Download Notes: World War I (Chapters 26)

Notes: World War II (Chapter 26)
26.1 The War Begins
In the years after World War I, the people of Italy suffered through economic ___________,
unemployment, strikes, and __________. Italians sought a strong leader who could bring
stability to the country. In 1922 ______________________ came to power to do these
things. Mussolini’s rule was based on _________________- a political system in which the
state (or government) is seen as more important than __________________. Mussolini
restored order to Italy and improved the economy through public works projects. His fascist
government, though, crushed all opposition and destroyed __________________________
such as freedom of speech.
Germany was also suffering the effects of global depression. Additionally, Germans were
furious about the ____________________________ ending World War I. The treaty forced
Germany to make crippling _________________ payments for its’ role in the war, to accept
war __________, was stripped of __________ (colonies), and was forced to ___________.
Political and World War I veteran ___________________ took advantage of public anger to
gain power. A great ________________, he inspired Germans by promising to restore
prosperity and power. Hitler blamed Germany’s defeat in World War I on intellectuals,
Communists, and __________. He claimed that Germany would only rise again to
greatness after ridding itself of ____________. His political party, the ___________, gained
a strong following and quickly seized all government power. Although Hitler hated
communism, he and Soviet Union ruler __________________ had something in commonwere both ruthless __________________.
Japan was ruled by a group of military leaders who, by the 1930s had more influence than
the Japanese emperor. These leaders wanted Japan to build an empire. In 1931 they
invaded and conquered a region in northern __________________.
Hitler dreamed of avenging Germany’s World War I defeat. He wanted to unite all
_____________________________ people in Europe and obtain territory for “living space”
for the growing German population. In violation of the Treaty of Versailles, he began to
rebuild the ____________________, and, in 1936 invaded the ______________________,
a former German territory lost during World War I. In the same year, he formed an alliance
with __________________ forming the __________ Powers. ____________ later joined
this pact. In 1938, Hitler forced __________________ to unite with Germany. He next
demanded control of Sudetenland, a region in Czechoslovakia where many Germans lived.
The Czechs refused and Hitler threatened war. The Czechs looked to their French and
British allies for help but neither wanted to be pulled into an armed conflict. British Prime
Minister Neville Chamberlain organized a meeting with Hitler in 1938 to work out a peaceful
solution in which Germany was given the _____________________ in return for a promise
not to demand more land. This approach was known as ____________________- a policy
of avoiding war by giving into demands. British admiral Winston Churchill said this strategy
would not work. He said “The government had to choose between shame and war. They
have chosen shame. They will get _________.”
Churchill was proven right as in March 1939 German troops seized the rest of
___________________ and began demanding territory from Poland. _________________
and France pledged to defend Poland if attacked. Hitler, wanting to keep the Soviets out of
the conflict, signed a nonaggression pact with Stalin in which they promised not to attack
each other (and secretly agreed to divide Poland). On September 1, 1939 Hitler’s troops
attacked __________________ marking the start of World War II. Two days later, Britain
and France, the _____________ Powers, declared war on Germany.
German tanks and airplanes quickly broke through Polish defenses, using a strategy called
__________________ (lightening war). Germans attacked Poland from the west and the
Soviets attacked from the east. Within a month they had taken control of Poland.
After taking Poland, Hitler conquered _________________, Norway, _________________,
Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. They then invaded ____________________, who
surrendered in June 1940. Around this time, _______________ declared war on the allies.
______________________ was Hitler’s final target. To move troops and equipment across
the English Channel, the Germans had to defeat the Royal Air Force (RAF). In July 1940
the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) began attacking British planes in what became known as
the __________________________. The next month, Hitler ordered the air force to bomb
British ___________ to crush British morale. But ________________________, the British
Prime Minister, refused to give in. The RAF destroyed 2,300 aircraft and Hitler canceled the
invasion of Britain.
While most Americans opposed Hitler’s actions, they did not want to join the war. In the
years between WWI & WWII, the U.S. had returned to a policy of isolationism (avoid
“entangling alliances”, keep out of European conflicts). That sentiment changed somewhat
with industrialization and the dependence on international trade. But even as the Nazis
were marching through Europe in the 1930s, the United States remained isolationist. When
Roosevelt ran for reelection in 1940 he told Americans that “your boys are not going to be
sent into any foreign wars” (he thought we would be at war, though). That same year,
Americans began to reconsider their opposition to entering the war because of Germany’s
crushing defeat of France, the Battle of Britain, and Japan’s aggressive behavior. In 1941
Roosevelt proposed new programs to help the Allies. In March of 1941 Congress passed
the ________________________ Act allowing the president to aid any nation believed vital
to U.S. defense. The United States sent billions of dollars worth of weapons and food to
______________________, Nationalists in China, and other countries. In 1941 Hitler
violated his nonaggression pact with Stalin and invaded the _____________________. The
Soviets then joined the Allies.
