2. I. Causes of WWII:
1) Treaty of Versailles (1919) – ended WWI –
forced Germany to take the blame starting
WWI and to give up territory– the Germans
resented it and wanted revenge
3.
4. I. Causes of WWII:
2) Rise of Dictators:
a. Benito Mussolini (Italy):
-founded the Fascist Party in Italy after WWI
-fascism (the state is more important than
the ind.)
-called himself Il Duce (“the leader”)
-relied on fascist thugs, called blackshirts, to
terrorize those who opposed him
-given control of Italy in 1922
-conquered Ethiopia in 1935
5.
6. I. Causes of WWII:
b. Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union):
-rose to power after Lenin’s death in the
1920s
-wanted to take care of his country first, not
get involved in world affairs
-U.S. recognized the Soviet gov’t in 1933
because…
1) for trade to fight the Depression
2) location to Japan
7.
8. I. Causes of WWII:
c. Japanese Military Leaders:
-rose to power during the Depression
-wanted to take control of all of Asia
-invaded Manchuria (northern Chinese
province) in 1931 for resources
-U.S. didn’t like it and eventually cut off
trade with Japan (made them mad!)
9.
10. I. Causes of WWII:
d. Adolf Hitler (Germany):
-born in Austria – April 20, 1889
-unhappy childhood – beaten by his father
-loved his mother – she died from breast
cancer – her doctor was Jewish
-moved to Vienna, Austria to become an
artist but failed – Vienna was a very Anti-
Semitic (hatred of Jews) city
11.
12. I. Causes of WWII:
-left Vienna in May 1913 to escape military
service and moved to Munich, Bavaria
(German province)
-was arrested by Austrian gov’t for fleeing –
failed his military physical – found “unfit…too
weak…and unable to bear arms”
13. I. Causes of WWII:
-joined the Bavarian Army when WWI started
– served as a “runner” (delivered messages)
-was an excellent soldier – earned 2 Iron
Crosses for bravery
-wounded twice during the war – was in the
hospital when the war ended (temporarily
blinded by mustard gas)
14.
15. I. Causes of WWII:
-recruited by military intelligence unit to keep
tabs on the German Workers Party, who
hated Jews, Treaty of Versailles, Weimar
Republic, and communists
-eventually joined the party and became its
leader – party later named Nazi Party
-led a revolt against the democratic gov’t in
1923 – it failed and he was sentenced to 5
years in prison (served only 9 months)
16. I. Causes of WWII:
-wrote Mein Kampf (“My Struggle”) while in
prison – blamed Germany’s loss in WWI on
Jews and communists
-believed Germans belonged to a superior
“Aryan” race that was destined to rule the
world
-helped build up the Nazi Party during the
Great Depression
17.
18.
19. I. Causes of WWII:
-Nazis promised food, jobs, and a strong
military
-the swastika became the symbol of the Nazi
Party
-named Chancellor (2nd in command) by
Pres. Hindenberg in Jan. 1933
-became the sole leader, the “fuhrer”, in 1934
after Hindenberg’s death
20.
21. I. Causes of WWII:
-SA Brownshirts – military group that
supported Hitler during his rise to power – led
by Ernst Rohm
-after Hitler became the fuhrer, a new elite
group was picked from the best of the SA –
they were called the SS:
-led by Heinrich Himmler
-followed the army during invasions,
going after Jews, communists, gypsies,
or those listed as “subhumans”
22.
23. I. Causes of WWII:
-Rohm was arrested for being disloyal to
Hitler – he was executed along with 200 other
SA in 1934 – called the “Night of the Long
Knives”
-students were encouraged to join the Hitler
Youth – helped round up “un-German” books
to be burned
24.
25. I. Causes of WWII:
-Nuremberg Laws of 1935 – took away
citizenship from German Jews, forced Jews
to register with the gov’t, and to wear yellow
stars of David on their clothing
26.
27. I. Causes of WWII:
3) Appeasement – policy of giving someone
something they want just to please them
-Hitler’s original goal was to unite all
German speaking people
-invaded the Rhineland (area bordering
France) in 1936
-annexed (took control of) Austria w/o
opposition in 1938
28. I. Causes of WWII:
-annexed the Sudetenland (part of Czech.)
