Download Ch. 16- World War Looms

Unit 4: World War II
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From Isolation, Instability
and Fascism to Pearl
Harbor
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World War Looms
Communist Soviet Union
Stalin
Nazi Germany
Hitler
Fascist Italy
Mussolini
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Unit 4: Academic Vocabulary
Collectivism
Fascism
Gas Chamber
Comintern
Inflation
Final Solution
Kulaks
Weimar Republic SS
Pravda
Atheism
Crematorium
Proletariat
Gulag
Loyalists
Propaganda
Marxism
Monarchy
Maginot Line
Totalitarianism
Nationalists
Treaty of Versailles
Holocaust
Republic
Chancellor
Genocide
Atlantic Charter
Axis Power
Isolationists
Lend-Lease Act
Neutrality
Tyranny
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Essential Question:
What internal calls to action and outside
factors led up to the United States
involvement in World War II?
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Main Idea
The rise of rulers with total power in
Europe and Asia led to World War II
Why It Matters Now
Dictators of the 1930’s and 1940’s changed
the course of history, making world leaders
especially watchful for the actions of
dictators today
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 Following WWI, Woodrow Wilson introduced his 14 Points to
Congress. Included all WWI Allies except Russia- Central Powers
were not included. The 14th point called for the creation of the
League of Nations
Would provide a forum for nations to discuss and settle their
grievances without having to resort to war.
*The League of Nations would prove to be
highly ineffective in the years leading up to
World War Two
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 The Treaty of Versailles caused more harm than good.
- Hitler was filled with more hatred and feelings of revenge
- The Soviets resented the carving up of Russia
- New democratic governments that emerged in Europe after
WWI floundered; without a democratic tradition, people turned
to Totalitarian Leaders to solve their economic and social
problems
Faces of Totalitarianism
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Essential Question:
Why was the Soviet Union considered
a threat to Western democracies in
the 1920s and 1930s?
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Stalin
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.)
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Stalin took control of USSR after Lenin died in 1924ideas of both men would threaten worldwide
revolution
Focused on creating a model communist state
Made agriculture & economic growth his prime
economic goals
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Communism- a system of social organization in which all
economic and social activity is controlled by a totalitarian
state dominated by a single and self-perpetuating political
party.
a form of socialism that abolishes private ownership
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Abolished all privately owned farms and replaced them with
collectives: large government-owned farms
Stalin outlined several 5-year plans to direct industrialization
Soviet propaganda poster: "Comrade,
come join the kolkhoz!"
Kolkhoz- Soviet collective farm
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Under Stalin, the government
owned all business
By 1937, only the U.S. surpassed the USSR in overall
production
Stalin eliminated anyone who threatened his power
(responsible for the death of 8-13 million people).
Kulas: peasant farmers who owned their own land
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The Great Purge in 1934-1938 was Stalin’s policy of
imprisoning and executing former communist leaders
charged with being counter-revolutionaries.
The Bolshevik Revolution set off the “Red Scare” in the
United States which was a general fear of communism and
the support of U.S. labor strikes.
Communists= Reds
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Essential Question:
What economic conditions made Germany and Italy
vulnerable to the extreme political ideas of Hitler and
Mussolini after WWI?
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Benito Mussolini
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Italy faced high unemployment & inflation in early 1920’s
Inspired by Russian revolutions, strikes all over the
country erupted, people seized land, middle & upper
classes demanded stronger leadership
Benito Mussolini, a former journalist &
newspaper editor, became active in the
socialist movement
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A powerful speaker, Mussolini knew how to appeal to
Italy’s wounded national pride
He won the support of many discontented Italians
1921- established the Fascist Party
Fasces- symbol of unity and authority in
ancient Rome
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Fascism-A system of government marked by
centralization of authority under a dictator,
stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression
of the opposition through terror and
censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent
nationalism and racism.
Mussolini gradually extended Fascist control to
every aspect of Italian life
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Adolf Hitler
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The Treaty of Versailles created an economic crisis in
Germany as it struggled to pay off debts…The crisis lead
to the rise of Hitler
After WWI, Hitler was a jobless soldier drifting around
Germany
1919- Hitler joined the German Worker’s Party
He proved to be a very powerful public speaker and
eventually became the party’s leader
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Hitler promised to bring Germany out of chaos and
people believed he would
Nazism- German brand of Fascism- based on extreme
Nationalism
What is the difference between
Nazism and Fascism?
