Happy Thursday!!
• Take your vocab out so I can come
around a check it
• I will be giving you a new stamp sheet
• Did you know: a blue whale’s heart is
the size of a Volkswagen Beetle
World War II
Setting the Stage
Dictators Threaten World
Peace
• The Great Depression devastated
economies around the world and people
began to look for strong leaders
• Japan, Italy, Russia and Germany were
all angry over the Treaty of Versailles
and believed they deserved land
• Nationalism was spreading throughout
the world
Dictators Around the World
• Joseph Stalin
– Russia/Soviet Union
– Created a model communist state
• Had abolished all privately owned farms and replaced
them with collective farms
• Focused more on industrialization instead of
necessities like food and clothing in his 5 year plan
– Millions starved to death
– Great Purge- killed millions of supposed traitors
– Established a totalitarian government- 1 person
controls everything
Dictators Around the World
• Benito Mussolini
– Italy
– Gained popularity by promising to fix the
economy and get more land
– Also appealed to nationalistic feelings and a
fear of communism in Italy
– 1921 established fascism- stressed
nationalism and placed the state’s needs
over individual needs
Dictators Around the World
• Adolf Hitler
– Germany
– Promised the people he would fix the
economy and gain back land that was taken
– Anti communist
– Wrote Mein Kampf-outlined his goals for
Germany
• Get land, build up military, get revenge for Treaty of
Versailles, fix economy, create “master race”
– Joined Nazi Party- extreme nationalism
– 1933-appointed chancellor of Nazi Party
Dictators Around the World
• Japan
– Hedeki Tojo- military leader
– Hirohito- Emperor
– Military took over and promised the people
new land and revenge for the Treaty of
Versailles
Dictators Began to Take Over
• Japan took over Manchuria
– League of Nations pretty much did nothing
• Germany left the League of Nations
• Germany began violating the Treaty of
Versailles
– Began to build up the military
– Hitler sent troops into the Rhineland, a buffer
zone between France and Germany
• The League of Nations did nothing
• Italy invaded Ethiopia
– League of Nations did nothing
The US Response
• Most citizens wanted to stay out of
European Affairs
– Isolationism
• Signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact- it
denounced war
• Congress passed the Neutrality Acts
– Outlawed the sale of arms or loans to nations
at war or engaged in a Civil War
• President Roosevelt found neutrality hard to
follow
– Sent arms to China to help fight Japan
Aggression in Europe
• Germany, Italy, and Japan continued to be
aggressive
• Hitler took Austria in March 1938
– Nobody did anything
• Hitler now wanted Czechoslovakia,
especially an area called Sudetenland
– France and Britain meet to discuss what to do
(Manchurian Conference)
• Decided to let Hitler have Sudetenland to avoid war
– Appeasement- giving up principles to pacify aggressors
What was Soviet Union doing?
• At first the Soviets declared neutrality
• Hitler wanted to make an agreement
with the Soviets to protect his future
plans of invading Poland
• Non-Aggression Pact- Stalin and Hitler
signed this pact and agreed to never
attack each other
Poland
• France and Britain agreed if Hitler tried to take Poland
they would get involved
• Hitler invades Poland on September 1, 1939
• Hitler used his newest military strategy Blitzkrieg
– Lightning war
– Fast planes and tanks
• On September 3, 1939 France and Britain declared
war on Germany
– WWII begins
• Poland was not saved and Hitler and Stalin agreed to
split it
France
• After a long period of no fighting
Germany surprise attacked France
• German troops trapped the French
soldiers up north and 330,000 had to be
saved by the British via the English
Channel
• France falls
Britain
• Hitler now wanted Britain
• Britain was almost defeated but was
saved by 3 things
– Refusal to give up (last allies standing)
– Radar- took the element of surprise out of
Germany’s plan
– The British smuggled in a German code
machine
What else is going on?
• Japan
– Continuing to brutalize China and Manchuria
– Japan continued to take islands in the Pacific
(getting closer and closer to the US territories)
– US refused to recognize Japanese conquests
and tension begins to rise between the 2
countries
– The US imposed an embargo on experts of oil
and steel to Japan
What else is going on?
• The US
– Despite isolationist feelings at home the US is
increasingly helping Britain
• Sending war supplies
• Roosevelt said “lending a garden hose to a next
door neighbor whose house is on fire”
– Germany is beginning to “police” the Atlantic
and threatened US Ships
• Hitler invades Russia
– Mid 1941- Hitler broke the non-aggression act
and invaded the Soviet Union
The Holocaust
• The systematic murder if 11 million people
across Europe
– Jews, Poles, Slavs, Gypsies, handicapped,
mentally ill
– 6 million were Jews, which Hitler blamed for
Germany’s problems
• Nuremberg Laws
– 1935
– Limited actions of Jewish people
The Holocaust
• Kristallnacht
– November 1938
– “Night of broken glass”
– Beginning of violence towards the Jewish
people
– 100 killed
– Thousands attempted to flee to other
countries
• Many were turned away and sent back to
Germany
The Holocaust
• Hitler begins his “Final Solution”
– Genocide-systematic and deliberate killing of
an entire group of people
• Anyone who was not part of the “master race”
(Aryan race)
– The Final Solution included the following:
•
•
•
•
Death Squads
Ghettos
Concentration Camps
Mass Extermination
Happy Monday!
