Major Causes and Events of World War II

1. Major Causes and Events of
World War II

2. Major Causes and Events of WWII
• German Invasion of Poland
• German Invasion of Soviet Union
• The Holocaust
• Japanese Imperialism
• Attack on Pearl Harbor
• Normandy Landings in Europe
• Dropping of Atomic Bombs on Japan

3. German Invasion of Poland
• September 1, 1939
• Leads to Great Britain and France’s
declarations of war on Germany
• First use of the German blitzkrieg (“lightning
war”) that incorporates fast-moving airplanes
and tanks

4. In German, Blitzkrieg means lightning war (Blitz-Krieg). Blitzkrieg was named so because it included
surprise attacks, "Lighting fast" rapid advances into enemy territory, with coordinated massive air
attacks, which struck and shocked the enemy as if it was struck by lightning. The German military in
World War 2 achieved most of its great victories with the Blitzkrieg tactic.

5. German Invasion of Soviet Union
• 1941-1943
• Known as Operation Barbarossa
• Unsuccessful German sieges of Leningrad and
Moscow.
• The harsh Russian winter halts further invasion in
Russia.
• Germans besiege Stalingrad in 1942 and are
forced to surrender the following year.
• The Soviet army then begins to push westward
into Europe.

6. The Holocaust
• Genocide of over 6 million Jews and other
groups throughout Europe considered by
Germany to be inferior.
• Known as “The Final Solution”
• Resulted in the extermination of these people
in death camps.

7. The Nazis targeted Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, Communists, twins, and the
disabled. Some of these people tried to hide from the Nazis, like Anne Frank and her family. A few were
successful; most were not. Those that were captured suffered sterilization, forced
resettlement, separation from family and friends, beatings, torture, starvation, and/or death.

8. Japanese Imperialism
• Plans for a Pacific empire that included China
• Empire would allow Japan to solve its economic
problems through the provision of
– raw materials
– markets for its goods
– more room for its growing population.
• Japan invaded Manchuria and China in the 1930s.
• The Philippines, Malaya, Singapore, the Dutch
East Indies, and Burma are all occupied after the
start of World War II.

9. Attack on Pearl Harbor
• Japan attacks Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941
• Leads the United States to declare war on
Japan.
• This results in a declaration of war on the
United States by Germany and Italy.

11. Normandy Landings in Europe
• June 6, 1944 – “D-Day”
• Landing of Allied forces on the coast of France
lead to a German retreat.
• As a result, France and the Low Countries are
liberated and Allied troops push eastward into
Germany that leads to German surrender in
1945.

13. Dropping of Atomic Bombs on Japan
• U.S. drops atomic bombs on Japanese cities of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• Leads to Japan’s surrender.

14. The panoramas show the physical effects of a small (15 kiloton*) nuclear weapon on a city of 400,000.