Download World War II (1939 – 1945) Prior Wars Complete the table below

World War II (1939 – 1945)
Prior Wars
1. Complete the table below using your prior knowledge.
o
o
o
o
For “Combatants”, explain what country(s) fought what country(s).
For “Causes”, explain why the war began.
For “Conclusion”, explain how the war ended. Who won, and did they sign a peace
treaty?
For “Analysis”, explain whether you believe the conclusion of the war left unresolved
issues that might later turn to war again, or if it resolved all the issues between the
countries.
Prior Wars Combatants
Causes
Conclusion
Analysis
Revolutionary
War
War of 1812
Mexican War
Civil War
Spanish War
Great War
The End of the Great War
Germany was blamed for the Great War, and it was forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles which
forced it to pay for all the damage it had done in the war (which Germany could not afford).
When the Great Depression hit, its economy suffered even more. Since Germany’s economy was
doing so poorly, a man named Hitler became popular in Germany because he promised to make
Germany a great country again.
Japan’s economy suffered during the Great Depression, and its leaders wanted the resources
of other nearby countries (like China) to improve its economy. The United States did not approve
of Japan’s actions, and placed an embargo1 on Japan.
2. Based on your Prior Wars analyses above, what do you predict Germany and Japan are
likely to do? What is motivating Germany and Japan to behave as they are?
3. If you were the United States, how would you react to what is happening in Germany and
Japan? Explain.
4. Use the world map in the back of your textbook and indicate where each of the Axis and
Allies countries are on the map below.
1
Where a country refuses to trade with another country.
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World War II (1939 – 1945)
World War II (1939-1945)
Axis
Germany (major power)
Italy
Japan (major power)
Allies
France
United Kingdom/Britain (major power)
Russia/Soviet Union/USSR (major power)
United States (major power)
5. Complete the chart below using your Great War map handout from before.
World War I (Great War) (1914-1918)
Triple Alliance (Central Powers)
Triple Entente (Allies)
Germany
?
?
France
?
?
?
Japan
6. Compare and contrast the various alliances in World War II with the alliances in
the Great War (World War I) by explaining how they changed or remained the
same.
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World War II (1939 – 1945)
After World War II (The Cold War) (1947-1991)
Warsaw Pact
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty
Organization)
Soviet Union
?
United States
?
?
?
7. What major countries are part of the NATO alliance? What alliance were most of
these countries in during World War II?
8. What major countries are part of the Warsaw Pact alliance? What alliance were
most of these countries in during World War II?
9. Based on the map above, which alliance do you think eventually won World War
II? Explain.
10. Create an alliances flip book showing the change in alliances between the major
countries of the world, beginning with the Great War, continuing with World War
II, and ending with the Cold War-era NATO and Warsaw Pact alliances. Each
map of your flip book should contain a brief summary of each major nation in that
alliance. The Summary should include the following information:
a)
b)
c)
Leader:
Government:
Goals:
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World War II (1939 – 1945)
The Start of World War II
In 1938, Germany was a total dictatorship under the Nazi Party and Chancellor Adolf Hitler. Although the
1919 Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I had put limits on the size of Germany’s military, by the late
1930s, Hitler had begun ignoring those limitations. He began not only to rebuild his military rapidly, but also
to speak openly of Germany’s need for lebensraum, or “living space.”
Anschluss and Appeasement2
In March 1938, Nazi troops took control of Austria, which put up no resistance. Hitler claimed that the
annexation was supported by his doctrine of Anschluss , or natural political unification of Germany and
Austria. Britain and France took no action. Shortly thereafter, Hitler demanded that Czechoslovakia cede
(give up) to Germany the Sudetenland, a territory along the German-Czech border. Hitler accused the
Czechs of tyrannizing the large German population there and argued that the territory belonged to Germany.
Britain and France met with Germany and both countries agreed to give in to Germany’s demand if Hitler
and Germany took no more land. Hitler signed an agreement with Britain and France agreeing to take no
more land.