• Start working on SOL quiz on back of
warm-up
• Did you know: your odds of filling out a
perfect March Madness bracket is 1 in
35,360,000,000—almost 18 times worse
than your odds of being killed by a
waterspout in a year- (1 in
1,988,000,000).
World War II
US Involvement and Major Battles
US Policy at first
• Strong isolationist sentiment
– Neutrality Act to avoid getting involved
• Helped Britain
– “Cash and Carry”- FDR’s plan in 1939 to provide
military aid as long as the British paid cash and
transported supplies in their own ships
– “Destroyers for Bases”- US gave GB old naval
warships in return for US access to British military
bases in Bermuda and Caribbean
• Lend-Lease Act- gave President the authority to
sell or lend equipment to countries to defend
themselves against the Axis power
– “garden hose” comparison
Pearl Harbor
• Japan was trying to get complete domination
over Asia
• While negotiating with the US and without
warning, Japan carried out an air attack on the
American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on
Dec. 7, 1941
• Destroyed much of American Pacific fleet and
killed several thousand Americans
• Roosevelt called it “a date that will live in
infamy”- asked Congress to declare war on
Japan
• Hitler had an agreement with Japan and then
declared war on the US
Allies v. Axis
• Allied Powers: Britain, Soviet Union (after
Hitler’s attack), US
– Strategy: “Defeat Hitler First”
• Most American resources went to Europe first
– Pacific Strategy: “Island hopping”
• Seizing islands closer and closer to Japan and using them
as bases for air attacks on Japan,
• cutting off Japanese supplies through submarine warfare
Axis Powers
• Axis Powers: Germany, Italy and Japan
• Strategy (Europe):
– Germany hoped to defeat the Sov. Union quickly
and gain control of Soviet oil field
– Force Britain out of war through a bombing
campaign and submarine warfare before the
American industries turn the tides
• Pacific Strategy:
– Japan invaded the Philippines and Indonesia and
planned to invade both Australia and Hawaii
– Hoped that America would accept Japanese
predomination in SE Asia and the Pacific
Battles and Turning Points
• North Africa- El Alamein
– German forces threatened to seize Egypt and the Suez
Canal.
– Defeated by the British which prevented Hitler from
gaining access to Middle Eastern oil supplies and
potentially attacking the Soviet Union from the South
• Europe- Stalingrad
– Hundreds of thousands of German soldiers were killed
or captured in a month-long siege of the Russian city
of Stalingrad
– Prevented Germany from seizing the Soviet oil fields
and turned the tide against Germany in the East
Battles and Turning Points
Cont.
• Europe- Normandy (D-Day)
– American and Allied troops under Gen. Eisenhower
landed in German- occupied France on June 6,
1944
– Faced intense German opposition and heavy
American casualties
– Liberation of Western Europe from Hitler had begun
• Europe- Battle of Bulge (Dec. 1944)
– Germans had pushed back but they lost men, tanks
and ammo and planes
– Weakened the Nazis
Battles and Turning Points
Cont.
• Liberation of Concentration Camps
– Soviet and US forces came in and freed people in
Nazi concentration camps
• German Surrender
– By April 25, 1945 the Soviets had stormed Berlin
– Hitler committed suicide on April 30
• V-E Day
– Gen. Eisenhower accepted the unconditional
surrender of the Germans
– May 8, 1945 the Allies celebrated V-E Day- Victory
in Europe Day
Battles and Turning Points
Cont.
• Pacific- Midway- turning point on Pacific front
– American naval forces defeated a much larger
Japanese force on Midway Island
– A victory for Japan would enable them to invade
Hawaii
– American victory ended the Japanese threat to Hawaii
– Island hopping pushed to war back to Japan
• Pacific- Iwo Jima and Okinawa
– Brought American forces closer the Japan than ever
before
– Both invasions cost thousands of American lives and
even more Japanese
• Japanese soldiers and civilians committed suicide rather than
surrender- kamikaze-suicide planes
The Atomic Bomb
• Manhattan Project July 1945- American
scientists create atomic bomb
– Headed by Robert Oppenhiemer
– Tested in New Mexico-very secret
• FDR dies and Harry Truman takes over
• Truman ordered the use of the atomic bomb
on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima (Aug. 6)
and Nagasaki (Aug. 9) to force surrender
• 200,000 died of injuries and radiation
poisoning
• Japanese Surrender on Sept. 2, 1945
Rebuilding
• Yalta Conference- Feb 1945, FDR, Churchill
(GB) and Stalin (SU)- The Big Three
– Stalin wanted to break Germany into occupation
zones
– Churchill disagreed and FDR played mediator
• Needed SU to help in the Pacific and wanted them to join a
new peace-keeping organization- United Nations
– FDR convinced Churchill to divide Germany into 4
temporary military zones (one for each country- FR,
GB, US, SU)
– Stalin agreed to join against Japan and agreed to
meet in April for the formation of the United Nations
Rebuilding Cont.
