1. 32 World War II, 1939–1945 Hitler’s Lightning War
QUIT 32
CHAPTER
World War II, 1939–1945
Chapter Overview
Time Line
MAP
SECTION 1
Hitler’s Lightning War
SECTION 2
Japan Strikes in the Pacific
SECTION 3
The Holocaust
SECTION 4
The Allies Are Victorious
GRAPH
SECTION 5
The Devastation of Europe and Japan
Visual Summary

2. HOME 32
CHAPTER
World War II, 1939–1945
Chapter Overview
The expansionist designs of Germany and Japan lead to worldwide conflict. After initial defeats in Europe and the Pacific, the Allies are victorious but at the cost of millions of lives and the economic and political devastation of Europe and Japan.

3. 32 World War II, 1939–1945 HOME Time Line 1939 1945
CHAPTER
World War II, 1939–1945
Time Line
1939 Germany invades Poland.
1941 (June) Germans invade Soviet Union. (Dec.) Japan attacks Pearl Harbor.
1944 D-Day invasion occurs.
1939
1945
1940 France surrenders to German; Battle of Britain begins.
1943 Allies defeat Japan at Guadalcanal.
1945 (May) Germany surrenders. (Aug.) Atomic bombs dropped; Japan surrenders.

4. Hitler’s Lightning War
HOME 1
Hitler’s Lightning War
MAP
Key Idea
Hitler launches a surprise attack on Poland, overruns much of Europe, and invades Russia. Britain survives to fight on alone, aided by arms from the United States.
Overview
Assessment

5. Hitler’s Lightning War
HOME 1
Hitler’s Lightning War
MAP
TERMS & NAMES
Overview
• nonaggression pact
• blitzkrieg
• Charles de Gaulle
• Winston Churchill
• Battle of Britain
• Atlantic Charter
MAIN IDEA
WHY IT MATTERS NOW
Using the sudden, mass attack called the blitzkrieg, Germany overran much of Europe and North Africa.
Hitler’s actions set off World War II. The results of the war still affect the politics and economics of today’s world.
Assessment

6. Hitler’s Lightning War
HOME 1
Hitler’s Lightning War
MAP
Section 1
Assessment
1. Look at the graphic to help organize your thoughts. Identify the effects of each of the early events of World War II that are listed below.
Cause
Effect
First blitzkrieg
Allies stranded at Dunkirk
British radar detects German aircraft
Lend-Lease Act
The fall of Poland
338,000 soldiers saved
British forces leave Western Europe.
British able to hold off German occupation
U.S. supplied Allies with war goods.
U.S. decision to favor the Allies
continued . . .

7. Hitler’s Lightning War
HOME 1
Hitler’s Lightning War
MAP
Section 1
Assessment
2. Great Britain and the Soviet city of Leningrad each fought off a German invasion. Other countries gave in to the Germans without much resistance. What factors do you think a country’s leaders consider when deciding whether to surrender or to fight?
THINK ABOUT
• the country’s ability to fight
• the costs of resisting
• the costs of surrendering
ANSWER
continued . . .

8. Hitler’s Lightning War
HOME 1
Hitler’s Lightning War
MAP
Section 1
Assessment
Possible Responses:
Ability to Fight: army large enough to fight the enemy, sufficient weapons
Costs of Resisting: major civilian and military deaths, destruction of property, economic chaos
Costs of Surrendering: enemy control of the government, repression of the population
End of Section 1

9. Japan Strikes in the Pacific Key Idea 2
HOME 2
Japan Strikes
in the Pacific
Key Idea
Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor draws the United States into the war. Initial Japanese victories in the Pacific are overturned as U.S. naval forces fight back, gaining the offensive.
Overview
Assessment