because many spoke German in 1938 –
however, Czech. was closely tied to England
-Munich Conference (Sept. 1938) – England
and France agreed to let Hitler keep his new
territory if he promised not to invade anymore
countries (i.e. they appeased him)
29. I. Causes of WWII:
4) Spanish Civil War (1936-1939):
-“dress rehearsal” for WWII
-Spanish fascists led by Francisco Franco
were trying to overthrow the democratic
gov’t in Spain
30. I. Causes of WWII:
-Hitler and Mussolini sent in supplies and
troops to help Franco – experimented with
new weapons and tactics
-U.S., England sent in supplies and volunteer
troops to help the existing gov’t
-Franco won
31. II. War Begins:
Hitler broke the Munich Agreement by
invading Czech. In 1938
England and France drew the line at Poland –
asked Stalin to help them – Stalin shocked
the world by signing the Nazi-Soviet Pact in
Aug. 1939 (promised not to attack each
other)
32. II. War Begins:
Germany, now without the threat of a 2 front
war, invaded Poland on Sept. 1, 1939 --
England and France declared war on
Germany and WWII began
-Germany defeated Poland in less than a
month by using their blitzkrieg (“lightning
warfare”) tactic
33. II. War Begins:
Germany then moved West and took Norway,
Denmark, Belgium, and the Netherlands
-later moved into France and took Paris on
June 17, 1940
-England was now fighting alone
34. II. War Begins:
Hitler then attacked England in the Battle of
Britain (Aug. 1940-Apr. 1941)
-strictly air warfare
-Hitler sent thousands of Luftwaffe (German
Air Force) bombers to England
-British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said,
“…we shall never surrender”
-England developed radar which helped them
turn away the Germans – they also asked the
U.S. to help
35. II. War Begins:
June 1941, Hitler launched a surprise attack
on the Soviet Union – major mistake – forced
Germany to fight a 2 front war
In the meantime…Japan joined Germany and
Italy to form the Axis Powers
36. III. The American Response:
U.S. remained neutral at first because of the
problems at home (Depression)
U.S. passed a series of neutrality acts (laws)
that said we would withhold weapons and
loans from all nations at war
“cash and carry” policy – required all non-
military goods to be paid for in cash and
transported by the buyer
37. III. The American Response:
FDR believed the U.S. would eventually get
involved and tried to ease the restrictions
After the war began, Congress passed the
Neutrality Act of 1939 which allowed England
and France to buy weapons on a cash and
carry basis
Sept. 1940 – FDR traded 50 used Destroyers
(naval ships) to England for the right to build
military bases on British territory in the
Caribbean Sea
38. III. The American Response:
Sept. 1940 – Congress passed the Selective
Service Act which was the first peacetime
draft in U.S. history
-ages 21 to 36 registered
-must serve at least 1 yr. in the military if
drafted
39. III. The American Response:
March 1941 – Congress passed the Lend-
Lease Act:
-allowed FDR to aid any nation whose
defense was vital to national security
-began to send war material to England
-ended Am. neutrality
40. IV. U.S. Relations with Japan:
U.S. stopped selling iron, steel, and oil (war
materials) to Japan after they took French
territory in Asia
-made the Japanese mad – planned an
attack
Pearl Harbor – Am.’s largest naval base – in
Hawaii – Japan chose to attack it – 4,000
miles from Japan
41. IV. U.S. Relations with Japan:
6 Japanese aircraft carriers and 20 other
ships moved towards Hawaii, carrying 400
bomber and torpedo planes
U.S. had broken the Japanese codes and
knew an attack was coming but didn’t know
exactly where (thought it would be in the
Philippines)
42.
43.
44. IV. U.S. Relations with Japan:
Date and time of attack: Sunday, Dec. 7,
1941 – 7:55 a.m.
Planes picked up on radar, but ignored
(thought they were Am. planes)
45.
46. IV. U.S. Relations with Japan:
U.S. Losses: in less than 2 hours
-2,300 killed – 2,000 injured
-18 warships sunk or destroyed – including all
8 battleships (ex: U.S.S. Arizona)
-3 aircraft carriers were not there (2 at sea, 1
in CA for repairs) – destroying them was
Japan’s main goal
47.
48. IV. U.S. Relations with Japan:
Japan lost 29 planes
FDR said, Dec. 7, 1941 will be “a date which
will live in infamy”
Congress declare war on Japan: Dec. 8,
1941
Germany and Italy declared war on U.S.:
Dec. 11, 1941
49.
50. IV. U.S. Relations with Japan:
Feb. 1942: FDR ordered the army to intern
(imprisonment) all Japanese-Am.’s because
he thought they were a threat to national
security
-100,000 were interned
-1988: Congress apologized and paid all who
were interned $20,000
51. IV. U.S. Relations with Japan:
Atlantic Charter (Aug. 1941) – secret meeting
between Churchill and FDR
-discussed how to win the war and what
would happen after the war
-United Nations (U.N.) discussed
15 million Americans served during the war –
Am. soldiers were nicknamed “G.I.s” after the
“government issue” stamp that appeared on
all military supplies
52.
