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World War II
Aftermath of World War I
- World War I left most of Europe bankrupt. Only Japan
and the USA were in better economic condition after the
war.
- After WWI, many new democracies emerged. Also, the
Hapsburg (Austria), Romanov (Russia), and the Ottoman
Empire (Turkey) all died out.
- Many democracies were coalition governments: too
many political parties meant a fragile government in
which lots of wrangling was needed to accomplish
anything.
Germany After WWI
- The Weimar Republic was the German government after 1919.
- It was fragile: many unfairly blamed the government for losing the war
and signing the harsh Treaty of Versailles, Germany had little democratic
tradition, and too many political parties existed which led to coalition
governments.
- During World War I, Germany did not raise taxes like France and Great
Britain. Instead, more cash was printed. This led to severe inflation (rise of
prices).-A loaf of bread cost 1 mark in 1918, 160 marks in 1922, and 200
billion marks in 1923! (1 dollar = 4.2 trillion marks at the highest point)
- Due to this hyperinflation, people lost their life savings, poverty
increased, a barter system emerged, and corruption increased.
- In 1924, the Dawes Plan, an international committee led by American
Charles Dawes, gave a $200 million loan to German banks and changed
Germany’s reparations schedule. This stopped German hyperinflation,
opened the door to foreign investment and helped the economy. By 1929,
German factories were producing as much as before WWI.
Promises of Peace
- In the 1920s, promises of “no war ever again”
were made.
- France and Germany agreed to never fight again in
1925, Germany was admitted into the League of
Nations (US still out)
- The 1928 Kellogg-Briand peace pact removed war
as a national policy, and was signed by the US,
Germany, Italy, Japan, Great Britain, France, and
others. It had no enforcement strategy.
- In 1929, the US stock market crashed, and the
US economy crashed. The following years would
be known as the Great Depression.
- This impacted Europe because they benefited
from lots of American investment.
- The stock market was extremely popular in the
1920s, and prices were overly high. Millions lost
their “paper wealth” during this time, and there
were no protections from the government (no
social security, deposit insurance, etc.)
The US economy crashed for 3 reasons:
1) Unequal wealth distribution (top 5% had 33%
of income in 1929), lots of poverty
2) Overproduction in business and agriculture
3) Less demand for consumer goods (lack of many
people having enough disposable income already,
more workers were laid off, thus even more
people could not buy things, etc.)
- By 1932, US factory production was 50% of what
it used to be (and the US had 50% of the world’s
industrial production at the time), and by 1933
unemployment was 25%. Also people did not trust
banks and were afraid to spend money – deflation
set in. This was one of the hardest times in US
history!
- As a reaction to the
bad US economy,
American bankers
demanded repayment
of overseas loans.
This hurt Europe
more.
- Governments during
this time increased
tariffs (taxes on
imports) to force
people to buy goods
made in the home
country. After all of
these changes,
international trade fell
by 65%.
- It was a worldwide depression. Germany
had the worst depression in the Western
world, the US had the second worst.
- Great Britain was better off than most;
high tariffs, more taxes, lower interest rates
(to encourage investment). Remained a
democratic country.
- France was very self-sufficient, so it was
not as affected. However, there was lots of
political strife (in 1933 5 coalition
governments came and went). Remained a
democratic country.
- The United States elected Franklin
Roosevelt in 1932, and he put in place the
New Deal, which was completely different
from predecessor Herbert Hoover’s “hands
off” policy. The New Deal encouraged
government spending on programs, many
labor laws were passed, social security
passed, and more. It did not end the
Depression, but gave many Americans hope
and new laws.
The Western
Powers
Respond
The Rise of Fascism
Fascism: a type of government that:
1) Has one leader, one party only
2) Demands total obedience
3) Takes away individual freedoms
4) Extreme nationalism
5) Emphasis on military
- Fascist countries often dressed in a
certain way, had specific salutes, and
held mass rallies.
- Like communism, fascism had a
dictator as a leader, and denied
peoples’ rights. Communism strove for
a classless society, but fascism did not.