• Nuremberg Trials
– Allies put 24 surviving Nazi leaders (including Hitler’s
most trusted official) on trial for crimes against
humanity, crimes against peace and war crimes
– 12 of the 24 were sentenced to death, others went to
prison
– Principle of individual responsibility was now
entranced in international law
• Couldn’t hide behind “just following orders”
• Japan was occupied by US forces under Gen.
MacArthur
– Japanese leaders were put on trial and sent to prison
– Called for a new constitution- MacArthur Constitution
African-American
contributions
• African-Americans generally served in
segregated military units
• Assigned non-combat roles
– demanded the right to serve in combat roles rather
than support roles
• Tuskegee Airmen- all black squadron
– Fought in Italy and won 2 Distinguished Unit
Citations (highest commendation) for outstanding
aerial combat against the Germans
Nisei Regiment
• 1,300 Asian-Americans from Hawaii
• Served in Italy and North Africa
• Saw brutal combat and became known
as the Purple Heart Battalion
• Became the most decorated unit in US
History
Navajo Code Talkers
• The Navajo language was oral, not written
• US used Navajos to transmit messages
• Language seemed to have Asian overtones
but was impossible for the Japanese to break
• Developed terms such as “chicken hawk” for
“divebomber”; “war chief” for “commanding
general”
• Were recognized for their efforts in 1969
Other Minority involvement
• Mexican-Americans served in nonsegregated regiments
• Minority units suffered high casualties
and won numerous unit citations and
individual medals for bravery in action
Treatment of Prisoners
• The Geneva Convention attempted to ensure
the humane treatment of prisoners of war by
establishing rules to be followed by all nations
– No cruel and unusual punishment
– Treatment of prisoners in Europe closely followed the
ideas of the Geneva Convention
• Treatment of prisoners in the Pacific Theater
often reflected the savagery of the fighting there
– The Bataan Death March- American POWs (prisoners
of war) suffered brutal treatment by Japanese after
surrender of the Philippines
Happy Thursday!
• Turn in battles packet
• SOL quiz on back of Agenda
World War II
the Home front
WWII on the US Home Front
• WWII was a time of opportunity for millions of
Americans
– People had jobs and money to spend
• Populations shifted to areas for work
– Towns with defense industries saw population
double- Radford
• Rationing was used to maintain supply of
essential products to the war effort
– Got a rationing book with coupons for buying
things like meat, shoes, sugar, coffee, and
gasoline
– Encouraged carpooling or riding bikes to work
Financing the War
• War bonds and the income tax were
used to finance the war
• Businesses retooled from peacetime to
war time productions
– Car manufacturing turned into tank
manufacturing, etc.
– War Production Board organized national
drives to collect scrap iron, tin cans, paper,
rags, and cooking fat
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBMx
yS6RHF4
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z449
7GEGOOg
Human resources
• More women and minorities entered the labor
force as men entered the war
– More than 6 million workers were women
• Rosie the Riveter encouraged women to work
– 2 million workers were minorities
• The draft/selective service was used to
provide personnel for the military
– Women participated in non combat military roles
• Women’s Auxiliary Army Corp (WAAC)- worked as
nurses, ambulance drivers, radio operators, electricians,
and pilots
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtMG
KXpa7Jc
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwjeB
L01tz0
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJV5
wwK12NI
Japanese Internment
• After Pearl Harbor there was a strong anti-Japanese
prejudice on the West Coast
– People believed that the Japanese Americans were aiding
the enemy
• Japanese Americans were relocated to internment
camps (confinements)
– Affected the populations along the West Coast
• The Supreme Court upheld the government’s right to
act against the Japanese Americans living on the
West Coast
• After the war the Japanese American Citizens League
pushed the gov’t to compensate those sent to camps
for their lost property
– The US issued a public apology and reparations were paid
to individuals
Media involvement
• The US gov’t maintained strict censorship of
reporting of the war
• Public morale and ad campaigns kept
Americans focused on the war effort
– Propaganda
• The entertainment industry produced movies,
plays and shows that boosted morale and
patriotic support for the war effort as well as
portraying the enemy in stereotypical ways
– Casablanca
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdMl
qq-vL5A
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=os9Sr
KSj7Lc
Postwar Outcomes in Europe
• The end of WWII found Soviet forces occupying
most of Eastern and Central Europe and the eastern
portion of Germany
• Germany was partitioned into East and West
Germany
– West Germany became democratic and resumed self
gov’t after a few years of FR, Brit and US occupation
– East Germany remained under the domination of the
Soviet Union and didn’t adopt democratic institutions
• Europe lay in ruins and the US launched the
Marshall Plan
– Provided massive financial aid to rebuild European
economies and prevent the spread of communism
Postwar Outcomes in Asia
• Japan was occupied by American
forces
• It soon adopted a democratic form of
gov’t and resumed self-gov’t and
became a strong US ally
United Nations
• The UN was formed near the end of
WWII
• Created a body for the nations of the
world to try and prevent future global
wars