Download WWII Seminar Week 2, Thursday 16 January The Road to War This

WWII Seminar Week 2, Thursday 16 January
The Road to War
This week’s seminar will be a discussion of the documents contained in Madison, World
War II: A History In Documents, Ch. 1.
Aggressor Nations (pp. 10-16)
The first four documents in this section tell us something about the ideology fostered in
Nazi Germany. For each document, make a list of all of the elements of that ideology
presented in the document.
The last two documents in this section tell us something about the ideology of Imperial
Japan. For each document, make a list of all of the elements of that ideology it presented
in the document..
Big Question: Based on your lists, what are the similarities and differences of Nazi and
Imperial ideology?
From Appeasement to War (pp. 16-24)
The first three documents in this section shed some light on the policy of appeasement
toward Nazi German aggression in Europe. What do the two newspaper reports and
Chamberlain’s address tell us about how they felt about the failure of appeasement?
Whom do they blame its failure?
The last four documents in this section tell us about the perceptions of Westerners of
Japan’s imperial ambitions. How does Pratt assess Japanese militarism in 1939? How
was that assessment challenged by the Japanese attack on Pearly Harbor in 1941? What
was Goebbels’ reaction?
Big questions: How prepared were Allied leaders to face the military ambitions of
Germany and Japan? Was appeasement an appropriate response?
Dark Days for the Allies (pp. 24-27)
The documents in this section show some reactions to the great success of the early
campaigns by Axis powers.
How does Shirer portray the surrender of France? How does the face of the man in the
picture on p. 25 help us to understand what the surrender meant to him? How would you
describe Brooke’s attitude towards an impending invasion of Britain? How does PM Tojo
present the results of Japan’s military campaigns?
Big Question: To what should we attribute the early successes of the Axis powers?