WORLD WAR II
WORLD WAR LOOMS
DICTATORS AROUND THE WORLD


Soviet Union: Joseph Stalin and
Communism (where the
government owns everything and
provides healthcare, education,
and welfare)
Italy: Benito Mussolini and
fascism (the government owns
business, but people have some
power)



Germany: Adolph Hitler and Nazism
(similar to fascism, but added race
superiority)
Japan: Militaristic government
Spain: Francisco Franco and
Nationalism (extreme love for their
nation)
SOVIET UNION




Stalin followed in the footsteps of Vladimir Lenin;
wanted Communism at any cost; became a police state
Moved to a Socialist nation in 1927—meaning no
private enterprises (even farming); wanted a
totalitarian government—one with complete control
over its people
Issued three separate five-year plans to create an
industrial power—was very successful
Executed tens of thousands during The Great Purge
where people were branded enemies; responsible for
the deaths of up to 13 million people
ITALY



Fascism had a strong, centralized government with
a powerful dictator
Il Duce—the chief—gained control after marching
on Rome with thousands of followers; controlled
every aspect of Italian life
Did not control the farms and factories like
Stalin—had support from many jobless youth,
veterans, and business owners
GERMANY


Joined the National Socialist German Workers’ Party
(the Nazi Party) in 1919; rooted in extreme nationalism
Ideas





Unite all German speaking people
Felt Aryans were superior
National expansion—”to secure for the German people the
land and soil to which they are entitled on this earth”
Helped by the Great Depression—so many were out of
work, they were desperate
Established the Third Reich—the Third German
Empire
JAPAN
Also wanted expanded living space for
their growing population
 Invaded the Chinese province of
Manchuria and quickly gained control

SPAIN



Francisco Franco lead a
fight with the Spanish
Civil War
Assisted by Mussolini
and Hitler
After 600,000 people
had died and over $15
billion was spent to stop
him, Franco controlled a
totalitarian government
LEAGUE OF NATIONS
Remember—the League of Nations was
formed to help keep peace throughout the
world after WWI
 Japan was simply reprimanded for its
invasion of Manchuria—so Japan simply
withdrew from the League
 Hitler began violating the Treaty of
Versailles and Mussolini invaded Ethiopia

THE UNITED STATES RESPONSE
Congress passed a series of Neutrality Acts
beginning in 1935 with a plan to keep the US
out of war
 In 1937, a poll showed 70% of Americans
believed the US never should have entered
WWI
 FDR spoke out against isolationism
in 1937 showing his desire to take
action—the people protested and
he backed off

WAR IN EUROPE


Hitler felt, “Germany’s problems can be
solved only by means of force, and this is
never without risk.”
Hitler met with Austria’s chancellor
Kurt von Schuschnigg in February
1938 and demanded Austrian Nazis
enter the government; although von
Schuschnigg changed his mind,
German troops marched into
Austria unopposed on March 12, 1938
THE MUNICH PACT
 French
premier Edouard Daladier and
British prime minister
Neville Chamberlain signed
the agreement with
Germany on September 30, 1938
 Said the Sudetenland (an area
of Czechoslovakia with German
speaking people) would be the
last land acquired by Nazi
Germany
THE GERMAN OFFENSIVE BEGINS




On March 15, 1939, “Czechoslovakia has ceased to
exist.”
Hitler said German-speaking people in Poland
were also being mistreated; he signed a
nonaggression pact with Soviet Union (and
secretly agreed to divide Poland between
them)
On September 1, 1939, Germany debuted its blitzkrieg
or lightning war in which it attacked by surprise; the
Soviet Union attacked from the east
Britain and France declared war and by the end of the
month, WWII had begun although it was termed a
sitzkrieg (a sitting war) because there was no fighting
THE SOVIET UNION JOINS IN

