1. World War II

2. Some not-so-fun facts about WWII
Largest war in human history.
Involved countries, colonies, and territories around the entire world.
By the end, over 70 million soldiers and civilians were dead.
It lasted from 1939 until 1945.

3. W WI and the Treaty of Versailles Appeasement Rise of Totalitarianism
Causes
W WI and the Treaty of Versailles
Appeasement
Rise of Totalitarianism

5. Adolf Hitler-Germany
Japan
Hideki Tojo
Benito Mussolini-Italy
Josef Stalin-USSR

6. Aggression Goes Unchecked
During 1930s, the policy that France and Britain pursued against aggressive nations known as appeasement.
Policy of granting concessions to a potential enemy in the hope that it will maintain peace
Appeasement only spurred the fascist leaders to become more bold, adventurous, and aggressive.
France and Britain appeased fascist powers for several reasons
Didn’t want a repeat of the horrors of WWI
Believed the Soviet Union posed greater threat than Nazi Germany: believed strong Germany would provide buffer against the Soviet menace
Leaders questioned the resolve of their own people and their allies: particularly the U.S.

7. Causes of World War II As you watch the video, take notes on:
The rise to power of the dictators in Germany, Soviet Union, Italy, Japan, and Spain.
The response of the Western powers to this rise and their justification for their actions
Causes of World War II Documentary

8. What is Fascism?
Political belief that says the individual is less important than the nation.
Glorifies violence, believes it is needed to “prove” strength of a people.
Uses nationalism and racism.
Dictatorships.
Italy and then Germany became fascist.

11. Dictators Turn to Aggression
Hitler and Mussolini threaten the peace
Mid-1930s, Hitler moved toward his goal of reunifying all German people into one state (Reich).
He felt Germany needed to expand to gain Lebensraum, or living space, for its people
1935: reclaimed the Saar region from French control
1936: sent German troops to the Rhineland-direct challenge to the League of Nations yet they did nothing
Mussolini commenced his own imperial plans
1935: Italy invades Ethiopia (independent country in east Africa)-emperor appealed to the League of Nations for help but they did nothing
Japan starts aggressive military expansion
1931: attacked Manchuria (NE China) & established puppet state
1937: Japan moved against China, in the then-capital of Nanjing, Japanese soldiers murdered more than 200,000 residents and burned most of the city
Became known as “Rape of Nanjing”
Map

12. Weakness of the League of Nations
League never fully recovered from America’s refusal to join
No standing army
No power to force its decrees
Only as strong as its members’ resolve and during depression of the 1930s, members lacked this
When aggressive nations tested the league, they found that league was long on words and short on actions

13. Aggression Goes Unchecked
During 1930s, the policy that France and Britain pursued against aggressive nations known as appeasement.
Policy of granting concessions to a potential enemy in the hope that it will maintain peace
Appeasement only spurred the fascist leaders to become more bold, adventurous, and aggressive.
France and Britain appeased fascist powers for several reasons
Didn’t want a repeat of the horrors of WWI
Believed the Soviet Union posed greater threat than Nazi Germany: believed strong Germany would provide buffer against the Soviet menace
Leaders questioned the resolve of their own people and their allies: particularly the U.S.

14. Who’s Going to Stop Him??
In the 1930s, FDR embraced policy of isolationism: concerned itself with its own economic troubles and did not do anything to prevent German aggression
Spring 1938: Hitler brings Austria into his “Reich”: this union called the Anschluss
Fall 1938: Hitler turned toward Sudetenland: portion of western Czechoslovakia largely populated by ethnic Germans
People thought this conflict would lead to general war but Britain and France appeased Germany again to preserve the peace: Munich Pact
Only postponed the war for 11 months

15. War Erupts in Europe Appeasement could only go so far
Spring 1939: Hitler violates Munich pact by absorbing remainder of Czechoslovakia into his German Reich
Britain and France vowed not to let Hitler take over another country without consequences: signed alliance with Poland guaranteeing aid if Germany attacked
Hitler more concerned with war with Soviet Union: signed Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact with Soviets on August 23, 1939 to prevent war on 2 fronts.
Vowed not to attack each other and secretly agreed to invade and divide Poland
War came in early hours of September 1, 1939 when massive German blitzkrieg hit Poland from 3 directions

16. Blitzkrieg!! Blitzkrieg Video
Blitzkrieg: “sudden attack, lightning war” new style of warfare emphasized the use of speed and firepower to penetrate deep into enemy’s territory
Using coordinated assault by tanks and planes, followed by motorized vehicles and infantry, Germany broke through Poland’s defenses and destroyed its air force
September 17: Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east.
France and Britain declared war on Germany but did nothing to help Poland
By end of the month, Poland fell in defeat
Blitzkrieg Video
Europe was now at war, just as it had been 21 years earlier.

