Transcript Chap 13 : WW2 in Europe

WWII IN EUROPE &
ITS CONSEQUENCES
[up to 1949]
What you will learn
• How and why Germany conquered large
areas of Europe between 1939 and
1941
• How the Nazis ruled Europe in WWII
• How and why Hitler eventually lost the
war
• Effects of the war in Europe up to 1949
• Beginning of the Cold War
WORLD WAR II
• WWII – Truly a world war taking place in 3
continents – Europe, Africa and Asia
• Involved more civilians than in WWI
• Partly because of the use of warplanes to bomb
civilian targets
• Also because so many countries were occupied by
enemy forces
• Often described as TOTAL WAR
• Total war involves immense suffereings
• Try not to forget the individuals involved
• Bear this in mind as we go along
GERMANY CONQUERS POLAND 1939
• Poland was no match for Germany
• Despite fierce resistance, it was
conquered in less than a month
• Germans called it Blitzkrieg or lightning
war
• Used over and over again by the
Germans over the next two years with
great success
• Used by the Japanese as well in East
Asia
4 STAGES OF BLITZKRIEG
1. Dive bombers attack key targets such as
roads, railway stations and airfields to
destroy enemy communications
2. Paratroopers dropped from the air to take
control of key positions
3. Columns of tanks cross the borders and
move in swiftly to occupy enemy territory
4. Large number of troops move in, travelling
fast on lorries, cars and motorbikes
GERMANY CONQUERS POLAND 1939
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At the same time that Germany
invaded western Poland, Soviet troops
moved into the east
The USSR also took the opportunity to
regain control of the Baltic states of
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
These had been part of the Russian
empire in WWI but independent since
1919
They were not to become independent
until the end of communism in the
USSR in late 1980s
German troops parade through Warsaw, Poland, September, 1939.
Photo credit: PK Hugo J,,ger, Courtesy The National Archives and
Records Administration, item #200-SFF-52.
Source : http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust/gallery/WW277.htm
Germany's invasion of Poland marked the beginning of
World War II. Here a Nazi unit is en route to Poland at the
end of September, 1939. Handwritten on the side of the train
car is, "We are going to Poland to thrash the Jews."
Photo credit: Meczenstwo Walka, Zaglada Zydów Polsce 19391945. Poland. No. 26.
Source : http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust/gallery/WW277.htm
During the September 1939 Nazi military campaign, about 600,000 men
of the Polish Army, including 60,000 Jews, were taken prisoner by the
German fascists. Most of the Jewish prisoners were murdered.
Photo credit: Meczenstwo Walka, Zaglada Aydów w Polsce 1939-1945.
Poland. No. 16.
GERMANY INVADES WESTERN EUROPE 1940-41
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Apr 1940 : Hitler launched his attack on western
Europe
His aim was to bring the whole of western Europe
under his control
Also wanted to knock Britain and France out of the
war
As in Poland, German troops moved fast, using
blitzkrieg tactics and taking over whole countries, in
some cases, in a matter of days
GERMANY INVADES WESTERN EUROPE 1940-41
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The attack began in Apr 1940 with the invasion of
Norway and Denmark
Both countries were neutral and had small armies
Soon taken over
Norway did fight on for some time with help from
the British
Hitler then moved south to take over the
Netherlands and Belgium and finally invaded France
GERMANY CONQUERS FRANCE
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France crumbled in the face of the German
attack
British forces were sent to France to try and
stop the German advance
Forced to retreat back across the English
Channel at Dunkirk
At times, they German armies were
advancing at 70 km per day
By mid-Jun 1940, they had entered Paris
The French government resigned
GERMANY CONQUERS FRANCE
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Eiffel Tower souvenir on
German occupation
The whole of northern
France and the Atlantic
coast right down to the
Spanish border was
handed over to
Germany
In the rest of France, a
French government
continued on the
condition that it
followed exact orders
from the Germans
BATTLE OF BRITAIN
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Britain, led by Winston Churchill, was the only
one of Hitler’s enemies left
Hitler hoped to gain control of the air over
southern England before crossing the English
Channel
His attempt failed
Many German bombs fell on British cities in 194041
But the Luftwaffe did not succeed in destroying
the Royal Air Force
Fear of attack from the air stopped Hitler from
committing his invasion force
Britain remained in the war
Hitler was forced to turn his attention elsewhere
GERMANY OFFENSIVES IN THE BALKANS &
NORTH AFRICA
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Hitler turned his attention to the USSR after his
failed attempt to conquer Britain
He had always been interested in gaining lands in
the east
He decided to launch his attack on the USSR in the
spring of 1941
However, before he could carry out his planned
invasion of the USSR, he had to go to the aid of his
ally, Mussolini, who was having difficulties in the
Balkans (south-east Europe) and North Africa
Why did he have to do that?
