Washington Movement (MOWM)
“We loyal American citizens demand the right to work and fight for our country.”—A. Philip Randolph
1943: riots broke out in DetroitBlacks attacked white workersThe next day, a mob of whites roamed the
streets looking for any blacks they could find25 blacks and 6 whites were killed
2.) Mexican-Americans:Thousands of farm workers form Mexico
illegally entered the US to work—American Southwest
Many of these workers had children in the USThose born in American were called Chicanos
The Chicanos began getting jobs in industry—willing to work for less than poor whites and blacks
In Los Angeles, the discrimination against the Chicanos and Hispanic-Americans turned into hatred
Many Hispanic teenagers wore “Zoot Suits”—a long jacket with padded shoulders and pleated pants
The Zoot Suiters and white sailors squard off in LA
The sailors blamed Zoot Suiters for stabbing and robbing a group of white sailors
The sailors roamed the Hispanic neighborhoods, beating up any one in a zoot suit
The police arrested the zoot suiters, NOT the sailors
3.) Japanese Americans:1942: many Japanese Americans were taken
from their homes and placed in internment campsMany in the US government feared the
Japanese Americans were going to try to sabotage the US from within—helping Japan win the war
A false belief that the Japanese were aiding the enemy
Over 100,000 Japanese Americans were placed in internment camps even though they showed NO signs of disloyalty
The people were eventually released and a public apology was given to them by the US government
Ironically, Japanese American soldiers were the most decorated of all American soldiers in WWII
Video on Japanese Internment Camps
Media and Communications in America during the War:
The United States government maintained strict censorship of reporting of the war
Public morale and ad campaigns kept Americans focused on the war effort
The entertainment industry produced movies, plays, and shows that boosted morale and patriotic support for the war effort as well as portrayed the enemy in stereotypical ways
How the War Changed Home Life:As soon as the US officially entered the war,
the US began to changeFactories were converted over to produce
materials for warPlanesTanksWeaponsUniforms
The War Production Board (WPB) was created to oversee the transformation
Production of non-essential materials was cut back
The government paid businesses to build new plants and factories to produce war materials
Industrial production nearly doubled—helping the economy
The war and its need for materials caused the American economy to grow
The nations GNP (Gross National Product) rose from $90 billion to $211 billion in 1945
17 million new jobs were createdCrop prices doubled between 1940 and 1945With more money, people looked to spend $
on stuffThis need to spend caused prices on consumer
goods to inflateFDR wanted to stop the inflation in pricesFDR began freezing people’s wagesFDR created the National War Labor
Board (NWLB) to control wages and monitor inflation
Workers said that if wages were to freeze, the prices on goods should also freeze
1942: Congress allowed the Office of Price Administration (OPA) to fix a maximum price on goodsthe OPA instituted rationing—limiting how
much of something the people could buyLocal rationing boards were createdEach family had a quota on their rationing
coupons
Since most men were out fighting, women were needed to work in the factories (“Rosie the Riveter”)Welding CarpentryHeavy construction
The women had a job, but the job security was only temporary
The women were paid less than menAfter the war, most of the women lost their
jobs to the soldiers returning home
To help pay for the war, the government began selling war bondsThe government was borrowing $ from the US
peoplePeople would buy a bond and, in a few years,
they buyer would get their $ back plus interest
The bonds also helped to control inflation
European FrontThe Allies were in a jam early in the war with
France surrendering and Hitler bombing Great Britain
The Allies decided they had to fight an offensive war to have any chance of defeating Hitler
Allied Offenses:Nov. 1942: the US and Great Britain landed
troops in Northern AfricaTrying to get Africa so the Allies could enter Europe
through the back door The Allies marched into Morocco and AlgeriaThe Allies faced the German tank commander
Erwin RommelGermany was threatening to seize Egypt and the
Suez CanalThe British Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery
defeated Rommel at El Alameinthe Allied victory marked the turning point in the warThe Allies had control over Northern Africa by 1943Germany’s defeat also kept Hitler from gaining access
to Middle Eastern oil fields and attacking the Soviet Union from the South
From North Africa, the Allied launched an invasion of Southern Europe
July 1943: the Allies landed in SicilyAugust 1943: the Allies had driven the
Germans out of SicilyMussolini’s fascist party fell out of power in
ItalyThe Allies invaded Italy from Sicily
September 8, 1943: Italy surrendered to the Allies
June 4, 1944: the Allies finally liberated Rome
D-DAY:June 6, 1944: General Dwight D.
