World War II
1939-1945
Do you agree or disagree?

It is impossible to prevent civilians from getting
hurt during war.

Both sides should actively protect civilians
from harm during war.

If civilians work for the war effort, they should
not expect to escape attack.

Civilians should never be deliberately attacked
during war.
Causes of World War II

1. Appeasement


Western countries gave in to Hitler’s
demands in order to keep peace
2. Isolationism and Pacifism in
Europe and U.S.

Concerned with domestic issues or
problems within country
3. Aggression is ignored (3
parts!)

A. Japan
1931 – Invades Manchuria
 1937 – Invades Eastern China


League of Nations condemns their actions
Aggression is ignored

B. Italy
1935 – Invades Ethiopia (Italy bitter after
losing battle with them in 1896)
 Ethiopian King, Haile Selassie, asks League
of Nations for help


League of Nations sanctioned Italy but
could not enforce it
Aggression is ignored

C. Germany
Hitler builds up Army (against Treaty of
Versailles)
 1936 – sent troops to Rhineland (violation of
Treaty)


Germans hated the Treaty so they
supported Hitler’s actions
German Aggression Begins in
Earnest

Take over of Austria in 1938

Anschluss = union of Austria & Germany
Anschluss
4. German Aggression

Nazis take Austria (1938)

Anschluss = union of Austria & Germany
Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia to Nazis
 9/1938: Munich Conference - to establish
“peace”

Appeasement
 Hitler = no further expansion


3/1939 – Germany invades all of
Czechoslovakia
5. US Isolationism

Neutrality Acts

If you are a nation at war, the Neutrality Act
says…
Weapons and loans cannot be sold/given to you
 Americans = can’t sail on ships that belong to
countries at war


Goal: not to prevent war, just stay out of
it
New note section!

The next section of your notes is called
“The War Begins”.
1. Road to War

8/1939: Germany and
USSR sign Nazi-Soviet NonAggression pact


Agree to not attack each other
9/1/1939: Hitler invades Poland

GB + France = declare war on Germany
Hitler declares war on Poland
speech

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSLy
5qn7q7c
2. Early Gains

Poland = attacked!
By Germany from west
 By USSR from east


War strategy – “blitzkrieg” (lightning war)


Helped by Luftwaffe (Germany’s air force)
Soviets = taking over rest of Eastern
Europe
2. Early Gains (continued!)
4/9/1940: Blitzkrieg on Denmark and
Norway
 May/June 1940:German victory at
Dunkirk, Belgium
 6/22/1940: Germany forces France to
surrender


Some leaders set up free government led by
Charles de Gaulle in England
Nazi Forces in France

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=003i
C7VZmYc
3. Battle of Britain – Operation Sea
Lion
8/12/1940: Luftwaffe conducts air raids
 British RAF (Royal Air Force) counter
attack with new tool called RADAR
 German air raids die down, but continue
to cut off British shipping (starve them
out if not for U.S. entry)
 BRITISH VICTORY in June 1941!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxsMWAEpHxU
Are they going on a long or short
journey? How can you tell?
http://www.adhb30.dsl.pipex.com/ww2-pic-009.jpg
4. Italy takes action

9/1940: Italy invades Libya and Egypt

October 1940


Italian forces take Greece and Yugoslavia
Bulgaria & Hungary join Axis Powers
http://youtu.be/AHHr2SNjbnc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6o84N
U9Ees
5. German attack on Soviet Union
6/22/1941: Germany
invades Soviet Union
- Without warning!


Nazis stall in
Leningrad

2½ year siege with no advances
New note section!

The next section of your notes is “The
U.S. Enters WWII”.
1. U.S. Entry into World War II

Lend-Lease Act (March 1941)supply of
war materials to Great Britain

US bans sale of war materials to Japan

December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on
Pearl Harbor
2. US Declares War

12/8/1941: U.S. declares war on Japan
and (within days) Germany and Italy, too

Turning point in WWII!

FDR’s Speech – clip

Video
New note section!

The next section of your notes is called
“Turning Points in WWII”.
Turning Points

1. U.S. entry into war

2. American and British forces begin to
take Europe via N. Africa, Southern Italy

3. Battle of Stalingrad

4. Battle of Midway in Pacific
2. American and British forces begin to
take Europe via N. Africa, Southern
Italy
 Nov. 1942- May 1943
 US General Eisenhower leads joint
command through N. Africa
 Germans surrender in May 1943
 Allies move into Italy
Turning Points

3. Battle of Stalingrad
Lasted 6 months
 Soviets trap and encircle German troops in
city
 2/2/1943: remaining German troops
surrender (a new turning point)

Battle for Stalingrad
Turning Points
4. Battle of Midway
 June 1942
 US forces destroy
4 Japanese carriers
 250 planes

Japan never went on the offensive again
 Island Hopping – military strategy in
Pacific

New note section!