17. Who was on each side? Axis Powers Germany Italy Japan Allied Powers
Great Britain
Soviet Union
United States
China
France
Surrendered to Germany in 1940 after 6 weeks

18. France Falls to the Axis Powers
April 9, 1940: Germany attacked Denmark and Norway, both fell immediately
May 10: Hitler sends blitzkrieg forces into the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, all nations fell
Then turned to Paris, and France fell to the Axis powers after only 6 weeks
June 10, 1940: Italy declares war on France and Britain

19. That only leaves Great Britain…
July 10-October 31, 1940: Battle of Britain
Air campaign waged by the German air force (Luftwaffe) against the United Kingdom.
Britain’s Air Force = Royal Air Force (RAF)
Name derived from famous speech by Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the House of Commons: "... the Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin.”
First major campaign to be fought entirely in the air
Germany’s objective was to destroy Britain’s air defences and force Great Britain to sign an armistice or surrender
Considered first major German defeat in war and a turning point in the war
Video Clip 1
Video Clip 2

20. June, 1941: Hitler violates German-Soviet non-agression pact and invades the Soviet Union
If war was going to be prolonged, he needed oil and wheat from the Soviet Union
Soviet troops were completely caught off guard and so by the fall of 1941, German troops had advanced deep into Soviet territory

22. U.S. Response
3 weeks after German invasion of Poland, Congress changed neutrality act that did not allow the export of military supplies
Allowed any nation to buy military supplies from U.S. but required that the goods be shipped on foreign vessels
When Great Britain ran out of cash to pay for the war materials, Congress passed the Lend-Lease Act
Appropriated $7 billion for ships, planes, tanks, and other supplies to non-Axis countries
As German attacks increased, so did U.S. aid to the allies
By spring of 1941, German submarines turning North Atlantic into graveyard of submarines
August, 1941: Roosevelt met with Winston Churchill (prime minister of GB) secretly off coast of Newfoundland
Agreed to Atlantic Charter: joint pledge to not pursue territorial expansion; agreed that every nation has the right to choose its own form of government, called for freedom of international trade and equal access for all countries to raw materials. Charter declared that once war was over, aggressor states should be disarmed, and all nations should work together to rid world of fear and poverty

23. What about the Pacific War?
As war raged in Europe, Japan continued expansion in Asia
July, 1941: Japanese troops occupied French Indochina
Roosevelt freezes all Japanese assets in U.S. and approves embargo on shipments of gasoline, machine tools, scrap iron, and steel to Japan
Japan responds by freezing American assets in areas under its control
Japan secretly planned attack on US, but sent peace mission to Washington.
By this time US had broken secret code used to send messages between Tokyo and Japanese embassy in Washington so they knew that Japanese planned a strike, but they did not know where.

29. The Home Front

30. Why are Americans Fighting?
The Four Freedoms Speech –FDR
Defined the reasons why Americans were fighting in World War II.
Freedom of Speech
Freedom of Worship
Freedom from Want
Freedom from Fear

31. Mobilizing for War
Massive increase in production for war ended the Great Depression
Unemployment dropped from 14.6% in 1940 to 1.2% in 1944.
During war years, farmers produced enough food to supply American people and Allied Powers overseas
Federal government expanded
1942: War Production Board (WPB): directed the conversion of factories to wartime production
1943: Office of War Mobilization (OWM): coordinated all government agencies involved in the war effort and the production and distribution of consumer goods
Expanded control on the economy: sold war bonds and increased number of Americans who had to pay income tax in order to pay for the war
Selective Training and Service Act: 1940, provided for first peacetime draft in U.S. History
Required all men ages 21 to 35 (later 18-45) to register; local draft boards determined fitness and deferred men for family, religious, or health reasons
2/3 of Americans who served were draftees and the rest volunteers, including more than 300,000 women

