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World War II Begins
E. America Enters World War II
(1945-Present)
a.Describe circumstances at
home and abroad prior to U.S.
involvement in World War II
b.Identify the significant military
and political aspects of World
War II
Hitler Seeks More Land
-Hitler claimed Germany needed to take more
areas for lebensraum (living space). According to
the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was not even
supposed to have an army to pursue such goals.
-On 3/12/1938, Hitler absorbed Austria into
Germany. He asserted that there were many
German speaking people in this area and they
supported the transition.
-Hitler’s next target was Czechoslovakia. The
Nazi’s claimed Germans were being mistreated in
this area and took the western boundary of the
Czech’s called the Sudetenland.
Hitler began to expand
Germany by conquering
areas in Europe.
Hitler took the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia.
Pursuing Appeasement
-European nations were becoming anxious and
wanted to reach an agreement for Hitler to stop
invading other areas.
-On 9/30/1938, the Munich Agreement was
achieved. Edouard Daladier, Premier of France,
and Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister,
met with the Nazi regime to discuss a settlement on
the issue.
-The leaders of France and Britain felt that, if Hitler
was allowed to keep the Sudetenland, he will would
stop invading other areas, so they agreed Germany
could keep the area.
The Munich Agreement: Chamberlain,
Daladier, Hitler, Mussolini
Many asserted that appeasement would NOT work because
it would just embolden Hitler to pursue the same actions.
This picture depicts Hitler as a monster that would not stop
taking land in Europe, despite the Munich Agreement.
“Britain and France had to choose between war and dishonor.
They chose dishonor. They will have war.” – Winston Churchill
Churchill later became Prime Minister of Britain.
The Munich Agreement Fails
-Hitler broke the agreement. He falsely
claimed “Germans were mistreated” in
Poland and invaded the country.
-This was a hostile move. Britain, France,
and Russia, those passive when other
areas were taken, could attack if Poland
fell to Hitler.
-On 8/23/1939, Stalin and Hitler signed a
Nonaggression Pact and agreed to
divide Poland.
Blitzkrieg in Poland “Lightning War”
-On 9/1/1939, German planes bombed Poland
and tanks invaded after the onslaught. This
vicious tactic, called blitzkrieg, assured a quick
victory.
-France and Britain could not respond in time.
Though they had hoped that Hitler would stop
after taking the Sudetenland, Hitler kept going.
-In 1939, Stalin invaded Poland and took the
Eastern half. Stalin and Hitler split the region in
an attempt to avoid war with each other.
Hitler took the Western
half of Poland and Stalin
took the Eastern half.
Despite having contrasting governments, Fascism
vs. Communism, Hitler and Stalin signed
a Nonaggression Pact to divide Poland to avoid war
with each other.
Nazi Germany was heavily industrialized and was
able to unleash a massive “blitzkrieg” attack on Poland.
German soldiers invade Poland
during the Blitzkrieg.
Hitler’s Invasion Intensifies
-In April of 1940, Hitler took Denmark and
Norway to “defend their independence,” Actually,
he wanted to restrict Great Britain from using
these areas.
-He also had taken over Belgium, the
Netherlands, and Luxembourg by May of 1940.
-Since becoming leader of Germany, Hitler had
violated the Treaty of Versailles and the Munich
Agreement. It was clear he wanted nothing less
than all of Europe.
Before WW II ended, Hitler had taken over most of Europe. On the other
side of the world, Japan, who joined in an alliance with Hitler,
had taken over much of East Asia.
Germany VS. France & Britain
-On 9/3/1939, France and Britain
declared war on Germany. Appeasement
had failed and all out war was the only
remaining course of action.
-Germans sent tanks through wilderness
areas thought to be impassable and
invaded Allied territory.
-The Germans forced the Allied troops to
the beach of Dunkirk. Over 300,000
French, British, and Belgium troops fled
to England to escape the Nazis.
The Nazis forced the
Allied troops to the
beach of Dunkirk. The
soldiers escaped and
fled to England.
As the Nazis invaded France and Belgium, many
ships, some even commercial, arrived at
Dunkirk to rescue the Allied troops.
Britain Remains Free
-Benito Mussolini was a strong supporter
of Hitler. Italy invaded from the South and
France fell to Hitler.
-Nazi’s bombed targets in London through
war planes. Britain used radar to detect
attacks and this prevented Hitler from
successfully invading Britain.
-The Royal Air Force defended Britain
from Germany and Charles de Gaulle set
up a government in exile for France in
Britain.
THE
END
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