 21 years after WWI  Causes › Germans and Japanese wanted to expand their countries into empires. › Conquering other countries  Read Ch 12 section 2, start at WWII

 ALLIES › Britain › France › Soviet Union › U.S. › China  AXIS POWERS › Germany › Italy › Japan

 The government has total control over the country and its citizens  Use violence to enforce laws and punish opposition  Regimes seized power in Germany, Italy, and the Soviet Union

 Mussolini rose to power  Fascism: government should include their own political party and no others.  Total government control of political, economic, religious, and cultural activities  Ll Duce- “the leader”  Used his private military squads- Blackshirts

 Adolf Hitler rose to power › Nazi party › Private military squads- “brown shirts” › Nazis launched vicious verbal and physical attacks against Jews and opposition › When Germany’s President Paul von Hindenburg died in 1934, Hitler appointed himself Fuhrer and Reichskanzler (leader and Reich Chancellor) › Nazis abolished freedom of  Press, assembly, expression, and privacy › Many Jews were sent to concentration camps, harsh, brutal prisons

 Hitler used Jews as a scapegoat- unfairly blaming them for existing problems  Nazis took right away from Jews › Not German citizens › Fired them from their jobs › Took businesses and schools  The Holocaust › Systematic murder of about 6 million Jews and millions of other Europeans believed to be inferior and unfit to be German Citizens › Gypsies, Slavs, political enemies, handicapped, homosexuals.

 Third Reich- German Empire that Hitler was creating as he took over countries (Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland)  September 1, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland. › GB and France declared war on Germany 2 days later › Start of WWII, largest and deadliest war ever fought, 40 million people

 European Theater- war for control of Europe and the Soviet Union  Pacific Theater- where the US led the battle against Japan

 Soviet Union was under Joseph Stalin › Ruthless in domination over soviets › Wanted large empire › Made pact with Hitler not to attack each other, divide Poland › June 1941 Hitler broke the pact and invaded the SU › Stalin joined Allies

 Battle of Stalingrad 1942 › Major turning point in eastern front of European Theater › Bloodiest battle in human history, 1-2 million › Centered around German’s attempt to defeat SU › Axis powers lost quarter of military force on eastern front › Soon after, Germans begin retreating

 Western Front › Allied attempt to liberate western Europe from Hitler’s control › Led by GB and US › Churchill- GB leader during the war  Tremendous speaking voice and words rallied citizens  British withstood German bombing campaigns › Franklin Delano Roosevelt- US president during the war  Also had captivating speaking style  Did not commit troops and resourced until US was well prepared

 D-Day › June 6, 1944 › Allied forces began their invasion of German-held Western Europe › Greatest seaborne invasion in history › Crossed the English Channel to land on the beaches of Normandy, France. › Lead by (lead by later US President Dwight D. Eisenhower. › SUCCESSFUL › Germany forced to Surrender on May 8, ›

 US led the battle against Japan  Battle of Midway › June 1942 › Air battle › US victorious › US now had more sea power than Japan › US forces began fighting their way toward Japan

 Australia and Pacific Islands were also part of the war. › Australians lost their lives in the war  President Roosevelt died April 1945 › Vice Pres. Harry Truman  He helped to end the war  Germany’s unconditional surrender May 7, 1945  Potsdam Conference July 12- August 2, 1945,  August 1945 ordered two atomic bombs be dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan  Brought about end to war. Officially on September 2, 1945

 The US and Soviet Union worked together to defeat Axis powers › They were left as superpowers- far more powerful than any other countries on Earth › Tensions grew › US was democratic Soviet Union was communist  Stalin wanted to spread communism.  US opposed expansion of Soviet power and communism  Became known as the Cold War › No actual fighting took place