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3 GOALS OF NAZISM:
1. Unite all German-speaking people in a great German
Empire
2. Racial Purification
3. National Expansion
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Racial purification
In Hitler’s view, Germans-especially blue-eyed, blondehaired “Aryans”-formed a “master race” that was
destined to rule the world.
Hitler wanted to secure for the German people the land
and soil to which they are entitled on this earth, even if
this could be accomplished only by the might of a
victorious sword.
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By mid 1932, the Nazis became the strongest political
party in Germany
January, 1933- Hitler was appointed chancellor and he
quickly dismantled Germany’s democratic Weimar
Republic
He established the Third Reich or Third German
Empire.
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According to Hitler, the Third Reich would be a
“Thousand-Year Reich”- it would last for a thousand
years.
The Third Reich lasted for 12 years
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Essential Question:
The Soviet Union, Italy, and Germany had Totalitarian forms
of government before World War II. How did each country
control culture and oppress individual expression?
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In the Soviet Union, the Communist Party used terror,
secret police, and censorship.
Violent “purges” were large-scale executions of individuals
accused of being counter-revolutionaries.
Religions were persecuted
The state seized the property of the Russian Orthodox
Church and Jewish synagogues
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Under Mussolini:
Propaganda efforts encouraged men to be “warrior like”
Women lost paying jobs and were encouraged to win
“motherhood”
Youth groups were taught the glories of Rome
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In Germany…
The Nazis wanted to “purify” Germany culture
Modern art and jazz were condemned
Books were banned
Non-Aryan’s were disposed of….literally
Essential Question
How did the Spanish Civil War of 1936 help
form political alliances leading up to World
War II?
The Spanish Civil War was a conflict between
monarchy peasants that ended the privileges to the
ruling class.
As a result, a republic was established with a
constitution
The struggles for reform between the Nationalists
and Loyalists caused the following problems in
Europe:
Spanish General Francisco Franco led a revolt
with a group called the Nationalists which
started the civil war
Hitler and Mussolini sent arms and support to
Franco
Volunteers from Italy, Germany, and Soviet
Union fought the Loyalists (ruling class)
The US, France, and Britain remained neutral
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Militarists Gain Control in
Japan
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 1920’s- Japan’s Gov’t moved towards Democracy
 Japan’s military forces remained independent of the Gov’t
 These military men wanted:
1. To lessen Japan’s reliance on foreign imports
2. Reduce the influence of Western countries in Asia
3. To Promote Japanese expansion throughout Asia
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Manchurian incident- a section of Japan’s south
Manchurian railway was dynamited by several Japanese
junior officers
Japan’s military accused the Chinese and this provided the
excuse for Japan’s invasion of Manchuria in 1931
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July 7, 1937- Japanese and Chinese troops clash near
Beijing- this incident soon developed into a full-scale
war
Japan launched devastating bombing raids against
Chinese cities
The U.S. condemned Japan’s actions and refused to back
Japanese expansion
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Failure of the League of Nations
Representatives were sent to Manchuria to investigate the
incident
Their report condemned Japan, who in turn simply quit
the league
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1933- Hitler pulled Germany out of the League
1935- Hitler begins a military build-up in violation of the
Treaty of Versailles
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1936- Ethiopia falls to Italy & Mussolini
The League of Nations responded with an economic
boycott
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Roosevelt cannot keep the U.S. Neutral (morally)
Continues to send military supplies to China
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War in Europe
Hitler’s Early Expansion…
1. Union with Austria- The majority of Austria’s 6 million
people were Germans who favored unification with
Germany. March 12, 1938- German troops marched into
Austria unopposed
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2. Annexation of the Sudetenland (western border
regions of Czechoslovakia)- Hitler wanted this land to
provide more living space for Germany as well as to
control its important Natural Resources.
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France & Britain promised to protect Czechoslovakia
Before the German’s invaded, Hitler invited the French
premier Daladier and British prime minister Chamberlain
to meet with him in Munich.
Hitler promised that the Sudetenland would be his “last
territorial demand.”
