Chapter 8, Lesson 1
World War Two Begins
Mr. Julian’s 5th Grade Class
Essential Question
•What were the events
that led to the start of
World War II?
Places
• Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
People
• Franklin D. Roosevelt
• Adolf Hitler
• Benito Mussolini
• Winston Churchill
• Hideki Tojo
• Joseph Stalin
Vocabulary
• Dictator
• Fascism
• Axis
• Allies
• World War II
• Lend-Lease
The Rise of Dictators
• Franklin D. Roosevelt paid so much
attention to trying to stop the depression
that he lost sight of world affairs.
• People in other countries were willing to
give up their freedoms to improve
conditions in their country.
• Dictators are people who have complete
control of a country.
The Rise of Dictators
• Adolf Hitler became the dictator of
Germany in 1933.
• Hitler’s party was called the Nazi Party.
• He believed in fascism, which is a form of
government where individual freedoms are
denied.
• Hitler believed that Germans were better
than others and he especially hated the
Jewish people.
The Rise of Dictators
• Hitler promised to expand Germany’s
borders.
• Hitler was not the only dictator, Benito
Mussolini took power in Italy.
• Italy also promised to attack other
countries.
• Finally, Japan planned to use military
power to build a massive empire.
The Axis Powers
• Germany, Italy, and Japan signed an
agreement to support each other. They
called themselves the Axis Powers.
• In 1939 German forces prepared to invade
Poland.
• The leaders of Britain and France decided
it was time to stop Hitler.
• Britain and France were know as the Allies
Power.
The Axis Powers
• On September 1, 1939 Germany invaded
Poland.
• Britain and France declared war on
Germany.
• World War II had begun.
• Germany was very successful conquering
Western Europe, including France.
• Britain stood alone against the battle for
Europe.
The Debate at Home
• The leader of the British government was
Winston Churchill.
• People living in England had to live
underground due to the constant bombing
from Germany.
• Churchill urged President Roosevelt to
help
• Most Americans wanted to stay out of the
war.
The Debate at Home
• President Roosevelt decided to help Britain
without joining the fighting.
• We would let Britain borrow military
supplies.
• This was know as the Lend-Lease act.
Declaring War
• By the spring of 1941, the British air force
had won the Battle of Britain, but they
were not safe from Germany.
• The leader in Japan, Hideki Tojo, believed
that the U.S. was standing in their way
from their goals.
• Japan, decided to attack the naval base at
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7,
1941.
• America was at war!
Axis Advances
• As the U.S. entered the was, things did
not look good for the Allies.
• The Axis powers held most of Europe,
North Africa, most of East Asia and the
Pacific Ocean.
• In 1939, the leader from Russia or the
U.S.S.R., Joseph Stalin signed an
agreement with Hitler to divide the many
countries they attacked.
Axis Advances
• In 1941, Hitler backed out of his promise
and attacked the Soviet Union, forcing
Stalin to join the Allied Powers.
• The leaders of the U.S. and U.S.S.R. were
not friendly with each other but now they
had a common enemy.
• The U.S., using the Lend-Lease program,
gave the Soviet Union many needed
military supplies.
The Draft
• When the U.S. went to war, the country
was not prepared.
• The military did not have enough men to
fight, the draft helped this problem.
• Letters were sent to young men informing
them to report for training in the army.
Timeline
• 1933- Adolf Hitler became the dictator of
Germany.
• 1939 – World War II began when the
German army invaded Poland.
• 1941 – The United States entered World
War II after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.
Writing Response
• In three or more paragraphs describe the
events that led to the start of World War
II?