World War II

Introduction:

The Years between the Wars! 

India moves for independence

          1.          Mohandas Gandhi helps bring about independence.

          2.          Must convince British to leave India and they do in 1935.

Middle Eastern Changes

          1.          Turkey modernizes and became a republic in 1923.

          2.          Iran emerges as a state from Persian Empire in 1925.

          3.          Saudi Arabia, in 1926, became an Arab nation with Islamic traditions.

          4.          Arabs and Jews fight over Palestine (still going strong today!)

          5.          Oil brings outsiders in the 1920s and 1930s.

Latin America

          1.          Mexicans revolt in 1910 and win independence.  (Civil war for 10 years led to a political state.)

          2.          US interferes: "Good Neighbor Policy":  US promises to respect Latin

     American rights and decisions.

China          

          1.          Ch'ing dynasty overthrown. 

          2.          Nationalists revolt and set up the Republic of China.

          3.          Allied with the Allies in WWI.

          4.          Student protest on May 4, 1919 in Peking, May 4th protest, anti-nationalists

          5.          Mao Tse-Tung teacher and supporter of the students

          6.          Chian Kai-Shek set up nationalist government in China.

          7.          Communists then take over and declare China a Republic in 1928 under Mao Tse-Tung.

          8.          Civil War between Kai-Shek and Tse-Tung           continued.

          9.          Japan invades Manchuria in 1931 and they have to unite to fight Japan.  This marked the beginning of WWII in Asia.

          10.          The Nationalists and Communists fought very differently and Mao Tse-Tung gained many new supporters.

Germany

          1.          Republic unstable and politically weak.

          2.          Economically unstable: printed paper to make up for no tax increases during the War.

          3.          Weimar Republic: 1919 government

          4.          The Dawes Plan of 1924 helped Germany stabilize and grow.  By 1929 they were at pre-war production.

          5.          Germany tries to undo the Treaty of Versailles diplomatically.

          6.          "Spirit of Locarno" said they would never war against each other again.

          7.          Germany was admitted to the League of Nations.

          8.          Kellogg-Briand Pact "renounced war as a instrument of national policy".

          9.          High hopes for peace in Europe and the World in the late 1920s.

Societal Changes:

          1.          Automobile use spread

          2.          Air travel, air mail, Lindbergh & Amelia Earhart

          3.          Radios used in modern entertainment style

          4.          Einstein's Theory of Relativity

          5.          Sigmund Freud-psychologist

          6.          Independent spirit, women in the workplace, birth control and suffrage

          7.          T.S. Eliot- American writer

          8.          James Joyce- Irish novelist

          9.          Salvador Dali- Spanish Artist, Max Ernst- Germany Artist- surrealists

          10.          American culture spread-jazz, Harlem Renaissance, movies (Hollywood),

          11.          America practiced isolationism- American economic prosperity held up world in a delicate balance

Great Depression

          1.          1929- Wall Street Crash

                    a.          Overproduction and under-consumption in US

                    b.          Farmers hit especially hard

                    c.          Stock speculation

                    d.          Bank failure

                    e.          Americans loans to Europe called in and Europe market crashed.

                    f.          Worldwide problem

          2.          Roosevelt's New Deal helped.

          3.          Great Britain hit hard but "muddled through".  Broke until 1960s.

          4.          France cushioned because they were mainly an agricultural society.

Fascist Leaders Rise Up:

Facism- A political movement that believes in an extreme form of nationalism by denying individual rights, insisting upon the supremacy of the state and advocating dictatorial one-party rule.

          Italy:  Benito Mussolini (Il Duce)

                    1922- fascism in place

                    Italy was bitter about not getting enough land in the Treaty of Versailles.

Germany:  Nazi Party- Adolph Hitler-1933

          1.          Weimar Republic very weak in Germany.

          2.          Hitler was an aimless person who eventually joined the army and was a successful soldier in WWI.  He became the leader of the Nazi Party  in 1921.

          3.          Fuhrer:  spellbinding speaker

          4.          Attempted a government coup in 1923 and failed.  He was jailed for this effort.

          5.          Wrote Mein Kampf about the superiority of Germans and it became the guidebook for Nazism.

          6.          1933 Hitler becomes Chancellor

                    a.          Called new government and controlled it.

                    b.          Over the next 4 years Hitler becomes dictator.

                    c.          Gestapo- secret police

                    d.          Concentration camps set up- anyone not acceptable to Germany goes in.  Jews put in a mass majority.

                    e.          Censorship and totalitarian rule put in.

                    f.          Called government the Third Reich.

