1. World War II
ERUPTS

2. I Can:
Describe the circumstances at home & abroad prior to U.S. involvement in WWII
Identify the significant military & political aspects of WWII
Analyze dimensions of the Holocaust & the Allies’ response to the Holocaust & war crimes
Evaluate the social, political, & economic impacts of WWII on the home front
Identify & evaluate the scientific & technological developments in America during & after WWII

3. Europe after World War I
World War I’s effects on Europe
Millions of deaths
Destruction of cities and farms
Economy in ruins
Many years to recover

4. Treaty of Versailles Ended World War I Countries dissatisfied
France—not harsh enough on Germany
Italy—wanted rewarded more territory
Germany suffered the most

5. Treaty of Versailles Effects on Germany
Forced to give up land including industrial areas
Heavy reparation payments
Humiliated its people & military
Caused severe inflation in early 1920s
Inflation—rising prices
By 1923 the German Mark was almost worthless

6. Hyperinflation in Germany
German children playing with currency

7. Weimar Republic Germany’s new democratic government
Not a very strong government
Faced opposition from Communists & from the far right
The German military was also unhappy with its reduced state

8. Rise of totalitarian leaders
Type of leader emerged in Europe: Demagogue
a person, esp. an orator or political leader, who gains power and popularity by arousing the emotions, passions, and prejudices of the people.
Reflected & expressed the people’s bitterness & anger
Promised a return to greatness for their nations
Appealing to people willing to trade basic freedoms for future glory

9. Benito Mussolini—Italian Dictator
Founded the National Fascist Party after Treaty of Versailles
Fascism—system of government that stressed the glory of the state
Became leader of Italy’s govt. in 1922
Established a dictatorship
Government by a leader or group that holds unchallenged power & authority

10. Benito mussolini Allowed no other political parties
Ruthlessly crushed opponents
His government controlled newspapers, schools, & businesses
All power flowed through him
Italians called him Il Duce (il Doo chay)
The leader

11. Adolf Hitler Austrian-born Joined German army during World War I
Anger over Treaty of Versailles led him into politics
Joined National Socialists party (Nazis)
Attracted many soldiers & others upset with treaty
Discovered he had a talent for speaking
Arrested in 1923 for an attempted revolt

12. Adolf hitler While in prison wrote Mein Kampf (My Struggle)
Outlined his political ideas
Nationalism & devotion to the state
Uniting all Germans of Europe in a great empire
Belief in racial superiority of Germanic peoples—Aryans
Blamed Jews for many of Germany’s problems
After prison he gradually gained support through speeches
1933 Nazis most powerful party
Hitler named Chancellor

13. Adolf hitler Used political skills & violence to eliminate opponents
Became totalitarian dictator
Continued myth of Aryan greatness & German empire
Made himself glorified above all Germans
Secretly built up German armed forces

14. Other regimes Francisco Franco Joseph Stalin Japanese military leaders
Fascist dictator of Spain
Joseph Stalin
Communist dictator of the Soviet Union
Crushed political opponents
Created myth of own greatness
Japanese military leaders
Used violence to gain control over the govt.
Inspired by nationalistic dreams of Japanese greatness

16. Japan 1920s wanted to expand for wealth & resources
1930s became unhappy with Japan’s govt
1931 Japanese army invaded Manchuria without govt approval
Govt ordered them to end the action; army refused
People supported the army & it gained more power
League of Nations criticized Japan’s actions; Japan withdrew from the League

18. 1935 Italy invades ethiopia
Italy had tried to est. a colony there in late 1800s but was defeated
Mussolini rekindled bitter feelings towards Ethiopia
Used border dispute between Ethiopia & Italian colony as excuse to invade
Ethiopia was unable to resist
Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie appealed to the League of Nations which did nothing
The US (FDR) protested but unwilling to do more

19. Spanish civil war
1930s Spain divided between Communists & Fascists (Nationalists)
1936 civil war
Republicans vs. Nationalists led by Francisco Franco
Italy & Germany helped the Nationalists
USSR supported Republicans
Volunteers from US fought for Republicans
Abraham Lincoln Brigade
Nationalists won & Spain led by Fascist dictator Francisco Franco

21. Spanish Civil War

22. American volunteers arrive in barcelona, 1937
Lincoln Brigade volunteers salute.

23. Hitler takes action Hitler openly stated plan to re-arm Germany
Violation of Treaty of Versailles
Britain & France tolerated Hitler’s actions
Hitler claimed it was to resist spread of communism
1936, Hitler sent troops into the Rhineland
Violation of Versailles Treaty
France alarmed, but unwilling to fight
Britain unwilling to fight Germany as well
Hitler grew bolder