After taking the Sudetenland, however, Hitler ignored the agreement and occupied most of western
Czechoslovakia. Britain and France again took no action.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
2
Map out the actions of Germany above on the map.
What is lebensraum? Explain.
What is Anschluss? Do you agree with it? Why?
What do you think of Hitler’s actions? Explain.
What do you think of Britain and France’s actions? Explain.
What would you have done if you were Hitler? Why?
What would you have done if you were Britain and France? Why?
Giving in to the demands of another.
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World War II (1939 – 1945)
The German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact
Several months after Germany’s annexation of the Sudetenland (in Czechoslovakia), on August 23,
1939, a meeting occurred in Moscow between German foreign minister von Ribbentrop and
Soviet foreign minister Molotov. Afterward, they announced publicly that Germany and the Soviet
Union had signed the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact to prevent hostilities between the two
countries.
However, both ministers kept secret the fact that, in addition to agreeing not to attack each other,
Germany and the Soviet Union had also agreed to invade the countries that lay between them.
Specifically, they agreed that Germany and the Soviet Union would each take over one half of
Poland, with a further agreement that the Soviet Union would take over the countries of Lithuania,
Latvia, and Estonia without German interference.
The German Invasion of Poland
Germany’s invasion of Poland came quickly and with overwhelming force. The attack began on
September 1, 1939, with heavy air strikes followed by a rapidly advancing ground invasion. Hitler
referred to the strategy as blitzkrieg, or “lightning war.” The object of the blitzkrieg strategy was
to shock the opponent so severely that there would be little resistance, allowing the country to be
overrun quickly, with minimal German losses. It took Germany 26 days to conquer Poland.
Atrocities against the Polish People
Germany sought not just to destroy the Polish government but also to obliterate the Polish
people. In the first days and weeks of the war, both Jewish and non-Jewish civilians were killed
regardless of whether they resisted. Villages and towns were burned, and fleeing survivors were
ruthlessly chased down and shot.
Although the regular German army defeated the Polish military within days of the invasion, a
more sinister set of squadrons followed — part of the soon-to-be-infamous S.S3. These S.S.
squadrons immediately began rounding up and killing Polish civilians. Larger groups of Jews
were singled out and herded into the central Warsaw ghetto where they were slowly starved for
the next two years. Smaller groups encountered along the way were shot on the spot.
The Soviet Invasion of Poland
Just two weeks after the German invasion began, Soviet troops were ordered by their leader,
Stalin, to invade Poland from the east on September 17, 1939. It took them only two days to push
far enough to meet German troops advancing from the west. By this time, Germany had already
taken most of Poland except for Warsaw, which was under siege. Upon meeting the Russian
troops, the Germans handed over large numbers of prisoners and promptly pulled back to the line
agreed upon in the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact. Retreating Polish armies, unaware that
the Soviet Union was part of Germany’s occupation plan, fled directly into the Russian army.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
3
What was the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact? Explain.
Why did both Germany and the USSR keep the nonaggression pact secret?
Explain blitzkrieg. Was it effective? Why?
We’ve talked of total war, is what the German army did against the Polish people part of total war?
What is the S.S. and what did they do?
Do we have organizations today similar to the S.S.? Explain.
What atrocities did the Germany army commit in Poland?
Why do you think the German army acted the way it did towards the people of Poland?
What effect do you think the German-Soviet nonaggression pact will have on the course of the
war? Explain.
Schutzstaffel: Translates as Protection Squadron.
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World War II (1939 – 1945)
Propaganda in World War II
27.



Follow along with the power point and complete the table below.
For Description: Briefly describe what the poster shows.
For Meaning: Explain what message you think the poster is showing.
For Likely Origin: Explain what major Allied or Axis country created the poster AND explain why.
Poster #
Description
Meaning
Likely Origin
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
28. Create your own propaganda poster about the current war in Afghanistan. The poster should
include some catchy image as well as words to that effect. Your poster should be as colorful and
eye-catching as possible.