Stalin and the Soviet Union decided to
take back lands lost after WWI ended
 The
Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and
Lithuania fell easily
 Finland
put up a strong battle, but fell after
three months of fighting
MORE GERMAN MOVEMENT
German newspapers reported, “Germany is
ready” on April 7, 1940
 Germany invaded Denmark and Norway
 Next, Hitler attacked the Netherlands,
Belgium, and Luxembourg

THE FALL OF FRANCE
German troops entered France from the
northeast and successfully isolated British
and French troops
 Italy joined in and invade the southern part
of France
 On June 21, 1940, Hitler took control of
France
 French general Charles de Gaulle
fled to Britain and set up a
government-in-exile

THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN



The German air force, the Luftwaffe, made
bombing runs over Britain for two solid months in
the late summer of 1940
1000 German planes attacked British air fields,
aircraft factories, and cities
Because the RAF (Britain’s Royal Air Force) used
the new technology of radar and battled back
bravely, Hitler called off the invasion indefinitely
THE HOLOCAUST
HITLER’S PLAN
To promote the Aryan race
 In April 1933, he removed all non-Aryans
from government jobs
 Jews had traditionally been the scapegoats
for Germans—blamed for any failures or
economic problems
 In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws stripped
Jews of their civil rights and property
and forced Jews to wear a yellow star
of David


The Laws
Nuremberg Chart
KRISTALLNACHT
November 9, 1938—the night of broken
glass
 Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues
throughout Germany were attacked
 More than 20,000 Jews were arrested and
sent to concentration camps

JEWISH REFUGEES

In 1938, Germany’s foreign minister
observed: “We all want to get rid of our
Jews. The difficulty is that no country
wishes to receive them.”
 40,000
fled to France
 England accepted 500 refugees a week
 60,000 travelled to the United States which
had strict immigration quotas

Most people were anti-Semitic
and didn’t want the Jews either.
HITLER’S FINAL SOLUTION





Since many Jews were unable to flee Germany, Hitler
came up with a new plan
Healthy Jews would be sent to labor camps to perform
slave labor
The rest would be sent to extermination camps—this
resulted in genocide, the deliberate killing of an entire
people
The Nazis also included others they felt were inferior
or unworthy: gypsies, freemasons, Jehovah’s
Witnesses, homosexuals, the mentally retarded, the
insane, the disabled, and the incurably ill
Eventually, they added the Poles, Ukrainians, and
Russians to their list
CONCENTRATION CAMPS



Prisoners would work
from dawn to dusk,
seven days a week, until
they collapsed
They lived in cramped
wooden barracks that
held up to 1000 people
each
Food was meager—
mostly a thin soup with
an occasional scrap of
bread
EXTERMINATION




Because the Jews wouldn’t die fast enough in the
work camps, the Nazis built six death camps in
Poland—the main purpose was to exterminate or
kill people
Each had gas chambers to kill up to 6000 people
daily
Bodies were initially buried in huge pits, but
crematoriums worked more quickly to dispose of
the bodies
Others died by being shot, hanged, poisoned, or
experimented on
CONCENTRATION CAMP PICTURES
AMERICA RESPONDS
ROOSEVELT’S FEELINGS
Remember—he had been in
favor of US involvement
 He personally knew some of Hitler’s
advisors and believed they were crazy
 He convinced Congress to pass a new
neutrality act that allowed “cash and
carry”—meaning Britain and France could
buy weapons and ammo and transport them
on their own ships

THE AXIS POWERS
In September 1940, Japan, Germany, and
Italy signed the Tripartite Pact—a mutual
defense treaty
 Roosevelt responded by increasing his
assistance to France and Britain to avoid a
two-ocean war

AMERICA CONTINUES SUPPORT



The US began boosting its
defense spending
The Selective Training and
Service Act was passed to
register men between 21
and 35; 1 million were
drafted to serve
The Lend-Lease Act was
passed in 1941—the US
would now “lend” arms to
Britain
HITLER INVADES THE SOVIET UNION
Invaded on June 22, 1941
 The Soviets fought bravely, but destroyed
everything in the path when forced to
retreat (scorched-earth policy)
 Lasted over six months
 Roosevelt began sending lend-lease
supplies to the Soviet Union