32. Promoting the War
U.S. govt. tried to keep morale high, especially in beginning when Allied troops faced many setbacks
Office of War Information: controlled flow of war news at home
Movie-stars advertised war bonds and travelled overseas to entertain troops
Hollywood studios produced hundreds of war movies
Radio stations broadcasted news about the war and entertainment

33. Life During Wartime
Americans cut back consumption of luxuries and necessities to help war effort
Victory gardens helped make more food available to U.S. and allied soldiers
West Coast cities practiced nighttime blackouts
Authorities feared brightly-lit cities would make easy targets for Japanese bombers
Practice air-raid drills across the country sent Americans scrambling for cover
People worked longer hours and made many sacrifices, but daily life in US didn’t change radically during war

34. Rosie the Riveter
For some Americans on home front, particularly women, daily life did change dramatically.
During depression had been discouraged from working, now were urged to take jobs of departing soldiers
From : number of women working increased by 6 million
Rosie the Riveter: became symbol of patriotic female defense workers

35. Discrimination During the War
Racial tension did not disappear during war, but cooperation war effort required caused govt. to try to reduce discrimination in war industries
African Americans: war brought continued discrimination and greater opportunities
Moved into better paying industrial jobs, played key role in military effort
1 million African American soldiers served in armed forces, however continued to serve in segregated units or were often assigned to low-level work
Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC): investigated companies in defense work to guarantee that all qualified applicants were considered regardless of race
Mexican Americans: more than 300,000 Mexican Americans served in military, and also helped meet home-front labor needs
Prejudice and discrimination endured by Hispanics in jobs, housing, and recreational facilities caused bitter resentment
Zoot-suit riots: (zoot-suit=fad worn by Mexican American youths that included long, wide-shouldered jackets, trousers pegged at the ankle, and wide-brimmed hats) June, 1943, US sailors in Los Angeles roamed city attacking zoot-suit clad Mexican Americans.

36. Navajo Code Talkers
Young American Indians served in several branches of US armed forces.
Navajo language was extremely hard to memorize and understand; Navajos responsible for coding and sending classified military information. Code talkers often had to work in dangerous conditions behind enemy lines. The Navajo codes completely baffled the Japanese and were never broken.

37. Japanese American Relocation
Internment: forced relocation and imprisonment of Japanese Americans living on the Pacific coast.
1941: 119,000 people of Japanese ancestry who showed no evidence of disloyalty were ordered to detention camps in Wyoming, Utah, and other states because of strong anti-Japanese feelings among Americans in the west. Camps were all barbed wire, guard towers, and searchlights. Many Japanese Americans remained imprisoned until 1945.
Korematsu v. United States (1944):
Supreme Court upheld decision to intern the Japanese, stating that in times of war the curbing of civil rights is justified

38. Japanese Internment Camps

39. Battles of World War II: Europe

40. Strengths and Weaknesses
When US entered WWII, Axis powers had two big advantages:
Germany and Japan already had firm control of areas they invaded so Allies faced long, drawn out fight on multiple fronts
Germany and Japan better prepared for war
Allied advantages
Enormous size of the Soviet Union’s military
Huge production capacity of U.S.
Axis forces spread out all over globe

41. Fighting in Europe and the Mediterranean
By time of attack on Pearl Harbor, Axis Powers controlled much of Europe and lands around the Mediterranean
Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania had joined
Yugoslavia and Greece had been occupied
Germans even advanced into North Africa
Stalingrad: key city in the Soviet Union, Germany and Soviet Union fought through an entire winter for control, until finally Axis troops were forced to surrender b/c of few supplies and no food. Important b/c it broke momentum of the Axis advance
Allied forces able to gain back control of North Africa, which gave them gateway to Italian island of Sicily, where they then moved on to Rome: it took several years of fighting and small units of troops from over 25 countries. June, 1944 Allies marched into Rome, making it first Axis capital to fall.