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World War II (1939 – 1945)
The War in Europe
29. Read through the information on this page and the next page, then select one section and illustrate
it with as much detail as possible. Do this illustration on a separate sheet of paper.
Invasion of Western Europe
Soon after invading Poland, the Soviet Union fought a four-month invasion of Finland, ultimately conquering
that country, though it lost 200,000 soldiers to Finland’s loss of 100,000. In April of 1940, Germany
simultaneously conquered both Denmark and Norway.
On May 10, 1940, Germany began the invasion of Western Europe with the primary goal of conquering
France. The Netherlands and Belgium were both quickly overrun by the German blitzkrieg, both
surrendering to Germany in just two weeks of fighting. Germany achieved surprise in these invasions by
moving its tank army through the Ardennes forest, which the Allies did not believe was possible, and thus
did not defend against an invasion from that route.
Meanwhile, Germany invaded France and managed to surround the
main French army, separating it from the British army near the
French port city of Dunkirk. The British began withdrawing its
300,000 soldiers and all their equipment from France and fleeing
back to the United Kingdom, leaving France on its own against the
German army.
The new British prime minister (leader) Winston Churchill
encouraged France to resist Germany at all costs. By June 22,
1940, over half of the French army had been destroyed by the
Germans and Adolf Hitler of Germany forced the French to
surrender in the very same railway car that the Germans in the
Great War were forced to surrender to the French.
30. What role did geography play in the German victory over France? Explain.
31. In what other wars have we seen geography play a role in one side’s victory? Explain.
32. Why do you think the British withdrew from France and left the French on their own against the
Germans?
33. Would you have done the same as the British? Why?
34. Why do you think Hitler forced the French to surrender in a railcar?
Battle of Britain
After France’s surrender, Germany’s main goal was to conquer the British in the United Kingdom. From July
to September of 1940, Germany bombed the United Kingdom, particularly the British capital city of London,
which was heavily bombed by the Germans, resulting in numerous civilian casualties. In the course of these
months of air battles, the British lost 900 planes to Germany’s loss of 1,700 planes. The primary reason for
the British victory was the use of radar by the British to detect incoming German airplanes and intercept
them before they could arrive at their targets. The British also benefitted from supplies sent by American
convoy ships.
After Germany’s huge losses in the Battle of Britain, Hitler postponed his invasion of Britain and instead
turned to attack the Soviet Union in the east.
35. What was the one main factor that helped the British defeat the Germans at the Battle of Britain?
Explain.
36. What other wars have we seen technology play a key role in one side’s victory? Explain.
37. What role do you think technology will play in future wars?
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World War II (1939 – 1945)
The War in Europe
Italy
Italy, led by Mussolini, joined Germany as part of the Axis powers on June, 1940 and declared war on
Britain and France. Italy joined too late to help the Germans in France, and the Italians had no real air force
to speak of. Italy began attacking British forces in Eastern Africa, where it won, and in North Africa, where it
lost. Italy also attacked Greece and failed. It was at this point that Germany helped Italy and invaded Greece
by first invading neutral Yugoslavia, which quickly surrendered.
38. In your opinion, was Italy a good ally? Explain.
The Invasion of Russia (Operation Barbarossa)
Germany began the invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. Germany invaded with over 4 million
soldiers and planned the conquest of the Soviet Union to be complete by the winter of 1941. In the first week
of the German invasion they destroyed over 5,000 Soviet planes, with few losses to the German air force.
The leader of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, ordered his army to fight to the last man and conduct a
scorched-earth tactic, which meant that whatever resources they could not carry away, they were to burn so
that the Germans could not use it. The Russians thus destroyed roads and bridges, burned fields of crops,
and demolished or emptied many factories. Some major factories were even disassembled and moved
eastward out of danger. The scorched-earth policy was effective and slowed the advancing German armies.
The British and Americans began supplying the Soviets through their northern port cities. Hitler had already
planned to have defeated the Soviets by winter, and when winter finally arrived, his armies were still fighting.
