Transcript World War II Begins 1939

World War II Begins
1939 - 1941
Causes of World War II
1.
Political instability and economic
devastation in Europe resulting from
World War I
2.
Rise of Fascism in several countries

Fascism is a type of government where total
power is given to a dictator and freedoms
are denied to people
1. Economic Devastation
 Worldwide
depression (even though the
depression began in the U.S., its effects
were felt throughout Europe)
 Massive
unemployment throughout the
world like in Italy, Germany, and Japan
Economic Devastation (cont.)
•High inflation was occurring in countries like
Germany and Italy
•Inflation means that money was not
worth as much as it used to be, and the
prices of items were higher
•Reparations – Germany owed a high war
debt of $33 billion from World War I
•Both the Allies and the Central Powers from
WWI owed huge debt from the cost of the
war
Appeasement at Munich:

Hitler was taking over many weaker countries
around Europe.

A meeting was called between Britain, France,
and Germany (Hitler) in the German city of
Munich.
Appeasement at Munich:
Continued

In the end, Germany was allowed to have the
countries it took over without a fight.

This was known as the Munich Pact.

This agreement between the countries was
known as appeasement (pleasing someone
to avoid a fight or war), which did not work
Appeasement
Allied Powers
 Democratic
nations were known as the
Allies.
 These
nations included the United States,
Great Britain, and Canada.
 The
Soviet Union joined the Allies after
being attacked by Germany.
Allied Powers
 Great
Britain (led by Winston Churchill)
 United States (led by Harry S. Truman)
 Soviet Union (after Germany attacks)
(led by Joseph Stalin)
 Canada
World War II Begins
Germany Starts the War:
 Hitler soon broke the agreement he made
in Munich and conquered (took control of)
Czechoslovakia.
 He also said he was going to invade
Poland.
 Great Britain and France warned that an
attack on Poland would mean WAR.
World War II begins Germany
invades Poland!
Pact - Germany and Soviet Union
 Germany
and the Soviet Union signed a
pact that said they would not declare war
on or attack one another.
 Germany
then invaded Poland and Great
Britain and France declared WAR on
Germany.
 World
War II had begun.
Germany and Soviet Union attack
Poland
 Germany
attacked Poland from the west
and the Soviet Union invaded from the
East.
 Poland
soon fell to the invading armies.
Germany invaded other countries



Germany invaded with speed and surprise,
called blitzkrieg, or “Lightening War”
They used tanks, troops, and planes to
conquer other countries like Denmark, Norway,
Belgium, and Luxemburg.
The British and French troops could do little to
stop the Germans.
Germany attacks France
 In
June 1940, the Germans attacked
France and in less than 2 weeks they
captured Paris (the capitol city).
 Days
later France surrendered.
France Crumbles
Germany attacks Britain
 Hitler
believed that the British would quit
after France fell.
 The
British, led by Winston Churchill, had
no intention of surrendering.
 Hitler
made plans to invade Britain.
Germany attacks Britain
(continued)

There was a huge air battle
between the German Air
Force and Britain’s
Royal Air Force (RAF).

Germany bombed London in the Battle of Britain.

The British won the air battle and did not surrender as
Hitler had hoped
Battle of Britain
Hitler betrays Stalin and invades
Soviet Union

After failing to defeat the Royal Air Force (RAF),
Hitler turns his attention elsewhere.

He sees a chance to expand his empire by
invading the Soviet Union and having access to
it’s vast resources.

Hitler breaks his non-aggression pact with Stalin
and invades the Soviet Union by surprise.
Germany invades Soviet Union
December 1941


By the end of 1941, things look
bad for the Allies.
Germany initially rolls rapidly
through the Soviet Union and
threatens to take Moscow the
Capitol.
 However,
things
are about to
change!
U.S. Involvement
United States
Aids the Allies
 Prior
to December 1941 the U.S. was not a
part of the war at this time.
 President Roosevelt tried to help the Allies
 He proposed the Lend – Lease Act
 This allowed the U.S. to lend or lease war
materials to Allied Nations.
 The U.S. was still not physically fighting in
the war.
Germany Attacks the Soviet
Union
 Hitler
did not trust the Soviet
Union and invaded
(attacked) Leningrad in June
1941.
 The
Soviets held them off
and the Germans never took
the city.
Germany Attacks Moscow
 In
December 1941, they ran into the
harshest Russian winter in decades.
 Many soldiers died and their tanks and
weapons broke down in the cold.
 The German advance had come to a halt,
(stopped) and driven back.
Battle of
Stalingrad

The Germans attacked Stalingrad, a major
industrial city, in September of 1942.
 The Soviets defeated the Germans.
 In February 1943, the German troops
surrendered and Hitler’s hope of conquering
the Soviet Union was gone.
 The Battle of Stalingrad, marked the turning
point of the war in Eastern
Europe.
Stalingrad
Turning Point of War in Europe
Japan in need of resources
 In
1940, Japan joined the Axis alliance
with Germany and Italy.
 Japan was led by Hideki Tojo
 Japan needed more resources (oil, metals,
grains), so Tojo decided to invade other
countries to get it.
 The only thing in his way was the United
States Navy because the U.S. warned
Japan to stop invading other countries.
Japan Attacks
Pearl Harbor
 On
December 7, 1941, Japanese
warplanes bombed the American naval
base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
 2,400
Americans, both (military)
servicemen and civilians died during this
attack.
Pearl Harbor
U.S. declares War
 President
Roosevelt and the U.S.
government declared WAR on Japan.
A
few days later, Germany and Italy
declared WAR on the U.S. because of its
alliance with Japan.
U.S. Involvement
 Now,
 They
the U.S. is in direct fighting in WWII.
went from being neutral (not on the
side of anyone), to giving economic and
military aid, to now direct fighting in the
war.