Download Europe in Two World Wars

Europe in Two World Wars
Causes of world War I
• Nationalism – extreme patriotism
• Italian nationalists freed Italy from foreign
control and unified Italy.
• Led by Giuseppe Garibaldi.
• Germany also was divided.
• Otto von Bismark created a unified Germany.
• Both countries sought to find their place
among world powers.
Militarism
• Nationalism and the Industrial Revolution led
to Militarism.
• Countries built strong militaries to expand
their power to build overseas empires.
• Carved up much of Africa and Asia.
• Powerful countries came in conflict with each
other.
• Nations glorified war and military power.
Alliances
• Tension grew, countries formed alliances to
aid them in case of war.
• Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy formed the
Triple Alliance.
• France, Britain, Russia formed the Triple
Entente.
• This created more tension.
The Beginning
• June 1914 – Archduke Ferdinand of Austria
was visiting Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia.
• He and his wife were assassinated by a
Bosnian nationalists.
• Austria accused Serbia of planning this and
threatened war.
• Germany stood by Austria.
• Russia stood by Serbia.
The Beginning
• August 1, 1914 – Germany declares war on
Russia.
• France and Britain side with Russia.
• Austria and Italy side with Germany.
• World War I has begun.
WWI
• War was fought on many fronts.
• Trench warfare – soldiers dug long trenches
protected by mines and barbed wire.
• One side would shell the other then send its
soldiers “over the top”.
• Hundreds of thousands of soldiers were lost
for very little territory.
New Weapons
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Both side used new weapons.
Machine guns, poison gas.
Caused mass casualties.
Use of aircraft, first for observation then later
for bombing and “dogfights”.
• German “U-boats” attacked merchant ships.
• April 1917 – U.S. is drawn into the war.
The End
• Presence of American soldiers boosted the
morale of the Allies.
• In early 1918 American and Allied forces
pushed back a final German offensive.
• November 11, 1918 – Allies and Germany
signed and armistice agreement ending the
war.
The Peace
• 1919 – Met in Paris to develop a peace
settlement.
• Treaty of Versailles imposed harsh terms on
Germany because it blamed them for starting
the war.
• Included heavy reparations.
• War caused enormous property damage.
• Millions killed or wounded.
Rise of Dictators
• During 1920’s and 1930’s Europe struggled to
recover from the WWI.
• People faced economic hardships and political
unrest.
• Turned to powerful leaders who promised a
better future.
Facist Italy
• Italy plagued by bad economy and blmaed
government for the problems.
• Benito Mussolini founded the Facist Party.
• Glorified the state and supported nationalist
expansion.
• Condemned democracy
• Mussolini ruled as a dictator.
• Silenced critics, controlled army, created secret
police, invaded Ethiopia.
Nazi Germany
• Experienced extreme turmoil after the war.
• Inflation and high reparations weakened the
economy.
• Adolf Hitler gained control of the National
Socialist Party.
• Blamed Jews for Germany’s problems.
• 1933- Hitler became Chancellor of Germany.
• Crushed opposition and became the “Furhrer”.
Nazi Germany
• Secret Police arrested anyone who opposed
the Nazi’s.
• Used propaganda to spread their message.
• Waged violent campaign against the Jews.
• Sent millions of Jews to concentration camps.
• 6 million Jews and 5 million others lost their
lives in concentration camps.
WWII
• September 1, 1939 – Germany invades
Poland; official beginning of WWII.
• Britain and France declare war on Germany
(Allies).
• Italy and Japan align with Germany(Axis).
• Allies will eventually include the Soviet Union,
the U.S., and 45 other countries.
• The Axis advances across Europe in the early
years.
• Military strategy was the “blitzkrieg”,
“lightning war”.
• Planes, tanks, artillery, and mechanized
infantry launched a combined attack on a
country.
• Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium,
and France all fall by 1941.
• Britain is the next target.
• German bombers run nightly bombing raids to
weaken England before invading it.
• The Battle of Britain was eventually won by
courageous British pilots with aid from the
U.S.
• In June 1941 Hitler invades Russia. Successful
until stopped by harsh winter and fierce
fighting by Russian soldiers.
• December 7, 1941 - Japan launches surprise
attack of U.S. Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor.
• U.S. enters the war.
• Japan captures the Philippines and other
islands in the South Pacific.
• U.S. begins sending troops to South Pacific to
push back the Japanese.
• 1942- the tide begins to turn.
• Axis advance in North Africa is stopped and
Germans badly defeated at Battle of El
Alamein.
• Germans defeated at Battle of Stalingrad,
1943.
• U.S. Marines push Japanese out of
Guadalcanal in February of 1943.
• “Island hopping” continues as U.S. gains
control of the South Pacific by defeating the
Japanese on Tarawa, Iwo Jima, the Solomon
Islands, and Okinawa.
• June 6, 1944 – D-Day – allies land huge
invasion force on the beaches of Normandy on
the coast of France. Begin to push Germans
back into Germany.
• August 25, 1944 – Paris is liberated.
• December, 1944 – Battle of the Bulge – major
German offensive to try and break the
invasion. Eventually fails due to the efforts of
U.S. General George S. Patton and his 3rd
Armored Division.
• Russian troops move into Germany from the
east and American and British forces cross into
Germany on the west.
• April 30, 1945 – Hitler commits suicide in his
bunker in Berlin.
• May 7, 1945 – Germany officially surrenders
and the war in Europe ends.
• U.S. prepares for a massive invasion of the
Japanese Islands. Estimates of expected
casualties are extremely high.
• August 6, 1945 – U.S. drops atomic bomb on
Japanese city of Hiroshima.
• Three days later they drop a second atomic
bomb on the city of Nagasaki.
• 6 days later, on August 15, 1945, Japan
surrenders and WWII comes to an end.
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Effects of WWII
• 30 million deaths in Europe and possibly 60
million worldwide.
• Many cities in Europe and Asia destroyed or
heavily devastated.
• Millions of homeless people.
• 6 million Jews murdered along with another 5
million Gypsies, homosexuals, political
prisoners, and mentally and physically
handicapped people during the Holocaust.
• Two new superpowers emerge – the U.S. and
the Soviet Union.
• European colonies in Africa and Asia seek
independence. (Israel is formed and India gets
independence)
• United Nations is formed to prevent world
wars in the future.