The next section of your notes is called
“WWII Ends”.
1. Victory in Europe

“Operation Overlord” – invasion of
Northwest France

Operation Overlord starts on D-Day) or
6/6/1944 on beaches of Normandy

April 30, 1945 – Hitler commits suicide

5/8/1945 –V-E Day
Pictures of dead Mussolini
2. Conferences

Yalta – February
1945
Discussion to
divide up Europe
post-war
 U.S.S.R. agrees to
enter war against
Japan within 90
days of German
defeat

2. Conferences

Potsdam – July
1945
Planned for
occupation of
Germany
 Unconditional
surrender of
Japan

3. Victory in the Pacific

Atomic bombs are dropped
8/6/1945 = U.S. drops bomb on Hiroshima
 8/9/1945 = U.S. drops bomb on Nagasaki

8/8/1945 – Soviet Union declares war on
Japan
 9/2/1945: V-J Day (Japanese surrender)

4. War Casualties
 50+
million people were killed
(population of CA and NY
combined)
 More
civilians killed than military
personnel were killed
Atomic Bombs are dropped
http://youtu.be/jY9VwCE_Dsg
New note section!

The next section of your notes is
“Outcomes of WWII”.
Outcomes of WWII
 1.
Loss of empires by European powers
(decolonization)
 2. U.S. & U.S.S.R. = become
superpowers
 3. War Crimes Trials ( write that down)

24 war criminals, mostly leaders in the Nazi
Party, most imprisoned for life or sentenced to
death
4. Division of Europe, Iron Curtain
Outcomes of WWII

5. Establishment of the United Nations

6. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Established and adopted by members of the
United Nations

Provided a code of conduct for the treatment of
people under the protection of their government
Outcomes of WWII

7. Marshall Plan


US gives $13 Billion to help Europe recover
8. Formation of North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) and Warsaw Pact
Pink = Warsaw Pact
Green = NATO
9. Reconstruction

Germany
Democratic gov’t = West Germany
 Communist gov’t = East Germany


Japan
U.S. occupied (MacArthur)
 Democracy (new constitution)
 3.5 billion from U.S. to revive economy

Bellringer: 3-28

Welcome back from Spring Break!

1. Please pick up the paper by the door. Have your
WWII battles worksheet out for a HW check.
 2. Add the following to your ToC:


Page 134: Holocaust Notes/Writing Response
3. Answer the following review questions:





What were the 3 fronts of WWII?
What two conferences were held to determine what the Allies
would do after winning WWII?
How was Europe divided after WWII? Explain the Iron Curtain
as part of your answer.
What did the Berlin Wall do?
Which two countries became superpowers after WWII?
Bellringer: 3-28

1. Bellringer/Paper Return
 2. Notes: The Holocaust
 3. Documentary: Elie Wiesel at Auschwitz
 4. Writing Response to Documentary

HW: Finish writing response to the Elie Wiesel
Holocaust documentary for a HW grade. Due
next class.
The Holocaust: Hitler’s
“Final Solution”
The Holocaust
Genocide:
The systematic
and purposeful destruction
of a racial, political,
religious, or cultural
group
The Holocaust
Elements leading to the Holocaust
 Totalitarianism combined with nationalism
 History of anti-Semitism in Europe
 Scapegoating of Jews:


Defeat in World War I and economic depression
blamed on German Jews
Hitler’s belief in the master race
The Holocaust
Hitler used existing Anti-Semitism to
fuel his plan to rid Germany of anyone
not part of the Aryan race
 Final Solution was plan for extermination
of the Jewish race
 Auschwitz- famous Nazi death camp
 Over 11 million people were killed when
all was said and done

Where were these concentration
camps located?

Primarily Eastern Europe


Especially “death camps” here
Some in Belgium, Germany
What kind of people were targeted by
the Nazis during the Holocaust?
Main victim: Jews
 Other groups targeted:

Slavs
 Gypsies (ex: Roma population)
 Catholics
 LGBT populations
 Physically/mentally disabled

Jewish Ghettos
Warsaw Ghetto
Selection of Jews at ramp in
Auschwitz-II (Birkenau)
Auschwitz Death Camp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=V76jjzo-U4E
Auschwitz Death Camp
Romanian Children used for
medical experiments
Mass grave in Bergen-Belsen
Soviet POW’s at Concentration
Camp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=FONfCP4NyQ4