What is Hitler doing in the picture?
January 1933: Hitler became
Chancellor of Germany
Hitler soon ordered a programme of
rearming Germany
Hitler visits a factory and is enthusiastically greeted. Many
Germans were grateful for jobs after the misery of he
depression years.
March 1936: German troops
marched into the Rhineland
The Rhineland was a
region of Germany
that was
‘demilitarized’ after the
Treaty of Versailles.
Germany was not
allowed to have troops
in the region.
Hitler’s actions
showed how he was
willing to directly
challenge the treaty.
March 1938: Nazi Germany
annexed Austria
Again, this went
against the terms
of the Treaty of
Versailles which
banned Germany
from uniting with
Austria.
However, the
arrival of German
troops was met
with great
enthusiasm by
many Austrian
people.
March 1939: Germany invaded
Czechoslovakia
Hitler had ordered the
occupation of a part of
Czechoslovakia (in October
1938). Many hoped that this
would be the last conquest of
the Nazis.
However, in March 1939, he
ordered his troops to take
over the remainder of
Czechoslovakia. This was the
first aggressive step that
suggested that a war in
Europe would soon begin.
World War II
What was WWII?
• Largest war in human history.
• Involved countries, colonies, and territories
around the entire world.
• By the end, over 70 million were dead.
• It started from 1939 until 1945.
WORLD
WAR II
Leaders of the Axis Powers
• Germany: Adolf Hitler
• Italy: Benito Mussolini
• Japan: Emperor
Leaders of the Allied Powers
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Great Britain: Winston Churchill
United States: Franklin D. Roosevelt
Russia: Joseph Stalin
France: Charles de Gaulle
Causes
• W WI and the Treaty of Versailles
• Appeasement
• Rise of Totalitarianism
WWI and the Treaty of
Versailles
• Germany lost land to
surrounding nations
• War reparations
– Germany pays $57
trillion (modern day
equivalent)
– Germans are bankrupt,
embarrassed, guilt
ridden, and angry.
• Desperate people turn
to desperate leaders
• Giving someone
something to make
them happy and
leave you alone.
• Hitler demanded
land that wasn’t
Germany’s and
others just gave it
to him.
• Nations were trying
to prevent war…it
didn’t work.
(Isolationism)
• Appeasement just
showed Hitler that
he could do
whatever he
wanted.
Appeasement
Rise of Totalitarianism
• A system in which the state and its
leader have nearly TOTAL control.
• Individual rights are not viewed as important as the
needs of the nation.
– No right to vote
– No free speech
– Government controlled economy
– Often a police state
Totalitarianism
USSR:
Communist
Dictatorship
Germany & Italy:
Fascist
Dictatorship
Japan:
Military
Dictatorship
Adolf HitlerGermany
Hideki Tojo Japan
Benito Mussolini-Italy
Josef StalinUSSR
What is Fascism?
• Political belief that says the individual is
less important than the nation.
• Glorifies violence, believes it is needed to
“prove” strength of a people.
• Uses nationalism and racism.
• Dictatorships.
• Italy and then Germany became fascist.
How did WWII start?
• Germany invaded Poland to get
lebensraum
What did Hitler Want?
• Militarism- soon after becoming chancellor he
begins rearming Germany breaking the Treaty of
Versailles
• Rhineland- moves troops into the Rhineland
territory again breaking the Treaty of Versailles
• Lebensraum- “living space”
– Austria - annexed peacefully in 1938
– Sudetenland – territory in Czechoslovakia
• Given to Germany by Great Britain and France
– Hitler then invades the rest of Czechoslovakia
– On to Poland
How did WWII start?
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Germany invaded Poland.
Allies declare war on Germany.
Germany then invades France, Belgium, etc.
Then Hitler invades Russia.
Germans use “blitzkrieg” to overwhelm other
armies.
– Blitzkrieg means “lightening war” in German.
– Surround with tanks and troops in trucks.
Who was on each side?
Axis Powers
• Germany
• Italy
• Japan
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•
•
•
Allied Powers
Great Britain
Soviet Union
United States
France
– Surrendered to
Germany in 1940 after
6 weeks
What about the Pacific War?
• The US (mostly) fought the Japanese.
• December 7, 1941 Japan bombed Pearl
Harbor in Hawaii to sink US ships there.
– Two hours = most US navy destroyed and
2,000 sailors killed
• Japan surrenders after US drops atomic
bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
How did WWII end in Europe?
• Operation Overlord- Allied invasion of
France. Also called D-Day.
– Within a month 1 million Allied troops were
stationed in Europe.
– Germany is surrounded with the USSR to the
east
• Germany surrenders in 1945 after Hitler
commits suicide.
How did WWII end in Europe?
• Allies divide Germany up between them.
– This helps start the Cold War.
• Trials are held in Germany (and Japan) to
try the people responsible for the war.
– Many are executed and jailed for war crimes.
What was the Holocaust?
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•
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Nazi plan to kill all Jews.
Why? Hitler’s provided a to Germany’s problems
6 million Jews murdered in camps in Europe.
5 million others (gypsies, mentally ill, homosexuals)
Total of 11 million exterminated
What is genocide?
Purposely trying to exterminate an entire group
of people (ethnic, religious, racial).
MAJOR EVENTS OF WWII
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September 1, 1939 – Germany invades Poland
Germany invades France (captures Paris)
Battle of Britain begins (bombing London)
US aids Britain in return for bases
Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, HI
Germany declares war on US
US declares war on Germany & Japan
Battle of Midway – turning point against Japan
Germany invades Soviet Union
– Battle of Stalingrad (turning point in Europe)
• D-Day (Doomsday) – invasion of Normandy
• Atomic Bombs dropped: Hiroshima & Nagasaki
• Japan surrenders (V-J Day)
Quick Facts
• War Costs
– US Debt 1940 - $9 Billion
– US Debt 1945 - $98 Billion
• WWII cost $330 billion – 10 times the
cost of WWI & equivalent to all
previous federal spending since 1776
Losses of the Major Wartime Powers in WWII,
1939-1945
• Germany
– 4.5 million military
– 2 million civilian
• Japan
– 2 million military
– 350,000 civilians
• Italy
– 400,000 military
– 100,000 civilian
• China
– 2.5 million military
– 7.4 million civilians
• USSR
– 10 million military
– 10 million civilians
• Great Britain
– 300,000 military
– 50,000 civilians
• France
– 250,000 military
– 350,000 civilian
• United States
– 274,000 military