24. Hitler occupies the rhineland

25. The Anschluss 1938 Hitler tried to get Austria to agree to Anschluss
Union with Germany
Austria refused
Hitler sent troops into Austria
Violation of Versailles Treaty
Anschluss popular with Austrian people
Germany’s neighbors protested but did nothing

27. Cheering crowds greet the germans in vienna

28. The sudetenland
Hitler’s success in Austria gave him more confidence no one would stop him
Began planning control of German-speaking portion of Czechoslovakia—Sudetenland
Encouraged Germans in Sudetenland to protest Czech rule
Then threatened military attack

29. Munich agreement
British prime minister Neville Chamberlain & French premier met with Hitler
Agreed to allow Hitler to annex Sudetenland
Czechoslovakia had no representatives there
Protested the agreement
Chamberlain—we have achieved “peace for our time”

30. From left to right: Chamberlain, Daladier, Hitler, Mussolini, and Ciano pictured before signing the Munich Agreement.

31. Hitler occupies the Sudetenland

32. 1930s-era Soviet poster by Kukryniksy showing Western powers giving Hitler Czechoslovakia on a dish. Inscription on the flag: "On towards the East!"

33. Neville Chamberlain holding the paper containing the resolution to commit to peaceful methods signed by both Hitler and himself on his return from Munich. He is showing the piece of paper to a crowd at Heston Aerodrome on 30 September 1938.

34. Appeasement Giving in to aggressive demands to maintain peace
British PM Chamberlain believed using this policy towards Hitler had prevented a needless war
Critics believed Hitler would not keep his promise of stopping at the Sudetenland
Winston Churchill condemned Chamberlain’s actions as cowardly & would lead to war later

35. A woman in the Sudetenland greets incoming German troops with tears and a Nazi salute.

36. Chamberlain With Mussolini at the Munich Conference
winston churchill
Chamberlain With Mussolini at the Munich Conference

37. Hitler’s early moves
March 1939 Hitler’s troops captured the rest of Czechoslovakia
Hitler then formed alliances
Pact with Italy
Nonaggression pact with the USSR
Hitler promised not to attack the USSR if they wouldn’t interfere with German aggression
Europeans were shocked; they believed the USSR would be a check on Hitler’s aggression

38. Angry Czechs watch German troops enter Prague after Czechoslovakia capitulates, March 15, 1939.

39. Hitler attacks Poland
Within days of the Nazi-Soviet agreement—Hitler was ready to invade Poland
Disguised a German criminal in a Polish army uniform & shot him at the border
September 1, 1939—Germany claimed Poland had attacked & used the dead criminal as proof
Germany began massive invasion of Poland

40. Blitzkrieg German “Lightning war”
Overwhelming combination of air attack and fast- moving armored strikes to drive deep into enemy territory
Nazis used it to devastating effect in Poland
Polish army was no match against Nazis
Polish cavalry on horseback
Poland was in German hands by the end of the month

42. September 3, 1939 Great Britain & France declared war on Germany
Became known as the Allies
Could do little to stop Hitler in Poland
Allies strategy was to wait for Hitler’s next move
Hoped that Hitler would attempt to invade France’s strong defense line
Maginot Line—string of bunkers & fortresses that lined part of the French-German border

43. Map of the principal fortified section of the Maginot line

44. Pill Box on Maginot Line

45. Sitzkrieg
Allied leaders were surprised when Germany did not attack during the winter of
Known as the sitzkrieg or phony war
Hitler was actually making plans to attack France, & other countries
April 1940—Operation Weserübung
Hitler invaded Denmark & Norway to improve Germany’s access to Atlantic Ocean
Surprised Allies could not stop him
Hitler turned to France

46. The German landing sites during the initial phase of Operation Weserübung.

47. France May 1940—Hitler invaded France
Germans avoided the Maginot Line & attacked through the Ardennes Forest
French believed the forest was too dense for an army to pass through
By June hundreds of thousands of Allied forces were trapped at French port of Dunkirk
Allied ships & civilian boats heroically rescued about 340,000 troops from there & carried them to Britain

48. British fisherman giving a hand to an Allied soldier while a Stuka's bomb explodes a few meters ahead.

49. By avoiding the Maginot Line, Hitler’s army moved quickly through France
By end of June, France surrendered to Germany & Italy (who had joined the war)
Vichy France—unoccupied parts of France that were under the control of French officials who cooperated with the Nazis
July 1940-August 1944
General Charles de Gaulle & other French leaders fled to Great Britain
Organized a resistance movement against Vichy France & the Nazis

50. Vichy France
Hitler shakes hands with Marshall Petain the Prime Minister of Vichy France
Marshall Petain Adolf Hitler

