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World War II
1939 - 1945
Causes of World War II
Political instability and economic
devastation in Europe resulting from
World War I
1. Worldwide depression
2. High war debt owed by Germany
3. High inflation
4. Massive unemployment
Rise of Fascism
• Fascism is a political philosophy in which total power is given
to a dictator and individual freedoms are denied.
• Fascist dictators included Adolf Hitler (Germany), Benito
Mussolini (Italy), and Hideki Tojo (Japan).
• *** Joseph Stalin was a dictator but NOT a fascist. He was a
communist. He will take power after Lenin’s death. The
Soviet Union will become a member of the ALLIES.
• These dictators led the countries that became known as the
Axis Powers
Adolf Hitler
• Hitler was angry with the Treaty of Versailles and he
attempted to correct the “injustices” created by the treaty.
• He formed the National Socialists Workers’ Party, also known
as the Nazi Party.
• Hitler created a totalitarian form of government in Nazi
Germany.
The Allies and their Leaders
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Democratic nations were known as the Allies.
United States – Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman
Great Britain – Winston Churchill
Canada – William Lyon Mackenzie King
The Soviet Union was also a member of the Allies. However,
the Soviet Union was not democratic, it was communist! Led
by Joseph Stalin
The Axis and their leaders
• Germany - Adolf Hitler
• Italy – Benito Mussolini
• Japan – Hideki Tojo
Axis Aggression
• Germany – Took control of the Rhineland (1936), Austria
(1938), Sudetenland (1938), Czechoslovakia (1939), Poland
(1939)
• Italy – Conquered Ethiopia (1935) and Albania (1939)
• Japan – Occupied Manchuria (1931) and Indochina (1940)
World War II Begins
• The immediate cause of World War II was the invasion of
Poland by Germany on September 1st, 1939.
• The Germans used a method known as blitzkrieg or lightning
war when invading Poland.
• As a result, France and Great Britain declared war on
Germany.
• The Soviet Union also invaded Poland and the Baltic nations
of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia.
• Germany invades France and captures Paris, the capital.
• Germany bombs Great Britain and the Battle of Britain (1940
– 1941) begins. The Battle of Britain is fought in the air
between Germany and Britain to gain supremacy of the air.
• Germany invades the Soviet Union (June 1941).
American Involvement
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When WWII begins, the United States
remained neutral as it had done during
WWI (Isolationism).
However, in March of 1941, Congress
approved the Lend – Lease Act. This
allowed for the sale of American
airplanes and war supplies to the Allies.
The U.S. gave Britain war supplies and
old naval warships in return for military
bases in Bermuda and the Caribbean.
There was rising tension between the
U.S. and Japan because of Japanese
aggression in East Asia.
On December 7th, 1941, the Japanese
attacked the U.S. navy base at Pearl
Harbor, Hawaii.
As a result, the United States declared
war on Japan December 8th, 1941.
Three days later Germany and Italy
declare war on the U.S. We declare war
on Germany and Italy.
The U.S. got involved in WWII to help
stop aggression by Germany and Japan.
The Home Front
•
American involvement in World War II
brought an end to the Great Depression.
Factories and workers were needed to
produce goods to win the war.
•
Thousands of American women took
jobs in defense plants during the war
(e.g., Rosie the Riveter).
•
Americans at home supported the war
by conserving and rationing resources.
•
The need for workers temporarily broke
down some racial barriers (e.g., hiring
in defense plants) although
discrimination against African
Americans continued.
•
While many Japanese Americans served
in the armed forces, others were treated
with distrust and prejudice, and many
were forced into internment or
relocation camps.
The Holocaust
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Resulted from anti-Semitism and the desire for Aryan
Supremacy.
It was the organized attempt to rid Europe of all Jews.
Tactics that were used included:
Boycott of Jewish Stores
Threats
Segregation
Imprisonment and killing of millions Jews and others in
concentration camps.
Turning Points
•
The Soviet Union defeats
Germany at Stalingrad,
marking the turning point of
the war in Eastern Europe.
Turning Points
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The United States was
victorious over Japan in the
Battle of Midway. This victory
was the turning point of the
war in the Pacific. THE
UNITED STATES WON THIS
BATTLE!!!
Turning Points
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American and Allied troops
landed in Normandy, France
June 6th, 1944 which is known
as D-Day. This was the
beginning of the liberation of
Western Europe.
The purpose of D-Day was to
develop a second front against
Germany in Northern Europe.
Dwight D. Eisenhower led the
invasion of France which was
also known as Operation
Overlord.
June 6th, 1944 = Operation
Overlord = Invasion of
Normandy, France
Turning Points
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The U.S. dropped two atomic
bombs on Japan. The first was
dropped on Hiroshima, August
6th, 1945. The second one was
dropped on Nagasaki, August
9th, 1945.
President Harry S Truman
made the decision to drop the
atomic bombs.
This forced the Japanese to
surrender on August 14th 1945.
Germany surrendered on May
7th, 1945.
World War II was over.