Transcript Closure Question #1: Describe the course of World War II in Europe

Closure Question #1: Describe the
course of World War II in Europe until
the end of 1940. (At least 3 sentences)
Charles de Gaulle
Closure
Question #1:
Describe the
course of World
War II in Europe
until the end of
1940. (At least
3 sentences)
Closure Question #1: Describe the course of World War II
in Europe until the end of 1940. (At least 3 sentences)
Closure Question #1: Describe the course of World War II
in Europe until the end of 1940. (At least 3 sentences)
Erwin Rommel
 (1899-1941) Nicknamed “The Desert Fox”, Rommel is considered one of the
most talented tactical German Generals, but was also known for his
humane treatment of prisoners of war and civilians. He led German forces
in North Africa until 1943, then commanded German forces against the
Allied invasion on D-Day. However, in 1944 Rommel was accused of being
involved in a plot to assassinate Hitler and was executed.

American soldiers had to fight in many unfamiliar types of terrain. But the Sahara of North Africa
– the world’s largest desert – presented special challenges: In hot, dry weather, sandstorms
choked and blinded troops. In wet weather, mud halted machinery. The high visibility of the
desert terrain made it difficult for troops to move without being seen. Poisonous reptiles, ants,
and scorpions added to the problems. Brilliant tank strategies like Patton and Rommel were able
to overcome such challenges. But the tanks themselves caused other problems, such as kicking
up enormous dust clouds that could be seen for miles.

In the deserts and mountains of North Africa the British had been fighting the Germans and
Italians since 1940. Several goals motivated the Allied campaign in North Africa. Stalin had
wanted America and Britain to relieve the Soviet Union by establishing a second front in France.
However, FDR and Churchill felt they needed more time to prepare for an invasion across the
English Channel. An invasion of North Africa, however, required less planning and fewer supplies.
In addition, forcing Germany out of North Africa would pave the way for an invasion of Italy.
Closure Question #2: Why did the United States give more
and more help to the Allies? (At least 1 sentence)
Closure Question #2: Why did the United States give more
and more help to the Allies? (At least 1 sentence)
Closure Question #3: Was the Japanese attack on Pearl harbor a
success or failure from the Japanese point of view? Explain (At
least 1 sentence)
Closure Question #3: Was the Japanese attack on Pearl harbor a success or
failure from the Japanese point of view? Explain (At least 1 sentence)
Closure Question #3: Was the Japanese attack on Pearl harbor a success or
failure from the Japanese point of view? Explain (At least 1 sentence)
Closure Question #3: Was the Japanese attack on Pearl harbor a success or
failure from the Japanese point of view? Explain (At least 1 sentence)
(October 1942 – February 1943) Location of an important
Japanese airbase in the south Pacific, US marines and
Japanese troops fought for control of the island for 6
months. After losing more than 24,000 of their 36,000
soldiers, Japan finally abandoned the island.
Closure Question #3: Was the Japanese attack on Pearl harbor a success or
failure from the Japanese point of view? Explain (At least 1 sentence)
Closure Assignment #1
 Answer the following questions based on what
you have learned about the early years of World
War II:
1. Describe the course of World War II in Europe until
the end of 1940. (At least 3 sentences)
2. Why did the United States give more and more
help to the Allies? (At least 1 sentence)
3. Was the Japanese attack on Pearl harbor a
success or failure from the Japanese point of
view? Explain (At least 1 sentence)
Closure Question #1: Do you think that the U.S. military should have decided to
bomb railway lines leading to the death camps? Why or Why not? (At least 1
sentence)
“Germanic peoples”; Nazis claimed that Aryans were a
master race, superior to all others, especially Jews.
Closure Question #1: Do you think that the U.S. military should have decided to
bomb railway lines leading to the death camps? Why or Why not? (At least 1
sentence)
Closure Question #1: Do you think that the U.S. military should have decided to
bomb railway lines leading to the death camps? Why or Why not? (At least 1
sentence)
Segregated Jewish areas; In the aftermath of Kristallnacht, Hitler ordered
Jews in all countries to be moved to ghettos “for their own protection”,
sealing them off with barbed wire and stone walls/

Nazi administration in the conquered lands of the east was especially ruthless.
Seen as the “living space” for German expansion, these lands were
populated, Nazis thought, by racially inferior Slavic peoples. Hitler’s plans for
an Aryan racial empire were so important to him that he and the Nazis began
to put their racial program into effect soon after the conquest of Poland.
Himmler’s task was to move the Slavic peoples out and replace them with
Germans. Slavic peoples included Czech, Polish, Serbo-Croatian, Slovene,
and Ukrainian. The resettlement policy was first applied to the lands of
western Poland. Hundreds of thousands of ethinc Germans (German
descendants who had migrated years ago from Germany to different parts of
southern and eastern Europe) were brought into colonize the German
provinces in Poland. By 1942, two million ethnic Germans had been settled in
Poland.
Closure Question #1: Do you think that the U.S. military should have decided to
bomb railway lines leading to the death camps? Why or Why not? (At least 1
sentence)
Battle of Stalingrad
 The True turning point of WWII in Europe; Breaking their
prior treaty, Germany invaded Russia in 1941 but was
stopped at Stalingrad by the bitter cold of the Russian
winter and the superior number of Russian soldiers,
surrendering on January 31, 1943.