Benito Mussolini (“Il Duce”) was a newspaper
editor and politician before becoming the
fascist leader of Italy.
- The Fascist Party in Italy was founded in
1919. Black-shirted members attacked
communists and socialists on the streets, and
terror weakened their opposition. The
communists were in particular their top
enemy.
- In October 1927, 30,000 Italians marched in
Rome and demanded that the King make
Mussolini the leader. The king did, due to
pressure and the thought that at least his
dynasty could continue.
- Under Mussolini, all parties except the
Fascist Party were forbidden, a secret police
was created, worker strikes were outlawed,
and business was controlled by friendly
Fascists. The country was controlled tightly,
but not quite as tightly as Hitler’s Germany or
Stalin’s USSR (“Totalitarian” regimes = when
everything including thinking is controlled).
- The Catholic Church also supported this
regime, and both found common ground at
the time about women strictly staying at
home as homemakers.
Fascism in Germany
Adolph Hitler was born in Austria, was a failed artist, and
fought for Germany heroically in WWI (but was not liked
by his peers)
- After WWI, Hitler settled in Munich and joined a tiny
right-wing, fascist group in 1920 called the National
Socialist German Worker’s Party (or “Nazi” for short).
They had a private militia (“brownshirts” or “storm
troopers”).
- Hitler’s speaking and organizing ability led him to be
“der Fuhrer” (the leader).
Mein Kampf
- The Nazis tried to seize power like
Mussolini in 1923 in the Beer Hall Putsch,
but they failed. Hitler went to prison for 9
months.
- While in prison, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf
(“my struggle”) which became a plan of
action for the Nazis.
- In the book, Hitler incorrectly called blue
eyed/blondes “Aryans,” and he felt that they
were superior to all other races. He hated
the Versailles Treaty, and claimed that
Germany needed lebensraum (living space)
due to overpopulation, and felt that Eastern
Europe was the best bet for new land.
- During Germany’s horrible years in the
Depression, Hitler won many admirers who
were frustrated with the system and/or
were confused.
- In 1933, the Nazis were voted into
power with only 33% of the vote (6
other competing parties); Hitler was
named Chancellor of Germany.
- Many of Hitler’s enemies had hoped
that Hitler would rid Germany of its
communists. 6 days before the
election, the Reichstag (legislative
building) was burned, and communists
were blamed.
- Hitler demanded absolute power for
4 years. All other political parties were
banned, a secret police was created
(“Gestapo”), and black-uniformed elite
troops pledged loyalty to Hitler and
murdered hundreds (“SS troops”).
- Strikes and labor unions were
banned, and the Nazis controlled big
business. Millions went back to work,
and there was a huge increase in
infrastructure and the military
(violating WWI agreements).
- Unemployment: 6 million down to
1.5 million. Hitler put on the best
Olympic Games ever (1936), and was
Time’s “Man of the Year” in 1938.
Nazis Shape
German Minds
- The Nazis were masters at
propaganda (presenting one side
of a situation to persuade)
techniques.
- Joseph Goebbels was the Nazi
propaganda minister and a very
important person.
- German boys had to enter the
Hitler Youth, and girl entered the
League of German Girls, a sort of
propaganda boy and girl scouts!
- All media was controlled, and
non-friendly books were burned.
Japan in the Early 1900s
- Japan emerged as the most industrialized and modern Asian
country.
- The Meiji period, from the mid 1800s to early 1900s, ended the
feudal samurai system and modernized Japan.
- Japan beat Russia in the Russo-Japanese war in 1904-05. It was the
first time in modern history that a European country was defeated by
an Asian one.
- Japan became more democratic in the 1920s, but it failed. People
blamed the government for the Depression, and there were
problems with the structure of the government.
- As a result, fascism and nationalism gained momentum, and the
military leaders took power. Emperor Hirohito was the Emperor.
Japan Wants an Empire
- Japan wanted an Pacific Empire for more raw
materials, land for population, and they felt
superior to everyone else.
