Download Unit 8: World War II and the Aftermath

Unit 8: World War II and the Aftermath
Content Area:
Course(s):
Time Period:
Length:
Status:
Social Studies
Modern World History CP
April
10 weeks
Published
Transfer Skills
World War II was a major global military conflict involving most of the world's nations enventually forming two
opposing alliances, the Allies and the Axis Powers. It was marked by significant events involving mass death of civilians,
including the Holocaust, and the only use of nuclear weapons in warfare.
A war of conflicting ideologies that arose from the ashes of World War II, the Cold War involved the world's only two
superpowers; the capitalist United States and the communist Soviet Union.
Enduring Understandings
Big Idea: The World at War, Again: WWII and Its’ impact – There Are No More King’s Men

The use of appeasement to try and stem the aggression of the Axis powers led to a philosophical change about
how modern countries deal with aggressive nations today.
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The allied powers put aside their differences in political views to defeat a common enemy (Germany).

There had been a climate of hatred against Jews in Europe and Russia for centuries.
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Various instances of genocide occurred throughout the twentieth century.
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The use of the atomic bomb on Japan would forever shape the escalation of warfare.
The genocides during the first half of the 20th century force people to address the problem of man’s
inhumanity to man

Both the Axis and the Allied powers were dependent on the resources of their empires in waging and winning
battles and both utilized the merits of propaganda to stress nationalism and the needed participation of all for
victory.
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The era of the world wars resulted in the shattering of some cultural norms and numerous social changes,
including the role of women in the workforce, racial discrimination and the use of art as a means of control of
public opinion.
Big Idea: Cold War

The Cold War rises from the opposing political views of the two super powers (USA and USSR) after WWII.
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Democratic nations and communist nations compete for political influence in nations, leading to redrawn maps
around the world.

The United Nations is formed in an effort to prevent future conflicts.
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The policy of containment is used to prevent the expansion of communism.
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An arms race is created preventing actual conflict through the fear of mutually assured destruction.
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The expansion of military institutions would have a lasting impact on the economies of Russia and the United
States.

The fall of the Berlin Wall coupled with the dissolving of the Soviet Union would create a more socially and
economically unified Europe.
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Nuclear Weapons, terrorism and human rights are enduring issues in an increasingly interdependent world.

Despite its best efforts to prevent the atrocities, numerous attempted genocides have taken place since the
Holocaust and although world organizations have exhausted various strategies to combat this bloodshed,
many have been completely unsuccessful and only a mere few have been halted.

The allies attempted to provide for the smooth transition from imperialized nations to independent countries
but sorely failed in their mark, which resulted in major conflict across Asia and the struggles of African nations
today.
Essential Questions

Why was the world plunged into a second global conflict after WWI?

How did technology affect the fighting and destruction in World War II?
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How did totalitarian regimes carry out their goals during the war?
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How did World War II change the balance of world power?
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Why did the Holocaust occur?
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What are other examples of genocide in the twentieth century?
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In what ways did the geography of the front lines and access to the imperialistic nations’ natural resources
affect the strategies and turning points of the war and what role did the imperialized nations play in the final
outcome of WWII and the growth of nationalism afterwards?

What were the long-term social and cultural changes within the world following the world wars?
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What postwar developments have helped or hindered the spread of democracy?

How does the gap between the rich and poor nations affect the world?

How has the global interdependence affected the world and its’ environment?

How has modernization and westernization brought about rapid social and culture change?

What has the world done to address mass killings across the planet and how successful has mankind been in
combating this epidemic of tragedy?

How did the post war allies plan for the liberation of imperialized nation and continued political stability and in
what ways did these plans affect the developing the nations in Africa and Asia?
Content
Vocab:
Great Depression; Maginot Line; New Deal; disarmament; Black Shirts; Third Reich; Gestapo; Nuremberg Laws;
Kristallnacht; Fascism; Nazi; Authoritarian; Dictator; Persecute; concentration camps;Holocaust; genocide; Nuremberg
Trials; Israel; appeasement; Nazi-Soviet Pact; Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis; Anschluss; sanction; blitzkrieg; lebensraum;
genocide; Holocaust; reparations; collaborator; Kamikaze; Island-hopping
Significant People/Events:
Benito Mussolini; Neville Chamberlain; Pearl Harbor, Adolf Hitler; Dunkirk; Battle of Britain; Operation Barbarossa;
Battle of Stalingrad; D-Day; Battle of the Bulge; V-E Day, Harry Truman
Vocab:
Superpower; Containment; NATO; Marshall Plan; Warsaw Pact; United Nations; “Iron Curtain”; Truman Doctrine;
“Check Point Charlie”
Significant People/Events:
Nato; U2; Cuban-Missile Crisis; Berlin Wall; Khrushchev; Korean War; Apartheid; Tiananmen; Square; Nuremberg Trials;
Winston Churchill
Skills
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Evaluate different political ideologies using a two columned chart.
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Debate the positives and negatives of communism, fascism, and democracy.
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Analyze the pros, cons and effects of Non-Violent Civil Disobedience.
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Assess the overall impact of Japan’s expansion into China.

Map Skills—World boundaries redrawn before World War II.

Compare how countries with similar social, political and economic problems had a variety of different
solutions.
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Evaluate which political ideology is best for the people.

Evaluate the significance of the founding of Israel.

Analyze the lasting impact of the Nuremberg Trials.

Use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast Fascism and Communism
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Cause and Effect : Division of Germany
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Time Line the events of the Cold War.
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Interpret of Political Cartoons from the post WWII period.

Identify the World Map depicting spheres of influence for free and Soviet dominated countries.

Provide Independent Research: Is the United Nations an effective organization

Photo Interpretation
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Analyzing newspaper/current events
Resources
http://www.state.nj.us/education/holocaust/curriculum/
http://www.state.nj.us/education/holocaust/resources/
Primary Sources: Pictures of the Holocaust (Page 783 World History Text)
Primary Source: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Page 989 World History Text)
Standards
SOC.6.2.12.A.4.d
Assess government responses to incidents of ethnic cleansing and genocide.
SOC.6.2.12.D.4.e
Compare how Allied countries responded to the expansionist actions of Germany
and Italy.
SOC.6.2.12.C.4.c
Assess the short- and long-term demographic, social, economic, and
environmental consequences of the violence and destruction of the two World
Wars.
SOC.6.2.12.B.4.b
Determine how geography impacted military strategies and major turning points
during World War II.
SOC.6.2.12.D.4.f
Explain the role of colonial peoples in the war efforts of the Allies and the
Central/Axis Powers in both World Wars.
SOC.6.2.12.C.4.a
Analyze government responses to the Great Depression and their consequences,
including the growth of fascist, socialist, and communist movements and the
effects on capitalist economic theory and practice.
SOC.6.2.12.B.4.d
Explain the intended and unintended consequences of new national boundaries
established by the treaties that ended World War II.
SOC.6.2.12.D.4.i
Compare and contrast the actions of individuals as perpetrators, bystanders, and
rescuers during events of persecution or genocide, and describe the long-term
consequences of genocide for all involved.
SOC.6.2.12.D.4.k
Assess the cultural impact of World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II
by analyzing the values and social ideas in the arts.
SOC.6.2.12.D.4.g
Analyze the role of racial bias, nationalism, and propaganda in mobilizing civilian
populations in support of “total war”.
SOC.6.2.12.C.4.b
Compare and contrast World Wars I and II in terms of technological innovations
(i.e., industrial production, scientific research, war tactics) and social impact (i.e.,
national mobilization, loss of life, and destruction of property).