42. Sea and Air Assaults
German U-boats continued to take staggering toll on Allied ships, lives, and supplies
Not until 1943 did this Battle of the Atlantic (battle on the Atlantic ocean) turn in the Allies’ favor.
Important factor was refinement of sonar equipment which allowed Allied ships to detect the U-boats while they were underwater
In 1943 the Allies intensified their air campaign of strategic bombing aimed at destroying German military production and undermining the morale of German people

43. Operation Overlord
Victory in the Atlantic and air assaults on Germany paved way for Operation Overlord: Allied invasion of German occupied France
Allies tricked Germans into thinking the invasion was taking place on English Channel but instead landed farther south, in Normandy.
AKA D-Day, June 6, 1944: Nearly 5,000 troop transports, landing craft, and warships carried 150,000 U.S., British, and Canadian soldiers across Channel. Overhead, planes dropped close to 23,000 airborne troops and bombed roads, bridges, and German troop concentrations.
Germans had fortified the Normandy beaches with concrete bunkers, tank traps, and mines. Beaches resembled giant fortress but Allied trick worked since Hitler refused to send reinforcements to Normandy because he still believed that the main invasion would occur elsewhere.
Aided by French Resistance, they were able to liberate Paris on August 25, 1944.
By early September more than 2 million Allied troops landed in western Europe, another Allied force drove northward through France from Mediterranean, and Soviet troops pressed Germany from east.

47. Defeating Germany
By September 1944 the Allies had crossed the German border. As they paused to bring in supplies and regroup, Germans launched their final counterattack.
In heavy snow they drove against the Allies in northern France: pushed westward to create dangerous bulge in the Allied lines. Became known as Battle of the Bulge.
Last major German offensive against Allies in WWII
Last ditch attempt by Hitler to split Allies in two as they tried to invade Germany and destroy their ability to supply themselves
Allies were able to push the Germans back, and by January 1945 it was clear the offensive had failed
Yalta Conference: February, 1945, FDR, Churchill, and Stalin met to plan for postwar peace.
Stalin pledged to declare war on Japan 3 months after Germany’s surrender
Agreed to divide and occupy Germany after the war and outlined plans for new international peace organization
During early months of 1945, Allied bombers continued bombing German cities. March, Allied troops crossed the Rhine River and drove into heart of Germany. By then, Soviet troops occupied much of eastern Europe.
April 30, 1945, Hitler committed suicide in his bunker deep under ruins of Berlin. Germany surrendered unconditionally on May 7. May 8, known as V-E (Victory in Europe) Day, marked formal end of European war

48. What was the Holocaust?  Holocaust Slideshow
Nazi plan to kill all Jews.
Why?
Hitler provided a solution to Germany’s problems
6 million Jews murdered in camps in Europe.
5 million others (gypsies, mentally ill, homosexuals)
Total of 11 million exterminated
What is genocide?
Purposely trying to exterminate an entire group of people (ethnic, religious, racial).
 Holocaust Slideshow

49. Battles of World War II: The Pacific

50. War in the Pacific
Pearl Harbor only part of huge Japanese offensive in Pacific
December 8, 1941: planes bombed Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines, destroyed U.S. airplanes needed to provide relief and air support for troops in the Philippines
Following 2 weeks: attacked Burma, Borneo, Netherlands, East Indies, Wake Island, Hong Kong.
30,000 US and 110,000 Filipino troops defended Philippines under command of General Douglas MacArthur, but had no relief supplies or air support and needed to retreat to the Bataan Peninsula
They were outnumbered, outgunned, and inexperienced; forced to surrender in April 1492
Bataan Death March: Japanese soldiers forced more than 70,000 survivors to march through jungle on their way to prison camp; more than 10,000 died because of harsh treatment
Prisoners prevented from drinking water, beaten, or shot. Killed by disease and malnutrition

