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Unit 9 – World War II
I.
Dictatorship and Aggression
 In the 1930’s in Europe and Asia, ambitious rulers gained power and set out to
conquer neighboring lands.
 When other nations did not stop their expansion, the rulers became bolder.
A. A Dictator in the Soviet Union
 Vladimir Lenin set up the world’s first communist country in when he
established the Soviet Union in 1922.
 After Lenin’s death JOSEPH STALIN came to power and established a brutal
dictatorship.

DEFINE dictator

Stalin used all the weapons of a totalitarian state (a single party controls the
government and every aspect of people’s lives) – What is life like in this state?

To strengthen the Soviet of economy, Stalin wanted to modernize industry
and economy through a series of 5 year plans – What were collective farms
and why did Russians resist them?
B. Fascists in Italy
 Dictators in Western Europe (Italy and Germany) won support by exploiting
people’s fears about the economy and also their strong feelings of nationalism.
1. Mussolini becomes dictator
 In 1922, Benito Mussolini and his Fascist party seized power in Italy
 How was Mussolini able to seize power? (2 reasons)

Once in power Mussolini outlawed all parties except his own, controlled
the press and banned criticism of the government, and became known as
Il Duce (or “the Leader”)
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2. Invading Ethiopia
 Remembering the glories of ancient Rome, he promised to restore Italy to
its greatness.
 DEFINE aggression


In 1935 Mussolini invaded Ethiopia (North Africa) who were easily
outmatched by the tanks and airplanes of the modern Italian army.
Ethiopian Emperor Halie Selassie called on the League of Nations for
help. What did the League of Nations do?
C. Rise of Nazi Germany
 Germany’s Adolf Hitler also took advantage of anger about the Versailles
Treaty ( Germans blamed for starting + heavy war debt) to rise to power
1. Hitler becomes dictator
 Political party = National Socialist German Workers’ Party or NAZIS
 Hitler became popular by blaming whom for losing World War I?


Hitler was a powerful speaker and a skillful leader and when the Great
Depression hit Germany, many Germans turned to Hitler and the Nazis.
In 1933 Hitler became chancellor and within two years, he ended
democratic government and created a militaristic totalitarian state.
2. Attack on Jews
 Hitler and the Nazis preached a message of racial and religious hatred
and he claimed that Germans belonged to a superior “Aryan” race.
 The Nazi govt singled out the Jews for special persecution – EXPLAIN

The attacks on Jews increased and eventually concentration camps were
set up – What were these?
3. German military buildup
 In violation of the Versailles Treaty, Hitler built up the German armed
forces and claimed the right to expand Germany to the east.
 How did Hitler respond the League of Nation’s condemnation?
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D. Military Rule in Japan
 Japan’s economy suffered severely in the Great Depression and the economic
crisis worsened, many Japanese grew impatient with their democratic govt.
 In the early 1930s, military leaders took power in Japan and set out to expand
and create an overseas empire.
 Where did Japan invade first and why?
 League of Nations condemned Japan, but did little else.
E. American Foreign Policy
 During the depression, Americans has too many economic worries to care much
about events overseas.
 What role did Americans want to play with foreign affairs?
 Isolationists in Congress pressed for a series of Neutrality Acts – these laws
banned arms sales or loans to countries at war.


They also warned Americans not to travel on ships of countries at war.
What was the purpose of all of this?
 However, closer to home FDR attempted to establish friendlier relations with
Latin American countries with the Good Neighbor Policy – What did this do?
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II.
The War Begins
A. War in Asia
 In 1937 Japan began an all out war against China – including the bombing of
civilians in major Chinese cities.
 The Japanese armies were successful and occupied northern and central China.
 Why did this advance alarm American leaders?
1.
2.
B. War in Europe
 In 1938 Hitler annexed (added; took over) Austria which was a violation of the
Treaty of Versailles and also wanted the Sudetenland – Why and where?
1. The Munich Conference
 Meeting between Hitler and the leaders of France and England to
preserve the peace in Europe.
 Hitler promised he would seek on further land if he was given the
Sudetenland and the French and English agreed.
 This policy is known as appeasement – DEFINE