- In 1931, Japan took Manchuria (NE China), and
installed a puppet government in the new
Manchukuo. The League of Nations condemned
this (but did not do anything more), and Japan
quit the League in 1933.
The (second) Sino-Japanese War
- In 1937, Japan and China exchanged gunshots at a railroad
bridge near Beijing, China. War began. China and Japan had
been major enemies for hundreds of years. Japan beat China in
1894-1895 over Korea, but before this, war had not been fought
since the 1200s, when China was under Mongol rule.
- The Japanese dominated the war. The capital Nanjing
(Nanking) fell and 10s of thousands died (The Rape of Nanking).
- China had already been fighting a civil war since 1930 between
the Kuomintang (KMT, nationalists, led by Chiang Kai-Shek) and
the Communists (CCP, led by Mao Zedong). They declared a
temporary truce to deal with Japan, although the Communists
fled to the mountains to duck the war and regroup.
Italy Conquers Ethiopia
- Mussolini wanted an Italian empire, and made no secret about it. He often
referred to past Roman greatness.
- All of Africa had been colonized by this point except Ethiopia and 3 other
small countries.
- Previously, Ethiopia had held off an 1890 Italian invasion, and it was seen by
Africans as a place of hope against the European colonists.
- In 1935, Italy invaded Ethiopia again. Leader Haile Selassie went to the
League of Nations to get help, but the League did nothing other than condemn
the attacks. Ethiopia fell.
- Africans as well as African-Americans were devastated by Ethiopia’s situation.
It was seen as the one last hope for African independence and resistance to
European imperialism.
The Spanish Civil War
- Spain fought the Spanish Civil War from 1936-1939. It was very
costly; 500,000 died.
- The Nationalists were supported by fascist Italy and Nazi
Germany, and were led by Francisco Franco. The Republicans
received little help from abroad but the USSR sent some
equipment and advisors.
- The Nationalists won and Franco became a dictator until the
1970s. Life was very strict and the Catholic faith was very
important.
- The Spanish were so beat up that they remained neutral in
World War II, despite being pressured by the Axis to join (Hitler
said he would rather have his teeth pulled out than have to
work with Franco).
The Third Reich
- In 1935, Hitler ignored the Versailles Treaty and built up his army and navy.
- By 1937 it was known as the “Third Reich.” The first Reich was during
Charlemagne in the 800s, and the second under Bismarck in the mid-late
1800s.
- In October 1936, Italy and Germany formed the Rome-Berlin Axis, and one
month later Japan joined them and they all became known as the Axis Powers.
The Germans Took Over the Following Territories:
Rhineland – 1936 (30 mile-wide buffer zone between Germany and France.
Industrial area.
Austria– March 1938
Sudetenland – September 1938
Czechoslovakia – March 1939 (the excuse was that some ethnic Germans lived
on the border. The Czech part was annexed; the Slovaks became allies)
The Munich Conference
- While The Nazis were conquering/annexing more European lands, other
European leaders were horrified and did not want another war.
- After Hitler made it clear that he wanted to annex the Sudetenland in
Czechoslovakia (and the Czechs refused), European leaders convinced each
other to meet in Munich, Germany, for the Munich Conference in September
1938.
- The Allies agreed that the Germans could have the Sudetenland, but after
that he would need to stop. This strategy – appeasement – was cheered in
France and Great Britain (under MP Neville Chamberlain who was a big
supporter of it), but since then has been ridiculed!
- 6 months later, all of Czechoslovakia was seized, and Italy took Albania.
- The US was very neutral during this time, and were called isolationists in the
1920s. The USSR was not invited to the conference, and Stalin didn’t like it.
USSR and
Germany: Peace?!
- Hitler now demanded a Polish
Corridor - a link from Germany to
East Prussia by sea (this had been
given to Poland after WWI), but by
now Britain and France guaranteed
Polish independence.
- The USSR was a huge rival of the
Fascist countries, and the Allies liked
this. However, in August 1939, a
Non-Aggression Pact was signed by
Germany and the USSR, pledging not
to fight each other for 10 years.