As a result, many German soldiers died from frostbite and large numbers of German equipment (tanks,
guns, etc.) malfunctioned in the cold weather.
Germany continued to fight in the Soviet Union, both in the winter of 1941 and through the next year and into
the winter of 1942. In this time, they managed to kill 20 million Soviets, and lost over 1 million of their own
soldiers.
39. Was Germany’s invasion of Russia a betrayal? What about the saying, “All’s fair in love and war”?
40. What evidence was there in Germany’s past behavior that would indicate its future behavior
towards Russia?
41. Was the German invasion of Russia a success? Explain.
42. Would you have attacked Russia if you were the leader of Germany? Why?
43. Explain below what your plan to win World War II would have been if you were in Hitler’s place.
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World War II (1939 – 1945)
The War in the Pacific
Japan
Tensions in the Pacific
In the years prior to the outbreak of World War II in Europe, tensions were also escalating in the Pacific
region. Japan, which had been at war with China since 1937, had declared openly its intent to take over as
much of eastern Asia as it could. It also had serious ambitions toward taking territory in the Soviet Union. If
Germany, which the Japanese government saw as a potential ally, would attack Russia from the west,
Japanese military leaders felt that they stood a good chance of seizing Soviet-controlled territory in the east.
44. How do you think Japan felt about Germany and the Soviet Union signing a non-aggression pact in
1939? Why?
Japan and the United States
In the meantime, the United States was becoming more and more of a problem for Japan. Throughout the
1930s, the United States and many European nations, suffering from the Great Depression, created high
protective tariffs4. These tariffs greatly reduced Japanese export of goods and made worse the effects of
Japan’s economic depression. In July 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt decided not to renew trade
treaties with Japan and this effectively eliminated Japan’s primary source of oil, scrap metal, and other
material resources needed for war. On September 27, 1940, Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Germany
and Italy. The pact made the three nations official allies.
45. How would Japan feel towards the United States because of these tariffs and refusal to trade?
Why?
46. If the United States had kept trading with Japan, would Japan have still become allies with
Germany and Italy? Why?
The United States Prepares for War
Although the United States remained officially neutral during the first two years of World War II, the United
States provided material support first to Britain and later to the Soviet Union, secretly at first but then openly
later. The American people also paid close attention to the events developing in the Pacific and, by mid1941, considered war with both Japan and Germany to be likely possibilities.
U.S. intelligence services had direct access to Japanese coded transmissions, so U.S. officials were well
aware that the Japanese were planning something against them—they just did not know precisely what.
One man in particular, Admiral Richmond K. Turner, strongly urged that U.S. forces be placed on a higher
state of alert, as he was particularly concerned about the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. During
previous U.S. war games and exercises, Pearl Harbor had proven highly vulnerable to surprise attacks.
Although Turner’s advice was considered, only some of his recommendations were implemented.
Indochina
Indochina was a French colony in Southeast Asia comprising the present-day nations Vietnam, Laos, and
Cambodia. On July 20, 1941, Japanese troops entered the region and quickly occupied the entire area.
Japan justified the occupation as necessary in order to deny resources to the Chinese resistance. However,
Indochina also provided Japan with a convenient base for launching attacks against other countries and
territories in the region, including Singapore and the Dutch East Indies. Both the United States and Britain
saw this move as a threat and a clear indication of Japan’s intention to continue its expansion throughout the
Pacific Rim. The two countries expressed their disapproval by freezing5 Japanese bank accounts.
47. What was the main point of disagreement between Japan and the United States in the Pacific?
4
Taxes on products from other countries, designed to make them more expensive so people will buy
locally-made products.
5
This meant that Japan could not access its money in banks in the U.S. and U.K.
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World War II (1939 – 1945)
The Japanese Attack Plan
As early as January 1941, Admiral Yamamoto developed a plan for attacking the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor
and carried out training exercises to prepare specifically for such an attack. In October, the Japanese
emperor, Hirohito, gave his general approval for action against the United States and, on November 8,
approved the specific Pearl Harbor attack plan. On November 25–26, the Japanese fleet set sail from
Japan, its goal was to make a permanent end to Western interference in its affairs by obliterating the U.S.
and British military in the Pacific.