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Left to right: Chamberlain, Daladier, Hitler, Mussolinisigning of the Munich agreement
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Soviet poster of 1930-s by Kukryniksy showing Western powers
giving Hitler Czechoslovakia on a dish. Inscription in the
flag:"On towards the East!"
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Daladier & Chamberlain believed him
Chamberlain’s satisfaction was not shared by Winston
Churchill, Chamberlain’s political rival in Great Britain.
Winston Churchill
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Churchill claimed that Chamberlain and Daladier adopted
a shameful policy of Appeasement- or giving up
principles to pacify an aggressor.
Read Churchill quote- p. 538
Churchill was right- Hitler invaded the rest of
Czechoslovakia in March of 1939 and he gloated saying, “
Czechoslovakia has ceased to exist.”
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Soviet Union declares Neutrality and signs the Nonaggression pact with Germany.
Part of this agreement between Hitler and Stalin was to
divide up Poland
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Germany Invades Poland- September 1, 1939
Hitler claimed that Germans living in Poland were
mistreated by the Poles and needed his protection.
German tanks raced across Poland, spreading terror and
confusion. This invasion was the first test of Germany’s
newest military strategy, the Blitzkrieg, or lightning war.
On Sept. 3rd, Britain & France declared war on Germany
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Hitler takes on France & Britain
Hitler’s generals sent their tanks through the Ardennes, a
region of wooded ravines in northeast France, thereby
avoiding British and French troops who thought that region
was impassable.
The German offensive trapped almost 400,000 British &
French soldiers
They fled across the English Channel to safety
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June 22, 1940- Hitler handed French officers his terms of
surrender.
The Battle of Britain
Because Germany’s Navy could not compete with that of
Britain, Germany launched an air war.
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German pilots bombed London every night for two solid
months
At first, they only targeted airfields and aircraft
Eventually, they targeted cities and innocent civilians
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 Battle of Britain Facts
 Germany had twice as many fighter planes as Britain
 Germany lost more than twice as many planes as Britain
 The failure of the German Air force to defeat the British was
the first defeat of the Nazi Regime
 “ Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed
by so many to so few.” -Churchill
 Why did the British win? Radar
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The Holocaust
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April 7th, 1933, shortly after Hitler took power in Germany,
he ordered all “non-Aryans” to be removed from
government jobs.
That was one of the first moves in a campaign for racial
purity that eventually led to the Holocaust- the systematic
murder of 11 million people across Europe, more than half
of whom were Jews.
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Anti-Semitism, or hatred of the Jews, became official
government policy of the 3rd Reich
Hitler’s Security Squadrons (SS) were ordered to round up
Jews from their homes and force them into Ghetto’s, and
later to prison camps
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November 9-10 became known as Kristallnacht or
“Night of the Broken Glass
Nazi storm troopers attacked Jewish homes, businesses,
and synagogues across Germany.
Marked a step-up in the Nazi policy of Jewish persecution
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To make it easier for the Nazis to identify them, Jews had to
wear a bright yellow Star of David attached to their clothing.
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Hitler’s “Final Solution”
* Hitler became obsessed with a desire to rid Europe of its
Jews
* He imposed a policy of Genocide, the deliberate and
systematic killing of an entire population.
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The Condemned
Political opponents of the Nazis
Gypsies
Freemasons
Jehovah’s Witnesses
Homosexuals
Mentally deficient
Mentally ill
Disabled
Incurably ill
Railway leading to Auschwitz
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Concentration Camps
Entrance to Auschwitz – “Work will make you free”
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Jews not killed on the spot, were crammed onto rail cars
and taken to prison camps and later, to death camps
When prisoners arrived at Auschwitz, the largest of the
death camps, they had to parade by several SS doctors.
With a wave of the hand, the doctors separated those
strong enough to work from those who would die that
day. Both groups were told to leave their belongings
behind, with a promise they would be returned later.
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Those destined to die were then led into a room outside the
gas chamber and were told to undress for a shower. To
complete the deception, the prisoners were even given
pieces of soap
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Auschwitz Crematorium
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Oskar Schindler
Responsible for saving almost 1,200
Jews during the Holocaust
Itzak Stern, Jewish accountant
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Amon Goeth-Nazi Officer
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America Moves Toward War
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The United States maintained a position of isolationism
and neutrality as Britain stood alone against Hitler
What was the Cash and Carry Policy, the LendLease Act, and the Atlantic Charter?