- Also from the deal, Germany agreed
to allow the USSR to conquer part of
Poland, Finland, and the Baltic
countries.
- On September 1, 1939, Germany
invaded Poland. France and Great
Britain declared war: World War II
began. The USSR invaded their areas
soon after Germany’s invasion.
- Poland fell to the Nazis in only 3
weeks.
- The Nazis’ strategy was called
blitzkrieg (“lightning war”) which was
a huge use of fast airplanes, tanks, and
big army to crush the opposition early.
- So far, the Germans were welldisciplined, tough, and superior in war.
- The USSR conquered the Baltics
easily, but had a hard time conquering
Finland. They finally did by March
1940, but took heavy casualties
(deaths or injuries). Many Finns fought
on skis while the Soviets trudged in
the snow with boots.
Japan
- 1939 population (ex. Colonies): 71
million.
- Status at start of the war: Axis.
- Most modernized and industrial Asian
country.
- Led by Prime Minister Hideki Tojo
although the Emperor Hirohito was
technically the ruler of Japan.
- Wanted to rule all of Asia. Lots of
nationalism and military tradition.
China
- 1939 population: 518 million.
- Status at start of war: Allies (towards the
Nationalists).
- Lots of suffering in 1900s so far: end of Qing
Dynasty in early 1900s, chaos through the
1920s, current civil war, Lots of poverty.
- China was far behind Japan technologically
and desperate for aid.
- There was a temporary truce during the
Chinese civil war to fight the Japanese.
- 1939 population: (ex.
Colonies) 48 million.
- Status at start of war:
Allied power (Allies).
- Very advanced
technologically both at
home and in the military.
- Being an island would
make it tough for Hitler to
conquer.
- Led by Prime Minister
Winston Churchill (King
George VI more of a
figurehead)
Great Britain
(United Kingdom, UK)
France
- 1939 population (ex. Colonies):
48 million.
- Status at start of war: Allied
power (Allies).
- Heavily fortified border with
Germany.
- Largest-sized country in the world.
1939 population = 169 million.
- First ever communist country.
- Not recognized by the US until
1933. Huge rivals with fascists.
- Large army but behind in
technology. Modernizing rapidly
though strict government programs.
- Totalitarian regime under Stalin
(since late 1920s).
- Status at start of war: neutral.
(Made surprise treaty with Axis, but
hated by both Axis and Allies. Would
be a huge help to either side!)
Soviet Union
(USSR)
- 1939 population (ex.
Territories): 131 million.
- Since World War I, the US had
risen to be the leading industrial
country in the world. Enormous
potential.
- Hit especially hard, alongside
Germany, in the Great
Depression.
- Status at start of war: Neutral,
but the US would soon give aid
to help the Allies, and face huge
pressure to join the fight.
United States
Germany (Third Reich)
- 1939 population (ex.
Colonies): 70 million.
- Status at start of war: Axis.
- Controlled by Nazi party and
Adolph Hitler since 1933.
- Wanted to conquer the
world and create a race of
“Aryan Supermen.”
Italy
- Population (ex. Colonies): 44
million
- Fascist country led technically
by the King, but in reality very
strictly by Benito Mussolini.
- Having recently conquered
Ethiopia, Italy was bent on
returning to Roman Empire
greatness. Lots of nationalism.
- Status at start of war: Axis.
Germany Conquers Norway and
Denmark
- After Poland fell, there was an odd calm in Europe.
Media called it “The Phony War” due to 7 months of no
fighting.
- In April 1940, the Germans surprised attacked Norway
and Denmark. Denmark surrendered in 4 hours, Norway
in 2 months. The war was on again and would stay on.
- Norwegians and Danes were treated very well in
comparison to the Slavic peoples the Nazis conquered,
because the Nazis believed in their racial superiority.
Sweden was neutral but allowed the Nazis through.
Germany Invades the Low
Countries
- Next, Germany invaded the Low Countries
(Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) in part to
get to France.
- Furthermore, the Nazis shocked everyone
when they moved a huge army through a thickly
forested area, the Ardennes in 10 days to get to
France. The French had a heavily fortified
border, but no guards in this area.