53. IV. U.S. Relations with Japan:
300,000 Mexican-Am.’s and 25,000 Native-
Am.’s served – 300 Navajo Indians served as
radio operators and they developed a code
based on their language that could not be
broken
1 million African-Am.’s served and fought in
segregated units
275,000 women served – most as clerks and
nurses
54. V. Axis v. Allies:
Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan – 6 other
countries
Allied Powers (Allies): U.S., England, Soviet
Union – 47 other countries
The Allies were forced to fight “2 wars” or on
2 fronts:
1) Europe / North Africa
2) Pacific
55.
56. V. Axis v. Allies:
Allies adopted a “Europe First” policy:
-would defeat Germany and Italy first
because they were the biggest threat
-U.S. dealt with Japan basically on their own
57. V. Axis v. Allies:
Battle of the Atlantic (1939-1945):
-Germany used u-boats to sink supply ships
going to England and France
-merchant ships formed convoys and Am.
warships escorted them
-Germans used wolfpacks, groups of 20-30
subs, to attack the convoys
-sonar was used to locate u-boats and depth
charges were used to destroy them
58.
59. V. Axis v. Allies:
North Africa Campaign:
-fighting began in 1940 between the British,
Germans, and Italians
-German Army (Afrika Korps) was led by Gen.
Irwin Rommel, the “desert fox”
-turning point: Battle of El Alamein in Egypt
(Nov. 1942) in which England, led by Gen.
Bernard Montgomery, drove the Germans
west towards Tunisia
60. V. Axis v. Allies:
-in Operation Torch Am. and British troops,
led by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, landed in
west Africa and marched towards Tunisia
-Rommel and the Germans were trapped
-240,000 Axis troops surrendered (Rommel
escaped)
61.
62. V. Axis v. Allies:
Invasion of Italy:
-Am. troops, led by Gen. George Patton,
attacked Sicily (July-Aug. 1943)
-when the island fell, Mussolini was
overthrown and killed
-after winning the Battle of Anzio in Italy (May
1944), the Allies captured Rome and drove
towards northern Italy
63. V. Axis v. Allies:
-U.S. lost 190,000 and the German lost
500,000 in the battle for Italy
-Italy was now out of the war
64.
65. V. Axis v. Allies:
War in the Soviet Union:
-Germans attacked with 3.6 million troops in
June 1941
-Soviets used a “scorched earth” policy,
destroying everything the Germans could use
while retreating
-Stalin asked for an attack in western Europe
to take the pressure off
-this is when the Allies chose to attack Italy
instead
66. V. Axis v. Allies:
-Battle of Stalingrad –turning point in the East
– Soviets attacked during the winter of 1942
and 1943 – Germans lost 300,000 – Soviets
lost 500,000 troops and civilians – forced
German to surrender in the East
67.
68. V. Axis v. Allies:
Invasion of Western Europe:
-Allies began to plan for an invasion of
German occupied France from England by
crossing the English Channel
69.
70. V. Axis v. Allies:
-would be led by Gen. Eisenhower
-given the code name of “Operation Overlord”
-D-Day – Allies landed at Normandy, France
at 6:30 a.m. on June 6, 1945
71. V. Axis v. Allies:
-Germans had expected the invasion to
take place at Calais in northern France
(much closer to England)
-150,000 men - 5,300 ships – 12,000 planes
-1,500 tanks used on the beaches
-U.S. captured Omaha and Utah beaches
72. V. Axis v. Allies:
-British and Canadian troops captured Sword,
Gold, and Juno beaches
-Allies eventually broke through and liberated
(freed) Paris in Aug. 1944 and then moved
towards Germany
73.
74.
75.
76. V. Axis v. Allies:
Battle of the Bulge (Dec. 1944):
-the last German offensive
-largest battle ever fought by the U.S.
-involved 600,000 G.I.s (80,000 casualties)
-Germans lost 100,000
-Gen. Patton helped stop the German attack
-Allied victory
77.
78. V. Axis v. Allies:
March 1945:
-Allied bombers continued to bomb German
cities
-Soviets pushed into Germany from the East
and attacked Berlin
-Soviets met the Am. troops at the Elbe River
on Apr. 25, 1945
-Hitler committed suicide - Germany
surrendered on May 8, 1945 (V-E Day)
79. V. Axis v. Allies:
Yalta Conference (Feb. 1945)
-FDR, Churchill, Stalin met to plan for the
post-war world
-Germany would be divided into 4 zones
(U.S., France, England, U.S.S.R.)
