Transcript The Great War

Good Morning!
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Today you may sit wherever you
like (within reason).
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Entrance Ticket
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Entrance Ticket (on the
form provided):
Why did the United
states decide to seek
victory in the
European Theater (VE) before seeking
victory in the Pacific
Theater (V-J)?
Name: _________
Entrance Ticket
Exit Ticket
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The European Theater
November 1942 - May 1945
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Standard
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USH.5.4 Identify key leaders and
events from WWII and explain the
significance of each.
USH.5.9 Explain how WWII led
to the rise of the U.S. and Soviet
Union as rival superpowers.
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WWII: The European
Theater
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Learning Target:
1. I can identify how WWII led to the rise of the U.S. and Soviet
Union as rival superpowers.
2. I can identify key leaders and events from WWII and explain
the significance of each.
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Key Vocabulary & Concepts
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Home Front:
Government incentives to convert Industry to war
production (why?)
WWII and the reduction in unemployment (why?)
Double V Campaign (what?)
War Bonds (again)
Executive Order No. 8802 (Racial Equality) (what?)
Rosie the Riveter (Women on the Home front) (why?)
U.S. Rationing & Price Controls (why?)
European Battlefield:
Seeking victory in European Theater before seeking
victory in the Pacific Theater (why?)
Battle of Britain/The Blitz
Eastern Front
Western Front
Battle of the Atlantic & the Convoy system
Battle of Stalingrad
Soft Underbelly of Europe (attacking the periphery)
North Africa/El Alamein
Invasion of Sicily
Fire Bombing of Dresden Germany
Operation Overlord
Battle of the Bulge
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Yalta & Potsdam Conferences
V-E Day (May 8, 1945)
Key Figures:
Rommel
FDR & Truman
Churchill & Stalin
Eisenhower
And then…
Very high Civilian Casualties
The Iron Curtain
United Nations
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Mobilizing for War
(Recall that…)
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 Winning WWII required the combined efforts of all
Americans
 Recall: War Production Board, Office of War Mobilization,
Office of Price Administration
Rationing & Price Controls
War Bonds (fund war effort)
Victory Gardens (feed population)
Government gave American businesses incentives to
convert to war production
 Executive Order No. 8802 – outlaws discrimination in war
related industries (no racial discrimination)
 Women take active role in defense industry (Rosie the
Riveter)
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The European Theater
(Please refer to Interactive Map Showing progression of WWII in Europe)
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The Allied Halting of Hitler
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 The US chooses to seek victory
in the European theater first:
 The Pacific Fleet needs to be
rebuilt
 The Japanese are well
entrenched on islands covering
thousands of square miles of
open ocean 
 The British, French, and USSR
need help
 German Submarines (wolf
packs) are reeking havoc in the
North Atlantic, Caribbean, and
Gulf of Mexico (Convoy
System)
 Germany controls the Battle
of the Atlantic till 1943
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The Allied Halting of Hitler
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 In Europe:
 In August 1942 the American and British Air Forces
are bombing Germany inflicting massive damage
 In North Africa: (7:34)
 In October 1942 British General Montgomery drives
German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (the “Desert
Fox”) has been driven back from the Suez Canal in
Egypt in the battle of El Alamein.
 On the Soviet Front: (8:30)
 In September 1942 the Russians stall the German
advance at Stalingrad (force a German Surrender
and counter attack)
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A Second Front:
From Rome to North Africa
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 In 1942 the Russians push back
the Germans but take massive
losses:
 20 million Soviets dead by wars
end
 Massive destruction of
infrastructure
 Soviets want Allies to attack
Germany from the West
 The Allies aren’t ready yet
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A Second Front:
From Rome to North Africa
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 British and Americans attack
Hitler's “Fortress Europe” through
the “Soft Underbelly”.
 AMERICA ENTERS THE WAR
 November 1942 – American
General Eisenhower leads joint
allied attack in N. Africa.
 May 1943 – German Italian army
trapped in Tunisia surrenders.
 January 1943 – FDR and Churchill
meet at Casablanca in Morocco
 They adopt a policy of “total
surrender”
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A Second Front:
From Rome to North Africa
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 August 1943 – Sicily falls to US
(4:00)
 Mussolini is deposed & Italy
surrenders
 October 1943 – Italy declares
war against Germany
 German army fights American
advance through Italy
 June 4, 1944 - Rome falls to allies
 May 2, 1945 – Germans
surrender N. Italy
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D-Day:
June 6, 1944
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 Nov. 28/Dec.1 1943 – Big 3
(FDR, Churchill, Stalin) meet in
Tehran
 Preparation for Invasion of
Europe from West (Operation
Overlord)
 England is staging ground
 Millions of tons of supplies
 3 million soldiers
 US Gen. Eisenhower chosen as
overall commander
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D-Day:
June 6, 1944 (5 min)
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 Germans mislead into believing that Allies will land at
Calais in north - instead the allies land in Normandy
 Allies control air space over France
 Allied beachheads established along Normandy coast
(Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, Sword)
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Allied Advance
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 Allies advance across France
 General Blood n’ guts Patton
lunges across France with
American armored divisions 
 August 1944 - Paris liberated
 October 1944 – Aachen
Germany falls to allies
 Note: FDR is elected to 4th term
in 1944 with Harry S. Truman
as his running mate
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Allied Advance
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 Dec. 1944 – Germany is on last
legs
 Allies are bombing it into
submission
 Dec. 16, 1944 – Germany throws
a powerful force against the
allied lines in the Ardennes
Forest - Battle of the Bulge
 101st Airborne (US) wins the
battle
 Feb. 1945 – Yalta Conference
 Big 3 meet (post war reorg.)
 Feb. 1945 – Dresden Germany
firebombed (total devastation)
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Hitler’s Last Days
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 March 1945 – Allies reach Rhine
River
 April 1945 – Americans reach Elbe
River (near Berlin) and meet
Soviets (who captured Berlin)
(3:00)
 April 12, 1945 – FDR dies (stroke)
 April 30, 1945 – Hitler commits
suicide
 May 7, 1945 – Germans surrender
unconditionally
 America’s War Against The Axis
Ends
 May 8, 1945 – VE-Day
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The Aftermath in Europe
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 August 1945 – Potsdam
conference
 Big 3 (Truman, Stalin,
Churchill) meet – Germany
partitioned into occupation
zones
 USSR Controls Eastern Europe
 Iron Curtain will fall
 US/Brit./Fr. Control Western
Europe
 Superpowers are Born
 Foundation of Cold-War
European relations established
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General Comments
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 WWII in Europe makes the U.S. and the USSR
Superpowers
 WWII in Europe results in very high civilian
casualties (higher than combatants)
 WWII was won (in part) because the Allies
demanded “Total Surrender” this forced the German
Government to fight to the bitter end (opening the
door for reconstruction)
 50 Million killed total in WWII (40% Civilian)
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Crash Course
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 WWII Part 1: Crash Course
 Note: this video is a concise overview of the entire
war. We will focus on the war in the Pacific in later
classes.
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Exit Ticket
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Why did the war in Europe (WWII)
have the effect of making the U.S. and
U.S.S.R. superpowers?
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Timeline: European Theater
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 Working either individually or with a partner please
use your notes, my notes, your text, and your device
to create a time line of war in the European Theater
during WWII.
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Homework
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In the time remaining, please
begin reading and taking notes
on Section 4 of Chapter 14.
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Annotated Bibliography
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 Please share your annotated Bibliography with your
partner.
 Please review their bibliography and make
constructive comments.
 Is their research clearly presented?
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