World War ll(1939-lgcs)

World War llwas the result of Germany, ltaly, and Japan's con-quests of neighboring nations in the late 1930s, The Allies-Britain,France, and the United States-tried very hard to avoid war. Britainand France tried to negotiate with Germany, but Germany broke itspromises. Eventually, war broke out in Europe as Nazi Germany, ledby Adolf Hitler, conquered one nation after another. The Naziswere the ruling German political pafi during Hitler's time in power.

Many U.S. citizens did not want to become involved in WorldWar ll. They felt it was a European matter, These people werecalled isolationists, because they wanted to "isolate" the UnitedStates from involvement in a foreign war. Others believed stronglythat the United States should enter at once to help Britain and todefeat Hitler.

The United States debated what to do untilthe end of 1941. OnDecember 7,1941, Japan bombed the U,S. naval base at PearlHarbor, Hawaii. The United States was united in its anger. ltdeclared war on Japan and entered the war on the side of theAllies.

World War ll was the first war in which the airplane played animporlant role, and air strikes were a major parl of strategy. Manykinds of advanced technology were put to use during the war-radar, guided nrissiles, jet-propelled planes, and the atomic bomb.

World War ll lasted for six years and was fought on many frontsin Europe, Asia, the islands of the Pacific, and Africa. lt ended in the

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total defeat of Germany and Japan andestablished the United States as a worldleader. lt was also the beginning of a rivalrybetween the United States and the Union ofSoviet Socialist Republics (or Soviet Union).

Seventy million soldiers from fortycountries were involved in WorldWar ll, and fighting occurredon six continentsand alloceans.

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NAZI GERMANY'S WAR AGAINST THEThe Holocaust

ln one of the worst and mosttragic chaPters of World War ll,

Nazis in GermanY organizedthe murder of millions ofJews and other PeoPle, Thisdark period is known as theHolocaust (A holocaust is

a disaster that wiPes out life.)The Holocaust was not a dis-pute over land, nor was it apower struggle. lt was a sYS-

tematic attemPt toexterminate all Jews simPlYbecause theY were Jews.

Before World War ll, AdolfHitler dreamed of a worldruled by white PeoPle hecalled Aryans. He built manywdled prisons, calledconcentration camPs, inGermany and Poland. Somewere work camps whereprisoners made suPPlies forthe German army, Otherswere death factories. Hitlersent Jews and anYone whoopposed his rule to theseconcentration camPs.

EUROPEAN JEWS

Hitler was determined toeliminate the Jews, thebiggest threat, he thought,to his Aryan suPremacY, Hekilled over six million, a fullforly percent of the world'sJewish poPulation. Othergroups, including GYPsies,the disabled, homosexuals,and political oPPonents ofthe Nazis, also became tar-gets, Five million PeoPle fromthese groups lost their lives.Never before had organizedmurder taken Place on sucha horrifying scale.

tn Nazi concentration camPs'prisoners lived in cramPedquarters with no Personalpossessions, excePt for theclothes on their backs and thedish issued them for food, iffood was provided at all.

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Prime minister of Britain at the beginning of World WarNeville Chamberlain was sure that Adolf Hitlercould be satisfied by giving him more territory. ln 1938.attended a conference with Hitler, Benito MussolirflItaly, and Edouard Daladier of France, where heagreed to give Hitler parl of Czechoslovakia.Chamberlain was replaced by Winston Churchill. ,w

favored taking a strong stand against Hitler,

Winston Churchill was named prime minister ofBritain in 1940, He was an inspiring speaker, writer, arlstatesman. His courageous leadership and defiantspeeches kept British morale high during the worst calof the war. ln 1953, he won the Nobel Prizefor literat-i'lfor his memoirs,

The supreme commander of the Allied forces, AmensGeneral Dwight D, Eisenhower organized themassive Allied invasion of the French coast on D dayt1944.ln 1952 and 1956, he was elected president oi:rUnited States.

Adolf Hitler was an unsuccessfulartist before hejoined the National Socialist Workers' Party, known asthe Nazis. Through his skill in propaganda and his us= Iterror he became the Ffihrer, or leader, of Germarl.His conquest of surrounding countries set ofl World ,nut

ll, and his anti-Semitic beliefs led to Ihe Holocaust(see p.1OO).

General Douglas MacArthurwas commander c'illtU,S. forces in the Pacific during World War ll. A proucman, MacArlhur was fired later by Presidenl Harry S,Trumanforfailing to follow orders during lhe KoreaWar (see p.110).

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