What did these three things say about the U.S.’s
position during WWII in 1941?
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September, 1939- Congress passed a “cash-and-carry”
provision that allowed warring nations to buy U.S. arms as
long as they paid cash and transported them in their own
ships. Providing arms, Roosevelt argued, would help France
and Britain defeat Germany and keep the U.S. out of the
war.
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Summer of 1940- Roosevelt scrambled to provide the
British with “all aid short of war”
Not long after Roosevelt was elected to a 3rd term, he told
the American people that it would be impossible to negotiate
a peace with Hitler. Roosevelt proposed that the U.S. had to
help defeat the Axis threat by turning itself into “ the great
Arsenal of Democracy”
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By late 1940, however, Britain had no more cash to spend
in the arsenal of democracy. Roosevelt came up with a new
plan called the Lend Lease policy. The president would
lend or lease arms and other supplies to “any country
whose defense was vital to the United States.”
Congress passed the Lend-Lease Act in March, 1941.
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Increased Aggression by the German submarines
To prevent delivery of lend-lease shipments, Hitler
deployed hundreds of U-boats to attack supply ships.
Attacks began killing U.S. sailors and civilians so Roosevelt
gave the ok for merchant ships to shoot German subs on
sight
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The Atlantic Charter was formed by President Roosevelt
and Winston Churchill in 1941.
Charter set goals for the war including to end Nazi tyranny.
These three actions by the U.S. suggested the U.S. position
of neutrality and isolationism was coming to an end- The
U.S. was involved in and preparing for the war
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Japan Attacks the United States
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Essential Question
What events contributed to the tension between the United
States and Japan prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941?
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Japan’s Ambitions in the Pacific
Japan wanted to unite East Asia under
Japanese control by seizing the colonial lands of the
British, Dutch, and the French. More importantly, Japan
wanted the natural resources that could be found in
the Pacific
They began by taking over French military bases in
Indochina (now Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos).
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The U.S. responded by cutting off all trade with Japanincluding one item Japan could not live without- oil to
fuel its war machine
Japan’s military leaders warned that without oil, Japan
could be defeated without its enemies ever striking a
blow
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Japan’s leader General Tojo Hideki, and other Japanese
wanted to gain control of the lands in Asian and the Pacific
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, knowing that the U.S. Pacific
fleet would be their only obstacle in achieving this goal
This would be the quickest and most efficient way in
eliminating Japan’s problem
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Dec 7th, 1941
Japan attacks U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor
“A date which will live in infamy”-FDR
Dec 8th- U.S. & Great Britain
declare war on Japan
2,403- U.S. Casualties
64- Japanese Casualties
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USS Arizona Memorial
The United States in WWII
Early Difficulties…
When the United States entered the war, the Axis
powers had two big advantages.
What were they?
1. Germany, Italy, & Japan had already secured firm
control over the areas they invaded. The U.S. thus faced a
fight on many fronts, including western Europe, the
Pacific, the Mediterranean, & N. Africa.
2. Germany was better prepared for war. Since 1933 it had
been preparing and building up their military. The U.S. didn’t
begin preparing until 1940.
Fighting in Europe & the Mediterranean
By the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Axis powers,
which now included Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria,
firmly controlled much of the western theater of
operations-Europe and the lands around the
Mediterranean Sea
Throughout most of 1942, the Axis powers racked up one
victory after another.
German U-Boats controlled the Atlantic Ocean,
sinking Allied military and merchant ships and nearly
cutting off British supply lines.
Wolf Packs increase in numbers
In Europe, German troops had penetrated far into the
Soviet Union. Soviets lost many industrial centers as well as
rich grain fields in the Ukraine.
Essential Question
What is the significance of the Allied
successes in North Africa?
In North Africa, Italian forces had launched an
invasion in 1940. When British troops later began to
inflict heavy damage on the Italians, Hitler sent in
the German Africa Korps under the commander
Erwin Rommel the “desert fox.”
