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Road to War
Causes of World War II
Great Depression
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1929: Collapse of US stock market
precipitates collapse of global economy
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Why did this occur?
Why does this one event trigger a global
depression?
Significance
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As a result of the misery caused by the
Depression, most governments are replaced by
new leadership (such as French Popular Front
and Roosevelt’s “New Deal” in US)
Rise of Radical Politics
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Radical Governments
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Italy: Mussolini and the rise of the Fascists
Germany: Hitler and the rise of the Nazis
Japan: Rise of the militarists
Common features
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Rise to power on anger over economy, treatment at
the end of WWI
Political: Totalitarian single party rule, expert
propaganda (new media: radio), Cult of the leader
Economic: State control of the economy
Social: Belief in racial superiority and encouraging
of breeding to increase numbers
Militarism: Encourage military spending and
expansion
New Alliances
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Axis Powers
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Germany, Italy, and Japan sign military
alliance
Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact
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As a prelude to a partition of Poland, the
Nazis and Soviets sign an agreement not
to attack each other
New Empires
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Japan
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Italy
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Review: Already controls Korea, etc.
1931: Invades Manchuria, a resource rich
province in northern China
1937: Rape of Nanking
1935: Invades Ethiopia again, this time
successfully conquering it
Germany
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Rearms its military, unites with Austria, takes land
from Czechoslovakia, and moves into neutral
area bordering France
Note: All actions violate Treaty of Versailles
World War II
1939-1945
War Erupts in Europe
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1939: Germans
“blitzkrieg” Poland
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1940: Denmark,
Norway, and FRANCE
fall to the Nazis
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Britain and France
declare war
Only British left to stand
against Germany
Britain under new
leadership of PM
Winston Churchill
1940-1: Battle of Britain
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Hitler launches aerial
attacks on England
Globalization of the War
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North Africa
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1941 - German advance threatens British
control of critical Middle Eastern oil
supplies
Soviet Union
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1941 - Nazis invade Russia, striking deep
into the country before winter sets in
– Nazi attack forces the British and Soviets
become allies
Globalization of the War
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Southeast Asia and the Pacific
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Japanese establish control of the South Pacific,
knocking out the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor and
conquering the Dutch East Indies, U.S.
Philippines, and British Burma
United States
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December 7, 1941 - Japan attempts to destroy
U.S. Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor
U.S. Congress declares war the next day on
Japan, Germany soon after, forms alliance with
Britain and Russia called the “Allies”
“Europe First” - Stalin and Churchill get FDR to
agree to devote full resources to defeating Hitler
in Europe before Japan
Turning Points
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Midway - June 1942
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El Alamein - October 1942
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U.S. air and naval victory cripples the Japanese
fleet, completely reversing the direction of the
war in the Pacific
British slow the German advance in North Africa,
and the Americans soon arrive to help push out
the Germans
Stalingrad - 1942-43
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Germans get lost in the bombed out city, and
they are virtually destroyed in the ensuing street
battles
Victory in Europe
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Soviet Advance
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Western Front
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Following success at Stalingrad, Soviets begin
rapidly pushing the Germans back in the east
June 6, 1944: D-Day - U.S. and British troops
attack beaches of Normandy and establish a
foothold in France
Allied forces begin rapidly pushing the Nazis
back in the west
Germans Surrender
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Hitler commits suicide on April 30th
May 7, 1945: VE Day - Germany surrenders to
the Allies, ending the war in Europe
Victory in the Pacific
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Island-Hopping
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Atomic Bombs
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U.S. forces invade strategic islands to get closer
to Japan
Iwo Jima & Okinawa - U.S. seize islands within
bomber range of Japan in very bloody operations
August 1945: Hiroshima & Nagasaki - U.S. drops
newly developed atomic bombs on Japan
Hundreds of thousands are killed instantly or
from radiation
Japanese Surrender
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Sept. 2, 1945: VJ Day - Japan surrenders to the
Allies, ending WWII
Pondering WWII
Major Issues and Effects of the War
“Crimes against Humanity”
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Attacks on Civilians
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Ethnic Cleansing
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Rape of Nanking, German bombing of British
cities, Allied bombing of German cities, and
American use of atomic bombs all raise
questions about “rules of warfare”
Hitler’s attempts to eliminate the European
Jewish population during the Holocaust are
viewed as especially hideous
Significance
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International movement to call individuals to
account for violations of human rights committed
during times of war
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Nuremberg War Crimes Trial: Nazi officers held
accountable for actions that led to genocide
Recovery and Reconstruction
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Destruction of Europe and Japan
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Governance of Axis countries and territories
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Fighting in Europe and Asia destroys countless
miles of territory
Germany and Japan need to have new
governments established, in addition to the
territories controlled by them
Solution
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Allies divide up territories to provide assistance in
rebuilding process and supervise establishment
of free and democratic governments
Problem: Different philosophies and growing
rivalry between United States and Soviet Union
United Nations
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U.N.
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International
organization
designed to
maintain peace
Much stronger than
predecessor, the
League of Nations
Significance
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Plays crucial role in
several key postwar events
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Samples: Korean
War, Creations of
the state of Israel
Nationalism & Decolonization
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Nationalists and World War II
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Many nationalists leaders aid Japanese invasion of
their country in order to expel Europeans
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However, as war progresses, some found Japanese
conquerors as bad as worse as Euros
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Example: Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh)
War for Democracy
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Examples: Dutch Indonesia, India, British Burma (Aung San)
Allies refer to fight against Hitler as a battle against
“tyranny and oppression”
Significance
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Europe challenged to justify their foreign rule over
colonies - Encourages anti-colonialism
Soon after the end of WWII, European powers lose
control of most of their overseas empires
Cold War
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Conflict between the Soviets and Americans
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Soviets and Americans extremely distrustful of
one another at end of the war
U.S. aid pours into Western Europe, while
Soviets establish pro-Soviet Communist
dictatorships in Eastern Europe
Significance
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Competition between USA and Soviet Union
leads both groups to intervene in countries all
over the world, including East Asia (Korea,
Vietnam) and Latin America (Cuba, Nicaragua)
Coach Lerch’s Final Thoughts
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The major developments of global
history from 1945 to 1990 were
dictated by the events of World War II
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Conflict in the Middle East
– Decolonization
– Cold War
– Economic and Cultural Globalization