Download Origins of WWII

Origins of World
War II
Hitler’s Foreign Policy Aims
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Hitler sought to unite the German people
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“protecting the 10 million Germans living outside the Reich”
In 1936, Hitler reoccupied the Rhineland, taking away the
buffer zone between Germany and France.
In 1938 he annexed Austria bringing about Anschluss or
union.
Where Were the Allied
Powers?
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The U.S. had rejected the Peace of Paris and was
caught up in the Depression; Russia was consolidating
its revolution; Britain was caught up in the Depression;
France alone was left to hold Germany down.
Also, Nazi propaganda in the U.S. and Britain portrayed
Hitler as the best check on Communist Russia.
The British and French feared a new war and went to
great lengths to avoid confrontation. France built
immense fortifications, called the Maginot Line, but
lacked the mobile strike force necessary to counter an
aggressive Germany.
Appeasement
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As a result, Britain came up with the policy of
appeasement:
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Giving in to Germany in the hope that a satisfied Hitler
would not drag Europe through another world war.
They thought Hitler simply wanted a peaceful revision of
the Versailles Treaty and that he could be contained
through concessions.
Czechoslovakia
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A little over 3 million ethnic Germans lived in the
Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia.
British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain agreed to meet
with Hitler to discuss the matter.
Czechoslovakia: The Apex
of Appeasement
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At the Munich Conference of 1938, Britain and
France (not Czechoslovakia) agreed to the German
occupation of the Sudetenland.
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Deprived of the Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia could
not defend against a German attack. Hitler took
Czechoslovakia in March 1939.
The take-over of Czechoslovakia was different than
the other conquests. This was not about German selfdetermination it was about hegemony or control of
Europe.
With the end of Czech independence, Hitler’s intent to
dominate Europe was apparent.
Poland: The Final Crisis
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Hitler next turned his attention to Poland. He
demanded the return of the city of Danzig and use
of the Polish corridor. Poland refused and France
and Great Britain warned that they would support
Poland if attacked.
On May 22, 1939, Hitler and Mussolini entered into
a pact, promising mutual aid in the event of war.
On August 23, 1939, Germany and Russia signed
a nonaggression pact, giving Hitler the greenlight to invade Poland.
The Nazi Blitzkrieg
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Poland
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On September 1, 1939, German troops invaded Poland.
Britain and France declared war two days later.
On September 17, Soviet troops invaded Poland from
the east.
In less than a month, the Nazi blitzkrieg (lightning
war) had captured Poland, which surrendered on
September 27.
For Hitler, the conquest of Poland was only the
beginning. He then captured Denmark and Norway.
In May of 1940, German troops invaded Belgium,
Holland, and Luxembourg and marched into France.
Japanese Expansion
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Japan is expanding in the Pacific in search of
raw materials.
Problems:
 U.S. insisted of Japan’s withdrawal from
China
 Japan’s alliance with Germany and Italy
(Tripartite Pact)
Negotiations over commercial treaty
U.S. had broken Japanese diplomatic codes
 Japan wanted Indochina
Oil Embargo
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U.S. freezes Japanese assets and starts embargo
 U.S. cuts off sale of airplane fuel to Japan and cuts
back on other natural resources.
 Great Britain and the Dutch East Indies also
participate in the embargo.
Japan cut off from its major source of oil
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66.4 percent of imports came from Anglo-Americans
Over 80 percent of its oil came from U.S.
Japanese Navy’s oil reserves (2 years)
 Planned for war after August 1, 1941
 The longer Japan waited the worse its economic
and military situation would become.
First set of questions (to answer individually):
1. Who threatens America and the world?
2. Who is fighting to hold off and defeat that threat?
3. What do the people who are defending themselves
ask of the United States?
4. How can the United States aid the defenders of
Democracy?
5. Why should management and labor get along
without strikes or lockouts?
6. Who will decide if the production of consumer or
luxury goods needs to yield to defense production?
7. What alternative does Roosevelt pose to arming
Britain and other democracies?
Question
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What would the role of the U.S. as an
"Arsenal of Democracy" mean for
Americans in general? For workers?
For factory owners? For consumers?
Decision for War
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“Hull Note” delivered on Nov. 26, 1941
 Basically restated U.S. demands
 Prime Minister Tōjō sees note as ultimatum and
and proof that further diplomacy was futile.
 Japanese public opinion was firmly behind the
decision for war.
Late Nov., 1941 – U.S. learns Japanese
Armada leaves Japan / lost track of and
thought they were headed to attack the
Philippines
Dec. 6, Japan breaks off negotiations, refusing to
leave China
December 7, 1941
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Japan attacks Pearl Harbor in Hawaii
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U.S. fleet caught unprepared
2400 sailors died, 1200 wounded,18 ships sunk,
and 160 aircraft damaged and 200 destroyed.
Only the aircraft carriers, by chance on maneuvers,
escaped the worst naval defeat in American
history.
Later the same day, Japan attacks the
Philippines, Guam, and Midway and attacks
British forces in Hong Kong and the Malay
Peninsula (Singapore)
Global War
FDR – “a date that will live in infamy.”
 Dec. 8, 1941 - U.S. declares war on Japan
 Germany and Italy declare war on U.S.
 With the Japanese attack on the U.S.,
World War II became a global war.
 The U.S. would enter the war against the
Axis powers and concentrate on Europe.
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