52. Halting the Japanese Advance
By summer of 1942, Japanese were ready to strike Australia, India, Hawaii and on to Pacific coast of US
Pacific fleet recovered quickly and started fighting
Battle of the Coral Sea: May 7, 1942: Japanese force on its way to attack New Guinea was intercepted by Allies. Planes from US aircraft carrier damaged Japanese 1 carrier and destroyed another and several aircraft. Important Allied victory b/c it stopped the Japanese advance on Australia
Battle of Midway: June Japan launched 2 prong attack to crush US Pacific fleet (again). One unit seized 2 islands near Alaska hoping to lure part of the fleet away from Hawaii while the Japanese carried out their main attack against Midway (2 small islands northwest of Hawaii). US knew since they knew the Japanese code so they assembled US aircraft carriers and destroyers north of Midway to ambush the Japanese. Sunk 4 Japanese aircraft carriers and shot down many enemy planes. U.S. victory crucial b/c Japan lost ships, planes, and many skilled pilots.
Guadalcanal: first major US offensive, August 1942, U.S. went ashore at Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands and fought for 6 months to cling to area around the airport. U.S defeated the Japanese and tide of battle in Pacific had finally turned in Allies’ favor.
“I have never heard or read of this kind of fighting. The Japanese refuse to surrender. The wounded will wait till men come up to examine them, and blow themselves and the other fellow to death with a hand grenade.”

53. Pacific Offensives
Objective of Allies was to come within striking distance of Japan itself
Island-hopping
Strategy where Allied troops would attack and seize only certain strategic Japanese-held islands, rather than trying to recapture all of them
Fall of 1944, U.S. ready to invade Philippines
Battle of Leyte Gulf: last, largest, and most decisive naval engagement in Pacific; from this point on Japanese fleet no longer a threat
Victory in Pacific
Used newly acquired bases to launch bombing attacks on Japan home islands
Caused Japanese civilian morale to sag, but country’s military leaders refused to surrender

54. Victory in Pacific
Iwo Jima
Located 750 miles from Tokyo
Battle began February, 1945 and lasted 6 weeks
Japanese forces fought fiercely
Several thousand marines, more than 20,000 Japanese soldiers killed
Okinawa
Located 350 miles from Japan
April 1, 1945: largest landing force in Pacific history invaded island but met no resistance (Japs retreated to southern tip of island)
Five days later, 700 Japanese planes attacked, 350 of these planes were kamikaze (suicide planes)
Bloodiest battle of Pacific war
49,000 U.S. troops killed/wounded, more than 100,000 Japanese died in fighting
By early April, Allied victory in Pacific was near, but President Roosevelt didn’t live to see it
Died suddenly on April 12 and Harry S. Truman became president responsible for deciding whether to use the atomic bomb

55. The Atomic Bomb Atomic bomb developed by top secret Manhattan project
Effort of group of scientists who had been working to create atomic bomb since 1942
U.S. warned by Albert Einstein that German scientists were conducting research
Scientists successfully tested bomb in New Mexico on July 16, 1945
Next day, Truman met with Allied leaders at Potsdam, south of Berlin
July 26, Allies demanded Japan’s unconditional surrender
Japan refused
Truman gave order to use atomic weapons against Japan

56. Why use the atomic bomb?
Iwo Jima and Okinawa had shown that Japanese were still capable of inflicting heavy losses on U.S. forces
Invasion of Japan would be very costly
Estimates ran as high as 1 million U.S. casualties, with Japanese losses being even greater
Using atomic bomb might end war quickly and save lives on both sides
President may also have wanted to demonstrate power of new weapon to Soviet Union

57. Dropping the A-Bomb
8:15 A.M. on August 6, U.S. B-29 Bomber Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima
Explosion flattened huge area of the city and killed estimated 75,000 people
Three days later, August 9, U.S. dropped second atomic bomb on Nagasaki
Explosion vaporized people, melted stones, spontaneously ignited everything combustible within eight tenths of a mile
Total number of deaths caused by both bombs: 200,000
War Movie
Simulation of the Explosion

58. End of War in Pacific
A day before the bombing of Nagasaki, the Soviet Union had declared war on Japan and begun invasion of Manchuria
Stunned by destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japanese offered to surrender
Formal surrender was signed on September 2, 1945 aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay
World War II was finally over

60. Quick Facts War Costs US Debt 1940 - $9 Billion
WWII cost $330 billion – 10 times the cost of WWI & equivalent to all previous federal spending since 1776

61. Losses of the Major Wartime Powers in WWII, 1939-1945
Germany
4.5 million military
2 million civilian
Japan
2 million military
350,000 civilians
Italy
400,000 military
100,000 civilian
China
2.5 million military
7.4 million civilians
USSR
10 million military
10 million civilians
Great Britain
300,000 military
50,000 civilians
France
250,000 military
350,000 civilian
United States
274,000 military