Allies Retreat at
Dunkirk
- The Allies in France were fought
into a corner called Dunkirk,
which was on the French side of
the English Channel (sea between
France and Britain).
- Great Britain boldly sailed 850
ships out, and eventually rescued
380,000 soldiers over about 1
week.
- Despite this heroic rescue,
Germany was still dominating,
and now Italy declared war,
fighting with Germany.
- The Nazis conquered
Paris on June 14th, 1940.
By June 22, France
surrendered. This news
shocked the world!
- Northern France would
be conquered outright,
but Southern France
would be known as Vichy
France, a puppet state for
the Germans.
- A French resistance
(“Free French”) began.
Charles de Gaulle fled to
London and set up a
government in exile and
led this movement. Over
200,000 French troops
would die in this war, and
350,000 civilians.
Germany Conquers
France
The UK Stands Alone in Europe
- Now, the only country left in
Europe that the Nazis had left
to conquer was the United
Kingdom (a.k.a. Great Britain).
- Winston Churchill became
the new Prime Minister
(leader of UK), and had
opposed appeasement and
the Nazis from the start.
- From the start, the UK was
desperate for the US to enter
the war, but so far the US
remained neutral.
Battle of
Britain
- The Battle of Britain began when
the Germans (Luftwaffe) tried to
knock out the British Air Force (RAF
– Royal Air Force). They began
bombing raids, including London.
- The British used radar, a new
technology since the late 1930s,
well, and also cracked Germany’s
secret code (“Enigma”). This
helped them fight off German
planes!
- Germany tried bombing at night,
but finally Hitler got frustrated and
instead turned his focus to Eastern
Europe and the Mediterranean.
Germany Controls Eastern
Europe
- Since the summer of 1940, the Nazis were
planning a secret invasion of the USSR, despite their
peace treaty.
- As a result, gaining Eastern Europe and the
Balkans was critical because it bordered the USSR.
- Things went well for the Nazis. Yugoslavia fell in 11
days, Greece in 17. Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary all
joined the Axis. By June 1941, the Nazis were ready
to invade the USSR.
Germany Invades
the USSR
- Operation Barbarossa – the invasion
of the USSR – began on June 22, 1941.
In the USSR this became known as “The
Great Patriotic War,” and now the USSR
were on the Allies’ side!
- Hitler said, "You only have to kick in
the door and the whole rotten structure
will come crashing down“ about this
invasion.
- The Soviets were unprepared, and the
Germans advanced 500 miles inland.
The Russians repeated the scorched
earth policy used under Napoleon, and
German troops suffered greatly.
- The Germans won easy victories in the
USSR at first, and this confirmed their
belief that Slavic people were inferior.
- The USSR launched an incredible
war effort. Stalin ordered most
factories to be shipped east of the
Ural mountains, there was a huge
propaganda campaign, and
nationalism ran high.
- The Siege of Leningrad saw 2.5
million people completely
surrounded by the Nazis and cut
off by supplies. Only 1 million
survived through the winter.
- The Nazis approached Moscow in
Oct. 1941, but a counter-attack led
by General Georgi Zhukov halted
Germany.
- Winter set in, but Hitler ordered
his troops to stay. The Germans
lost 500,000 lives and Moscow
would not be taken.
Siege of
Leningrad
- Until December 1941, the
US stayed neutral in the war,
but President Roosevelt
wanted to help from the
start.
- Roosevelt convinced the
government to allow the
Allies to buy war supplies
(“Cash and Carry”), and by
March 1941, the US was
providing “Lend-Lease” aid to
the allies.
- Germany began torpedoing
cargo ships, and the US
mobilized for an undeclared
naval war. On 9/4/1941, a US
destroyer was sunk.
- The Allies were desperate
for the US to provide war
supplies and to join the fight.
The US Enters the War
- On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii (a US
territory at the time, it would become a state in 1959). 2,400 Americans were
killed, and 1,000 were wounded. The US was now at war.
