VA Standards of Learning

1. WWII

2. ESSENTIAL UNDERSTANDINGS:
Political and economic conditions in
Europe following World War I, led to the
rise of fascism and World War II.
The rise of fascism threatened peace in
Europe and Asia.
As conflict grew in Europe and Asia,
American foreign policy evolved from
neutrality to direct involvement.

3. WORLDWIDE
ECONOMIC
DEPRESSIO
N
German Family
Soup Kitchen in Germany
German Woman

4. Germany was severely
punished by the Treaty
of Versailles:
1. War Guilt Clause
2. Military was reduced to almost
nothing
3. Loss of Rhineland and other
territories
4. Germany was forbidden from
reuniting with Austria
5. War Reparations
 $33 Billion Dollars
 Roughly $400 Billion Dollars Today
LEGACY OF THE TREATY OF
VERSAILLES:

6. GERMAN ECONOMY = HYPERINFLATION
“Germany was so far in debt, that they
began to print excessive amounts of
paper money in order to purchase gold
marks from foreign lenders. Those
gold marks were then used pay the
war reparations to France…at least
what they could afford to pay!”

7. Click here to understand
Germany’s hyperinflation
PBS: Slideshow
of Hyperinflation

9. MASSIVE UNEMPLOYMENT
Unemployed men gather in London
Bread Line in Paris

10. 1. Political instability and economic devastation in
Europe resulting from WWI:
• Worldwide Depression
• High war debt owed by Germany
• High Inflation
• Massive Unemployment
A. CAUSES OF WORLD WAR II
NOTES:

11. 1. What is Fascism?
• A political philosophy in which TOTAL
power is given to a dictator
• Individual freedoms are denied and
nationalism, often along with racism,
are emphasized
B. POLITICAL INSTABILITY LED TO
THE RISE OF FASCISM
NOTES:

12. B. FASCIST DICTATORS:
Benito Mussolini
Italy
Adolf Hitler
Germany
Hideki Tojo
Japan
= AXIS
POWERS
These fascist dictators lead countries
which made up the AXIS Powers.

13. C. DEMOCRATIC NATIONS =
 The United States
 Great Britain
 Canada
 Soviet Union
… not democratic, but joined Allies
after being invaded by Germany
The Allies

14. ALLIED LEADERS
Joseph Stalin FDR Winston Churchill

15. ALLIED LEADERS
Joseph Stalin Truman Winston Churchill
Harry Truman
…after the death
of FDR in 1945

16. As conflict grew in Europe and Asia, American
foreign policy evolved from neutrality to direct
involvement.
D. American Involvement in WWII
Isolationism:
U. S. Neutrality
Stage 1:
Economic Aid to Allies:
Lend-Lease Act
U.S. sent war supplies to Great Britain
Stage 2:
Direct Involvement
in the War
Stage 3:

17. • There was a gradual change in American
policy from neutrality to direct involvement.
• America had unofficial policy of
ISOLATIONISM, meaning, they did not want
to get involved in European affairs. There
was even an “America First” movement to
prevent the U.S. from entering WWII.
• The legacy of WWI was still fresh in American
minds, plus the country was still dealing with
the economic devastation of the Great
Depression.
STAGE 1: AMERICAN NEUTRALITY…NOT
READY FOR ANOTHER WAR
FDR isolationist speech: http://www.history.com/speeches/franklin-
d-roosevelts-stab-in-the-back-speech#franklin-d-roosevelts-stab-in-
the-back-speech

18. AMERICA’S ISOLATIONISM POLICY
Stage 1:

19. AMERICAN ISOLATIONISM:

20. • President Roosevelt signed the Lend-Lease Act
which provided economic aid to Great Britain.
• The U.S. sent war supplies and agricultural
products to the Allies.
STAGE 2:
AMERICA WAS READY HELP WITH WAR SUPPLIES…AGAIN

21. LEND-LEASE:

22. STAGE 3: DIRECT INVOLVEMENT –
THE UNITED STATES DECLARES WAR
December 7, 1941…Attack on Pearl Harbor

23. PEARL HARBOR:

24. WAR IN THE
PACIFIC

25. • Japan had been rapidly
industrializing.
• As a small island, they
quickly ran out of the
resources and raw
materials to sustain their
industrial growth
• They needed more land,
more workers, and more
materials!
RISING TENSIONS IN THE PACIFIC:

26. • Japan had also been
undergoing a period of
militarization.
• Japan became an empire
by using its army to
conquer neighboring
countries in the Pacific
• They used brutal means
to occupy the Philippines,
Korea, Manchuria,
Taiwan, and other parts of
China.
RISING TENSIONS
IN THE PACIFIC:

27. RISING TENSIONS BETWEEN THE
UNITED STATES AND JAPAN:
• By 1940, Japan had…
Waged war with China
Withdrawn from the
League of Nations
Increased their military
Allied themselves with
Germany and Italy
Japanese Propaganda Poster

28. HOW DID AMERICA REACT?
• U.S. placed an embargo on Japan, a diplomatic
measure to stop trade and prevent Japan from having
access to…
Metal
Copper
Oil
Rubber
• They closed the Panama Canal to Japanese ships
• They even froze Japanese bank accounts and assets
being held in the U. S.

29. DECEMBER 7, 1941:
JAPANESE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR
Intended to knock out the entire United States Naval Fleet stationed in Hawaii
“I fear all we have done is to
awaken a sleeping giant and
fill him with a terrible resolve.”
- Japanese Admiral, Isoroku Yamamoto

30. “A day which will live in infamy…”

31. E. AMERICA NOW
FIGHTING A WAR ON
TWO FRONTS:
Rising tensions between the U.S. and
Japan because of Japanese aggression
in East Asia.
December 7, 1941:
• Japan attacked the United States at
Pearl Harbor without warning
December 8, 1941:
• The United States declares war on
Japan
December 11, 1941:
• Germany declares war on the
United States
Hours later….
• The United States declares war on
Germany

32. WWII
War in
Europe
War in the
Pacific

33. DIGITAL RESOURCESThe Century: America’s Time
Stormy Weather (2 of 3)
Start @ 5:15
End @ 9:50
Worldwide Global Depression & the start of Nazi Germany
The Century: America’s Time
Over the Edge (1 of 3)
Start @ 9:10 – End
Nazi Propaganda Films, “Triumph of the Will”, book burnings, Mein Kempf
The Century: America’s Time*
Over the Edge (3 of 3)
Start @ 8:50 – End
Germany invades Poland; England/France declares war on Germany (Official start of WWII)
Germany’s Blitzkrieg of Western Europe, France falls to Germany, Lend Lease Program
The Century: America’s Time*
Civilians at War (1 of 5)
Start @ beginning
End @ 4:00
“The Blitz” bombing of London, Civilian targets/casualties
The Century: America’s Time*
Homefront (3 of 3)
Start – D-Day, Invasion of Normandy, liberation of Paris
3:03 – FDR 4th presidential campaign, FDR death/funeral
7:00 – Harry Truman, Germany Surrenders
7:40 – Ending the war in the Pacific, limiting American casualties,
Atomic Bomb, (1st hand accounts from soldiers who were saved)
11:18 – 14:00 Japan surrenders, victory parades, return of veterans
*Included on the
WWII Major Events
and Turning Points
Presentation too.