51. Great Britain now stood alone against Germany
Winston Churchill was now Prime Minister
“We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender…”
Hitler makes plans to invade Great Britain

52. Battle of Britain 1st Phase: Destroy the British Royal Air Force (RAF)
Germans failed
RAF used radar (new technology) to detect German planes & inflicted heavy damage on them
German air force—Luftwaffe then began bombing London
To terrorize the public & take their will to fight
Thousands died in the raids, but Britain did not surrender
Americans followed the Battle of Britain
Radio reports of Edward R. Murrow
Late 1940, Battle of Britain was over

53. Battle of Britain
Aircraft spotter on the roof of a building in London

54. St. Paul's Cathedral is pictured during the great fire raid of Sunday December 29th." 1940.

55. Total war knows no bounds. Almshouse bombed Feb. 10, Newbury, Berks
Total war knows no bounds. Almshouse bombed Feb. 10, Newbury, Berks., England." Naccarata, February 11, 1943.

56. "Children of an eastern suburb of London, who have been made homeless by the random bombs of the Nazi night raiders, waiting outside the wreckage of what was their home."

57. Tensions in East Asia 1934-Japan began expanding naval forces
1936-Japan signed anticommunism pact with Germany
1937-Japan began war against China
Brutal—200,000 – 300,000 Chinese massacred at Nanjing
1940 –Japan formed military alliance with Germany & Italy
Axis powers

58. Tensions in East Asia
1941-Japan took control of French Indochina with agreement of Vichy France

59. French Indochina

60. Tensions in East Asia
Japan’s takeover of French Indochina was seen as a threat to US interests in the region
FDR placed economic sanctions against Japan & cut off oil supplies
Representatives from Japan were meeting with the US to resolve differences

61. Tensions in East Asia Japanese Minister of War Hideki Tojo
Pushed Japanese government not to accept compromise
Strong nationalist
Willing to go to war to build Japanese empire
October 1941-Tojo forced Japan’s government to resign & he took control of the country

62. Hideki Tojo

63. American Isolationism
Americans questioned what involvement in WWI had actually achieved
Isolationism—desire to avoid involvement in foreign wars
Not all isolationists were pacifists
Pacifists—people who do not believe in the use of military force
Neutrality Acts, —a series of laws passed by Congress to keep the US from being dragged into war in Europe

64. American Isolationism
Isolationists wanted the US to remain neutral
Neutral—not sending aid to either side of a conflict
Charles Lindbergh
Spoke out for isolationism
Believed that helping the Allies would end up costing Americans many lives

65. Quarantine Speech FDR was not isolationist
He could do little because of isolationist public opinion
1937 after Japan invaded China FDR gave Quarantine Speech
Urged US to work with other countries to quarantine aggressive nations & prevent spread of war
Hitler’s actions strengthened FDR’s position

66. Cash and Carry
When Germany invaded Poland in 1939 FDR got Congress to change Neutrality Act
Cash and Carry—countries at war were allowed to purchase American goods as long as they paid cash & picked up their orders in US ports
FDR hoped it would help Allies
Hitler was not slowed down
FDR traded 50 US warships for 8 British bases

67. 1940 Election FDR decided to seek a third term as president
He defeated Republican opponent Wendell Wilkie
First time US president elected for 3rd term
Wendell Wilkie
FDR

68. Arsenal of democracy After reelection FDR pushed to aid Allies more
Wanted the US to be the “arsenal of democracy”
March 1941, Lend-Lease Act—allowed the US to send to weapons to Great Britain regardless of its ability to pay

69. Atlantic Charter August 1941
FDR & Churchill secretly met on a ship off the coast of Canada
Atlantic Charter—proclaimed the shared goals of the US & Britain in opposing Hitler & the Axis Powers
FDR & Churchill attend church services on board the HMS Prince of Wales

70. Isolationists oppose FDR
Spoke out against FDR’s actions
America First Committee
Charles Lindbergh
US was already involved in armed conflict
German U-boats attacking US ships delivering goods to Britain
USS Kearny
11 Americans killed
USS Reuben James
Over 100 sailors killed

71. Pearl Harbor
Fall of 1941-American leaders convinced there would be war between US & Japan
How & Where?
Philippines ?
US continued to negotiate to prevent war
Japanese military leaders planned the attack on Pearl Harbor for months

72. Captured Japanese photograph taken aboard a Japanese carrier before the attack on Pearl Harbor

73. Pearl Harbor Sunday, December 7, 1941 8:00 a.m.
Japanese aircraft carriers approached Hawaii from the north
Japanese planes loaded with bombs & torpedoes attacked from the carriers
intention of destroying American ships & planes
Complete surprise attack
Few US planes got off of the ground

74. Pearl Harbor U. S. Forces Japanese Forces 9 Battleships 10
3 Carriers   10
13 Heavy Cruisers   18
11 Light Cruisers   17
80 Destroyers 111
55 Submarines   64
Source:  Comparative fleet strengths (Pacific & Asiatic Fleets), December 1, 1941.