Africa Korps
Rommel was gearing up for an advance at the Suez Canal
and the oil fields of the Middle East. Rommel suffered
most from shortages of men and supplies. The British, led
by General Montgomery, pushed Rommel’s Africa Korps
steadily westward out of Egypt and into Libya.
This British victory in the Battle of El Alamein helped turn
the corner for the Allies in North Africa.
Ended Axis hopes of controlling the Suez Canal and gaining
access to the oil fields of the Middle East.
El Alamein
Operation “Torch”
After Montgomery pushed the Italian and German
forces into Libya, other Allied forces landed in
northwest Africa under the command of General
Eisenhower. Allied planes and ships cut Axis supply
lines. After fierce fighting in Tunisia, some 250,000 Axis
troops surrendered in May, 1943.
North Africa offered a gateway to the Italian island of
Sicily. Taking Sicily would give the Allies a launching
pad for an invasion of the Italian mainland.
Almost 500,000 Allied troops landed in July 1943 and
subdued Sicily in a little over a month. The Italian king
named a new prime minister and ordered Mussolini’s
arrest. In September the Italian government signed an
armistice with the Allies. Two days later the Allies invaded
southern Italy to attack the Germans.
Another turning point came in the fall of 1942, when the
Soviets attacked German troops in Stalingrad.
Throughout a terrible winter the Germans hung on,
forbidden by Hitler to surrender.
Importance of capturing Stalingrad for Hitler:
Holding Stalingrad would secure his army’s left flank while
they advanced towards the oil-rich Caucasus region- with a
goal of cutting off fuel to Stalin’s war machine
Trapped in the ruined city with few supplies and little food,
the Axis troops finally surrendered in February, 1943. After
the Battle of Stalingrad, less than 1/3 of the original German
force of almost 300,000 remained alive.
Did women play an important role in the Battle of
Stalingrad? How so?
1. Many units made entirely of women fighting alongside
the men
2. Ability to shoot strait made their sniper positions crucial
in halting the Germans
3. Medical role, dispatches
The Home Front
Essential Question
How did the United States economy change
from a peacetime economy to a wartime economy?
After Pearl Harbor, America switched from a peacetime to
a wartime economy.
Between 1940 and 1945, U.S. war plants produced millions of
planes, tanks, jeeps, and guns. Shipbuilders produced
thousands of ships, creating a powerful navy and merchant
marine. War production helped create an economic boom.
The number of jobless workers, still over 2.5 million in 1942,
sank to fewer than 700,000 in 1944.
The boom led to vast population shifts. More than four
million workers left their homes to find work in war-industry
factories in other states.
Government expansion
The War Production Board (WPB) directed the
conversion of existing factories to wartime production
and supervised the building of new plants. The WPB
assigned raw materials to industry, including scrap iron
from factories and recyclable tin, aluminum, and fats (used
in bullets) from homes.
The WPB also coordinated the production and distribution
of consumer goods. For instance, it diverted nylon to
making parachutes.
 The WPB even regulated clothing styles in order to save
fabric; canceled for the duration of the war were cuffs on
men’s trousers and pleats in women’s skirts.
Directing the Economy
In order to pay for the war, the government increased by m
than 10 times the number of Americans who had to pay
income tax. The new taxes included most middle-and lower
income groups for the first time. The rest of the money cam
from borrowing, mainly through war bonds
The government took other anti-inflationary steps as well.
One was rationing, which reduced consumer demand by
limiting how much people could buy.
Rationed items included gasoline, heating fuel, tires, coffee,
sugar, meat, butter, and canned goods.
Victory gardens proliferated in an attempt to increase the
war effort
Raising an Army
In 1940 the United States passed the Selective Training
and Service act, which provided for the first peacetime
draft in American history. The law required the
registration of all men between ages 21 and 35 (age limits
later extended from 18-37).
Local draft boards determined fitness and deferred men
for family, religious, or health reasons.
Of the some 15 million members of the armed services
during WWII, about 2/3 were draftees and the rest were
volunteers, including more than 300,000 women.
Promoting the War
As it mobilized the nation’s resources, the government also
worked to keep morale high. This was especially important in
the early days of the war, when Allied troops faced many
setbacks. The government encouraged the media to do their
part. Moviemakers, songwriters, and radio station
programmers responded by urging all-out participation in the
war effort.
