Download World War II (1939

FCPS U.S./Virginia History SOL Standards: VUS 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, and 11e
World War II (1939-1945)
You mean the whole world was at war again?
Who Fought?
World War II officially began in Europe when German
Chancellor Adolf Hitler’s armies invaded Poland
in 1939. Great Britain and France responded by
declaring war on Germany, while the Soviet Union
invaded its neighboring Baltic countries. Japan
wanted to dominate East Asia and invaded Manchuria
and China earlier in 1931 and 1937. Germany and
Japan formed an alliance with Italy in 1937 known
as the Axis Powers while Great Britain and France
formed the Allies. During the first two years of the
In World War II, about 50 Allied nations joined forces against Germany, Japan, and the other Axis powers.
war, the United States was officially neutral while
Few countries remained totally neutral. The map below shows a colony or dependency in the same color as
the country governing it. Source: www.robinsonlibrary.com/history/history/worldwar2/nations.htm
Germany conquered France and most of Europe.
In June, 1941, Hitler invaded the Soviet Union and the Soviets joined the Allies against Hitler and Nazi Germany, but did
not go to war against Japan.
Why did the United States Enter the War?
Despite resistance by many Americans to enter the war, the United States increasingly helped Britain in its war effort
against Germany. In a deal known as the “Lend-Lease Act,” the United States gave Britain war supplies and old naval
warships. President Franklin Roosevelt compared it to “lending a garden hose to a next-door neighbor whose house is
on fire.” Troubled by Japanese conquests in China, the United States began an embargo on Japan. After diplomacy
failed to resolve their disagreements, Japan carried out a surprise attack
on an American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941.
The attack destroyed much of America’s fleet and killed over 2,000
Americans. President Roosevelt called it “a date which will live in infamy”
and asked Congress to declare war on Japan. After Pearl Harbor, Hitler
honored a treaty with Japan and declared war on the United States. America
officially joined the Allies and sent forces to Europe and Asia.
The “ Big 3” Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, President Roosevelt, and
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
What Happened?
The Allies followed a “Defeat Hitler First” strategy and most American
resources went to Europe. A British victory at El Alamein (1942) in North
conference-1943.jpg
Africa prevented Hitler from gaining access to oil in the Middle East. Another German defeat at Stalingrad (1943) in the
Soviet Union prevented Germany from capturing Soviet oil fields. In June, 1944, Allied troops under the command of
American General Dwight Eisenhower landed in German-occupied France in a battle known as D-Day. The landings
succeeded and the liberation of Europe began. The Soviet military invaded
Germany’s capital Berlin and forced the Nazis to surrender in 1945.
Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Teheran_
In the Pacific, American military strategy called for an “island hopping” campaign.
In the Battle of Midway, American naval forces defeated a much larger Japanese
force. American forces then moved on to victories on the islands of Iwo Jima and
Okinawa, but both battles cost thousands of Japanese and American lives. After
the death of President Roosevelt, the new President Harry Truman ordered the
use of atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The two
bombs killed between 150,000 – 240,000 people and forced the Japanese to
surrender in August, 1945.
Atomic bomb mushroom clouds over Hiroshima (left)
and Nagasaki (right)
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_
Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki
FCPS HS Social Studies © 2012
World War II
(cont.) FCPS U.S./Virginia History SOL Standards: VUS 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, and 11e
What Were the Results of the War?
After its surrender, Germany was split in two. West Germany became a democracy under American, British, and French
occupation while East Germany remained under the communist control of the Soviet Union. Europe lay in ruins, and the
United States launched the Marshall Plan, which provided aid to rebuild Europe and prevent the spread of communism.
Japan was occupied by American
forces governed by the U.S. military
until 1952 and adopted a democratic
form of government. Since World War
II, Japan has become a strong ally of
the United States.
The United Nations was formed at
the end of World War II to create an
organization in which nations could
work to prevent future global wars.
Between 1945 and 1991 the world
experienced a “Cold War” between
capitalist nations led by the U.S. and
communist nations led by the Soviet
Union which originated in the closing
of World War II.
European nations, devastated by World Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f1/World_War_II_Casualties2.svg/2000px-World_War_II_
Casualties2.svg.png
War II, were no longer able to keep
their overseas empires intact. An era of decolonization followed. Nations in Asia and Africa were granted or fought for
independence against European imperialists. For example India (1947), Indonesia (1949), and Ghana (1957) became
independent nations after World War II. Lastly, the war caused vast destruction, and the estimated total dead, over 60
million, makes World War II the deadliest conflict ever fought.
Key Vocabulary
Chancellor: head of the German government
Nazi: political party controlling Germany from
1933 to 1945 under Adolf Hitler
Baltic: the countries of Estonia, Latvia,
Lithuania that border the Baltic Sea in Europe
Embargo: restrictions on trade with a particular
country
Neutral: not officially supporting either side
Liberation: setting free
Infamy: a publicly known shameful act
Occupation: military rule over a defeated nation
Island hopping: capturing islands closer and
closer to Japan and using them as bases for additional fighting
Decolonization: the action of changing from
colonial to independent status
Quick Review
Germany invades
Poland
Japan attacks
Pearl Harbor
1. What is the BEST choice to complete
this sequence?
A. Battle of Stalingrad
B. Battle of Midway
C. Germany surrenders
D. America enters World War II
?
2. How did the Marshall Plan benefit the
United States?
A. It kept Japan a democracy.
B. It prevented the spread of communism.
C. It split Germany into two countries.
D. It prevented future conflicts in the world.
3. Which was not a result of WW II?
A. The United Nations was formed.
B. Japan was divided into two nations.
C. Over 60 million people were killed.
D. Nations in Africa and Asia become
independent.
FCPS HS Social Studies © 2012