Transcript Notes: World War II Begins

World War II Begins
Objective: Explain the events that
led to the beginning of World War
II.
United States
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Roosevelt speaks out against growing
“epidemic of world lawlessness”
American people favored isolationism
Roosevelt promised to keep out of the
war but saw danger posed by Japan,
Germany, and Italy
What caused Great Britain and
France to declare war on Germany?
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On Sept. 1, 1939, Germany invaded
Poland (a violation of the Munich
Agreement). Great Britain and France
declared war on Germany two days
later. World War II had begun.
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Blitzkrieg (lightning war) – new method
of warfare introduced by the Germans.
Stressed speed and surprise in the use
of tanks, troops, and planes.
Britain and France could do nothing to
help Poland
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September, 1939 – Hitler and Stalin
were dividing Poland per their prewar
agreement
Stalin forces Latvia, Lithuania, and
Estonia to allow Soviet army bases in
their countries
Finland fights back but surrenders in
1940
Spread of War
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Allied forces prepare for attack against
France on Maginot Line – string of
steel-and-concrete bunkers along
French-German border
April, 1940 – Germany attacks Denmark
and Norway to the north
May, 1940 – turn west to invade
Netherlands and Belgium
Dunkirk
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Allied troops retreat to Dunkirk
following surrender of Belgium
Trapped between the Germans and the
French coast of the English Channel
800 British warships, ferries, and fishing
boats back and forth across channel
and rescued more than 300,000 British
and French soldiers
France
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June – Germans crossed Somme River
and swept into France
Italy joined the war and attacked
France from the southeast
June 14, 1940 – German troops
marched into Paris
France surrendered one week later
Britain Battles for Survival
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Britain only country in western Europe
not controlled by Germany
August, 1940 – German warplanes
begin bombing British air bases,
shipyards, factories, and cities
destroying parts of London and killing
many people
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Battle of Britain – German air forces
(Luftwaffe) and Britain's Royal Air Force
battle until October
Prime Minister, Winston Churchill
refuses to surrender leaving Hitler
frustrated
Germany suffers heavy losses; Hitler
abandons plans to invade
Germany Turns on Stalin
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Hitler decides he needs resources and
land of the Soviet Union
June, 1941 breaks Nonaggression Pact
with Stalin
Destroys planes and tanks and captured
over half a million soldiers in the early
phase of the invasion
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Stalin orders scorched-earth policy
Soviets burned their cities, destroyed
crops, and blew up dams that provided
electrical power
Germans had difficulty supplying their
troops and advancing
Summary
What was the reaction of Britain and France to Hitler’s
invasion of Poland?
 What did allied troops do when Belgium fell to the
Germans?
 How did Hitler plan to destroy Britain?
 Why did Hitler decide to attack the Soviet Union?
Activity suggestions: illustrate blitzkrieg; illustrate the
event that started the war or the attack on Britain;
create a political cartoon for the breaking of the
Nonaggression Pack
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