Germany had attacked Russia in June 1941, sending one army north toward
Leningrad, a second east toward Moscow, and a third south toward Stalingrad.
Although Hitler’s forces penetrated deep into Soviet territory, killing or capturing
millions of soldiers and civilians, they did not achieve their main objective of
conquering the Soviet Union. Soviet resistance and a brutal Russia winter stopped
the German advance. In 1942, Hitler narrowed his sights and concentrated his
armies in southern Russia. His goal this time was to control the rich Caucasus oil
fields. To achieve this objective, he would have to capture the city of Stalingrad.

The struggle for Stalingrad was especially ferocious. German troops advanced
slowly fighting bitter block-by-block, house-by-house battles in the bombed-out
buildings and rubble. Soviet troops then counterattacked, trapping the German
forces. Yet Hitler refused to allow his army to retreat. Starving, sick, and suffering
from frostbite, the surviving German troops finally surrendered on January 31, 1943.
The battle of Stalingrad was the true turning point of the war in Europe. It ended
any realistic plans Hitler had of dominating Europe. Nazi armies were forced to
retreat westward back toward Germany. Instead, it was the Soviet Union that now
went on the offensive.
 Allied Powers – Alliance that originally only included Britain and
France, but eventually several other nations including the Soviet
Union, the United States, and China during WWII.
 Yalta Conference - February 1945 meeting of the leaders of the
three Allied powers: Joseph Stalin (U.S.S.R.), Winston Churchill
(U.K.), and Franklin D. Roosevelt (U.S.A.). The three agreed that
after WWII Eastern European countries, such as Poland and
Bulgaria, would hold free elections. Stalin never kept this
promise, instead keeping Soviet troops in these countries and
establishing communist governments controlled by the U.S.S.R.

World War II differed from World War I in several ways. One major difference was that it was
fought to the bitter end. In 1918, the Kaiser had surrendered before the Allies could invade
Germany. By contrast, in World War II, Japan and Germany kept fighting long after their defeat
was certain. In the last year of the war, they lost battle after battle, retreated from the lands
they had conquered, and saw the slow destruction of their military forces. Allied bombing
devastated their cities and industries. Yet Germany fought on until Hitler committed suicide, and
Japan refused to surrender until after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The protracted
fight gave the Allies time to make plans for a postwar world. Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met
at Yalta on the Black Sea in February 1945 to discuss final strategy and crucial questions
concerning postwar Germany, Eastern Europe, and Asia. At the Yalta Conference, the Big
Three agreed that Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania would hold free elections. However, Stalin
later reneged on this promise. Roosevelt and Churchill were not in a good position to press Stalin
too hard. The Red Army already occupied much of Eastern Europe, and Roosevelt wanted
Soviet help in the war against Japan. Vague promises were about as much as Stalin would give.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
 (1890-1969) Commander of successful American
invasions in North Africa & Italy; Eisenhower became
Supreme Commander of all Allied forces in Europe in
1944, directing the D-Day invasion of Europe. “Ike”
went on to serve as President of the USA after the war
from 1952 to 1960.

As a young man,. Dwight Eisenhower had not been considered a brilliant
student at the U.S. Military Academy at West point. During the 1930s, though,
his career rose due to his organizational skills and ability to work with others. In
1942, Ike was given command of all American forces in Europe – even though
more than 350 other generals had more seniority. In October 1942, the British
won a major victory at El Alamein in Egypt and began to push westward. The
next month, Allied troops landed in Morocco and Algeria and began to move
east toward key German positions. An energetic American officer, General
Dwight D. Eisenhower – known as Ike – commanded the Allied invasion of
North Africa. In February 1943, German general Erwin Rommel (known as the
Desert Fox) led his Afrika Korps against the Americans at the Kasserine Pass in
Tunisia. Rommel broke through the American lines in an attempt to reach the
Allied supply base at Tebessa in Algeria. Finally, American soldiers stopped the
assault. Lack of supplies then forced Rommel to retreat.
D-Day
 (June 6, 1944) The first day of the Allied invasion of western
Europe; American, British, Canadian and Polish troops
landed on the northern coast of France (Normandy),
suffering heavy casualties but eventually overrunning
German defenses and beginning the push east to
Germany.

