World War II
What was WWII?
Largest war in human history.
Involved countries, colonies, and territories around the
entire world.
By the end, over 70 million were dead.
It lasted from 1939 until 1945.
Causes
W WI and the Treaty of Versailles
Appeasement
Rise of Totalitarianism
Fascism
WWI and the Treaty of Versailles
Germany lost land to surrounding nations
War reparations
Allies collect $ to pay back war debts to US
Germany pays $57 trillion (modern day
equivalent)
Germans are bankrupt, embarrassed, guilt ridden,
and angry.
Desperate people turn to desperate leaders
Appeasement
Giving someone something to make them happy and
leave you alone.
Hitler demanded land that wasn’t Germany’s and
others just gave it to him.
Nations were trying to prevent war…it didn’t work.
(Isolationism)
Appeasement just showed Hitler that he could do
whatever he wanted.
Rise of Totalitarianism
A system in which the state and its leader have nearly
TOTAL control.
Individual rights are not viewed as important as the
needs of the nation.
No right to vote
No free speech Government controlled economy
Often a police state
Totalitarianism USSR : Communist Dictatorship
Germany & Italy : Fascist Dictatorship Japan :
Military Dictatorship
What is Fascism?
Fascism is a nationalistic political philosophy which is anti-democratic,
anti- communist, and anti-liberal. It puts the importance of the nation
above the rights of the individual.
Political belief that says the individual is less important than the nation.
Glorifies violence, believes it is needed to “prove” strength of a people.
Uses nationalism and racism. Dictatorships.
Italy and then Germany became fascist.
Fascist dictators began to take over in parts of Europe in the 1920’s and
1930’s due to bad economic conditions created by WWI and the Great
Depression.
Mussolini and Hitler
Benito Mussolini became the Prime Minister of
Italy in 1922. He used this position to outlaw all
non-fascist political parties and soon became and
dictator.
Adolph Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany
in January, 1933. Through a variety of
manipulative actions, Hitler soon dismantled the
German government and became a dictator.
Start of War
1936: German troops moved into the Rhineland. This was prohibited
by the Treaty of Versailles.
1936: Hitler and Mussolini signed an alliance, creating the Axis.
March 31, 1939: Britain and France agreed to protect Poland in case of
a German invasion.
Sept. 1, 1939: Hitler invaded Poland, starting WWII.
Sept, 3, 1939: Britain and France declared war on Germany and
Germany and Italy declared war on them.
Sept. 1940: Japan joins the tri pact, becoming an ally of Italy and
Germany.
American Entry into the War
America initially stayed out of the war, but began a naval build
up in the Pacific to counter the expansion of Japan.
1939: FDR moved the Pacific fleet from San Diego to Pearl
Harbor.
Disillusionment from WWI and the Great Depression
contributed to the popularity of isolationism in America.
Mid 1941: Japanese forces seized French territories in
Indochina.
In response, the US froze Japanese assets in the US and cut off
all trade with Japan.
Americans began to crack the Japanese secret code and
intercepted messages saying that Japan was planning to seize
more islands in the Pacific.
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Dec. 7, 1941: Japanese forces attacked Pearl
Harbor killing 2,400, wounding 1,200, and
destroying 300 Am. Planes, 18 warships, and 8 of
the 9 US battleships.
Dec. 8, 1941: FDR delivered a war message to
Congress. Within 3 days, the US was at war with
Japan, Germany, and Italy.
How did WWII end in Europe?
Operation Overlord- Allied invasion of France. Also called D-
Day.
Within a month 1 million Allied troops were stationed in Europe.
Germany is surrounded with the USSR to the east
Germany surrenders in 1945 after Hitler commits suicide.
Allies divide Germany up between them. This helps start the Cold
War.
Trials are held in Germany (and Japan) to try the people
responsible for the war. Many are executed and jailed for war
crimes.
Yalta Conference
Feb. 1945: The “Big Three” met at Yalta in the USSR
to plan the post-war world.
agreed to split Germany into 4 zones of occupation and
to also split the capital city, Berlin.
Stalin promised to allow free elections in the nations
his army liberated from Germany.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
August 6, 1945: On President Truman’s orders, the Enola Gay
dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima.
It destroyed about 90% of the city and killed about 140,000
people.
When the bombing of Hiroshima did not elicit a surrender from
the Japanese government, a 2nd atomic bomb was dropped on
Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.
The bomb on Nagasaki was equally destructive and led to a
Japanese surrender.
August 14, 1945: Japan agreed to an unconditional surrender.
The formal surrender was signed on September 2, 1945 on the
USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, officially ending WWII.
After the defeat of the Axis powers, all territories that had been
taken over by Japan were returned to their pre-war status.
