1. The Second Great War Begins
WWII- The Beginning

2. The 3 Causes of WWII (AAA)
1. Anger- many countries were still angry over the Treaty of Versailles & wanted revenge
2. Aggression- countries such as Japan, Italy, & Germany were attacking weaker countries for land
3. Appeasement- due to problems at home, the U.S. & other countries ignored men like Hitler, Mussolini & Tojo

3. Nazi-Soviet Pact
1939- Hitler & Stalin make secret agreement – the Nazi-Soviet Pact
Not to fight if the other went to war
Divide up Poland & other parts of Eastern Europe between them
9/1/39= Hitler invades Poland. Great Britain & France declare war on Germany- WWII begins!

4. Who’s Who in the War Axis Powers (Bad Guys!) Germany Italy Japan
Austria and Bulgaria
Allied Powers (Good Guys!)
Great Britain
France
USSR
United States

5. Timeline of WW2 1939- Germany invades Poland – WW2 starts!
Germany invades Norway, Denmark, France and Belgium
The Battle of Britain begins between Germany and Britain. It lasts over a year.
Axis Powers controlled most of Western Europe. Hitler & his army win most battles in the 1st years of the war!
1941- Hitler decides to invade the USSR to gain “living space”- called Operation Barbarossa – U.S.S.R enters on side of the Allies
1941- FDR agrees to send aid to all people fighting Nazi’s (Atlantic Charter)
12/7/41- Japan attacks Pearl Harbor. U.S. declares war on Japan. 3 days later, Germany & Italy declare war on U.S.

6. Victories & Defeats
Axis Powers (bad guys) dominated in the 1st years of WW2 ( years of devious planning!)
Allied Powers began to gain strength & won many important battles.
1. D-Day invasion = Allied invasion of France to drive Germans out & restore French govt.
2. Coral Sea & Midway – U.S. forces defeat Japanese & weaken their navy greatly
3. March on Berlin – Allies defeat Axis armies & march to Berlin, capital of Germany to capture Hitler & end the war

8. Omaha Beach- France

9. Downfall of Mussolini & Hitler
April, Mussolini is captured by Italian forces & executed with his mistress in public- end of Italian war effort.
As Russian forces march to Berlin, Hitler commits suicide to avoid capture. Germany surrenders & the war in Europe is over!

10. Mussolini in Death

11. Mussolini & Mistress

12. The Downfall of Japan
After the surrender of Germany, the U.S. focuses on defeating Japan
1945- most of Japanese navy & air force destroyed but army fought on.
To end the war, President Truman decides to use the secret atomic bomb to put a quick end to the war.
2 bombs are dropped on the cities of Hiroshima & Nagasaki & kill over 140,000 people (estimate) – Japan surrenders in September 1945 – WW2 is over – the Allies have won!

13. Images of the A-Bomb

14. Mushroom Cloud from “Fat Man”

15. Building located miles from bomb site

16. The Costs of War Germany = 5,600,000 United States = 405,400
Total War casualties:
Germany = 5,600,000
United States = 405,400
Japan = 2,133,400 (140,000 of these were killed by the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima & Nagasaki)
U.S.S.R. = 17,700,000 (It is estimated Stalin killed at least 20 million more than reported in this number!)

17. Effects of the War
1. Worldwide Jewish population devastated by the “holocaust”.
2. The United Nations Forms – peacekeeping group similar to the League of Nations – goal- prevent future wars.
3. “Iron Curtain” falls over Eastern Europe – Stalin & the USSR take control of Eastern European nations & cut them off from the rest of the world – communism installed as the form of govt. in these nations. This starts the “Cold War”