Movie stars advertised war bonds and traveled overseas to
entertain the troops. Bob Hope was widely known for
taking his comedy show wherever our military was
stationed.
The government urged women to enter the job market to
replace departing servicemen and to help win the war
against fascism. From 1940 to 1944 the number of women
in the labor force increased by more than four million.
Advertisements and a popular song promoted “Rosie the
Riveter,” the symbol of patriotic women defense workers.
Rosie The Riveter
A negative aspect on the home front was the
imprisonment, or internment , of Japanese Americans
living on the Pacific coast.
Essential Question
Why were Japanese Americans placed
into internment camps?
As a result of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, U.S.
citizens feared another attack and war hysteria seized the
country
State representatives put pressure on President Roosevelt to
take action against those of Japanese descent living in the
U.S.
On February 19, 1942 FDR signs an executive order
interning thousands of Japanese
Approximately 120,000 people of Japanese descent were
removed from their homes and place in _______________
camps around the United States.
Topaz,
Utah
The U.S. justified their actions by claiming that there was a
danger of those of Japanese descent spying for the Japanese
More than 2/3 of those interned were American citizens and
½ of them were children
In some cases families were separated into different placed
into different camps with very little notice
Defeat of the Axis Powers
VS
**Summary**
American supplies and troops began to make a
difference in the war by late 1942. But it would take
over two more years of hard fighting to defeat the Axis
powers. The Allied invasions of North Africa, Italy, and
France and the fierce bombardments of German cities
forced Germany to surrender in May 1945. In the
Pacific, meanwhile, the U.S. seized Japanese held
islands, including the Philippines. Atomic attacks
devastated Japan, and it surrendered in August 1945.
The Invasion of France
D-Day
June 6, 1944- some 150,000 American, British, & Canadian
soldiers crossed the English Channel and landed on the
beaches of Normandy in northern France.
Over 23,000 Airborne troops landed as well
Operation Overlord
Shortly after midnight, 3 Divisions parachuted down behind
German lines. They were followed in the early morning
hours by thousands of seaborne soldiers- the largest landsea-air operation in army history.
To divert the enemies attention, the Allies used
misinformation -wrong or inaccurate information
We set up a phantom army with its own headquarters and
equipment
Radio messages were sent ordering this make-believe army
to invade the port of Calais- 150 miles away from the
Normandy Beaches
Hitler ordered his generals to keep a large army at Calais
GREAT BRITAIN
Portsmouth
Calais
Paris
FRANCE
As the troops landed on the beaches they were fired at
instantly. Many were shot before they departed the boats.
Those who landed on Omaha Beach suffered the most
casualties.
Although the Allies met determined opposition, they
penetrated 15 miles into France in less than 1 week.
The Allies moved steadily eastward and liberated Paris on
August 25, 1944.
101st Airborne
with captured
Nazi flag, 2 days
after landing at
Normandy
Another Allied force moved northward through France from
the Mediterranean
Soviet troops pressed Germany from the east
By September 1944, the Allies had crossed the German
border.
The Germans launched their last counterattack in the
thickly wooded Ardennes region of Belgium and northern
France, pushing them westward creating a bulge in the Allied
lines. In the resulting Battle of the Bulge, some 200,000
Germans attacked an initial American force of around
80,000. Allied Generals rushed reinforcements to the front
and they pushed the Germans back.
On April 30th, 1945, Hitler committed suicide in his
bunker deep under the ruins of Berlin. German armies all
over Europe stopped fighting. Germany surrendered
unconditionally on May 7th, 1945
How was the D-Day invasion of France critically
important to the overall Allied victory in Europe?
The Invasion allowed coalition forces to penetrate
deep into Europe and eventually surround Hitler
and liberate the concentration camps
War In The Pacific
Essential Question
What were the Allied strategies used to win the war in the
Pacific?
Throughout the month of December 1941, Japan launched
attacks on several American islands, the Philippines, and on
various British possessions. By the end of the month, Japan
controlled Guam, Wake Island, the British colony of Hong
Kong, and Thailand.
In the Philippines, a small force of Americans and Filipinos
under General Douglas MacArthur mounted a heroic but
hopeless resistance against the Japanese.
After the Japanese took Manila, the capital of the
Philippines, MacArthur’s forces withdrew to the Battan
Peninsula. MacArthur was ordered to Australia but vowed,
“I shall return.”
