Transcript Section IV: The End of World War II (Pages 678-681)

Section IV: The End of World War II
(Pages 678-681)
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This section is about:
How the Allied troops gained
strength from the entrance
of American troops into the
war.
The end of the war in
Europe and the discovery of
the concentration camps.
How the war in the Pacific
ended when the United
States dropped two atomic
bombs.
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There are three famous
pictures in this section –
one on each page (678,
679, and 680).
Look at the chart on page
681.
And, the main ideas on
page 678.
Americans Shift the Balance in Europe
The Tide Begins to Turn in Europe
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In December, 1941: Hitler
controlled most of Europe.
But, the balance of power
changed when America entered
the war.
By November, 1942: British and
American troops (under General
Eisenhower) had invaded North
Africa, and then Tunisia.
They then turned towards Italy
and soon forced Mussolini from
power (but the German troops in
Italy kept fighting).
About the same time, the Soviets
began to push the Germans out of
the USSR (in the Battle of
Stalingrad, the Germans lost
300,000 troops).
D-Day
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The Allies made secret plans to
attack the Germans (not even the
commanders “in the field” new of
specifically when and where).
The plan was to attack at smaller
ports and not the large cities.
June 6th, 1944: D-Day: 150,000
Allied troops invaded the beaches
of Normandy, France (under
General Dwight Eisenhower).
Many of the first soldiers were
killed by German machine guns
overlooking the beaches, but the
Allies kept coming – eventually
with success.
Within a month, 1,000,000 Allied
troops were in France/Europe.
The War in Europe Ends
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The Allied invasion at
Normandy was the
beginning of the end
for Hitler.
Germany now had to
fight on 2 fronts and
their forces were
spread too thin.
Allied victory was in
sight.
The Horrors of War
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As Allied troops crossed into
Europe, they began to see the
horrible parts of Hitler’s rule.
This included the concentration
camps that held political
prisoners, and members of
certain racial and ethnic
groups.
There were more than 300 of
these camps (Auschwitz,
Buchenwald, Dachau, etc…)
This is where Hitler’s plan of
genocide was to be carried
out.
We know it as the Holocaust
(killing a group of people because of their race/religion)
Victory in Europe
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The Allies kept advancing.
The Germans did put up one final
surprise attack at “the Battle of the
Bulge” but the Allies eventually
won the battle.
Soviet troops kept pushing forward
from the other side and eventually
had Berlin surrounded. On April
30th, Hitler killed himself and one
week later, Germany surrendered.
Unfortunately, President Roosevelt
had died on April 12th (stroke).
The Day of the surrender is called
V-E Day (victory in Europe).
The Conferences at Yalta and Potsdam
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Even before V-E day, the
leaders of the Allied nations
knew they were going to win.
In Feb. 1945, Churchill, Stalin,
and FDR met in Yalta, Russia
to discuss peace and plans for
ending the war.
FDR asked Stalin to help in the
Pacific. Stalin said he would if
he got to control Eastern
Europe after the war.
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Another conference was
held in Potsdam, Germany
to discuss plans for peace.
President Harry Truman
(FDR died) agreed with
Churchill and Stalin to
divide Germany into 4
zones, with each (and
France) controlling one).
Truman also told them he
was considering dropping
a big bomb on Japan.
The War in the Pacific
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After Midway, the U.S. began a
plan called “island hopping.”
They would only attack some
of the islands at a time.
Most of these battles were
bloody and costly but the
Americans usually fought off
the resistance (Guadalcanal,
New Guiney, Guam, Iwo Jima,
etc…).
The Japanese refused to
surrender (it was thought to
be shameful to give up).
Truman Faces a Difficult Choice
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When Truman took over for
Roosevelt, he was told about
“the Manhattan Project.”
This was a secret plan to build
a nuclear weapon.
Scientists had been working
under strict secrecy – in
Chicago and New Mexico –
where it was tested.
When some of the scientists
found out how powerful this
bomb really was, they wrote a
letter to President Truman –
asking him not to use it.
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Truman knew the next
step in the war in the
Pacific was to actually
go and attack Japan.
If he did this, it was
estimated that 250,000
Americans would die –
and as many as
1,00,000 Japanese.
If he used it, it also
meant Stalin wouldn’t
invade Japan and take
Pacific islands for the
USSR.
Nuclear War
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Truman sent the Japanese a
message: Surrender or be
destroyed.”
The Japanese ignored the
message.
On August 6th, 1945, an atomic
bomb was dropped on
Hiroshima.
Three days later, on Nagasaki.
Both Cities completely
destroyed.
The world was amazed at the
power of one bomb.
On August 15th, the Japanese
emperor spoke to the
Japanese people (for the first
time).
He announced the surrender of
Japan.
The Effects of the War
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The destruction and violence of
WWII affected Europe for a long
time.
Millions were homeless and
diseased.
Survivors from prison camps
wandered around looking for….
European nations had no
“neighbors” who could help.
More than 50 million people
around the world had died.
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Nazi defendants at Nuremberg
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There was an agreement
among the Allies to hold
trials of war leaders who
had “committed crimes
against humanity.”
142 of 177 Germans and
Austrians were found guilty.
One of the more famous
trials was at Nuremberg.
In Tokyo, seven defendants
were found guilty and were
executed, including former
premier Hideki Tojo