-Berlin, which lied in the Soviet zone, would
also be divided into 4 zones
80. V. Axis v. Allies:
-Stalin promised to allow elections in the
eastern European nations he liberated (he
didn’t) – caused major problems later
81. VI. War in the Pacific:
Hours after the bombing of Pearl Harbor,
Japan attacked the Philippines (controlled by
U.S. since 1898)
-Gen. Douglas MacArthur withdrew his troops
to the Bataan Peninsula on Manila Bay
-FDR ordered Mac to escape to Australia
-Mac promised, “I Shall Return.”
82. VI. War in the Pacific:
-76,000 became POWs
-Japanese marched them 60 miles to a
railroad
-10,000 died during the 6-12 day march
-many were executed when they couldn’t
keep up (Batann Death March – May 1942)
83. VI. War in the Pacific:
Battle of the Coral Sea (May 1942):
-NE of Australia
-naval combat carried out entirely by aircraft
-battle was a draw, but Japan was prevented
from invading Australia
84. VI. War in the Pacific:
Battle of Midway (June 1942):
-island NW of Hawaii
-Adm. Yamamoto vs. Adm. Chester Nimitz
-fought entirely form the air
-U.S. destroyed 4 Japanese aircraft carriers
and 250 planes
-turning point in the Pacific
85. VI. War in the Pacific:
Battle of Guadalcanal (Aug. 1942):
-1st major Allied offensive
-on the Solomon Islands
-jungle warfare
-forced Japan from the islands by Feb. 1943
86. VI. War in the Pacific:
U.S. started using island-hopping – strategy
of selectively attacking or by-passing specific
enemy held islands – began after
Guadalcanal
Philippines Campaign (Oct. 1944):
-160,000 Am. troops invaded the Philippine
island of Leyte
-the Battle of Leyte Gulf was the largest naval
battle in U.S. history
87. VI. War in the Pacific:
-280 warships fought
-Japanese first used kamikazes, or suicide
planes – kamikaze means “divine wind”
-Gen. MacArthur said, “People of the
Philippines, I have returned”
-80,000 Japanese killed – only 1,000
surrendered
-island were finally secured in June 1945
88. VI. War in the Pacific:
Battle of Okinawa (Oct. 1944):
-only 350 miles from Japan
-Japan defended at all cost -2,000 kamikaze
attacks
-110,000 Japanese casualties – 50,000 Am.
casualties
-Japan surrendered island in June 1945
-Am. soldiers began to prepare for an
invasion of Japan
89. VII. The End of the War:
Manhattan Project
-as early as 1938 the U.S. gov’t believed that
Germany was close to developing a new
weapon by splitting an atom
-Albert Einstein, a Jew who fled Germany,
wrote FDR a letter saying Germany was close
to building the weapon and the U.S. should
start researching
90. VII. The End of the War:
-scientists in Chicago found out a way to
make the bomb in 1942
-hidden laboratories were set up in Oak
Ridge, TN and Los Alamos, NM
-July 16, 1945: the first test was held at
Trinity Site outside of Los Alamos
-explosion equaled 20,000 tons of TNT
-supervisor was J. Robert Oppenheimer (“the
father of the atomic bomb”)
91. VII. The End of the War:
-Oppenheimer said after the explosion, “I
have become death, the destroyer of worlds.”
As soon as Pres. Harry Truman (FDR had
died) found out about the test, he demanded
the Japanese to surrender or face “utter
devastation”
92. VII. The End of the War:
Truman had 2 choices:
1) use the bombs
2) invade Japan
Arguments in favor of using the bomb:
1) end the war faster
2) save Am. lives
3) intimidate the Soviet Union
93. VII. The End of the War:
Arguments against using the bomb:
1) kills thousands of innocent people
2) war would be over soon anyway
94. VII. The End of the War:
Truman justified using the atomic bombs
because he said it would save lives in the
long run (invasion of Japan was the
alternative)
Aug. 6, 1945 – at 8:16 a.m. the Enola Gay
dropped the first bomb on the city of
Hiroshima – a 4 square mile area was
completely incinerated – more than 70,000
died instantly – 30,000 more died within a
week – those that survived suffered serious
effects from the radiation
95. VII. The End of the War:
-temperature: 100 million degrees at the core -
5,400 degrees at the surface
-co-pilot said, “My God, what have we done”
Aug. 9, 1945 – the 2nd bomb was dropped on
the city of Nagasaki – city was totally
destroyed – twice as powerful as the 1st bomb
– more than 60,000 eventually died
96. VII. The End of the War:
Emperor Hirohito announced on Aug. 14 that
Japan would surrender
Japan officially surrendered on Sept. 2, 1945
(V-J Day) on the U.S.S. Missouri