10. Japan Strikes in the Pacific Overview 2 • Isoroku Yamamoto
HOME 2
Japan Strikes
in the Pacific
TERMS & NAMES
Overview
• Isoroku Yamamoto
• Pearl Harbor
• Battle of Midway
• Douglas MacArthur
• Battle of Guadalcanal
MAIN IDEA
WHY IT MATTERS NOW
Carving out an empire, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and brought the United States into World War II.
World War II established the role of the United States as a leading player in international affairs.
Assessment

11. Japan Strikes in the Pacific 2 2
HOME 2
Japan Strikes
in the Pacific
Section 2
Assessment
1. Look at the graphic to help organize your thoughts. List four major events of the war in the Pacific between 1941 and 1943.
Event 1:
Event 2:
Event 3:
Event 4:
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor
United States bombs Tokyo
Battle of Midway
Battle of Guadalcanal
continued . . .

12. Japan Strikes in the Pacific 2 2
HOME 2
Japan Strikes
in the Pacific
Section 2
Assessment
2. Judging from the effects of the attack on Pearl Harbor, do you think Yamamoto made a wise decision in bombing Pearl Harbor? Why or why not?
THINK ABOUT
• Yamamoto’s goals in the bombing
• United States involvement in World War II
• the effects of the bombing
ANSWER
Wise: If the Japanese did not destroy the U.S. Pacific fleet, it would have been used against them.
Unwise: If the Japanese did not bomb Pearl Harbor, the United States may never have entered the war.
Possible Responses:
continued . . .

13. Japan Strikes in the Pacific 2 2
HOME 2
Japan Strikes
in the Pacific
Section 2
Assessment
3. What do you think Yamamoto’s biggest problems were in building the Japanese empire in the Pacific?
THINK ABOUT
• geographical problems
• European/American interests in the Pacific
• psychological factors
ANSWER
Possible Responses:
Geography: The Pacific region is so huge that it would be difficult to build an empire.
European/American Interests: The United States and certain European countries had military posts in the Pacific.
Psychological Factors: After the bombing of Tokyo, Yamamoto had to deal with shaken Japanese confidence.
End of Section 2

14. HOME 3
The Holocaust
Key Idea
Nazi persecution of Jews throughout Germany and the conquered nations leads to Hitler’s “Final Solution”: the mass extermination of 6 million of Europe’s Jews.
Overview
Assessment

15. The Holocaust Overview 3 • Aryans • Holocaust • Kristallnacht
HOME 3
The Holocaust
TERMS & NAMES
Overview
• Aryans
• Holocaust
• Kristallnacht
• ghettos
• “Final Solution”
• genocide
MAIN IDEA
WHY IT MATTERS NOW
During the Holocaust, Hitler’s Nazis killed 6 million Jews and 5 million other “non-Aryans.”
The violence against Jews during the Holocaust led to the founding of Israel after World War II.
Assessment

16. Burning of Jewish businesses, homes, and synagogues3
The Holocaust
Section 3
Assessment
1. Look at the graphic to help organize your thoughts. Give examples of Nazi persecutions.
Nazi Persecutions
Burning of Jewish businesses, homes, and synagogues
Nuremberg Laws
Concentration camps
Genocide of Jews
Persecution of gypsies, Poles, Russians, homosexuals, the insane, the disabled, the ill
continued . . .

17. HOME 3
The Holocaust
Section 3
Assessment
2. Why do you think German soldiers and the German people went along with the Nazi policy of persecution of the Jews? THINK ABOUT
• Nazi treatment of those who disagreed
• Nazi propaganda
• the political and social conditions in Germany at the time
ANSWER
Possible Responses:
Treatment: The people of Germany were afraid for their lives.
Propaganda: It tried to convince Germans that Jewish people were subhuman.
Conditions: A repressive dictatorship
End of Section 3

18. The Allies Are Victorious Key Idea 4
HOME 4
The Allies
Are Victorious
Key Idea
The Allies invade Europe as the Soviet Union drives the Germans westward, leading to Germany’s final defeat. Japan surrenders following an atomic bomb attack by the United States.
Overview
Assessment

