1. World War II

2. Causes of World War II The terms of the Treaty of Versailles fail
Dictators take control of Europe and Asia
The appeasement of Germany fails
Pearl Harbor attacked by Japan

3. Treaty of Versailles Violated
Germany was upset by the terms of the treaty (especially the “war guilt” clause) and it rearmed
Many of the war-torn nations in Europe looked to dictators to rule, rather than starting democracies (totalitarian governments)

5. American Neutrality
American chose to stay out of the European conflict for the following three reasons:
The devastation of WWI
Isolationism
Concerns about the Great Depression
Congress passed the Neutrality Act of 1935 prohibiting the sell of weapons to warring nations

6. German Aggression Hitler moved troops into the Rhineland in 1936
Fearing another war, Britain and France did nothing
Hitler then annexed Austria to Germany (he
also wanted to annex the Sudetenland &
Czechoslovakia)

7. Munich Pact
Even though Italy & Germany displayed aggression in Europe, France & Britain chose to follow a policy of appeasement
Appeasement is a policy in which it is believed that by giving in to an aggressor’s demands, the aggressor will be satisfied and future conflicts can be avoided
They solidified this policy in the Munich Pact
This pact allowed Hitler to take of the Sudetenland, if he would claim no other land

8. German-Soviet Non-aggression Pact
Hitler set his sights on the Soviet Union, but signed a non-aggression pact with Stalin promising not to invade
Hitler wanted to invade France first so he wouldn’t have to fight on two fronts
Meanwhile, Stalin started getting prepared for war with Germany

9. Alliances
Axis powers (Germany, Italy, Japan, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria)
Allies (U.S., Britain, France, USSR, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Greece, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Yugoslavia).

10. Germany invades Poland
Hitler invaded Poland and conducted a type of warfare called blitzkrieg, which means “lightning war.”
Germany used air power and tanks to strike hard and fast, moving rapidly into Poland
Poland fell within a month
Britain & France declared war on Germany

11. The Lend Lease Act
Roosevelt knew neutrality would not last and proclaimed “If Great Britain goes down, all of us in the Americas would be living at the point of a gun… We must be the great arsenal of democracy.”
In 1941, Congress passed the Lend Lease Act which sent aid to any nation whose defense was considered vital to U. S. national security

12. The Atlantic Charter
Roosevelt met with Churchill in 1941 to create the Atlantic Charter
They agreed on
common principles
aimed a guaranteeing
the freedom and
welfare of countries
after the war
This document
eventually served as
the basis for the
founding the United Nations

13. Four Freedoms
As the U.S. became involved in the war, Roosevelt declared the “Four Freedoms” he believed we were fighting for

14. Freedom of speech & expression

15. Freedom of every person to worship God in his own way

17. Freedom from want (not having physical needs)

18. Freedom from fear

19. Casablanca Conference
During the fighting in North Africa, Churchill &
Roosevelt met in Casablanca, Morocco
They agreed on the following
Italy should be invaded next;
It was time to launch an offensive against Japan; and
They would only accept an unconditional surrender (the victors set all the conditions of surrender with the losers having no say) from the enemy

20. Tehran Conference
Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met in Tehran, Iran in December 1943
Stalin wanted the Allies to invade France to create a second front against Hitler
Gen. Dwight Eisenhower was named commander of Operation Overlord, the invasion of France
The Allies began by bombing French railroads to cut off German supply lines

21. Yalta Conference
Expecting German defeat, the Big Three (Roosevelt, Stalin & Churchill) met in Feb in Yalta
They discussed military strategies and postwar policies