Like Germany and Italy, _________________ was building an empire. After conquering
much of China in the 1930s, the Japanese moved into Southeast Asia to gain control of
_________. Roosevelt protested and cut off exports to Japan. The Japanese had already
begun planning an attack to destroy the U.S. naval fleet at _______________________ in
Hawaii in order to give Japan time to get control of East Asia before the U.S. military could
respond. At 7:55 a.m. on December 7, 1941 the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor damaging
all battleships there and killing more than __________ Americans. The next day, Roosevelt
addressed Congress and war was declared on Japan. There was no more debate about
isolationism. The United States had joined the Allies in another world war.
26.2 The Home Front
The United States was still experiencing the effects of the __________________________
when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941. The end of the Depression
was caused by Americans mobilizing (preparing) for the war. Factories ran 24 hours a day
producing ___________, _____________, ______________, _____________, airplanes,
and ammo. American workers ___________________ the war production of all Axis
powers combined as unemployment fell to ______% in 1944. The ____________________
_____________________ (WPB) was created by the government to oversee the
conversion of factories to war production, banning production of __________ so that auto
plants could produce military equipment. Opportunities opened up for African Americans to
work in factories. The U.S. also needed soldiers so the Congress passed the Selective
Training and Service Act of 1940 establishing the first peacetime draft in the country’s
history. Men between 21 and 35 were required to register for the draft. To finance the war,
the government increased ___________ and sold war ___________. The government
___________________ products such as gas, rubber, shoes, and some foods. As men left
to fight the war, women found themselves doing traditionally male jobs such as factory
work. The output in defense industries was made possible by women and African
Americans taking these jobs. Some women served in the military. African Americans
served in the war, mostly in ___________________ units. One group of African Americans
were the ________________________, who were pilots trained in Tuskegee, Alabama and
who overcame discrimination to fly thousands of successful combat missions.
Japanese Americans faced challenges during World War II. After the attack on Pearl
Harbor, some Americans began to look at Japanese Americans with fear and suspicion.
Many thought they might serve as _______________________ for Japan and help Japan
prepare an invasion of the West Coast or sabotage U.S. war efforts. Because of these
fears, Roosevelt issued an Executive Order that allowed the government to ____________
(force relocation & imprisonment) Japanese Americans. Over 100,000 Japanese
Americans were evacuated from their homes and held in _____________________ camps.
This caused Japanese Americans to lose ______________, _______________, and
belongings. The Japanese felt betrayed. When given the opportunity to serve in the
military, thousands of Japanese volunteered.
26.3 War in Europe and North Africa
By the time the United States entered the war, the Allies were in trouble. The Axis Powers
controlled much of western Europe and were advancing in North Africa. German
submarines were attacking Allied ships making it difficult to get American supplies to the
British. When the United States entered the war, ________________ and _____________
met to strategize. They agreed on two initial strategies: a buildup of troops in Great Britain
to invade _______________ and an assault on German forces in ____________________.
Although the Soviets wanted help on the eastern front, the Allies put a European invasion
on hold to focus on North Africa.
North Africa was important because of the ___________________- a critical supply route
in Egypt. Erwin Rommel, a German General, attacked Egypt in 1942 and the British
stopped them at the Battle of El Alamein. At the same time U.S & British troops came
ashore west of Egypt (Morocco & Algeria) and surrounded them. The Germans in Africa
(Afrika Korps) __________________ there.
The Allies next looked to Europe. Allied forces invaded Sicily in July 1943 and moved on to
the rest of Italian mainland. Italian leaders overthrew _____________________ (& later
executed him) and _____________________ to the Allies. Hitler refused to recognize the
Axis defeat and sent German troops to Italy to block the Allied advance. Although difficult,
the Allies captured ___________ and in early 1945 German forces were driven out of Italy.
At the same time, German and Soviet armies were battling on the eastern front. Axis forces
had driven deep into the Soviet Union to Stalingrad, which was an important industrial city.
Stalin refused to give up Stalingrad. German supplies were short and soldiers on both sides
starved and ____________ to death. In January 1943 the German commander at
Stalingrad _____________ Hitler and surrendered. The Battle of ____________________,
in which a total of almost 2 million soldiers were killed, became a turning point of the war.
After victories in North Africa and Italy, the Allies were ready to invade German-occupied
_________________. This was the first step toward the goal of _____________________
Europe and forcing Hitler to surrender. Dwight ______________________ was in charge of
planning what would be the largest sea-to-land invasion ever attempted. The Germans,
expecting the invasion, had planted ______________ and stretched barbed wire along the
French coastline. They had heavily armed soldiers waiting on the beaches. On June 6,
1944 American, British, and Canadian troops invaded _______________. This is known as
_____________ (“designated day”). After crossing the waters of the English Channel they
landed on five beaches in __________________. 156,000 soldiers were part of the
invasion. They jumped from boats and waded ashore while being shot at. The Americans
landed on two beaches, codenamed Omaha and Utah. 3,000 men were killed or wounded
on Omaha beach. By the end of D-Day, all five beaches were in _______________ control.
The Allies then began driving east through French villages and countryside toward
_____________________.
26.4 War in the Pacific
In the early 1930s Japan attacked ______________ and captured many Chinese cities as
they continued to expand the Japanese empire in Asia.
Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor weakened the U.S. Pacific Fleet so much that the U.S.
could not respond to Japan as it conquered Thailand, Burma, British Hong Kong, British
Singapore, and U.S. territories of ___________ and Wake Island. The Japanese also
forced the Americans, under Douglas MacArthur, to surrender the _______________. The
U.S. and Filipino troops who surrendered were forced to march 63 miles to prison camps in
what was known as the ___________________________ (600 Americans and 10,000
Filipinos died). The Allies feared that the Japanese might next attack India, Australia, or the
___________________ mainland. Admiral Chester _______________, leader of the U.S.
Pacific Fleet, was determined to stop the Japanese and he had the advantage of being
able to crack Japanese ___________. The code breakers helped Americans in two battles,
including the Battle of ______________ (June 1942). Because of the code-breakers, Allied
leaders learned that the Japanese planned a surprise attack on the Midway Islands. When
Japan started bombing, the American aircraft were ready. They launched planes from
aircraft carriers and bombed Japanese aircraft carriers (destroying 4) while many of the
planes were refueling. This severely weakened Japanese naval power. Nimitz said “Pearl
Harbor has now been partially avenged”.
The Americans next began the enormous task of recapturing territory from Japan. In
August of 1942, American Marines invaded Guadalcanal, northeast of Australia. After six
month, Americans had recaptured it.
The victories at Midway and Guadalcanal helped change the course of the war in the
Pacific. Allies now saw their chance to go on the offensive with the goal of reaching Japan.
To fight their way toward Japan, the Allies developed a strategy called ________________,
taking the most strategically important islands rather than every Japanese held island. After
Allied victories at Tarawa, Marshall, Mariana, Volcano, and Bonin Islands, General
MacArthur led a mission to retake the _________________. The Japanese confronted the
Allies at the Battle of ________________ in what became the largest naval battle in history.
The Allies crushed the Japanese fleet, crippling Japan’s naval power for the rest of the war.
MacArthur’s forces fought months on land and defeated the Japanese.
With key islands close to Japan secured, Allied planes began bombing ______________ in
November 1944. American B-29s bombed over 60 Japanese cities including Tokyo. At Iwo
Jima nearly 20,000 Japanese and 7,000 Americans were killed. At Okinawa,
_______________ pilots purposely crashed their planes into Allied ships. In three months
of fighting 12,000 Allied troops, 110,000 Japanese troops, and 80,000 Japanese civilians
were dead. The next step would be the Japanese mainland.
26.5 Victory and Consequences
By late 1944, Allied forces were advancing in Europe and Asia. Neither Germany nor Japan
however, were showing signs of __________________.
After D-Day, hundreds of thousands of Allied troops landed in France and began fighting
their way across France toward Germany. At the same time, the Soviets were closing in on
Germany from the east. Although Germany’s defeat seemed certain, Hitler refused to
surrender. American General George ______________ led tank forces through the western
front and met more Allied troops. ______________ was soon freed. The allies continued
through Belgium and Luxembourg toward Germany. The last gasp for the Germans was
the Battle of the ___________. Hitler planned to drive through a weak spot in the Allied
lines and capture Antwerp, Belgium. After pushing allied forces back, the Germans were
defeated. Nearly 80,000 Americans were killed and German losses were greater. In the
final months of the war, Allies bombed German cities (both sides had bombed cities like
London and Dresden during the war, killing thousands of _______________). Allied forces
surrounded Berlin, Hitler ________________________, and the Germans surrendered on
May 8, 1945- known as _________ Day (Victory in Europe). Roosevelt dies before V-E
Day, leaving Harry _________________ to finish the war.
When Allied forces liberated Europe, they uncovered the mass murder of the
_______________. Hitler and the Nazis had attempted to exterminate the entire
______________ population of Europe. The Nazis stripped German Jews of their
citizenship and seized their property. Jews from around Europe were sent to
_________________________. In January 1942 Nazi officials met to plan what they called
the “______________________” to the Jewish question, which was __________________,
or the extermination of an entire group of people. About 6 millions Jews, about 2/3 of
Europe’s Jewish population were killed in the Holocaust. Slavs, political opponents, and
people with physical or mental disabilities were also killed in the Holocaust.
As Pacific Allied war planners prepared to invade Japan, they estimated that the invasion
could result in more than _____________________ Allied casualties. Another option was
available as allied scientists had been working on a secret program called the
_______________ Project, with the goal of developing an __________________. When
the Japanese refused the Allies’ demand for an unconditional surrender, President Truman
gave the order to use the atomic bomb. On August 6, 1945, the B-29 bomber
_____________________ dropped an atomic bomb on the city of
______________________. Over 80,000 people were killed instantly. Japanese leaders
still refused to surrender. On August 9, U.S. forces bombed ___________________ with a
second atomic bomb, killing 22,000 instantly. The Japanese announced their surrender on
August 15, 1945. After six years, WWII was finally over. More than __________________
people had been killed, more than half of them ___________________. National
economies in Europe and Asia were devastated. The strongest power left in the world,
_______________________, was left with much of the responsibility of postwar rebuilding.