75. Pearl Harbor Attack lasted about two hours
All 8 US battleships were damaged
Four were sunk
Nearly 200 aircraft completely destroyed
2400 Americans were killed
Japan losses were light
Fewer than 30 aircraft
Handful of submarines

83. American Reaction

84. American Reaction Americans reacted with anger & fear
Rumors that Japan would invade California
Barb wire on California beaches
FDR expected a Japanese attack but with a formal declaration of war
Japanese officials delivered the war message after the attack had begun

85. FDR on December 8, 1941 to Congress
“Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan…Always will we remember the character of the onslaught against us. No matter how long it may take us to overcome this..., the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.”

87. Mobilizing for War The US had increased military spending in 1940
ended the Great Depression
Draft was also reinstated in 1940
Millions volunteered
General George C. Marshall
Led mobilization effort
Worked closely with FDR
Also played important role in developing US strategy

88. Army Chief of Staff, General George C. Marshall

89. Women & the Armed Forces
Not permitted in combat roles
Filled positions that allowed more men in combat

90. Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services (WAVES)
Navy

91. WAVES

92. Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs)
Tested & delivered aircraft
Nearly 40 lost their lives

93. WASPs

94. Women’s Army Corps (WAC)
Largest women’s unit: 150,000 served
Worked with army
Repaired equipment, electricians, etc.
Led by Oveta Culp Hobby who was given rank of colonel

96. New military bases Millions of new soldiers required new bases
Military preferred rural areas
California more bases than any state
Florida good location for training bases
Camp Blanding 55,000 soldiers 4th largest city
1.2 million trained in Texas
Fort Hood
Randolph Air Force Base

97. Mobilizing industry & science
American industry converted for mobilization
Henry Ford—Willow Run
US spent tens of billions on weapons & supplies

98. American ships targeted by German submarines
US factories built 5500 ships during war
Henry Kaiser built “liberty ships”
Oregon Governor Charles Sprague, Henry Kaiser & FDR attending the launch of the first Liberty ship built in just 10 days.

99. New government agencies
Regulated what products factories produced, prices, & raw materials
Office of Production Management
William Kaudsen
Sidney Hillman
War Production Board
Donald Nelson

100. Rosie the riveter

101. Rosie the riveter
Rosie the Riveter was most closely associated with a real woman, Rose Will Monroe, who was born in Pulaski County, Kentucky in 1920 and moved to Michigan during World War II. She worked as a riveter at the Willow Run Aircraft Factory in Ypsilanti, Michigan, building B-29 and B-24 bombers for the U.S. Army Air Forces

102. Rosie the riveter
Women filled the factory jobs left vacant by men joining the military
6.5 million industrial jobs that had never been open to women before

103. A real-life "Rosie" working on the A-31 Vengeance bomber in Nashville, Tennessee (1943)

106. Labor in world war ii Millions of jobs created by WWII
Government concerned strikes might hamper war effort
National War Labor Board
Help settle labor disputes
Smith-Connally Act
Gave president power to take over vital industries in the event of strikes
Helped reduce labor disputes during the war

107. Manhattan project Top secret American program to build an atomic bomb
Powerful weapon that used energy released by the splitting of atoms
Laboratories in Los Alamos, New Mexico
Research began in 1939
Albert Einstein warned that Hitler was working on developing an atomic bomb
Led by J. Robert Oppenheimer

108. Nuclear physicist Robert Oppenheimer, left, with Major General Leslie Groves, by the remains of the tower from which an atom test bomb was ignited.

109. African Americans in the military
Hundreds of thousands served
First black marines
First black commissioned naval officers
Discrimination still existed
Forced to serve in segregated units
None received Medal of Honor
7 received it 50 years later

110. African Americans in the workforce
Filled the factory jobs that opened
Often forced to take the lowest-paying jobs
A. Phillip Randolph
Head of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters
Called for a march on Washington to protest
FDR ordered discrimination to cease in government & defense jobs

111. Hispanic Americans Bracero Program Increased ethnic tensions
Established in 1942 by US & Mexican governments
Because of demand for farm labor
Gave some Mexican workers the chance to work temporarily in the US
Increased ethnic tensions
Zoot suit riots
June 1943, white sailors fought with Mexican youths in L.A.
Lasted about a week

112. Sailors with wooden clubs during the 1943 "zoot suit" riots in Los Angeles.