GERMAN SUBMARINES
Also known as U-boats
 Traveled in groups of
15-20, known as wolf packs
 Was an effective mode of
attack for the Germans
 Roosevelt gave the Navy permission to
protect lend-lease ships against German
U-boats

THE ATLANTIC CHARTER

Declared both the US
and Great Britain
wanted







No extra land
To keep self-control
To let people choose
their own government
Free trade
Cooperation
A secure peace
Permanent security

“A Declaration by the
United Nations” was
signed by 26 nations,
including China and the
Soviet Union
US SHIPS ARE ATTACKED
US destroyer Greer: torpedoes were fired
at the ship on September 4, 1941
 The Pink Star—a US merchant ship: sunk
two weeks later
 US destroyer Kearny: torpedoed in midOctober
 US destroyer Reuban James: sunk in
October; killed at least 100 sailors

JAPAN
Dreamed of a vast colonial empire
 They’d invaded Manchuria in 1931 and China in
1937
 Pushed south in July 1941 towards presentday Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos
 Hideki Tojo became Prime Minister
and planned to attack the United
States
 The US intercepted Japan’s secret
communication codes and knew an attack was
coming

THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR

December 7, 1941: 181 Japanese planes
bombed Pearl Harbor for an hour and a
half
The attack crippled the US Pacific Fleet
 18 ships were sunk or damaged; 350 planes
were destroyed or severely damaged;
2400 people had died; and 1178 were
injured

RESPONSE TO PEARL HARBOR



Roosevelt said,
“December 7, 1941, a
date which will live in
infamy.”
Burton Wheeler, an
isolationist senator,
said, “The only thing
now to do is to lick
the hell out of them.”
The US declared war
on Japan on 12/8

Three days later
Germany and Italy
declared war on the
US
THE UNITED STATES IN WWII
AMERICANS GET INVOLVED
The Japanese had assumed Americans
would be too afraid to respond to the
attack on Pearl Harbor
 5 million volunteered to serve, but it
wasn’t enough
 The selective service
draft provided another
10 million soldiers

WOMEN IN THE MILITARY


General George Marshall pushed
for the formation of a Women’s
Auxiliary Army corps (WAAC)
because of the shortage of male
soldiers
Over 250,000 women served the
United States during WWII
MINORITIES IN THE ARMED SERVICES



Segregated units were
the norm
Despite the prejudice in
their daily lives, many
volunteered to fight for
the country they felt
ignored their struggles
Over 1.5 million
minorities served in
WWII
ON THE HOME FRONT



Auto production shut down
to switch to tanks, planes,
boats, and command cars
All industries mobilized for
the war effort
Women and minorities had
opportunities never before
available
ROOSEVELT CREATES THE OSRD



The Office of
Scientific Research
and Development
Improved radar and
sonar
Encouraged the use
of DDT to keep the
soldiers bug and lice
free



Pushed the development
of miracle drugs like
penicillin
Secretly developed the
atomic bomb
Refugee Albert Einstein
warned Roosevelt to be
careful or the Germans
would develop this also
JAPANESE INTERNMENT CAMPS

Panic and prejudice
created an
atmosphere of
hysteria and hostility

Over 100,000
Japanese Americans
were shipped to ten
camps, most
American born, as a
result of Roosevelt’s
order on February 19,
1942
INTERNMENT—EXECUTIVE ORDER 9066



Included those who
were only part
Japanese and most
were American
citizens
Camps didn’t always
contain cooking or
plumbing facilities
Were under guard by
the US Army

The Japanese lost all
they owned—their
homes, businesses,
pictures, furniture—
they lost their lives
ECONOMIC CONCERNS



Roosevelt didn’t want
inflation to skyrocket as
it had during WWI
The OPA (Office of
Price Administration)
froze the prices of most
goods and raised income
tax
The WPB (War
Production Board)
collected goods to
recycle for the war
effort