Japan: 

          Militarists also begin to rule in the 1920s and 1930s and they become very aggressive in Asia in search of territory mostly for resources.

WORLD WAR II

European Front:

1930s- Britain and France followed policy of appeasement (concessions made to Fascists in order to maintain peace)

1931 Japan invaded Manchuria and by 1937 there was a full scale war.

1935-1936- Italy attacks Ethiopia.  "Italian colonial empire in Africa."  Modern weapons of Italy against Ethiopian spears.

1935- Hitler in Chancellor of Germany and has built up an army.  Announces no longer following the Treaty of Versailles and Britain and France just let this announcement go!

March 1936- German troops into the Rhineland without British or French reaction.

October 1936- Rome-Berlin Axis formed.  (Straight line around which an object (i.e. the world!!) rotates)

November 1936- Japan joined and they became the Axis Powers

1936-1939- Francisco Franco became a fascist dictator in Spain after a civil war.

September 1938- Munich Conference to decide fate of the Sudetenland.  Germany agreed to take Sudetenland and leave Czechoslovakia alone.

1939- Germany takes Austria

March 1939- Germany takes Czechoslovakia

**Only war would stop Hitler now!!  Britain and France

and others finally realize this!**

April 1939- Hitler wants Polish Corridor back.  Britain and France said they would defend Poland.  They tried to get the USSR on their side.

August 1939- USSR and Germany sign a 10-year non-aggression pact and agreed to divide the Eastern European countries.  Germany fakes Polish attack.  (Pretend to be Poles and seize a radio station!)

September 1, 1939- Germany invades Poland and used the "blitzkrieg" attack. (lightning war).  Germany wiped out the Polish air force in 48 hours, rolled over with over 1 million men and in less than 1 month conquered Poland.  The Soviets occupied the east.  Received Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania by force.  Britain and France mobilize for war! 

**No fighting for 6 months!!**

November 1939- Soviets attack Finland- Soviets only won by numbers.

March 1940- Finland under Soviet Rule

April 1940- Denmark and Norway fall to German troops

May 1940- Winston Churchill replaces Chamberlain as the Prime Minister of Britain.

June 1940- Maginot Line fortified by France.  France ready for German  attack.

          1.          Germany attacked through Belgium.

          2.          Luxembourg, Netherlands collapse in hours and Belgium collapsed within a day!

          3.          Germany rolled into France.

          4.          Britain's navy tried to help- civilians helped get soldiers out.

June 10, 1940- Mussolini declared war on Britain and France and attacked France at the South.

June 16, 1940- France's army signed surrender where Germany signed WWI armistice.  Vichy Regime set up in South France- later worked closely with Nazis.  Charles de Gaulle worked the French underground (Free French) organized sabotage on Germans in France.

August 8, 1940- Battle of Britain

          -Airplanes fought, RAF and Luftwaffe battle for control.

          -Britain used radar and cracked German codes to help

          -After attack on Berlin by Britain Germans attacked London

          -Germany gives up on trying to win Britain

April 1941- Hilter prepares to attack the Soviet Union for resources and valuable living space for his "master race".  He attacks the Balkans and wins them within the month.

June 22, 1941- moved in blitzkrieg to Leningrad and Moscow and southern oil and wheat fields. 

          -5 months later Leningrad surrounded but no surrender even  though starved

          -stuck in USSR winter and Hitler allowed no retreat.  They were not prepared for the Russian winter.

          -unlike Napoleon who retreated Hitler forced his army to stay and Russia was very prepared for the winter and had the advantage.

          -Germany advances stopped and realized war would be a long one!

The War in the Pacific

1940- US begins to aid Britain with the cash and carry policy.

1941- Lend-Lease Act- borrowing supplies for war and would pay after the war. 

US began using navy and armed merchant ships to get supplies to Britain.  Fired

on Germany subs in an undeclared naval war with Germany.

1930s-1940- Japan dependent on American steel, iron scrap and oil. 

          -At the end of the 1930s the US cuts off Japan's supply.  US unhappy with

the Manchurian attack.

          -Japan had 2 choices          

                    1.  pull out of China or 2.  obtain war materials from elsewhere (Pacific Islands!!)

1940-Conference between Emperor Hirohito and US- decided to attack.  Axis powers signed and Germany supports Japan!

December 7, 1941- Pearl Harbor attack

-Yamamoto tried to destroy American Pacific naval power by sinking the American fleet at Pearl Harbor

          -No one thought Japan would attack Pearl Harbor

          -Japan attacked early on a Sunday morning while everyone was asleep at 6:55 AM.  200 planes were gone, 8 battleships, 3000+ soldiers killed

          -10 hours later Philippine bases attacked

December 8, 1941- America declares war on Japan.