Pearl Harbor
On the morning of December 7, 1941, a fleet of six aircraft carriers, twenty-five submarines, and nearly three
dozen additional support ships was sitting 200 miles north of the Hawaiian island of Oahu—in the open sea,
far beyond the line of sight of any U.S. forces.
The first wave of Japanese planes numbered more than 180. Although U.S. radar operators saw the
massive formation nearly a full hour before the attack began, they raised no alarm, because they mistook
the planes for a group of U.S. bombers expected to arrive from California around the same time. This
mistake happened in spite of the fact that the planes seen on the radar were coming from the wrong
direction and were much more numerous than the expected bomber fleet.
The first wave arrived at the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor at 7:55 a.m. and achieved complete surprise;
only nine Japanese planes were lost. The primary targets were major U.S. warships, most of which were
docked close together in neat lines. These included eight of the nine battleships in the U.S. Pacific Fleet,
along with several dozen other warships. The Japanese also targeted six nearby military airfields. A second
attack wave of more than 160 planes followed just over an hour later. By this time, the Americans were well
alerted and managed to bring down twenty Japanese planes.
In all, the attack on Pearl Harbor killed 2,402 Americans, destroyed five battleships completely, put three
more out of commission, sank or seriously damaged at least eleven other warships, and destroyed nearly
more than 180 aircraft on the ground. The only good luck the U.S. Navy had was that none of its aircraft
carriers were in port at the time and that the Japanese bombers failed to hit the large fuel reserves in the
area.
In addition to attacking Pearl Harbor that day, Japan also attacked the U.S. territories of Guam, the
Philippines, Wake Island, and Midway Island, as well as British colonies in Malaya and Hong Kong.
Declarations of War
The next day, December 8, President Roosevelt went before both houses of the U.S. Congress to request a
declaration of war against Japan; after a vote, the declaration was formalized just hours later. Britain
declared war on Japan on the same day. Three days later, on December 11, Germany declared war on the
United States. Thus, the United States was now at war with both Japan and Germany and able to enter fully
into its alliance with Britain.
Reaction in the United States
The story of the attack on Pearl Harbor has become a part of American culture. For the American
population, the event was a traumatic shock, as few regular Americans knew much about the events in
Japan leading up to the war or about the level of hostility that Japan bore toward the United States.
Britain’s prime minister, Winston Churchill, was desperate for active U.S. participation and had long been
pressing his old friend Roosevelt to enter the war. Some historians argue that British intelligence had
specific information about the Pearl Harbor attack and that Churchill deliberately kept the information to
himself so that the United States would finally go to war. These claims, however, remain unconfirmed.
48. What was Japan’s goal in attacking the American fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii? Did it achieve this
goal? Explain.
49. Did the United States have any warnings that Japan might attack them?
50. Was Japan’s sneak attack a part of total war? Was it right to attack the United States in this way?
Why?
51. If you were Churchill, the leader of the United Kingdom, and you knew that Japan was planning on
attacking the United States, would you have told the United States about the planned attack? Why?
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World War II (1939 – 1945)
52. Use the map of the Far East & the Pacific and circle the underlined locations below on that same
map.
53. Map out the numbered events below on your map of the Far East & the Pacific.
54. Why did Japan lose the battles of the Coral Sea and Midway?
55. What piece of technology allowed the United States to defeat Japan’s forces in the Pacific?
56. What was Japan’s New Plan? What was one advantage to the plan? What was one disadvantage?
57. Do you think Japan’s New Plan was a good one? Explain.
Event 1) The Japanese Onslaught
After its initial attacks on Pearl Harbor and Allied interests throughout the Pacific, the Japanese navy
continued to expand its conquests over the coming months. On February 15, 1942, Japanese forces took
Singapore, a humiliating defeat for the United Kingdom. On March 9, after a series of sea battles, the Dutch
colony of Java surrendered. On April 9, the U.S. territory of the Philippines also fell to Japan. Island
colonies, territories, and nations in Southeast Asia continued to fall one after the other as Japanese forces
exploded across the South China Sea and into the Bay of Bengal, threatening Burma and even India.