The policy failed because Hitler did what?
2. Invasion of Poland – September 1, 1939 (official start of WW II)
 Hitler’s next target was Poland and to achieve this goal he made an
agreement with the Soviet Union known as the Nazi-Soviet Pact
- What were the (2) parts of this agreement?
(1)
(2)

In September of 1939, Hitler launched Germany’s military might on
Poland using blitzkrieg - DEFINE and DECRIBE

Poland quickly surrendered and the Stalin invaded eastern Poland and
also took over Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
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C. A Global Conflict
 World War II was a global conflict because armies fought all over the
world….Europe, Asia, Africa, South Pacific, Atlantic and Pacific oceans
Axis powers
Allied Powers
Germany, Italy and Japan and 6 smaller
powers
England, France, USSR, USA, China
and 45 other countries
1. France surrenders
 In the Spring of 1940 smashed through Denmark and Norway and
overran Holland and Belgium and were moving towards France.
 The British rushed to help France but what happened?

France officially surrendered to Germany on June 22, 1940.
2. Battle of Britain
 Britain now stood alone but their new Prime Minister Winston
Churchill was confident and told the world the British would fight on.
 What was the Battle of Britain?

Edward R. Murrow was a war correspondent who was in England
and reported the war back to the US.
D. FDR and American Policy
 After the invasion of Poland, FDR announced that the US would remain neutral
1. Helping the Allies
 FDR sought ways to help the Allies without getting involved:
-
cash and carry
-
old ships
2. Preparing for war
 Congress approved greater spending for the army and navy and set up
the first peacetime draft in American history.
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3. FDR wins a third term
 The threat of war persuaded FDR to run for a 3rd term, which broke the
precedent set by George Washington.
 Ran against Republican Wendell Wilkie and what did both candidates
say about the war?
4. “Arsenal of democracy”
 England was running out of money to buy arms and FDR wanted to lend
supplies to them - the US “must be the great arsenal of Democracy”
 What was the Lend-Lease Act of 1941?

In June 1941, Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa – the invasion of the
USSR – and FDR extended the Lend Lease to the Soviet Union.
5. The Atlantic Charter
 In August 1941 – FDR and Churchill issued the Atlantic Charter which
set goals for the postwar world:
i.
ii.
iii.
E. The United States Enters the War
 Japanese aggression in Southeast Asia and mainland Asia were also alarming
1. Opposing Japanese Aggression
 The tried to stop Japan by not selling oil and scrap metal, but this move
angered the Japanese.
 The US said they would start selling the materials again if Japan would
do what?
2. Japan Attacks
 On Sunday December 7, 1941, Japanese planes swept through the skies in
a surprise attack on the naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
 What was the purpose of the attack?

The next day, FDR asked Congress to declare war on Japan.
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III.
The Home Front
A. Mobilizing for Victory
 More than 15 million American men and women served in the military during
World War II.
 Winning the war depended on military victories and on mobilizing the home
front to support and supply the armed forces.
1. Training for Combat
 In 1941, the military’s first task was to train forces and combat – military
bases were built all over the country.
2. Organizing the Economy – (the war ended the Great Depression)
 How did the government control the economy during WW II?




The War Production Board helped factories shift from making consumer
goods to making guns, ships, aircraft, and other materials need to win.
What was rationing?
To combat food shortages, many Americans planted victory gardens.
How did the government pay for the war?
B. Jobs for Women
 During WW II, women responded to the urgent demand for their labor – about
5 million entered the work force.
 They worked in offices, war production plants, and took over jobs that helped
keep the country going.
 How did this change fashion for women?
C. African Americans
 Blacks rallied to their nation’s cause and the war helped end some of the
discrimination they faced.
1. Discrimination at Home
 Even though workers were needed all over the country, some businesses
still refused to hire black workers.
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
Who was A. Philip Randolph and what did he propose?

