Download World War II

World War II
SOL WHII.11
Many economic and political causes led
toward World War II. Major theaters of
war included Africa, Europe, Asia, and
the Pacific Islands.
There were several economic and political
causes of World War II. Aggressive acts
by Germany, Italy, and Japan against
other countries was one of the main
causes. Each of these countries invaded
other countries.
The League of Nations which had been
formed to prevent future wars was very
weak. It had no power to enforce any of
its decisions or rulings.
In addition, Europe and the United States
tended toward isolationism and pacifism.
They were dealing with the worldwide
depression and did not want to get
involved in conflicts.
Other cause of World War II included:
 Nationalism
 Failures of the Treaty of Versailles
 Appeasement – Rather than enter
another conflict, major countries
accepted the aggressive acts of Italy,
Germany, and Japan.
Allied Powers
Axis Powers
France
Great Britain
United States
Russia
Germany
Italy
Japan
German invasion of Poland
Hitler began a massive air and tank
attack on Poland. Polish troops made a
hopeless defense against the German
onslaught.
Coming to Poland’s defense, Great
Britain and France declared war on
Germany. Within 48 hours, the attack
on Poland had become the beginning
of World War II.
Fall of France
Hitler turned his war machine on France.
German planes bombed and destroyed.
On June 14, 1940, the Germans enter
Paris, and the French armed resistance in
the north fell.
This left Great Britain alone to fight the
Hitler war machine.
Battle of Britain
Hitler ordered the air force to strike Britain
in preparation for an invasion. These air
raids, along with British efforts to counter
them, became known as the Battle of
Britain.
Hitler believed he would destroy the British
will to fight. Tremendous help came when
the United States entered the war.
German invasion of the Soviet Union
After conquering much of Europe, Hitler
turned his attention to the Soviet Union.
Hitler used the scorched earth system as
he moved through the Soviet Union. He
expected the Soviet Union to surrender
quickly but they did not.
German troops had to stay for the harsh
Russian winter!
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
Japan had taken advantage of the
worldwide turmoil and had made several
aggressive invasions in Southeast Asia.
Japan felt the U. S. was their most
dangerous potential enemy.
In an attempt to knock out the U. S. Pacific
Fleet Japan attacked the fleet at Pearl
Harbor in Hawaii.
D-Day – Allied Invasion of Europe
The day the Allied troops landed on
France’s Normandy Coast was called DDay. More than 1 million troops had landed
within a month. After heavy fighting, Allied
troops moved into northern France.
Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki
Japan refused to surrender even with heavy
fighting and bombing of Japanese ports.
When Japan refused to surrender, President
Truman made an important decision to use
the atomic bomb against Japan in the cities
of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
He felt this decision would bring a quicker
end to the war and save lives in the long
run.
United States Presidents During the War
Franklin D. Roosevelt –
U. S. President when
WWII began. He asked
Congress to declare war.
Harry Truman – became
President after the death of
Roosevelt – ordered the
dropping of the atomic bomb
United States Generals
George
Marshall
Dwight D.
Eisenhower
Douglas
MacArthur
British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill
Soviet dictator
Joseph Stalin
Nazi dictator of Germany
Adolf Hitler
Japanese General
Hideki Tojo
Emperor of Japan
Emperor Hirohito
There had been a climate of hatred
against Jews in Europe and Russia for
centuries.
The systematic and purposeful
destruction of a racial, political, religious,
or cultural group is known as genocide.
Various instances of genocide have
occurred throughout the twentieth century.
The defeat of Germany in World War I
made Germans eager to believe in the
“master race” ideology that Hitler
promoted.
The economic depression in Germany
was blamed on the German Jews.
In addition, there was a history of antiSemitism. This made blaming the Jews an
easy action.
The totalitarianism of Hitler’s government
combined with feelings of nationalism to
make Hitler’s treatment of the Jews
acceptable.
Germans felt they were a superior master
race and Hitler was their leader.
Hitler’s final solution was the
extermination of the Jewish race in
extermination camps and gas chambers.
Examples of other genocides
 Armenians by leaders of the Ottoman
Empire
 Peasants, government and military
leaders, and members of the elite in the
Soviet Union by Joseph Stalin
 Tutsi minority by Hutu in Rwanda
Examples of other genocides:
 The educated, artists, technicians,
former government officials, monks, and
minorities by Pol Pot in Cambodia
 Muslims and Croats by Bosnian Serbs
in former Yugoslavia
The outcomes of World War II included:
 War crimes trials
 Division of Europe
 Plans to rebuild Germany and Japan
 Establishment of international
cooperative organizations
The United Nations was formed as an
international organization. Its goal was to
keep peace through collective security
arrangements.
After WWII, there were two major
powers in the world.
The United States
The U.S.S.R.
Many high ranking Nazi officials had fled
to South America, When the full horror of
what had occurred was discovered, these
officials were brought to trial.
The Nurnberg trials charged 22 Nazi
leaders with crimes against peace and
humanity.