- The Japanese attacked because:
1) The Japanese thought that the Americans would not want a fight and
surrender quickly.
2) The Japanese wanted to destroy the US naval fleet in the Pacific Ocean.
3) Recently the US stopped selling Japan oil which was desperately needed.
- Later in the week, Germany declared war on the US, so now the US was a
full partner of the Allies in Europe and in Asia. Hitler had secretly promised to
declare war on the Americans if the Japanese attacked.
- Japan also invaded and conquered all of Southeast Asia. POWs and natives
were treated harshly. China did not surrender, but was barely hanging on.
Australia did not get conquered by the Japanese but was in constant danger.
- The Pacific theater would be secondary for both the Japanese and the US.
Defeating the Nazis was the top priority for the US, and conquering China was
the top priority for the Japanese.
The Holocaust
- The Holocaust were the mass killings of civilians in
Europe, in a sickening attempt to purge certain types
people from the Earth. 12 million died, and 6 million of
these were Jewish people.
- Other types of people that died en masse: Communists,
Soviet and Polish civilians, Soviet prisoners of war,
“asocials,” disabled people, Romani people (Gypsies), ill
people, mentally ill people, homosexuals, and political
and/or religious opponents.
- The Holocaust would not end until the war was over.
The Nazis and
Anti-Semitism
- Anti-Semitism (hating of Jews) was a central theme in Nazi doctrine. Jews
(along with other “spies”) were falsely accused of “stabbing Germany in the
back” during WWI as traitors, and were seen as greedy and the cause of
Germany’s economic problems.
- The Night of the Broken Glass on November 9, 1938, was a huge mob
reaction of violence and vandalism as payback for a Jew killing a German in the
German Embassy in Paris, France, for avenging his father being exiled.
- Jewish people made up less than 1% of Germany and were easy targets. The
Nuremberg Laws in Germany deprived Jews of German citizenship, jobs, and
property. Also every Jew had to wear a yellow badge for identification.
Emigration and Ghettos
- At first, the Nazis favored Jewish emigration,
and forced many Jews to leave Germany. Soon,
countries did not want to take any more of them
(Albert Einstein was one of 100,000 who went to
the US at this time).
- Next, the Nazis ordered all Jews to go to
certain cities in Poland to live in ghettos that
were surrounded by barbed wire and walls.
The Final Solution
- Finally, Hitler agreed to carry out the Final
Solution – the genocide (killing) of all Jews.
- At first, lots of Jews were shot in isolated spots.
Next, wretched concentration camps were build
and many were worked to death. Finally, by
early 1942, extermination camps were built
called death camps. 6,000 people could die per
day in the gas chambers in the Auschwitz camp.
Battle of Stalingrad
- The city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) had 500,000 people,
was very industrial, and near oil.
- The Battle of Stalingrad began August, 1942. By November,
the Germans conquered 90% of it. Winter came, and the
Soviets counter-attacked.
- Hitler refused the generals’ request to retreat. By February,
1943, 90,000 Germans surrendered out of 330,000. 1 million
Soviets died, and the city was 99% destroyed.
- This battle was seen as a turning point in the war; the
Germans were on the defensive after this.
Northern African
Theater
- Italy invaded Northern Africa to get
Egypt and access of the Suez Canal,
which controls the shipment of lots of
oil from the Middle East.
- The British fought back, and by
February 1941, Italy was desperate for
Germany’s help.
- Germany’s Erwin Rommel (the
“Desert Fox”) turned the tide to the
Germans’ favor after tough fighting.
- Despite Stalin wanting the US to land
in France immediately, the US (urged by
Churchill) went into Northern Africa
first.
- In May 1943, Rommel was defeated by
the Allies.
Fall of Italy
- Sicily was captured July 1943
by the Allies. King Victor
Emmanuel III fired Mussolini
and had him arrested.
- Italy surrendered September
3, 1943, but the Germans seized
Northern Italy and put
Mussolini in charge there.
- In 1945, Mussolini was found
by resistance fighters disguised
as a German soldier. He was
shot the next day and hung in
Milan, Italy.