70,000 American and Filipino survivors of the fighting were
marched through the jungle on their way to prison camp.
Some 10,000 died on what came to be called the Battan
Death Match
News of this atrocity
sparked outrage in the
US, as shown by this
propaganda poster. The
newspaper clipping
shown refers to the
Bataan Death March.
By the summer of 1942, the Japanese were poised to strike
west at China south at Austria and east through Hawaii. At
this crucial point, however, the Allies succeeded in halting the
Japanese advance in the Pacific.
Allied Strategy:
1. Air, land, and naval forces would seize Japanese held
islands in the central Pacific and set up air bases there.
 Island Hopping
2. Combined forces would retake New Guinea & the
Philippines.
Ultimate Strategy: to get with striking distance of Japan
At the Battle of the Coral Sea. Allies intercepted Japanese
forces attempting to take over Port Moresby, New Guinea.
This battle stopped the Japanese advance on Australia.
Japan now focused on crushing the Pacific Fleet. They
launched a two-pronged attack. One unit succeeded in
occupying two of the Aleutian Islands, near Alaska. This
move was designed to divert American ships to the north
while the Japanese carried out their second offensive, an
attack on Midway two small islands northwest of Hawaii.
That was a good idea, however, the Americans knew it was
coming because we broke the Japanese fleet code. We
assembled aircraft carriers and destroyers north of Midway
to fend off the Japanese attack.
The Battle of Midway proved crucial for the Allies. Japan
lost not only ships and planes but also a number of skilled
pilots many of whom had taken part in the Pearl Harbor
attack.
** Turning Point
The Battle of Midway provided Americans with valuable
experience in naval warfare and gave people confidence in
the carrier-based strike force.
After Midway, the Allies launched their first offensive at
Guadal Island one of the Solomon Islands just northeast
of Australia. The American fleet defeated the Japanese in a
very bloody battle. After this, the war in the Pacific had
finally turned in the Allies favor.
Allied forces turned to a strategy of Island Hopping
where they would attack and seize only certain strategic
Japanese-held islands in the Pacific.
Battle of Leyte Gulf
Last naval attack by the Japanese
Disastrous for Japan, they lost 4 carriers, 3 battleships, &
12 destroyers.
After Leyte Gulf the Japanese fleet no longer seriously
threatened the Allies.
First battle in which Japanese aircraft carried out organized
Kamikazes attacks
Lt (Chui) Yukio Seki
ironically wearing a life
preserver
United States
Australia
Empire of Japan
Commanders
William Halsey, Jr
(3rd Fleet)
Thomas C. Kinkaid
(7th Fleet)
Takeo Kurita (Centre Force)
Shoji Nishimura † (Southern Force)
Kiyohide Shima (Southern Force)
Jisaburo Ozawa (Northern Force)
Strength
8 large aircraft carriers
8 light carriers
18 escort carriers
12 battleships
24 cruisers
141 destroyers and destroyer escorts
Many PT boats, submarines and fleet
auxiliaries
About 1,500 planes
1 large carrier
3 light carriers
9 battleships
14 heavy cruisers
6 light cruisers
35+ destroyers
300+ planes (including land-based aircraft)
Casualties and losses
1,500+ dead;
1 light aircraft carrier,
2 escort carriers,
2 destroyers,
1 destroyer escort sunk
10,000+ dead;
4 aircraft carriers,
3 battleships,
8 cruisers,
12 destroyers sunk
Iwo Jima
Mission: to gain control
of the air base there
*This would allow
heavily-loaded
bombers to reach
Japan
Iwo Jima was perhaps the most heavily-defended spot on
earth, with 21,000 Japanese troops entrenched in tunnels
and caves
Important both strategically (air strips for re-fueling our
bombers) and symbolically
More than 6,800 Marines died taking this island
20,700 Japanese were killed
Memorial at Iwo Jima
Mt. Suribachi
What is the significance of this picture?
