WWII & the Holocaust

Objective: To analyze and understand the outbreak of WWII in

addition to the major players, leaders, and decisive battles.

Overview: WWII (1939-1945) deadliest, costliest & largest

conflict in history 61 nations in fighting The Axis Powers: Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy , &

Japan The Allied Powers: Great Brit, France, Canada,

Australia, New Zealand, the Soviet Union, & the US 1st Global War (over WWI) 55-60 million killed (most to half civilians) Genocide- 6 million Jews & 6 million non-Jews in

the Holocaust WWII topple nations of Europe

Overview: Superpowers-US & the Soviet Union

Cold War: new struggle between US & Soviet Union

1940-1970 massive wave of decolonization (freedom to African & Asian colonies)

Shift of internatl. trade Tech & scientific innovation

1. What roles did imperialism, nationalism, and ethnocentrism have?

2. Could WWII have been prevented?

“The Road to War” Results from pattern of

aggression on part of Nazi GA, Fascist Italy & militaristic Jpn.

Aggression, met with weak response from the democracies (US does little to stand up to dictatorships)

Appeasement- policy of letting the aggressors have what they wanted, in hope they would demand no more

WWII Timeline: 1933: Hitler withdraws from the League of Nations

• Hitler openly began to rebuild Germany army &navy

• Mussolini invades Ethiopia (League imposes sanctions but ineffective)

• Soviet Russia- fearful of GA, allies itself with France both agree to protect Czech & France protect Poland

• Antifascist cooperation = collective security

1936 • 2nd violation of TOV; Hitler sends

troops to Rhineland (permanent DMZ- Fr.& GB protest but tale no action)

• Mussolini completes conquest of Ethiopia

• Outbreak of the Spanish Civil War: 1936-1939 – Francisco Franco’s uprising against

Demo. Leaders is supplied with $ and supplies by Hitler and Mussolini

– Stalin tried to help Spanish govt. (when Western demo do nothing he loses trust)

– Dictator Franco =successful

1935:

1937: • GA annex Austria in Anschluss union

• Hitler announces plans to take over Sudetenland (former GA territory with 3 million GA people)

• Munich Agreement: Mussolini & Hitler met with Chamberlain & Paladier of Brit and Fr. to agree to let GA have Sudetenland but expand no further –Appeasement

• Stalin & Czech not there- he's angry doesn’t trust GB or France

• Jpn. & Soviet Union clash in Siberia & Soviets drive them back

1938

• In Jpn. Military- controlled govt.

• Anti-Comintern Pact: signed by GA, Italy, & Jpn. pledging to oppose internatl communism

• Jpn. Invades China (atrocities – Rape of Nanking)

• Hitler goes to public with Lebensraum “Living Space” for GA expansion

WWII Timeline:

WWII Timeline: • GA Takes rest of Czech (foolish Fr. &

GB) • GA takes W. Lithuania • Italy invades Albania • Jpn. &USSR fight in Siberia again • Hitler claims on Polish territory (Fr.

& Brit. Promise to guarantee Poland safety)

• Nazi-Soviet Pact/ Non-Aggression Pact- Hitler seeks to reach agreement with Stalin b4 invading Poland- therefore agreement keeps USSR neutral & allows for his invasion

• Sept. 1st 1939 Hitler’s invasion of Poland

1939

The Major Players: The Axis Powers

Leaders of the Axis Powers

GermanyAdolf Hitler

ItalyBenito

Mussolini

JapanEmperor Hirohito

The Major Players:The Allied Powers

Leaders of the Allied PowersGreat Britain

Winston ChurchillFrance

Charles De Gaulle

USA

USSRJosef Stalin

Franklin D. RooseveltHarry Truman

The Axis Ascendant: 1939-1941

• During 1st half of war Axis Powers were winning

• Only major opposition was Fr. And GB – USSR = neutral (Why?)– US- isolated & wants to stay out

• Japan extends into Asia & China against Brit, Dutch, & Fr. Colonial possessions in SE Asia

New TechnologyNew Technology: • Makes war rapid &

dynamic • Naval aircraft • Long-range

submarines • New Artillery (the

tank)• Strategic air bombers • *** All make war quick

but more deadly (civilian population)

• Jet aircraft & synthetic materials

Blitzkrieg, & the Invasion of Poland• Blitzkrieg: The new GA method of warfare

means “lightning war”- use of tanks, airplanes to rush and knock out enemy territory

• Its effective: Poland falls within weeks • Brit & Fr. Did very little- old strategy of

waiting for GA to attack them believes defensive would win

• Winter 1939-1940 named sitzkrieg or phony war

German Invasion of Western Europe & the Fall of France

• April 1940 Hitler’s assault on W. Euro (success)

• Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, & Netherlands all defeated

• Fall of France- surrenders within months- Leaves GB to fight GA & Italy alone

• France’s confidence in the Maginot Line- great border of fortifications to protect them GA sidesteps this

Part II: Japanese Aggression & The Allied

Quest for Victory

Battle of Britain & Operation Barbarossa Battle of Britain:

• 1940-41 GA attn on GB• Italy heads for Greece,

Yugoslavia, & Egypt • Attempt to knock GB out

of the war- fails (Royal navy protects British Isles)

• Royal Air Force defends GB

• GB holds out from its navy, air force and economic aid from US & Canada

• US is neutral but FDR Lend-lease program of economic assistance kept GB and USSR supplied

Eastern Invasions & Operation Barbarossa

• 1941 Hitler shifts attn to E. Europe- helps clean up Italy’s mess in Greece and N. Africa

• Hitler wants to invade Soviet Union =Operation Barbarossa (despite non-aggression Pact)

• June 22, 1941 GA invades Soviet Union

• 60-75% of GA troops fight E. front

• GA forces surround Leningrad (USSR 2nd largest city)

• Drive into Ukraine & S. Russia- close to Moscow

• Last min efforts halt GA

Japanese Aggression: • US imposes sanctions

after increased aggression- without steel, oil, & other raw materials from US, Japanese war on Asian mainland would be badly damaged

• Jpn. Views embargo as an act of war- begin plotting against the US

• Fighting between China & Jpn.

• 1940-41 Fr, Dutch, British colonial possessions vulnerable

• Fr. Falls 1940-threaten Indochina

• Japan Goal: Establish Greater E. Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere (over Chinese coast & all of SE Asia, India, Indochina, & Australia)

Pearl Harbor & Japan: assault on the South Pacific

• Dec. 7th 1941 Jpn. Surprise attack on US naval base Pearl Harbor

• Bomb and invade South Pacific & Philippines

• 1942 Japan had captured Hong Kong, Indochina, Thailand, part of Burma, the Malaysian Peninsula, Philippines, Indonesia and 100s of small Pacific islands

• Effect of Japanese attack is to bring US into war both in Pacific and in Europe (GA declared war on US)

• Japan roused one of world’s largest countries (great human power & resources & most productive economy at time in world)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX4sTBJ0tvA&feature=fvsr

The Allied Quest for Victory: 1942-1945

• Shifting Balance of WWII- 2NDhalf of war 1942-45 France dropped out; US AND Soviet Union joined

• Advantages: – Axis: GA & Jpn. Skill & quality of armed forces – Allies- Soviets and US geographic size, human pwr,

economies and resources – Longer the war lasted Allies would win (GA fails to

take Moscow and Japan fails to cripple America)

The Turning Point: 1942 • 3 Decisive Battles and GA and Japan lost all 3:

1. Midway: (June 1942) a naval battle in which the US navy had destroyed a huge portion of Jpn aircraft carrier 2. El Alamein (fall 1942) the British tunred back drive of Erwin Rommel’s GA tanks toward Egypt & Suez Canal 3. Stalingrad (Aug1942-Feb 1943) clash along the Volga River where Soviets prevent the GA from capturing all of Southern Russia & their oil reserves in the east

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v4I6RGRW50

The Shifting Tide: 1943-1944

• Allies determine direction and pace of war

• In Pacific Americans push back Japan

• Brit and US take control of N. Africa then invade Italy to knock out Fascist govt.

• June 1944 D- Day invasion (Operation Overlord. Normandy) Brit, French, Canadian and American troops, ships, and aircraft land on coast of France

• On Land Hitler threats from 3 fronts:

– East – Italian peninsula– Western Europe

• Brit. And Americans neutralized last weapon with which GA had any real chance of threatening war effort- submarine fleet ineffective by 1943

• Allies control air 1943- British and US bomb GA Europe

• US bombers pound Japan 1944 (kill civilians)

The End of WWII • Surrender of Axis 1945 GA gave up • Hitler commits suicide April 1930 • Jpn continues struggle • US navy and marines close in on Jpnese home

islands US bombers continue assault • US new Pres. Truman (feared an invasion of Jpn,

would cost millions of lives) warns Jpn of its new weapon

• Aug 5thB-29 bomber Enola Gay drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima killing 78,000 instantly & 1000s die later burns/ radiation

• Jpn, ignores US request for surrender- drop 2nd atomic bomb on Nagasaki

Hiroshima & Nagasaki