GERMANY OFFENSIVES IN THE BALKANS &
NORTH AFRICA
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In the Balkans, Mussolini had attacked Greece
The Greek army fought back successfully with the
help of British forces
Britain and Italy both ruled lands at this time in
North Africa
Italian armies based in Libya had attacked British
forces in Egypt only to be driven back
Mussolini had appealed to Hitler for help
Hitler sent troops to help Mussolini in both these
areas
GERMANY OFFENSIVES IN THE BALKANS &
NORTH AFRICA
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In the Balkans, the Germans had to fight their way
down through Yugoslavia in order to link up with
the Italians in Greece
Both Yugoslavia and Greece were quickly captured
In North Africa, German troops successfully drove
British forces back to Egypt
HITLER INVADES THE USSR, JUNE 1941
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The German invasion of USSR was the largest
military exercise Hitler had attempted
The USSR was a vast country
Hitler attacked along a line which stretched from
the Baltic Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the
south
4 million troops were deployed in the invasion
As in previous campaigns, blitzkrieg tactics were
employed
The Germans advanced at an incredible speed
Provinces were captured in a matter of days
Vast number of Soviet troops were taken prisoners
SOVIET POWs
Soviet POWs killed by
Germans
SOVIET POWs
SOVIET POWs
Soviet POW killed by German
medical experiments
HITLER INVADES THE USSR, JUNE 1941
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The Russian winter is very cold
Made military operations extremely difficult
Because of Mussolini’s problem, Hitler had
launched his attack on the USSR later than
he had intended
He was unable to capture either Moscow,
the capital or Leningrad before winter set in
The USSR did not surrender
HITLER INVADES THE USSR, JUNE 1941
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When better weather returned in spring
1942, the German attack began again
As before, the German armies were
amazingly successful
However, the Soviet troops held on and tied
up huge numbers of German soldiers in this
part of the war
WWII IN EUROPE &
ITS CONSEQUENCES
[up to 1949]
PART II
What you will learn
• How and why Germany conquered large
areas of Europe between 1939 and
1941
• How the Nazis ruled Europe in WWII
• How and why Hitler eventually lost the
war
• Effects of the war in Europe up to 1949
• Beginning of the Cold War
GERMAN RULE IN EUROPE
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Harsh German rule
Hitler – use resources
and workers of captured
countries for Germany’s
benefits
Millions of slave workers
All opposition ruthlessly
crushed
Brutal treatment of Jews
in Europe
GERMAN RULE IN EUROPE
GERMAN RULE IN EUROPE
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Hitler’s hatred of the Jews
War gave him opportunity
to implement his “Final
Solution” to the Jewish
problem – the systematic
mass murder of Europe’s
Jews
Known as the Holocaust
GERMAN RULE IN EUROPE
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6,000,000 Jews were
killed during these years
Either lined up and shot,
buried or burnt alive or
tortured to death
Others died of starvation
Most were taken to
extermination camps,
mainly in Germanoccupied Poland, where
they were gassed
Organised by Germans
with ruthless efficiency
As Germany pushed its borders eastward into Poland, Jews in western Poland
living in areas overtaken by the Third Reich were forced to move east. This mass
deportation occurred in the winter of 1939-40.
Photo credit: Meczenstwo Walka, Zaglada Zydów Polsce 1939-1945. Poland. No.
57
Source : http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust/gallery/WW277.htm
German soldiers enjoying the public humiliation of Polish Jews after the German
invasion of Poland in September 1939.
One Jew is forced to cut the beard of another under German supervision as the
local population of Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Poland watches.