Event 2) The Doolittle Raid
On April 18, 1942, U.S. forces launched a daring air raid to demonstrate that Japan itself was vulnerable to
Allied attack. Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle led the attack, which came from the aircraft carrier USS
Hornet. The bombers flew more than 800 miles to Japan, where they dropped bombs on oil and naval
facilities in Tokyo and several other cities. The planes then continued on to China to land. Although the raid
did minimal damage to Japan, it was a powerful psychological victory for the United States and
demonstrated that the Japanese homeland could be attacked.
Event 3) The Battle of the Coral Sea
By late spring 1942, Japan had captured most of Southeast Asia and turned its attention southward. In early
May, Japanese invasion fleets were ordered to take over Tulagi in the Solomon Islands and Port Moresby
on New Guinea—the location of a major Allied base and the last Allied outpost standing between the
Japanese navy and Australia. U.S. forces in the area were alerted in advance because of intercepted
Japanese radio transmissions. Two American aircraft carriers (the USS Lexington and USS Yorktown),
along with several cruisers and destroyers, were dispatched to stop the attacks and protect Port Moresby.
The Americans and Japanese fought on May 7 in the Battle of the Coral Sea. The entire battle was
carried out by carrier-based aircraft, without any ships exchanging shots—the first time in history that a
naval battle was waged exclusively from the air. Both sides suffered heavy losses, and the Lexington was
sunk. While losses were roughly equal for each side, the Allied forces succeeded in their goal of protecting
Port Moresby.
Event 4) Japan’s New Plan
Following the humiliation of the Doolittle Raid and the failure to take Port Moresby during the Battle of the
Coral Sea, Japan knew that something had to be done to eliminate the threat from U.S. aircraft carriers.
Admiral Yamamoto, who had planned the Pearl Harbor attack, was again put in charge.
Yamamoto’s plan involved a massive attack on the Pacific island of Midway and a second, smaller
attack on the Aleutian Islands of Alaska with the intent of drawing part of the U.S. Navy away from Midway.
The Japanese assembled a huge armada of more than 150 ships for the attack, including four aircraft
carriers and seven battleships.
As with the Battle of the Coral Sea, however, U.S. intelligence managed to decipher Japanese
coded transmissions and determine where the actual attack would take place. The United States responded
by sending its entire Pacific Fleet to Midway.
Event 5) The Battle of Midway
Japan started its attack early in the morning on June 4, bombing the U.S. base on Midway Island. American
naval planes responded against the Japanese armada in a series of waves. Although the first American
attacks were easily destroyed, a group of U.S. dive-bombers finally got through Japanese defenses and
near three Japanese aircraft carriers, whose decks were loaded with freshly fueled aircraft preparing for
takeoff. The American bombers managed to put all three carriers out of commission and were eventually
sunk by the Japanese themselves. That afternoon, a fourth Japanese carrier was damaged beyond repair.
The Battle of Midway was over by the end of the day. In all, the United States lost one aircraft carrier, one
destroyer, nearly 150 airplanes, and just over 300 men. The Japanese losses were far worse: four aircraft
carriers, along with more than 230 airplanes and more than 2,000 men.
Event 6) Japan on the Defensive
The nature of the war in the Pacific changed dramatically during the first half of 1942. Japan had begun with
a strong offensive but quickly overextended itself by conquering most of Southeast Asia. Furthermore,
Japan underestimated the U.S. Navy and took a risky gamble in its attack on Midway. Japan’s losses at
Coral Sea and Midway forced it to shift into a defensive mode. Never again would Australia or the U.S.
mainland face a serious danger from Japanese attack.
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World War II (1939 – 1945)
The end of the War
EUROPE
In Europe, the United States and the United Kingdom invaded first in Italy, followed soon after in France.
