World War II.pptWorld War II.pptWorld War II.pptWorld War II.pptWorld War II.pptWorld War II.pptWorld War II.pptWorld War II.pptWorld War II.pptWorld War II.pptWorld War II.ppt

1. Introduction to
WWII
Adapted from McIntyre at
http://worldhistory.pppst.com

2. 2
Key Concept: What were the four main
causes of WWII? Give an example of each.
•Treaty
•of
•Versailles
1. Failure of the Treaty of Versailles
Germany’s borders were changed, and
its economy was bankrupted by
reparations payments.
4. Appeasement and
Isolationism:
England and France were still
recovering from WWI and
unsuccessfully tried to use
diplomacy to stop Hitler. Some
countries, such as the United States,
isolated themselves to try to avoid
being drawn into other nations’
wars.
3. Nationalism:
Extreme nationalism gave rise to
Fascism in Italy and Nazism in
Germany and caused Japan to colonize
Asia.
2. Economic Factors:
All countries suffered
the effects of the Great
Depression, and people
blamed their
governments and sought
change.

3. 3
Quick Facts
A. War Costs
1. US Debt 1940 - $9 billion
US Debt 1945 - $98 billion
• The war cost $330 billion -- 10 times
the cost of WWI & as much as all
previous federal spending since 1776

4. 4
Quick Facts:
B. Human Costs
1. 50 million people died (compared
to 15 million in WWI)
• 21.3 million Russians (7.7 million civilians)
• 11 million died as a result of the HOLOCAUST
(6 million Jews + 5 million others)

5. 5
When?
1939
Sept.1 -
Germany
invades
Poland
(official
start to the
war)
Sept. 3 -
Britain &
France
declare
war on
Germany
Dec. 7 –
Japan bombs
Pearl Harbor;
US enters the
War
1941
May -
Germans
Surrender
Sept. -
Atomic
Bombing
of
Hiroshima
&
Nagasaki,
Japanese
Surrender
1945
•1939-1945
•US involvement 1941-1945

6. 6
Who?
Allies Axis
Great Britain
France
(note: France surrendered
to Germany in 1940 (after 6
weeks of fighting)
United States
Russia
Germany
Ital
y
Japan
(major powers) (major powers)

7. 7
Major Leaders
Adolf Hitler
Nazi Germany
Benito Mussolini
Italy

8. 8
Major Leaders
Hideki Tojo
Japanese Prime Minister
Winston Churchill
British Prime Minister

9. 9
Major Leaders
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
US President
Joseph
Stalin
Russian Leader

10. 10
Why? (underlying causes of WWII)
1. Failure of Treaty of
Versailles
A. Germany lost land to surrounding
nations and wanted them back.
B. War Guilt Clause
1) Germany forced pay $57 trillion
(modern equivalent). These
payments bankrupted the
German economy and left
them hopeless and
embarrassed.
C. The U.S. Congress rejected the
treaty. embarrassed Germans
Lloyd George, Georges Clemenceau, and Woodrow
Wilson during negotiations for the Treaty of Versailles

11. 11
Why?
2. Economic Factors
A. The Depression made Germany’s
debt even worse.
B. Desperate people turn to leaders
who make them feel better about
themselves and put the blame on
others. In this case, Hitler blamed
the former government, Jews,
foreigners, communists, Roma
(Gypsies), the mentally ill, and
homosexuals.
C. Similar situations existed in other
countries such as Italy.
1923 - Wallpapering with
German Deutschmarks
1938- Evidence of Kristallnacht, or the Night of
the Broken Glass

12. 12
Why?
3. Nationalism
A. Extreme nationalism gave rise to
Fascism in Italy and Nazism in
Germany and caused Japan to
colonize Asia.
B. It is an extreme form of having
pride in one’s country. It creates
a situation in which people think,
“My country and people are the
best, we deserve the best, and
we’re going to take it from you.”
C. To support nationalism, countries
increase their military strength to
get what they want.

13. 13
Why? 4. Appeasement and Isolationism
A. Why was the U.S. isolationist?
1. The Great Depression
caused economic problems
in the U.S.
2. Perceptions of WWI:
a. WWI did not seem to
solve much and cost too
much in money and
lives.
3. People thought that the U.S.
got into WWI for the wrong
reasons (greedy
businessmen!).
B. This led to “Appeasement.”
1. Appeasement: give dictators
what they want and hope
that they won’t want
anything else.
2. Appeasements included
allowing the Japanese
invasion of Manchuria, the
Italian invasion of Ethiopia,
and Germany’s invasion of
taking of part of
Czechoslovakia called the
Sudetenland.

14. 14
Rise of Totalitarian Regimes
In a Totalitarian country, individual rights are not viewed
as important as the needs of the nation. The government
controls every aspect of public and private life.
Totalitarianism
Communist
Dictatorship (USSR)
Fascist Dictatorship
(Germany, Italy)
Military
Dictatorship
(Japan)
Fascism: military
government with
based on racism &
nationalism with
strong support from
the business
community

15. 15
What else did Hitler
get?
• Hitler peacefully
annexed (took over)
Austria in 1938.
• Hitler signed a
nonaggression pact
with the USSR.
• They agreed not to
fight each other
and split Poland
between them
• Hitler would later
break the pact and
attack the USSR.
• The USSR then
became one of the
Allies fighting
Germany.
Hitler's triumphal entry into Danzig, Poland 1939

16. 16
How Did Hitler Make War?
Blitzkrieg = “Lightning War”
In the next year,
Hitler invades:
• Denmark
• Norway
• The Netherlands
• France
Hitler in Paris

17. 17
US Assistance
Roosevelt provided aid to the Allies:
Lend-Lease - 1939
• US “lent” war materials
to cash-strapped Great
Britain
London Firefighter Tackles an Air Raid Blaze
Atlantic Charter
• US secretly meets with
England to commit to
defeating Germany

18. 18
Meanwhile … in the Pacific
Pearl Harbor: “a date which will live in infamy”
USS Arizona sinking in Pearl Harbor
What?
• Surprise attack by the
Japanese on American
forces in Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii
Effect?
• US declares war on Japan
& other Axis powers

19. 19
Key Concept: What were the four long-term
effects of WWII? Give an example of each.
Effect Examples
Power Shifts U.S. and U.S.S.R become world powers,
replacing England and Germany.
Tensions
Rise
Arms Race and Cold War begin.
Communism
Spreads
U.S.S.R. sets up satellite nations in Eastern
Europe.
Hope
Survives
United Nations and Marshall Plan implemented.