Everyone could only have
a certain amount of
items—through rationing
Included meat, shoes,
sugar, coffee, and
gasoline
BRITAIN AND THE US JOIN FORCES

Winston Churchill
(Prime Minister of
England) visited the
US in late December
1941 to plan out their
war policy

Decisions:


The main priority was
to defeat Germany
They agreed to only
accept the
unconditional surrender
of the Axis Powers
BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC

German U-boats were able to sink 681
Allied ships throughout the Atlantic in the
first half of 1942
The Allies responded by organizing
convoys guarded by destroyers and were
able to have success
 The US also increased its ship production

THE BATTLE OF STALINGRAD
The Germans had stalled their attempts to
invade the Soviet Union, but began again in
search of oil
 The Luftwaffe ran nightly
bombing raids on the city
 For over six months, the German and Soviet
soldiers fought brutally in freezing conditions
 Over 225,000 Germans died
and the Soviets lost 1,250,000
soldiers and civilians

MEANWHILE IN NORTH AFRICA…
Even though Stalin wanted the Allies to
divert German troops in Western Europe,
they turned towards Africa
 General Dwight D. Eisenhower
commanded Operation Torch
beginning in November 1942
 They were able
to defeat the
German troops
led by Erwin
Rommel—the
Desert Fox by
May 1943

“THE SOFT UNDERBELLY OF THE AXIS”





With success in Africa, the Allied troops invaded
Italy in the summer of 1943
Italian people and their king were tired of
fighting and prepared to end their involvement
in the war—King Victor Emmanuel III stripped
Mussolini of his power
Hitler wouldn’t have this though and sent troops to
protect Italy and reinstated Mussolini
One battle lasted four months—Bloody Anzio
In April 1945, members of Italy’s underground were
finally able to help defeat the Germans and hanged
Il Duce in a Milan square
D-DAY
The Allies had planned to attack Hitler’s
forces in France for two years
 Began by bombing northern France’s supply
routes for a month and a half
 On June 6, 1944, troops landed at beaches
along the English Channel


German troops fought brutally, especially at
Omaha Beach
“People were yelling, screaming, dying, running
on the beach, equipment was flying
everywhere, men were bleeding to death,
crawling, lying everywhere, firing coming
from all directions.”
~Felix Branham
 Despite heavy casualties, Americans held the
beaches and were able to advance
to Paris, under the direction of
General George Patton, and
liberate the city after four years

AS A RESULT…

Roosevelt and his running mate Harry S.
Truman were elected to an unprecedented
fourth term in November 1944
BATTLE OF THE BULGE
Despite warnings from intelligence
reports, the Allies were surprised by a
German attack in Winter 1944
 The battle lasted a month
and the positions were
mostly unchanged after
 The Germans had lost men and supplies
they could not replace at this time—and
that was worse than losing the battle

LIBERATION OF THE DEATH CAMPS

The Soviets were the first to liberate a
death camp—Majdanek in Poland
 Contained
the world’s largest crematorium
 A storehouse contained 800,000 shoes

Liberating soldiers were amazed at what
they saw and assumed the starving adults
were merely children
V-E DAY—MAY 8, 1945


As the end drew near, Hitler married his
longtime companion, Eva Braun, and both
committed suicide
Without Hitler, the Third Reich gave their
unconditional surrender to Eisenhower
AFTER PEARL HARBOR
U.S. submarines had been spared
 Our aircraft carriers were at sea during
the attacks and were also spared
 Almost all of the sunk or damaged ships
were repaired and returned to service

JAPAN ADVANCES



Japan created an empire, conquering
Hong Kong, French Indochina,
Malaya, Burma, Thailand, half of
China, Formosa, the Dutch East
Indies, Guam, Wake, the Solomon
Islands, and part of Alaska
General Douglas MacArthur helped
defend the Philippines for America,
but eventually had to abandon it in
March 1942
Japanese Emperor Hirohito was
thrilled with his victory
U.S. RETALIATION




