Download Contemporary - Lesson # 1 WWII

• Bell ringer: Is war inevitable? What would it take to avoid it?
Give an example of how peace could be reached between
two nations without fighting.
• Objective: Analyze the transition from World War II to the postwar world
Pre-1938 – Pacific: Japan invades
China, Europe: Germany breaks the
Treaty of Versailles
• September 1, 1939 – Germany
invades Poland
• September 3, 1939 – France, Great
Britain declare war on Germany
• 1940 – Germany has conquered
most of Europe, begins bombing
Great Britain, Japan has conquered
much of the Pacific
•
Axis Powers: Japan, Soviet Union,
Germany, Italy
Allied Powers: Great Britain and her
colonies, China, France
…only Great Britain Remains…
•
With the war going
on in Europe and
the Pacific, the USA
is remaining neutral
(not committing to
fight)…
Should the USA get
involved in the war
in Europe and
Asia? Justify.
June-December 1941 – Germany
invades Soviet Union
• December 7, 1941 – Japan bombs Pearl
Harbor, America enters the war on the
side of the allies
•
New Allied Powers – The Soviet
Union, USA, Britain, France, China
Axis Powers – Japan, Italy, Germany
• 1943 – Italy surrenders after
coup d'état
• 1944 – D-Day, USA attacks
German army in France,
Japan in the Pacific
• April-May 1945 – Hitler
commits suicide, Germany
surrenders
• September 1945 – Japan
surrenders
August 6, 1945
Atomic bomb,
Hiroshima
August 9, 1945
Atomic bomb,
Nagasaki

Now that
peace has
been reached
for a second
time, the
remaining allies
need to
decide on
terms. What
can they learn
from the past?
What should be different about the peace treaty
after WWII compared to the Treaty of Versailles?
Explain.
After WWII,
Germany is
divided into
two halves
• The Soviet
Union is
responsible for
the Eastern half
• The other allies
(and the USA)
are responsible
for the Western
half
•

Atomic bomb test
•
Use the documents, the textbook, and
other information to fill out the for and
against graphic organizer with your partner.