Source : http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust/gallery/WW277.htm
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DECLINE AND
FALL OF
NAZISM
1942-45
Until 1942, Hitler looked
invincible
Most of Europe under his
control
Only Britain and USSR
managed to stand up to
Hitler and drive his army
off
But neither seemed
capable of challenging his
control of the continent
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DECLINE AND
FALL OF
NAZISM
1942-45
Towards end of 1942, the
tide began to turn
Hitler’s forces were being
defeated
By 1945, Germany had
shrunk to its original size
Hitler committed suicide
in the ruins of Berlin
How did this happen?
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DECLINE AND
FALL OF
NAZISM
1942-45
Hitler took on more
territories than he could
cope
USSR was a huge country
with enormous resources
Though defeated over
and over again, it did not
surrender
Hitler had to fight the USA
after Dec 1941 – what
happened then?
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EUROPE
AFTER THE
WAR
Much of Europe was
in ruins
Millions of refugees
took to the roads
Rejoicing, suffering
and hardship
What were the major
changes after the
war?
THE NEW
FRONTIERS
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Germany had shrunk
Large parts of eastern
Germany were handed
over to Poland
Germany divided into 4
“occupation zones”
Controlled by Britain,
France, USA and USSR
In effect, the country was
divided into two parts
The eastern part was
ruled by the Soviets; the
western part by the
British, French and
Americans
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THE NEW
FRONTIERS
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These two parts
eventually became the
separate republics of East
and West Germany
They were to remain
separate for over 40 years
United only in 1990
The USSR now extended
much further west than
before the war
Included Estonia, Latvia,
Lithuania as well as parts
of Poland, Germany,
Czechoslovakia and
Romania
Its reward for the part it
played in defeating Hitler
CHURCHILL
TRUMAN AND
STALIN
THE COLD
WAR
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WWII a turning point in
relations between USA
and USSR
Mainly because of them
that Germany and Japan
were defeated
THE COLD
WAR
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Both countries became
much stronger
During the war, they were
allies
After the war, relations
turned cold and started
what is known as THE
COLD WAR today
Lasted for the next 40
years
A term used to describe
the conflict between the
USA and the USSR and
their allies
A Cold War because it
was fought with words
instead of weapons
THE COLD
WAR
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After the war, USSR set
up communist countries
all over Eastern European
countries under its
influence
USA was hostile to
communism
Feared USSR would try to
spread communism to
other parts of the world,
esp in western Europe
which would then become
unfriendly towards USA
THE COLD
WAR
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USSR equally
suspicious of USA
In 1945, USA was the
only superpower to
have the atomic bomb
USSR was terrified
that this might be
used against them
and their allies
Mutual suspicions
made worse by
clashes in Europe
THE COLD
WAR
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Greece – civil war
between communists and
supporters of the Greek
royal family
US eventually led it to a
royalist victory
Disagreements over
future of Germany
Stalin wanted complete
control of Berlin which
was inside the Soviet
zone of occupation but
jointly controlled by all
four powers
THE COLD
WAR
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Stalin cut off all road and
rail links between West
Berlin (controlled by
Britain, France and USA)
and west Germany
USA was determined not
to let West Berlin fall to
communism
Organised a huge airlift of
supplies
Although the Berlin crisis
was successfully resolved,
it drove the two sides
further apart
THE COLD
WAR
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US keen to support
countries in western
Europe to stop
communism
1947 : Truman Doctrine USA would support all
free peoples trying to
resist being taken over by
another power
Also agreed to provide
economic aid to western
Europe
Marshall Plan – giving
money to countries to
help them rebuild their
industries after the war
THE COLD
WAR
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1949 : NATO – the North
Atlantic Treaty
Organisation
USA agreed to defend
other NATO members
against armed attack
In return, members were
expected to support the
USA in other parts of the
world
THE COLD
WAR
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USSR suspicious of the
closer links between USA
and its allies in Europe
Tried to establish stronger
links with own allies in
eastern Europe
Formation of Cominform
(1947) an aorganisation
which linked communist
parties in different states
Comecon (1949) tried to
strengthen economic links
between communist
countries
From the histerical notes of the Castle of
Copyright reserved 2001