Meanwhile, the Soviet Union invaded German-occupied Poland and all three countries began pushing for
Germany itself. The war finally finished in Europe in 1945, with Germany being divided between the four
main allied countries, France included.
In the German city of Nuremburg, war crimes trials were held for hundreds of Germans that were accused of
“crimes against humanity”. Nearly all of these Germans were in the military and very few of them were
scientists. Many of the scientists were instead recruited by the Americans and Soviets and began working
for those two countries to create Jets and Rockets, which previously only the Germans had.
58. Why include France in the invasion of Germany when France’s military was already wiped out?
59. What do you think a “crime against humanity” is?
60. Why do you think the Allies did NOT put German scientists on trial for war crimes? Should they
have put them on trial?
61. Should the low-ranked German soldiers during the war be put on trial for their “crimes”? Why?
THE PACIFIC
In the Pacific, the Americans and Japanese fought from island to island, with the Americans steadily pushing
the Japanese back to their home islands. The president of the United States had initially planned for a
normal invasion of Japan much like the invasion of Germany in Europe, but his top military officials warned
him that minimum estimated American casualties for such an invasion would exceed one million (up until
this point only some 400,000 Americans had died in the war). President Harry Truman made the decision to
use the newly-created atomic bomb on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. America had
considered dropping these bombs on Germany, but the decision was made to save them for later. The two
bombs killed 200,000 people, mostly civilians. A few days later Japan surrendered and World War II officially
ended.
62. Why do you think the decision was made to drop the atomic bombs on Japan, and NOT Germany?
63. Was Truman’s decision the correct one? Explain.
64. What would you have done if you had been President Truman? Why?
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World War II (1939 – 1945)
The Holocaust
The Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of
approximately six million Jews (there were nine million living in all of Europe) by the Nazi regime and
its collaborators. The Nazis, who came to power in Germany in January 1933, believed that Germans
were "racially superior" and that the Jews, deemed "inferior," were an alien threat to the so-called
German racial community.
During the era of the Holocaust, German authorities also targeted other groups because of
their perceived "racial inferiority": Roma (Gypsies), the disabled, and some of the Slavic peoples
(Polish, Russians, and others). Other groups were persecuted on political, ideological, and behavioral
grounds, among them Communists, Socialists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and homosexuals.
ADMINISTRATION OF THE "FINAL SOLUTION"
In the early years of the Nazi regime, the National Socialist government established
concentration camps to detain real and imagined political and ideological opponents. Increasingly in
the years before the outbreak of war, SS and police officials incarcerated Jews, Roma, and other
victims of ethnic and racial hatred in these camps. To concentrate and monitor the Jewish population
as well as to facilitate later deportation of the Jews, the Germans and their collaborators created
ghettos, transit camps, and forced-labor camps for Jews during the war years. The German authorities
also established numerous forced-labor camps, both in the so-called Greater German Reich and in
German-occupied territory, for non-Jews whose labor the Germans sought to exploit.
Following the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, Einsatzgruppen (mobile killing units) and,
later, militarized battalions of Order Police officials, moved behind German lines to carry out massmurder operations against Jews, Roma, and Soviet state and Communist Party officials. German SS
and police units, supported by units of the Wehrmacht (German army) and the SS, murdered more
than a million Jewish men, women, and children, and hundreds of thousands of others. Between 1941
and 1944, Nazi German authorities deported millions of Jews from Germany, from occupied territories,
and from the countries of many of its Axis allies to ghettos and to killing centers, often called
extermination camps, where they were murdered in specially developed gassing facilities.
THE END OF THE HOLOCAUST
In the final months of the war, SS guards moved camp inmates by train or on forced marches,
often called “death marches,” in an attempt to prevent the Allied liberation of large numbers of
prisoners. As Allied forces moved across Europe in a series of offensives against Germany, they
began to encounter and liberate concentration camp prisoners, as well as prisoners en route by forced
march from one camp to another. The marches continued until May 7, 1945, the day the German
armed forces surrendered unconditionally to the Allies.
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