Eisenhower launched the largest land-sea-air attack in history—Operation Overlord
175,000 Allied soldiers came ashore on the coast of Normandy, FranceThe Allies were trying to gain a foothold in
Hitler’s EuropeThe Allies established a beach head, but
suffered heavy casualties2245 killed1670 wounded
From Normandy, the Allies began to launch an invasion into Europe to drive the Germans back to Germany
Near the End:The Allies proved their superiority in the
skies over EuropeWith control over the skies, Allied ground
troops could move against the GermansAugust 25, 1945: Paris was liberated
from the GermansBy the end of the summer other European
nations had been freed from German controlFranceBelgiumLuxembourg
The Allied navy began using SONAR to track and destroy German U-boats
The Allies also used naval convoys to help transport goods across the Atlantic
Battle of the Bulge:Hitler launched one last ditch effort to
help him win the warHe launched a counter-offensive in the
Ardennes Forest of BelgiumGerman troops drove a bulge 80 miles
long and 50 miles deep into the Allied lines
After a week of fighting, the Allies were able to drive the Germans back
The Battle of the Bulge was the final German offensive of the war
the Allies could now advance toward Germany
Yalta Conference :Just before the end of the war in Europe, the
big three nations met at Yalta in the Soviet UnionGreat Britain—Winston ChurchillUnited States—FDRSoviet Union—Joseph Stalin
These nations and their representatives became known as the “Big Three”
Churchill wanted to save the British empireStalin wanted to protect his borders and
rebuild the USSRFDR wanted a worldwide spread of
democracy and free tradeFDR wanted the Soviets to help him defeat
JapanThe Big Three met for a week in Yalta
Stalin agreed to help the US against Japan, but only after the war has been over for 2 or 3 months
For his help, Stalin would get some territory in Asia
All 3 disagreed on what should be done with Germany after the warEach nation agreed to divide up Germany once
the war was overStalin wanted to have power in
RomaniaPolandBulgariaAustriaHungaryCzechoslovakia
Holocaust:After arriving in Germany, the Allies met with
something they had never expectedThe troops witnessed what Hitler was doing with
the Jews1942: Hitler began to round up Jews, 1st in
Germany, then in the rest of EuropeHitler called his attempt at exterminating all
European Jews his “final solution”Jews were shipped to concentration camps to do
slave labor or face medical experimentsMany Jews were beaten or starved or killedThe bodies were burned or buried in mass graves
1945: the Allied forces liberated many of the concentration camps and were shocked at what they saw
About 6 million Jews were killedHitler also went after the Polish, Slavs,
Gypsies, and what he called the “untouchables” (homosexuals, mentally ill, political dissidents) in his attempts at genocide—systemic and purposeful destruction of a racial, political, religious, or cultural group
Victory in Europe:The British and US were moving east through
Germany, the Soviets were moving west through Germany
April 12, 1945: FDR died leaving VP Harry Truman as president
April 30, 1945: Hitler committed suicideMay 2, 1945: Berlin fellMay 7, 1945: Germany surrendered to the
AlliesMay 8, 1945: V-E day
War in the PacificWhile the war in Europe was over, it still
raged on in the Pacific against JapanThe war in the Pacific was fought differently
than the war fought in EuropeVery early in the Pacific theatre, Japan was
victoriousMay 1942: the Americans were having more
success against the Japanesethe US kept Japan from taking Australia
June 1942: Battle Midway IslandThe American naval forces defeated a much
larger Japanese forceIf Japan had won at Midway, Japan could have
invaded HawaiiThe Americans sank 4 Japanese carriers and
destroyed 300 Japanese planesA great victory for the US
Japan still held a lot of strategically important islands in the Pacific
The US adopted a strategy called “island hopping”A way of capturing key islandsOnce captured, military bases were built on the
islands
August 1942: the Marines landed on Guadalcanal
The Americans were trying to destroy a Japanese military base
Early 1945: the US fought Japan at Iwo Jima and Okinawathe US gained the islands, but suffered heavy lossesThe US pulled within 700 miles of the Japanese
islands—closer than they had ever been to Japan before
The battles also proved that an all out assault on Japan would cost millions of American lives
The Japanese were willing to commit suicide than surrender
Convinced Truman to use the Atomic bomb
Atomic Bomb:The US was secretly working on a new
weapon—the atomic bombThe name of the project to build the bomb
was called the Manhattan Projectthe project was led by J. Robert
OppenheimerTruman had scheduled an invasion of
Japan for late in 1945July 16, 1945: scientists successfully
detonated the 1st atomic bomb in New Mexico
Oppenheimer
First Atomic Bomb Test Video
Truman decided to use the Atomic bomb instead of sending in millions of Americans to their death with an invasion of Japan
August 6, 1945: “Little Boy” was dropped on Hiroshima100,000 people were killed on impact100,000 more died from burns, radiation, or
woundsThe bomb was dropped by the Enola Gay
Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Video
August 9, 1945: Japan had still not surrendered
The US dropped another atomic bomb on Nagasaki—40,000 killed instantly
August 14, 1945: Japan finally surrendered to the US—V-J Day
WWII was now over Now members of both Japan and Germany
were placed on trial for war crimes committed against the Jews and other people in the war
Geneva Convention:Created in 1949Attempted to ensure the humane treatment of
prisoners of war (POWs) by establishing rules to be followed by all nations
The treatment of POWs in WWII was horrible, especially in the Pacific Theater
Examples of mistreatment of POWsBataan Death March—American and Filipino
POWs were brutally treated by the Japanese military after the Philippines surrendered to Japan
POWs were forced to march 60 miles and face severe physical abuse
Nuremburg Trials:Nazi leaders and others were placed on trial
and convicted of war crimesEmphasized individual responsibility for
actions during war, regardless of orders received
The Nuremburg Trials increased demand for a Jewish homeland
Creation of Israel1948: The Allies that fought in WWII will complicate
problems in the Middle EastThe nation of Israel was created out of the British
mandate of PalestineStarting in the early 1900s, thousands of Jews
migrated to British held PalestineInitially, Palestine would be divided among the Jews
and Palestinian Arabs (Muslims)Israel was created in 1948 with roughly 650,000 JewsSince the land taken to create Israel at one time
belonged to Palestinian Muslims, confrontations broke out between the Muslims and JewsThese confrontations are still going on today