Six months after the Teheran Conference, the plan to open a second front in France became
reality. The massive Allied invasion of France was given the code name Operation Overlord.
Overlord involved the most experienced Allied officers in Europe. American General Dwight D.
Eisenhower again served as Supreme Commander. British General Bernard Montgomery served as
commander of the ground forces, while General Omar Bradley led the United States First Army.
Overlord involved landing 21 American divisions and 26 British, Canadian, and Polish divisions on a
50-mile stretch of beaches in Normandy. The fleet was the largest ever assembled, comprising
more than 4,400 ships and landing crafts. The plan dictated striking five beaches in Normandy
(code-named Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword).

On D-Day the Allies hit Germany in force. More than 11,000 planes prepared the way, attempting
to destroy the German communication and transportation networks and soften Nazi beach
defenses. At 6:30 AM, after a rough crossing of the English Channel, the first troops landed. On
four of the beaches, the landings were only lightly opposed and casualties relatively low. But at
Omaha, one of the two beaches assigned to American forces, the German offered stiff
opposition. On the cliffs overlooking the beach, the Germans had dug trenches and built small
concrete pillbox structures from which heavy artillery could be fired. They had the beach covered
with a wide variety of deadly guns. They had also heavily mined the beaches. When the first
American soldiers landed, they stepped out of their landing crafts into a rainstorm of bullets, shells,
and death. Some crafts dumped their occupants too far from the beach; soldiers, weighted
down by heavy packs, drowned. One writer called D-Day “the longest day.”
George S. Patton Jr.
 (1885-1945) Following Eisenhower’s advancement to
Supreme Commander, Paton was given command of all
US mechanized units (tanks) in Europe. Paton combined
innovative tank tactics with single-minded devotion to
duty and victory, earning the nickname of “Blood and
Guts”.

The fighting at the Kasserine Pass taught American leaders valuable lessons. They
needed aggressive officers and troops better trained for desert fighting. To that
end, Eisenhower put American forces in North Africa under the command of
George S. Paton Jr. Patton told his junior officers in 1943: “You usually will know
where the front is by the sound of gunfire, and that’s the direction you should
proceed. Now, suppose you lose a hand or an ear is shot off or perhaps a piece
of your nose, and you think you should walk back to get first aid, if I see you, it will
be the last… walk you’ll ever take.”

Patton’s forces advanced east with heightened confidence. Simultaneously the
British pressed westward from Egypt, trapping Axis forces in a continually shrinking
pocket in Tunisia. Rommel escaped, but his army did not. In May 1943, German
and Italian forces – some 240,000 troops – surrendered.
Battle of the Bulge
 (December 1944) The last desperate counterattack by the German
army against the Allies on the western front; German tanks barreled
through the Ardennes forest, retaking several towns before being
stopped by American forces at the Belgian town of Bastogne and
pushed back into Germany.

After D-Day, Germany faced a hopeless two-front war. Soviet solders were advancing steadily from the east,
forcing German armies out of Latvia, Romania, Slovakia, and Hungary. Mile by mile, Germany lost the lands it had
once dominated and the natural resources it had once plundered. Allied armies were also on the move in the
west. In August 1944, the Allies liberated Paris. Hitler had ordered his generals to destroy the French capital, but they
disobeyed him, leaving the “City of Lights” as beautiful as ever. As Parisians celebrated, Allied troops kept
advancing. As a mood of hopelessness fell over Germany, Rommel and other leading generals plotted to
overthrow Hitler. On July 20, 1944, an officer planted a bomb at Hitler’s headquarters. The explosion killed or
wounded 20 people, but Hitler survived. Rommel took poison to escape being put on trial. Claiming that fate was
on his side, Hitler refused to surrender to the advancing troops. In December 1944, Hitler ordered a counter-attack.
With Allied troops strung out between the English Channel and the Alps, German forces massed near the Ardennes.
Hitler’s scenario called for English-speaking German soldiers in U.S. uniforms to cut telephone lines, change road
signs, and spread confusion. German tanks would then secure communication and transportation hubs.

The counterattack, known as the Battle of the Bulge, almost succeeded. The Germans caught the Allies by surprise,
created a bulge in the American line, and captured several key towns. Snowy, cloudy skies prevented the Allies
from exploiting their air superiority. But at the Belgian town of Bastogne American forces held despite frostbite and
brutal German assaults. Then, on December 23, the skies cleared and Allied bombers attacked German positions.
After reinforcements arrived, the Allies went back on the offensive, steadily pushing the Germans out of France. The
Battle of the Bulge was a desperate attempt to drive a wedge between American and British forces. Instead, it
crippled Germany by using its reserves and demoralizing its troops. Ultimately, it shortened the time Hitler had left.
 A week after Adolf Hitler and his wife committed
suicide in Berlin rather than be captured, on May 7,
1945, in a little French schoolhouse that had served as
Eisenhower’s head-quarters, what remained of the
leadership of Nazi Germany surrendered. The Allied
Powers celebrated V-E (Victory in Europe) Day.

