Download Name Date__________________ Period ______ World War II

Name ______________________________
Date__________________
Period _______
World War II Notes
I. Causes of World War II
A. Treaty of Versailles severely punished Germany
by forcing reparations (money to cover losses
suffered by the victors)
B.
Germany lost all military power
C.
The Great Depression – severe economic
downturn in world’s economy
D. Rise of Adolf Hitler
II. World War II
A. In 1933, Adolf Hitler became the leader of the
Nazi party and reformed Germany socially,
economically and culturally. (Preaching antiSemitism, racism and ethnocentrism)
B.
In 1936, Hitler formed an alliance with Italy and
Japan called Axis Powers
C.
In 1939, Germany invaded Poland, starting
World War II
D. Great Britain and France declared war on
Germany
E.
Germany quickly conquered Poland and most of
Europe including France.
F.In 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. USA
declared war on Japan and Germany.
G. USA joined Great Britain and the Soviet Union
forming the Allies alliance
H. Over time other countries chose sides.
III. The Holocaust
A. After more than five years of the war, Allied troops discovered Nazi concentration camps.
B. The camps were used to gather more than six million Jews and others to be murdered.
C. This mass killing (genocide) was called the Holocaust.
IV. War Ends
A. With the massive invasion of D-Day in 1944 the Allies pushed the Germans back to Berlin and defeated
Hitler and the Nazis in early 1945. Hitler committed suicide.
B. Japan continued to fight until the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan.
C. Japan surrendered on September, 2 1945. Ending the war.
V. The Cold War
A. After World War II, the Soviet Union established Communist governments throughout Eastern Europe
and Asia.
B. Germany was divided into communist East Germany and democratic West Germany. An imaginary
boundary line between east (communist) and west (democratic) Europe was called the Iron Curtain.
C. This division marked a period of great tension and minor wars called the Cold War.
D. The Cold War was highlighted by a nuclear arms race to show potential power.
E. In the 1980’s many Eastern European powers overthrew their Communist governments and in 1991 the
Soviet Union collapsed itself. Democracy replaced communism throughout Eastern Europe.