FDR met with Randolph and ordered businesses that were doing work
with the government to end discrimination in hiring.
2. Heroism in the military
 However, FDR refused to end the practice of segregation in the armed
forces – EXPLAIN


The Tuskegee Airmen were African-American fighter pilots who trained
at Tuskegee, Alabama and shot down or damaged 400 enemy aircraft.
Who was Dorie Miller?
D. Japanese Americans
 Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, many people on the West Coast
questioned the loyalty of Japanese Americans.
 What did FDR order for the Japanese Americans?
 Who were the Nisei Battalion?
E. Native Americans
 What was the contribution of the Navajo soldiers?
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IV.
The Allies Advance
A. A Time of Peril
 In early 1942, the Axis Powers seemed unbeatable
German victories
Japanese victories
B. Turning the Tide
 The Allied leaders agreed to a “Germany first” policy – What did this mean?
1. Victories in the Pacific
 An American naval task force engaged a Japanese fleet in the Coral Sea
in May of 1942 and turned the Japanese Fleet back.
 What happened at the Battle of Midway?
2. Success in North Africa
 The Germans led by Gen. Irwin “Desert Fox” Rommel had been
marching across North Africa heading for British controlled Egypt.
 What battle stopped this advance?

American troops led by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower had landed in
Morocco and pushed east to trap Rommel and the Germans.
3. Allied Advance in Europe
 What was the importance of the victories in North Africa?


The Allies eventually freed the capital of Rome on June 4, 1944, but they
never broke through Northern Italy to get into Germany.
What (2) battles on the eastern front halted the German advance into the
Soviet Union?
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C. D-Day Invasion at Normandy
 After Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, Stalin wanted the British and Americans
to attack the Germans on the western front (France) – WHY?
 Operation Overlord – June 6, 1944
 The code name for the invasion of Europe (later known as D-Day invasion)
 Who was given command of the invasion?

The Germans knew the attack was coming, but they did not know when or
where – they built a series of fortifications known as the ATLANTIC WALL.

The operation was successfully launched on June 6 and by August 25, 1944 –
the capital of France, Paris, was free for the first time in 4 years.
D. Advancing on Germany
 The Allies were now pushing the Germans back into Germany but on December
16, 1944 the Germans launched a massive counterattack.
 Why was it called the Battle of the Bulge?
 Allied bombers were also relentlessly pounding Germany by dropping tons of
bombs day after day, which greatly weakened the German war machine.
E. A New President
 FDR won his 4th term as President in 1944 but died almost 9 months later in
April 1945 – Who became President?
F. Victory in Europe
 By April 1945, Germany’s defenses were collapsing and both American and
Soviet troops were closing in on the German capital of Berlin.
 What eventually happened to Adolph Hitler?
 On May 7, 1945 Germany surrendered to the Allies and on May 8th V-E Day
was celebrated – what does V-E mean?
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V.
Final Victory
A. Campaign in the Pacific
 The (2) main goals in the Pacific war were to regain the Philippine Islands and to
invade Japan.
 A key to these goals was the “island-hopping” strategy – EXPLAIN

This strategy became a deadly routine: American ships would shell the
island – then troops would launch an amphibious invasion – and finally hand
to hand fighting was necessary to take the island.
 The strategy was working: the Philippines were retaken by February 1945 and
the key islands of Iwo Jima + Okinawa were captured – good for bombing Japan
 As the fighting got closer to their mainland, the Japanese became fanatical and
began using kamikaze attacks - EXPLAIN
 By April 1945, the Japanese people were suffering and American military
planners were preparing for the invasion of Japan – what was the fear of this?
B. Defeat of Japan
 In late July 1945 the Allied leaders (Truman, Churchill, and Stalin) met at
Potsdam, Germany to discuss the end of the war.
 What news did Truman receive from home?

The Allied leaders sent a message (Potsdam Declaration) to Japan telling
them to surrender or face “prompt and utter destruction” – they refused.
 On August 6, 1945 the Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb nicknamed “Little
Man” on Hiroshima – but the Japanese refused to surrender.
 On August 9, 1945 Bock’s Car dropped a second atomic bomb nicknamed “Fat
Boy” on Nagasaki - this time the Japanese surrendered.
 When and where was the official surrender of the Japanese?
 News of the surrender sparked off wild celebrations across the United States.
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C. Costs of the War
 After the celebrations, people began to count the costs of the war – the deadliest
in human history – See graph on page 756
 During the war, stories trickled out of the mistreatment of prisoners:

What was the Bataan Death March?
D. The Holocaust
 In the last month of the European war, the Allied forces uncovered other
horrors – the Nazi death camps.
 What was the Holocaust?


Over 6 million Jews were killed by the Germans
Nearly 6 million Poles, Slavs, Russians and Gypsies were also killed
 What were the Nuremberg Trials?
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