Chapter 24 Sections 2 and 3
Europe Goes to War
And
Japan Builds an Empire
How did relations between Britain and Germany change
between the Munich Conference and the invasion of
Poland?
• The invasion of
Czechoslovakia
ended
Chamberlain’s
hope of working
peaceably with
Hitler.
• Britain abandoned
its policy of
appeasement and
prepared for war
Blitzkrieg
• Lightening war
• This new military tactic
included a fast,
concentrated air and land
attack that took the
enemy’s army by surprise
• Nazis would use plains,
then mobile artillery and
panzer divisions, then
infantry
• This tactic was used when
Hitler invades Poland on
September 1, 1939 to
begin WWII
What were 3 reasons why Germany was
able to defeat Poland in less than a month?
• Blitzkrieg
• Nazis had a more
advanced military than
Poland
• France & Britain wee
unable to aid Poland in
time
• The Soviet Union came to
Germany’s aid
(Nonaggression Pact)
– Invaded eastern half of
Poland while Germany
invaded the western half
Look at the map on page 809. How does this
map illustrate the dire situation of the Allies in
1941?
• By 1941, the Axis
controlled most of
continental Europe
• By June of 1941,
Germany has invaded
the Soviet Union and
has nearly reach the
capital, Moscow
Why did Britain and France choose not to
attack Germany in 1939 and early 1940?
• The felt safe behind the
Maginot Line (a line of
heavy fortifications
along the French
border)
• Also, Britain and France
lacked enthusiasm for
the war
Collaboration
• Close cooperation
• In June of 1940, Hitler
invades France. The
French government
decided that it was
better to collaborate
with the Nazis than to
suffer WWI-style
destruction
What was the French policy of
collaboration with Germany?
• A policy of collaboration
allowed southern
France to remain
temporarily free of
German occupying
troops
Resistance
• Free France (a
government-in-exile- in
London) continued to
struggle against the Nazis
• Led by Charles de Gaulle
• The supported Resistance
Movements in France
– Groups of French citizens
whose distributed antiGerman leaflets or
sabotaged German
operation in France
Allies
• Group of countries
opposed to the Axis
• For a while, Britain
would stand alone
– They would eventually
be joined by the Soviet
Union and the United
States
Why were aircraft crucial to Germany’s
planned invasion of Britain?
• To neutralize the British
navy so that German
troops could invade
with some hope of
success
• Germans would
relentlessly attack
Britain from the air
during the late summer
and fall of 1940
– Britain fought back and
Hitler lost interest and
ceased the attack
Manchurian incident
• The Japanese army
attacks Manchuria (in
China) in 1931 without
the government’s
permission
• By 1932 the Japanese
army controlled all of
Manchuria
Who among the Japanese was responsible
for the conquest of Manchuria?
• A Japanese army
stationed in Manchuria
• The Japanese
government did not
give the order for the
attack-the army acted
on its own
Puppet state
• A supposedly
independent country
under the control of a
powerful neighbor
• Japan declared
Manchuria to be an
“independent” state
• Led by a Chinese leader
• With Japanese advisors to
run the government
Burma Road
• A 700 mile long highway
linking Burma to China
• The British used this
road to send a steady
stream of supplies to
the Chinese to help
them fight against the
Japanese
Why was Japan unable to win the war
in China?
• Even though Japanese
troops controlled the
cities, Mao Zedong’s
Chinese guerrilla
fighters dominated the
countryside, causing a
stalemate
– Mao was the leader of
the Communists in China
Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere
• With European nations
too busy too busy with
the war in Europe to
pay attention to their
Asian colonies, Japan
took the opportunity to
expand their influence
According to Japan, what was the purpose of the Greater
East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere?
• To liberate Asia from
European colonies
What was Japan’s actual goal for the
Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere?
• Japan needed the
region’s natural
resources to carry on
it’s war against China