World War II

The World at War Again

Causes of World War II

Failure of the Treaty of Versailles Ineffectiveness of the League of Nations Impact of the Depression Rise of nationalism & militarism Rise of totalitarian leaders Policy of appeasement

What is Appeasement?

Giving into other’s demands to avoid conflict. Followed by Great Britain and France towards

Germany prior to the war. After WWI, people wanted peace at any price

(and essentially ignored Hitler’s advances) Great Britain even cut military spending prior

to WWII to focus on the economy.

Points to Consider

Why does a second war break out in Europe 20 years after the Great War?

Why does Hitler feel he can win a two front war?

Why are most nations unable to withstand the onslaught of the German forces except for Great Britain & the USSR?

Why is the United States crucial in the war against Germany?

European Society before the War

Great Depression affected all nations’ economies

Extremely high inflation in Germany

Growth of fascist and communist groups in all nations

German woman collecting money to go shopping

Hitler’s Beginnings

Hitler

Born in Austria, 1889 HS dropout – studied art in Vienna, Austria In Vienna, Jews were among the intellectual

and financial leaders This was the beginning of his hatred toward

Jews. He served for the German army during WWI He organized the Nazi Party in the 1920’s

Hitler continued

He was imprisoned after organizing a failed “coup” against the German Government.

In Jail he wrote “Mein Kampf” – My Struggle The book outlined his political views

Anti-Semitism/Racism – the Jews were the reason for the German problems

The Final Solution – Genocide, the eradication of the Jewish People

Nationalism – Aryans were a master race, needed more space to live

Hitler spent 9 months in prison.

Why Hitler?

Economic Crisis People out of work Hunger Insecurity Restlessness

Hitler Gave People Security An enemy to hate A cause to fight for

Hitler Gained Support

Used Propaganda supporting the Nazi’s Used violence and violence and speeches Less Wealthy – promised to protect them

from large industrialists and communists Hitler used the unemployed as his private

army and gave them food clothing and shelter The wealthy liked that he promised to make a

stand against communism and promised to rebuild Germany

Hitler In WWI – Soldier on Left

Hitler’s Anti-Semitism

Increased Violence Towards the Jews

The Nuremberg Laws

Anti-Semitism became the official government policy

Jews lost citizenship 1933 – Jews forbidden from holding

government jobs or owning businesses Jews lost the right to fly the German flag,

publish, teach, go to school, bank, etc.

Kristallnacht – Night of Broken Glass

November 9-10, 1938 – Nazis set fire to synogauges in Germany, Austria and the Sudetenland

Jewish homes and stores were broken into and looted by Nazi soldiers

Many Jews were killed or wounded, 1000’s were arrested

After the war began, Jews were forced to wear the yellow Star of David and were forced to move from their homes to live in the all Jewish Ghettos.

Destroyed Synagogue - Kristallnacht

Kristallnacht

The Beginning of the War

Hitler’s Invasion of Poland

Invasion of Poland

September 1, 1939 Successful use of the blitzkrieg

Half of Poland’s air force destroyed in the first attack

England & France declare war on Germany Soviet armies invade Poland from the east

15,000 Polish officers executed in Katyn forest Soviets took 10% of Finnish territory

The PHONY War - Sitzkreig

Short period of time after the war began, but not much aggression

No invasion of Germany

Hitler had few forces on the western front

British Air Force dropped leaflets for peace

Hitler occupied Denmark & Norway by April 1940

Fall of France

Low Countries surrender in May 1940

France fell in six weeks

French troops using outdated tactics—i.e. Maginot Line

Germans take Paris on June 14, 1940

Results of Fall of France

Three-fifths of France under German control

Establishment of Vichy Regime, a puppet of the German government

Disarmament of France Great Britain virtually alone against

Germany

BATTLE OF BRITAIN

August 1940-June 1941

German bombing of English Channel ports and airstrips

Bombing of cities Britain lost 650 fighter

planes

Britain’s Defense

New Technology Anti-aircraft guns and radar Radio broadcasts to rally the people

Knowledge of German code Assistance from the United States

US is “the arsenal of democracy”

Lend-Lease: lend armaments in exchange for leasing UK naval bases in Caribbean

Cash and Carry: surplus US weapons sold to Britain for cash

US remains neutral

Germany feared Japan would enter war on side of Allies

Secured Japanese alliance with Axis powers in September 1940 Italy Japan

Germany

AxisPowers

TRIPARTITE PACT

Other German Allies

Romania—oil fieldsHungaryBulgaria

US Entry in World War II

US blockade of Japan due to invasion of Manchuria (1931) and China (1937)

Attack on Pearl Harbor: December 7, 1941

German Attack on Soviet Union

Interest in lands in Poland and Finland

Fascists hatred of communism

Always intended to invade USSR

REASONS

OPERATION BARBAROSSA Begins June 22, 1941 Scorched earth policy Fall rains & harsh winters German supply problems Assistance from US &