January 1942- Japan invades Manila

April 1942- Battle of Bataan

May 1942- Battle of Corregidor

          1942- Japan had control of most of Pacific Islands and were on a very possible path to Hawaii and then eventually the US.

May 1942- Battle of the Coral Sea

                    5 days-airplanes did all the work

June 1942- Battle of Midway-  "Turning Point of War"

                    American victory- caught Japan not ready because we cracked their codes!

                    Japan forced to withdraw and never threatened Hawaii again.

July 1942-February 1943- Battle of Guadalcanal

                    Japanese were halted in the Pacific

Hitler & the Holocaust

Adolph Hitler-

          -German, son of honored and respected state official

          -His mother was possibly Jewish (Dark hair/eyes)

          -Failure at school

          -Served in WWI but because of lack of leadership qualities he never rose above a corporal

          -Terrible artist and writer

          -After age 30 he was almost an overnight success story.  He became the leader of  the Nazi party and quickly rose to Chancellor of Germany.

          -He led a nation into a war that was sure to devastate.

          -He promoted a "superior race" (Blonde haired and blue-eyed)

          -Anyone inferior was to be "exterminated"

          -He enraptured crowds for hours with propaganda

Road to Annihilation

Those to be exterminated:

          1.          September 1, 1939- written orders to kill invalids or "useless eaters".

          2.          September 1939- gypsies put into concentration camps and then to extermination camps.

          3.          October 1939- Polish leaders of society.

          4.          March 30, 1941- Russian leaders of society.

          5.          January 30, 1939- "the annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe".  Before 1942 there were mass shootings and graves.  They were forced to dig their own graves before being shot.  There were 6 extermination camps.  Treblinka and Auschwitz being the most famous.  After 1942 gassing and crematoriums were used.

          6.          6-14 million Jews were killed during these years.

**Questions to consider:

1.          How do we avoid another Hitler/Holocaust situation?

2.          Are you prejudiced?  Do you dislike someone because:

          a.          Dress?

          b.          Religion?

          c.          Sexuality?

          d.          Race?

          e.          Sex?

3.          Have you ever acted out against someone violently or not because of the above reasons?

4.          What are some ways we can deal with our feelings?

The War Comes to an End!

October 1942- Britain and American launch 1st campaign together in Northern Africa.

Early 1942- Germany's General Rommel had pushed Britain out almost.  They held El Alamein, which became the Turning Point in the North African front!

        General Dwight D. Eisenhower led the Allied troops and helped Britain regain control.

August 1942- Germany attacked the USSR with force.

                    Soviets fought fiercely.

                    Another winter goes by and Germany has been there 2 years.

                    Soviets surrounded Germany and Hitler continues his orders to stay there.

                    Germany surrendered to Russia on January 31, 1943.

                    Put in Soviet prison camps, 91,000 left out of 280,000.

                    Nazi rule is crumbling in 1943.

July 9, 1943- Allies' attack on Italy

                    25th- Mussolini forced to resign and arrested.

                    New premier told Italians to fight Germanys.

                    Germany and Allies fought in Italy for 2 years until 1945!

***Allies need to free Western Europe.

***General Eisenhower (Am.) led the Allies- 2 million Americans, British and Canadian

troops with 1 million sea and air back-up support.

***Allies set up a fake (phantom) army at Calais.  Germany is fooled!!!!

June 6, 1944- D-Day- Invasion at Normandy

                    Night attack, largest amphibious attack in history

                    Within 3 weeks they were moving inland and Germany was pulling out of Paris!

August 25, 1944- Paris freed!!!

                    Soviets and Allies forced a two-front war on Germany.  Hitler refused to give up!

April 12, 1945- Roosevelt dies of a hemorrhage in the brain.

April 25, 1945- Mussolini was assassinated.

April 30, 1945- Hitler commits suicide.

May 2, 1945- Berlin surrenders and the European war was over by the 7th.

***The A-bomb had been in existence and the new American president, Harry S. Truman, who had been kept VERY uninformed about America's dealing found out about it and decides to use it!!!

August 6, 1945- Enola Gay released "Little Boy" on Hiroshima.  Over 400,000 people were killed.

August 9, 1945- Nagasaki was destroyed and 40,000 lay dead.

September 2, 1945- Hirohito surrenders and signs the armistice in Tokyo Bay

******WWII is officially ended!!!!!*******

**Questions surrounding the A-bomb:

1.          Why not on an uninhabited area to show the power we had?

2.          Why Nagasaki so fast after Hiroshima?