1. World war II
AMSCO Chapter 27

2. Path to war
Axis Powers
Military pact with Italy, the Rome Berlin Axis, similar ideologies and economic interest
Military allice with Japan based on distrust of communism, Anti-Comintern Pact

3. Path to war The Conflict over Poland
Hitler wanted the Polish port of Danzig
Britain said no more appeasement if Poland gets invaded; will protect Poland
Hitler signed the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact- Soviet and Germany would not attack one another
Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939
Britain declared war on Germany
WWII starts

4. Japan and imperialistic policies
Japan began with an invasion of Manchuria in 1931 claiming that Chinese forces had attacked one of their railways near Mukden (Mukden Incident)
League of Nations condemned these actions, so Japan left the League of Nations and went on to go into Manchuria.
In China, the Nationalist joined forces with the Communist to prevent Japan from expanding. However, this did not work.
In July 1937 after months of fighting in battles, Japan took control of Nanjing (the Nationalist capital) and gained territory.
Nanjing Massacre/Rape of Nanjing- six week long incident of Japanese soldiers killing and raping Chinese citizens in the city of Nanjin

5. Japan and imperialistic policies
New Order in East Asia
Wanted Southeast Asia but it was under Western Europe and US control
Japan faced obstacles of economic sanctions by the US (US cut off trade such as oil and scrap iron)
Japan planned to retaliate against the US

6. Germany’s early victories and challenges
Blitzkrieg- lighting war to take over Poland as quickly as possible
Germany and Soviet Union partitioned Poland after the 4 week invasion
Hitler then attacked and conquered Denmark and Norway by April 1940 then the Netherlands', Belgium and France.
In France set up the Vichy government (Marshall Henri Petain ran the southern half of the country on Germanys behalf)

7. Germany’s early victories and challenges
British-American Relations
Britain asked US for support but US said no, US was isolated HOWEVER….
1940- Destroyers for Bases Agreement
1941- Lend Lease Act
1941- Atlantic Charter

8. Germany’s early victories and challenges
The Battle of Britain
July Luftwaffe over Britain
Started bombing military bases and then civilian cities (started hitting civilians after the British Royal Air force bombed Berlin)
The only civilian location spared in Britain was the city were the University of Oxford was located because Hitler has respect for the tradition and learning at the various colleges in Oxford.
May Hitler was forced to postpone the bombing because the British began using superior planes and radar systems

9. Germany’s early victories and challenges
War on the Soviet Union
Hitler attacked the Soviet Union to eliminate Communism and to provide more living space for the German people.
Aquired vast territory and took two million soviet soldiers prisoners
Russian Winter
Same thing that happened to Napoleon in 1812
Machines could not function properly, German soldiers freezing and starving to death, Germany supply lines were too long
Battle of Leningrad
A siege that lasted 3 years and lead to the deaths of million of Soviet men, women and children.

10.
Japan overreaches
Launched surprise attack on the US naval base of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7, 1941.
US declares war on Japan
Japan responds by taking the Philippines, The Dutch East Indies, British Malaya, Burma, and numerous Pacific Islands (they said this was “Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere” that they would liberate these places from Western Imperialism)
Japan thought that this would make the US find ways to negotiate a settlement but NOPE…the US was now no longer isolated, American citizens wanted retaliation!!
Britain and China joined the US against Japan
Then, (because of alliances) Hitler declared war against the US.