Britain Defeat of Germans at

Battle of Stalingrad in June 1943

German Attack on Soviet Union

Mediterranean Front—Mussolini’s Blunders Mussolini invaded Egypt in Sept. 1940—did

not allow German help Italian forces defeated

Mussolini invaded Greece Greek generals bribed not to defend land Patriot army defeated Italians

Britain & France took land in Ethiopia Rommel, the Desert Fox, called in to rescue

Mussolini

The Desert Fox

In 1942 Rommel won victories for the Axis powers in Libya and Egypt

Allies, through air and land attacks, defeated Rommel’s forces at El Alamein and controlled northern Africa by the May 1943

Allies launched attacks on Vichy government from Africa

Allied Invasion of Italy, 1943

Quick defeat of Italian forces by Allied troops

Victor Emmanuel III dismisses Mussolini and has him arrested

Italy signs armistice on July 3, 1943 Allies use peninsula as point to launch

attacks on Germany

Mussolini’s End

German’s freed Mussolini in June 1944 Hitler declared Mussolini as head of Italian Social

Republic, an exiled government Mussolini captured by Italian partisans in 1945 Executed with his wife and other fascists

The Holocaust

Systematic murder of European Jews “The Final Solution to the Jewish Problem” –

genocide European Jews were rounded up, put in cattle

cars, and sent to Death Camps all around Eastern Europe

The Death Camps

Methods of Killing – gas chambers, torture, starvation, beatings

Gross Medical Experiments were performed on the Jews and other groups that were taken to the concentration camps

6 million Jews were murdered Auschwitz Death Camp – 2 million Jews died

here alone.

Auschwitz

Auschwitz Gas Chamber

Railroad to Auschwitz

Wartime Conferences

Diplomatic Efforts

The BIG Three

Churchill Roosevelt Stalin

Atlantic Charter—1941

United States & Great Britain

Statement of War Aims

Goal of replacing League of Nations with a new United Nations

Teheran Conference—Nov. 1943

UK, USA, & USSR Creation of second front in France USSR plans to join in Pacific war after

defeat of Japan Plans for Postwar Europe

1. Policemen of Europe: UK, USA, USSR, China

2. Dismantling of Germany

Yalta Conference—Feb. 1945

Red Army 100 miles from Berlin Germany divided into zones of

occupation held by allied nations Communist government remains

in Poland; USSR keeps land in eastern Poland

Goal of free elections in Eastern Europe

Trial of war criminals USA & USSR permanent members of UN Security Council

Potsdam Conference—July 1945

A New Big Three1. Truman--USA

2. Attlee—Britain

3. Stalin Churchill also present

at conference Tensions between

allies: News of American Atomic Bomb; Stalin’s demands for more land

Division of Prussia between German & Poland

Reconfirmation of German zones

Payment of reparations of USSR by Germany

End of the War

Treaties & Results of War

OPERATION OVERLORD

Allied Invasion of Europe

Begins with D-Day on June 6, 1944—Invasion of Normandy, France

Allied march to Berlin Slowed by German push in Battle of the Bulge Surrender of Germany on May 8, 1945

Pacific War

General MacArthur Returns to Pacific Islands

Allied Successes Midway & Coral

Sea (1942) Guadalcanal

(1943) Iwo Jima (1944) Okinawa (1945)

Japanese Surrender

A-Bomb dropped on Hiroshima, August 6, 1945

A-Bomb dropped on Nagasaki, August 9, 1945

Victory in Japan—August 14, 1945

Japanese surrender on USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay

Treaties—Europe

Germany: Soviet and Allied disagreements prevented treaty

Separate treaties with Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania & Italy Pay reparations and lose some territory

Treaty—Japan

Withdrawal from all territory taken since 1854

Lose Sakhalin & Kurile Islands to USSR

Bonins & Ryukyus to USA

Demilitarization of Japan

Maintenance of US military bases in Japan

Demographics Changes

0

5

10

15

20

25

USSR Poland Yugoslavia Germany Jews

Deaths inmillions

Demographics Changes

Deportation of 12-14 million Germans from Eastern Europe (Baltic States & Prussia) to Germany

Removal of Poles from Soviet Territory Transfer of two million Soviet refugees to

Siberia Voluntary emigration of Jews from Europe

Boundary Changes in Europe

Economic & Social Turmoil

Agricultural production reduced 50% in war zones

Inflation Execution of Nazi collaborators

10,000 Nazi collaborators executed in France 15,000 executions in Italy 35 executions in Austria

634,000 people prosecuted in Belgium for Nazi assistance

Nuremburg Trials—August 1945

24 German officers charged & tried before international court

21 found guilty 10 executed Some war criminals

escaped: Josef Mengele, Adolf Eichmann, Klaus Barbie

Effects of World War II

Growing tensions between USSR & USA Satellite nations of USSR in eastern Europe Creation of Marshall Plan to prevent mistakes

of Treaty of Versailles Establishment of Capitalism in Japan Atomic weapons introduced Creation of United Nations to prevent world

conflict