Mt. Suribachi was where
the majority of the
Japanese soldiers were
hidden and was the
strategic and essential
terrain of Iwo Jima. Once
the flag was raised on the
top of the mountain,
cheers and applause filled
the air, blow-horns were
sounded on the ships and
the morale of the Marines
was boosted instantly
There were 24 Medals of Honor awarded to Marines, the
highest number awarded for any battle in United States
History
Battle of Okinawa
Bloodiest battle of the Pacific war
Japan lost over 66,000- U.S. lost 12,000
700 kamikaze planes damaged 13 U.S. destroyers
By early April, 1945, American victory in the Pacific was
near.
The top secret mission to create an atomic bomb was called
the Manhattan Project.
President Truman decided to give the order to use two
atomic bombs on Japan.
August 6th, 1945Hiroshima
Killed more than
140,000 people
Little Boy- dropped on
Hiroshima
• After Hiroshima, Japan still refused to
surrender
August 9th, 1945- Nagasaki
Killed around 80,000 people
Fat Man- Nagasaki
The Fat Man Mushroom
cloud resulting from the
nuclear explosion over
Nagasaki rises 18 km (11 mi,
60,000 ft) into the air from the
hypocenter
Nagasaki before and
after bombing
Some of the
survivors of the
Hiroshima bombing
Citizens of Hiroshima walk past the , the nearest building to
have survived the city's atomic bombing in 1945
A day before the bombing of Nagasaki, the Soviet Union
declared war on Japan and began an invasion of Manchuria.
Japan formally surrendered on September 2, 1945.
Allied military personnel celebrating the Japanese surrender in
Paris
Point vs. Counterpoint
Point
“The only way to
end the war against
Japan was to bomb
the Japanese
mainland”
Counterpoint
Japan’s staggering
losses were enough
to force Japan’s
surrender
Essential Question
What were several pros vs. cons of the United States dropping
atomic bombs on Japan?
Pros:
Bomb would end the war and save American lives
If bomb were not dropped project would have been viewed a
a giant waste of money and also a sign of failure
A successful bomb would give the U.S. an advantage over the
Soviets
Cons:
Japan was already on the verge of surrender
Immoral without fair warning as thousands of innocent lives
would be lost
Stage a demonstration on a deserted island near Japan
U.S. could become a target if we become first country to use
a weapon of this kind
Rebuilding Begins:
With Japan’s surrender, the Allies turned to the
challenge of rebuilding war-torn nations
Even before the last guns fell silent, they began
thinking about principles that would govern the
postwar world
The Yalta Conference
The “Big Three” meet in Yalta to toast the German defeat
and discuss the fate of Germany and the postwar world
Roosevelt
Churchill
Stalin
Stalin, his country devastated by German forces, favored a
harsh approach
He wanted to keep Germany divided into occupation zones
controlled by Allied military forced- so that Germany would
never again threaten the Soviet Union
Churchill strongly disagreed
Roosevelt acted as a mediator
Roosevelt was prepared to make concessions to Stalin
for two reasons:
1. He hoped that the Soviet Union would stand by its
commitments to join the war against Japan (first test of the
atom bomb was still 5 months away)
2. Wanted Stalin’s support for a new world peace keeping
organization, to be named the United Nations
Yalta produced a series of compromises:
To pacify Stalin, Roosevelt convinces Churchill to agree to a
temporary division of Germany into four zones:
American zone
British zone
Soviet Zone
French zone
Churchill and Roosevelt assumed that, with time, all the
zones would be brought together un a reunited Germany
Stalin promises “free and unfettered” elections
Stalin agrees to join in the war against Japan
Stalin agrees to participate in an international conference in
San Francisco- Roosevelt’s dream of a UN would become
reality
The Nuremberg Trials
Besides geographic division, Germany had to pay another
price for its part in the war
The discovery/liberation of Hitler’s death camps led the
Allies to put 24 surviving Nazi leaders on trial for crimes
against humanity, peace, and war crimes
Trials held in the southern German town of Nuremberg
12 of 24 defendants were sentenced to death
The Occupation of Japan
Occupied by Americans for seven years following WWII
Hideki Tojo and other Japanese officials put on trial and some
sentenced to death
General MacArthur reshaped Japan’s economy by introducing
free market practices that led to a remarkable economic
recovery
MacArthur also worked to transform Japan’s government
Called for a new constitution that would provide for
woman suffrage and guarantee basic freedoms
To this day…Japan’s constitution is known as the
MacArthur Constitution