On April 18, 1942, Col. James
Doolittle led an attack on Japan
In the Battle of the Coral Sea
(May 1942), U.S. and Australian
fleets defended against the
Japanese
In the Battle of Midway
(June 1942), Adm. Charles
Nimitz fought the Japanese
He was outnumbered four
ships to one—and devastated the
Japanese forces
NAVAJO CODE TALKERS




The U.S. was able to intercept
several Japanese codes
The Japanese heard a language
in their headsets, but couldn’t
identify it
The language was Navajo which
has no alphabet or written
symbols and therefore was
ideal
They weren’t recognized until
1969
ISLAND HOPPING


The Japanese were
established on
hundreds of islands
throughout the
Pacific
MacArthur skipped
strongholds and
seized lessfortified islands
and set-up areas to
attack from


In Guadalcanal,
Americans had
their first land
victory against
the Japanese after a 6month battle from August
1942 to February 1943
This cost the U.S. 1/3 of
our Marines
JAPANESE KAMIKAZE

The word kamikaze
means “divine wind”
and refers to a
typhoon that saved
Japan from a
Mongol invasion in
1281


In WWII, kamikaze were
suicide-plane
attacks in which
Japanese pilots
crashed their
bomb-laden planes into
Allied ships
Kamikaze pilots
flew over 3800
missions, but the
Japanese still
failed
IN THE MIDST OF THE PACIFIC WAR


President Roosevelt
had a stroke and died
on April 12, 1945
Harry Truman became
President, but was
nervous about his new
position as president
and commander-in-chief
IWO JIMA
A desolate island—seen as a critical base
for future attacks on Japan
 Operation Detachment was a 35-day
battle beginning in February 1945 in which
6000 Marines were killed
 Only 200 of the 20,700
Japanese survived
 Joe Rosenthal’s picture
became one of the main
images of the war

THE BATTLE FOR OKINAWA


This small island was
Japan’s last defensive
outpost
Battle began in April
1945


After the fierce
battle, more than
7600 Americans had
died and 110,000
Japanese died
defending Okinawa
The two Japanese
general chose suicide
over the shame of
surrender—a Japanese
ritual
THE ATOMIC BOMB
The development of the bomb was known
as the Manhattan Project and was lead by
Robert Oppenheimer
 First tested in the New Mexico desert on
July 16, 1945—known as the Trinity Test

HIROSHIMA




August 6, 1945
The Enola Gay drops a
uranium bomb named Little
Boy
People died instantly,
clothes were burned onto
bodies, and an overwhelming
sense of heat was felt
Less than 10% of the city’s
buildings survived
MORE PICTURES
NAGASAKI



August 9, 1945
Bock’s drops the
plutonium bomb
named Fat Man; was
40% stronger than
the bomb dropped on
Hiroshima
Remembering
Nagasaki
JAPAN SURRENDERS
Japan surrenders on August 14, 1945
 August 15th: V-J Day—peace finally
arrives

REBUILDING BEGINS
Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill had met in
the Soviet Union in February 1945 at the
Yalta Conference
 They agreed to form the
United Nations
 The UN was established in
April 1945 at a meeting in San Francisco

 Formed
an 11 member Security Council
 The U.S., Great Britain, the Soviet Union,
France, and China were given permanent seats
GERMANY IS DIVIDED


Stalin, Truman, and
Churchill met in
Germany in July 1945
They decided to
disarm Germany by
dividing it into zones
and punish those
guilty of war crimes
THE NUREMBERG WAR TRIALS

An international tribunal tried Nazi war
criminals in November 1945
 Represented
23 nations
 In Nuremberg, Germany
12 were sentenced to death
 Nearly 200 were found guilty of war
crimes
 This was the first time a nation’s leaders
were held accountable for what happened
during wartime

THE OCCUPATION OF JAPAN



General Douglas MacArthur
occupied Japan for 6 years
Over 1000 were arrested
and put on trial; 7 were
sentenced to death
The American-directed
occupation government
provided aid and began to
rebuild the bombed cities