Transcript World History

World History
12/13/13
Warm-up
• Write 1 sentence on why each of the following
are important—NOT WHAT HAPPENED:
1. Invasion of Poland by Germany
2. Battle of France
3. Battle of Britain
4. Attack on Pearl Harbor
5. Stalingrad (part of “Case Blue”)
War at Sea
• The Battle of the Atlantic (1939-1945)
• Axis and Allied powers are fighting over
control of the Atlantic Ocean. Why?
• German U-Boats
• U-Boats are good at first,
but begin to lose
because of sonar/depth
charges and
radar/aircraft torpedoes.
War at Sea
• By 1943, the Allies have
won the Battle of the
Atlantic and can out-do UBoats.
• This was extremely
important. Winston
Churchill said:
“The Battle of the Atlantic
was the dominating factor all
through the war. Never for
one moment could we forget
that everything happening
elsewhere, on land, at sea or
in the air depended
ultimately on its outcome.”
North Africa & Italy
• Why North Africa? The Suez Canal!
• Italian troops attack Egypt in 1940
• British destroy Italians & threaten to
take over all of North Africa
• Germany gets involved: sends Erwin “Desert
Fox” Rommel to command the “Afrika Korps.”
• British are pushed back to Egypt
North Africa & Italy
• At El Alamein in October 1942, British General
Montgomery defeats Erwin Rommel.
• The Germans have poor supply lines & few
reinforcements in Africa, leading to a decisive win
for the Allies.
• This is a huge morale boost for the Allies.
North Africa & Italy
• America gets involved, and Dwight Eisenhower
(future president) lands with troops in North Africa.
• Rommel is surrounded now and forced to
surrender—250,000 soldiers taken & North Africa
lost. Huge win for Allies.
• The Allied troops now turn their attention to Italy.
• Allies take over Sicily.
• Fighting continues in Italy until 1945, when Italians
surrender.
War in the Pacific
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
OPlfhVEw-7U
• After the attacks on Pearl
Harbor, Japan is much
stronger than America.
• Japan attacks the Philippines,
where there are many weak
Filipino troops and a small
American army (under Gen.
MacArthur).
• In April 1942, Allies surrender
and march to a prison camp.
• Thousands die—called the
Bataan Death March
War in the Pacific
• Battle of Coral Sea (May 1942): aircraft
carriers off the coast of Australia fight.
• Japanese win (by losses), but the Americans
do stop the Japanese for the first time.
• Battle of Midway (June 1942): Japan attacks
Midway, in the middle of the Pacific, in hopes
of destroying the American fleet.
• Americans break the Japanese code and
ambush their aircraft carriers (destroy 4).
• Huge victory for America over Japan—they
never recover.
War in the Pacific
• Americans use strategy called “island hopping”
under General MacArthur.
• Capture weaker islands that are closer to Japan to
cut off supplies to stronger islands.
• Battle of Guadalcanal (August 1942-January
1943): Allies win six-month battle on island
(terrible conditions). This shows America is off
the defensive and now on the offensive.
• In 1944, Japan gets desperate. They start using an
attack called “kamikazes” (meaning divine wind)
in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Japanese pilots crash
their own planes to blow up Allied ships.
• Allies are very close to winning.
Soviets turn the tide
• Soviets won huge battle at Stalingrad.
• Next: Battle of Kursk (July-August 1943)
• Soviets are able to stop phase 2 of blitzkrieg
for the first time.
• German power on the Eastern front never
recovers.
• Operation Bagration: Soviet offensive in 1944
to take over Poland. German power in east is
almost completely destroyed.
D-Day
• Allies plan for a massive invasion of France (on
beaches of Normandy) on June 6, 1944.
• Casualties are high, but the Allies win the
beaches and many soldiers come to mainland
Europe to fight Hitler.
• News:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO6jGFBU
uLs
Battle of the Bulge
• Hitler orders a huge counterattack in
December 1944 in a final attempt to defeat
the Allies in the West.
• Allies win by January
1945. Allies are moving
in on west & Soviets are
moving in on east.
War in the Pacific
• Firebombing of Japan: starts in 1942, picks up
in 1944. Kills almost 900,000 people.
War in the Pacific
• Battle of Iwo Jima: Americans try to get closer to
Japan.
• In February 1945, American troops land on the
tiny island of Iwo Jima. 20,000 Japanese troops
on island: about 19,000 fight to the death.
• Battle of Okinawa: island even closer to Japan.
• April-June 1945, American troops invade the
island and kill over 110,000 Japanese troops.
• Japan is close to the end now, too.
Allied Victory
• Battle of Berlin: April-May 1945.
Soviets take over Berlin and Hitler
commits suicide.
• V-E Day: May 8, 1945. Victory in
Europe Day.
• Potsdam Declaration: America tells
Japan to surrender or face “prompt
and utter destruction.” They
refuse.
• Atomic Bombs: August 6 & August
9—America bombs Hiroshima and
Nagasaki.
• V-J Day: Emperor Hirohito
surrenders. August 15, 1945.
Victory over Japan Day.
Timeline
• Create a timeline for the events of WWII. Star
anything you feel was a turning point.
• Use this to answer the first EQ:
What were the most important events of WWII?
Be sure to identify them and explain why they
were important.
Effects of WWII
• Millions of people killed & large areas of
Europe/Asia destroyed.
• The Allies split up Germany into Eastern &
Western blocs. Japan is occupied and turned
democratic.
• The United Nations is formed.
• The U.S. & Soviet Union become the greatest
world powers, and they have conflicts with each
other (mostly over the spread of communism).
Essential Question
• How was the world influenced by World War
II?
Ethics of Atomic Bombs
ETHICAL
UNETHICAL
It was a better option than invading
Japan.
A new level of destruction that is
criminal in nature.
The speedy end to the war may have
saved civilian lives in the end.
It was not necessary to end the war
(the Soviet declaration of war did).
It was part of total war.
Terrorism—targeting innocents to
achieve a political goal.
The Japanese refused to surrender
after the Potsdam Declaration.
Nagasaki was three days after
Hiroshima, before the full impact was
known.
The firebombing was even more
destructive than atomic bombings.
Dehumanization of Japanese: inability
to reason with them outside of death.
End of Class
• Write an explanation of if America’s decision
to drop the atomic bombs on Japan was
ethical or not. Explain yourself fully. If you
disprove the other side, it will strengthen your
argument.