19. The Allies Are Victorious Overview 4 • Erwin Rommel
HOME 4
The Allies
Are Victorious
TERMS & NAMES
Overview
• Erwin Rommel
• Bernard Montgomery
• Dwight D. Eisenhower
• Battle of Stalingrad
• D-Day
• Battle of the Bulge
• kamikaze
MAIN IDEA
WHY IT MATTERS NOW
Led by the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union, the Allies scored key victories and won the war.
The Allies’ victory in World War II set up conditions for both the Cold War and today’s post-Cold War world.
Assessment

20. The Allies Are Victorious 4 4
HOME 4
The Allies
Are Victorious
Section 4
Assessment
1. Look at the graphic to help organize your thoughts. List the outcomes of the four World War II battles listed below.
Battle
Outcome
Battle of El Alamein
Battle of Stalingrad
D-Day Invasion
Battle of the Bulge
Rommel’s army defeated in North Africa
Held by Soviets
Allies held beachheads
Allies eventually pushed Germans back
continued . . .

21. The Allies Are Victorious 4 4
HOME 4
The Allies
Are Victorious
Section 4
Assessment
2. Based on what you have read in this section, how do governments gather support for a war effort on the home front? THINK ABOUT
• the economy
• forms of propaganda
• individual participation in the war effort
ANSWER
Possible Responses:
• Rationing of materials (gasoline, metals, rubber, food, etc.) crucial to the war effort
• Collecting war materials donated by individuals
• Selling bonds to raise money for the war
• Using propaganda to paint themselves as fighters for right against evil enemies
continued . . .

22. The Allies Are Victorious 4 4
HOME 4
The Allies
Are Victorious
Section 4
Assessment
3. Do you think President Truman made the correct decision by ordering the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Why or why not?
THINK ABOUT
• the likely consequences if the atomic bomb had not been dropped
• the destruction caused by the atomic bomb
• World War II after the dropping of the atomic bomb
ANSWER
Right: Dropping the bomb was an effective way to end the war in the Pacific.
Wrong: The atomic bomb caused a huge loss of civilian lives.
Possible Responses:
End of Section 4

23. The Devastation of Europe and Japan Key Idea 5
HOME 5
The Devastation of
Europe and Japan
GRAPH
Key Idea
A ravaged Europe struggles to recover as the United States occupies Japan and begins to bring political change and stability.
Overview
Assessment

24. The Devastation of Europe and Japan Overview 5 • Nuremberg Trials
HOME 5
The Devastation of
Europe and Japan
GRAPH
TERMS & NAMES
Overview
• Nuremberg Trials
• demilitarization
MAIN IDEA
WHY IT MATTERS NOW
World War II cost millions of human lives and billions of dollars in damages. It left Europe and Japan in ruins.
The United States survived World War II undamaged, allowing it to become a world leader.
Assessment

25. The Devastation of Europe and Japan 5 5
HOME 5
The Devastation of
Europe and Japan
GRAPH
Section 5
Assessment
1. Look at the graphic to help organize your thoughts. Compare and contrast the aftermath of World War II in Europe and Japan.
Europe only
Japan only
Both
Displaced persons looking for families
Famine
Rise of communism
Destruction of land and property
Natural resources depleted
Heavy loss of life
Major cities in shambles
Japanese emperor no longer a god
Japanese people humiliated
Radiation poisoning from the atomic bomb
continued . . .

26. The Devastation of Europe and Japan 5 5
HOME 5
The Devastation of
Europe and Japan
GRAPH
Section 5
Assessment
2. Why do you think that many Europeans favored communism directly following World War II?
THINK ABOUT
• World War II destruction
• pre-World War II governments
• economic concerns
ANSWER
Possible Responses:
• People lost faith in leaders of the past who had participated in starting or conducting the war.
• Communism promised food and prosperity to people who had none.
End of Section 5