The
Homefront
- Homefront: the people
at home in their country
during the war and their
efforts.
- Many sacrifices were
made. Rations were in
effect, propaganda was
everywhere, women
worked in jobs previously
done by men, etc.
- Total war: the idea that
everything in the country
was geared to win the war
D-Day: Normandy, France
- The D-Day Invasion was when the Allies landed in France to
open up another front. It took place June 6, 1944.
- This was the largest invasion force of all-time (3.5 million
troops, landing craft, planes, ships, tanks, etc.). Since the end
of 1942, the Allies were winning, and this was the fatal blow
to the Axis.
- The Germans were heavily fortified in a 60-mile beach
stretch. Machine gun nests, rockets, cannons, 3-foot think
concrete walls, etc. Thousands died.
- To keep the Germans guessing, a “dummy” force was sent to
Calais, France.
- By August 25th, 1944, Paris was liberated by the Allies.
The Allies Win
- The Battle of the Bulge was when
the Germans launched a counterattack on the Western (French)
front.
- The Allies pushed the Germans
back and won. Now, the Nazis were
in full retreat on both fronts.
- By April 25, 1944, the Soviets surrounded Berlin. Hitler was hiding underground in a
bunker.
- Hitler married his mistress Eva Braun, and wrote a final address to the Germans. 2
days later Hitler shot himself after taking poison, and Eva Braun swallowed poison.
Their bodies were burned outside and burned.
- May 7, 1945 was V-E Day. (Unfortunately, President Franklin Roosevelt died on April
12, so Harry Truman was the new US President.)
War in the Pacific
- The Pacific Theater
consisted mostly of island
battles, with the Allies
(Americans and Australians
mostly) slowly beating the
Japanese.
- Eventually, the Allies
conquered Okinawa, which
was 350 miles from Japan.
An invasion of Japan would
be next, and casualties were
expected to be huge.
The US Drops the Atomic Bomb
- On August 6, 1945, the US decided to drop a new weapon, the atomic bomb,
on Hiroshima, Japan, population 365,000 (President Truman made the final
call).
- The US decided to drop the bomb because: 1) An invasion of Japan would
cost many Allied troops’ lives, 2) it would demonstrate how advanced the US
was scientifically (especially to the USSR), and 3) It had the potential to end
the war quickly.
- The bomb killed 73,000. On August 9th, a second bomb was dropped on
Nagasaki, Japan, and 37,500 died. Radiation would kill thousands more (some
estimate 210,00 total died in Hiroshima).
- Japan formally surrendered on September 2, 1945, and the war ended.
- Truman only learned about the Manhattan Project (the project to make the
bomb) after he became President following Roosevelt’s death. Stalin secretly
knew about this weapon through espionage before Truman decided to tell
him about it.
Costs of WWII
- 60 million people died in
World War II, and 50 million
were uprooted from their
homes.
- Some cities suffered worse
than others, but cities all over
Europe and China were
leveled.
- At the end of the war, the US
controlled 50% of the world
economy (GDP), despite being
only around 5% of the world’s
population!
The Nuremberg Trials
- In 1946, the Nuremberg Trials put former Nazi
leaders on trial, with 23 nations presiding.
- The Nazis were found guilty. Hitler, Goebbels,
and Himmler all committed suicide. Goring killed
himself before being executed. The rest were
hung on October 16, 1946, and then cremated
like many Holocaust victims. Only one Nazi
expressed remorse.
The Cold War Begins
- After the war, the Western
democracies became arch-rivals with
the Soviet Union. This would be
known as the Cold War.
- The prospect of World War III
terrified people, as the Soviets
obtained nuclear weapons technology
soon after the war.
- The United Nations was established
(in New York City) to prevent future
wars and to serve as a meeting place
for diplomacy.
- Unlike the League of Nations, the
United Nations had an army to
enforce international disputes. The
security council counties (the ones
who won the war: US, UK, USSR,
France, China) could “veto” a military
action with one vote, so they had
(and still have) a lot of power in this.