11. Japan overreaches https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn20oXFrxxg&t=90s
Colonial Armies
Western colonies armies began to join the Allies in the war effort
Example- Indian Army
Home Fronts US
Mobilized all their resources including civilian population (put people to work, especially women in factories and also enlistment of men in the armed forces)
Industrial sectors for war effort- ships, tanks, planes, landing craft, radar equipment, guns and ammunition
Government Planning
Germany
Relied on forced labor (through prisoners of war)
Japan
Optimistic of the war
Did not utilize women
Removed children from cities being bombed
Rationed food

12. The Tide turns in Europe
Allies: US, Great Britain, Soviet Union
Agree that Axis should surrender unconditionally
Early 1942, Allies struggled in Europe and North Africa
Germany had control of Egypt and were threating to take Alexandria and Soviet Crimea
Mid 1942, Allies succeeded
Defeat of Germany at the Battle of El Alamein and at the Battle of Stalingrad
Even though Germany still controlled most of Europe, it was losing momentum

13. The tide turns in the pacific theater
1942
May- Allied victory at the Battle of the Coral Sea when the US stopped a Japanese invasion of Australia
June- Allied victory at the Battle of Midway Island
1943
Allied offensive on the island of Guadalcanal
Douglas MacArthur (General for the Pacific Theater)
Island Hopping- strategy to hit those islands where Japan was weak and skip those that Japan was strong- helped get closer to Japan
Technology
Aircraft carriers
Submarines

14. The last years of the war
1943
Allies gain control of Sicily leading to the fall of Mussolini
Largest tank battle of the war, Battle of Kursk
1944
Allies recaptured Rome
June 6, D Day- a day when allied forces numbering about 150,000 launched a land, air and sea invasion on the beaches of Normandy in northern France.
Paris liberated in August 1944
Battle of the Bulge
Fought in Ardennes Forest located across France, Belgium and Luxembourg.
Allies won, Germany had no way of winning the war but Hitler did not give up.
Soviets progressed through the Ukraine and Baltic States
1945
Allied troops enter Germany in March, advancing towards Berlin
Soviets took control of Warsaw (in Poland) then Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria
Soviets advanced towards Berlin (trying to get there before the Allies)

15. The Last years of the war
Victory in Europe
Hitler spent the last final days of the war hiding in a fortified underground shelter in Berlin where he married his long time girlfriend, Eva Braun
April 30, Hitler and Eva commit suicide
Early May, Germany surrenders
May 8, VE Day (Victory in Europe Day)

16. Victory over japan Japan was not surrendering.
The united states had a decision to either do another “D-Day” invasion and run the risk of losing many Allied lives or use an atomic weapon.
President Harry Truman (at this point, FRD had passed away) decided to drop an atomic weapon
August 6, dropped atomic bomb over Hiroshima-over 100,000 civilian deaths
August 9, dropped second atomic bomb over Nagasaki- over 40,000 civilian deaths
August 14, Japan surrenders
September 2, VJ Day (victory over Japan)

17. Casualties of war The Nazis
Heinrich Himmler- leader of the Nazi special police, the SS oversaw removal and extermination of groups
Gypsies, political opponents, homosexuals, Jews
Jews were the largest exterminated group – The Holocaust
Started with moving them from their homes to ghettos
From ghettos were moved into killing fields
Final Solution – use of gas chambers in death camps (ex- Auschwitz)
6 million Jews

18. Casualties of war The Japanese
Asia for Asiatics- forced people they conquered into labor programs
Food shortage, harsh conditions
1 million died in Vietnam alone

19. Casualties of war The Allies Firebombing Atomic Bombs
Thousands of deaths in Hamburg and Dresden in Germany
Atomic Bombs
Over 100,000 Japanese people killed
Destruction
Fear of Nuclear War

20. The big three and a new world order
Great Britain, United States, Soviet Union
Met in conferences in order to discuss strategies for shaping the world after the war ended
Tehran Conference (1943)
Soviet Union would focus on freeing Eastern Europe, while Britain and the United States concentrated on Western Europe.
Britain and US agreed to a Soviet demand to shift some Polish territory to the Soviet Union
Yalta Conference (1945)
Stalin distrusted the allies
Stalin demanded Communist influence over the countries in Eastern Europe
Stalin wanted Japanese territory
The only thing in agreeance was to make an international organization for peace- The United Nations
Potsdam Conference (1945)
Demand for the territories Stalin controlled to have free elections- Stalin refused.
This disagreement will eventually begin the Cold War.