Sadly, FDR did not see the momentous day. He had died a few weeks earlier.
It would be up to the new President, Harry S. Truman, to see the nation
through to final victory. By January, the Soviet Army had reached the Oder
River outside Berlin. The Allies also advanced northward in Italy. In April 1945,
Mussolini tried to flee to Switzerland but was captured and executed. By this
time, American and British troops had crossed the Rhine River into Germany.
In April, a U.S. army reached the Elbe River, 50 miles west of Berlin. Allied
forces were now in position for an all-out assault against Hitler’s capital. Hitler
was by now a physical wreck; shaken by tremors, paranoid from drugs, and
kept alive by mad dreams of a final victory. He gave orders that no one
followed and planned campaigns that no one would ever fight. Finally, on
April 30, he and a few of his closest associates committed suicide. His
“Thousand Year Reich” had lasted only a dozen years.
Closure Question #2: How were the final phases of the war in Europe similar to
the final phases of the war in the Pacific? How were they different? (At least 2
sentences)
Kamikaze
 “Divine Wind”; Japanese suicide-bomber pilots who
deliberately crashed their planes full of jet fuel into
American ships in the Pacific during the late stages of
WWII.

The fight Okinawa in April 1945 was even deadlier than Iwo Jima. Only 340
miles from Japan, Okinawa contained a vital air base, necessary for the
planned invasion of Japan. Taking Okinawa was the most complex and costly
operation in the Pacific campaign, involving half a million troops and 1,213
warships. U.S. forces finally took Okinawa but at a cost of roughly 50,000
casualties.

From Okinawa and other Pacific bases, American pilots could bomb the
Japanese home islands. Short on pilots and aircraft, low on fuel and
ammunition, Japan was virtually defenseless. American bombers hit factories,
military bases, and cities. In a single night in March 1945, B-29 bombers
destroyed 16 square miles of Tokyo. The raid killed over 83,000 Japanese –
more than either of the later atomic bombs – and injured 100,000
more.Advances in technology, as well as the troops helped determine the
outcome of World War II. Allied and Axis scientists labored to make planes
faster, bombs deadlier, and weapons more accurate. The most crucial
scientific development was the atomic bomb.
Island Hopping
 U.S. strategy in the Pacific against Japan; The Navy
captured some Japanese-held islands while ignoring
others in a steady path toward Japan from 1942 to 1945.

While war still raged in Europe, American forces in the Pacific had been
advancing in giant leaps. From Tarawa and Makin in the Gilbert Islands, American
forces jumped ahead to Eniwetok and Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands. Then, they
took another leap to Saipan, Tinian, and Guam in the Mariana Islands. American
forces took each island only after a nearly unbelievable life-and-death struggle.
Time and again, Japanese defenders fought virtually to the last man. Rather than
surrender, many Japanese troops readily killed themselves. At the same time,
Japanese kamikaze pilots deliberately crashed their planes into American ships. By
the end of the war, more than 3,000 Japanese pilots had died in kamikaze
missions. There deaths, however, did not prevent General Douglas MacArthur from
retaking the Philippines or the United States Navy from sinking Japanese ships.

One of the fiercest battles in the island-hopping campaign took place in February
and March 1945. On Iwo Jima, a five-mile-long island 650 miles southeast of Tokyo,
United States Marines faced a dug-in, determined enemy. In 36 days of fighting,
more than 23,000 marines became casualties. But they took the island. The
famous photograph of six marines (including Native American, Ira Hayes) planting
the American flag on Iwo Jima symbolized the heroic sacrifice of American
soldiers.
 Battle of Iwo Jima – (February-March, 1945) One of
the fiercest battles of the U.S. island-hopping
campaign. In 36 days of fighting on this 5-mile-long
island 23,000 marines became casualties. The famous
photograph of six marines (including Native
American and Arizonan Ira Hayes) planting the
American flag on Iwo Jima symbolized the heroic
sacrifice of American soldiers.

While war still raged in Europe, American forces in the Pacific had been advancing in
giant leaps. From Tarawa and Makin in the Gilbert Islands, American forces jumped
ahead to Eniwetok and Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands. Then, they took another leap to
Saipan, Tinian, and Guam in the Mariana Islands. American forces took each island only
after a nearly unbelievable life-and-death struggle. Time and again, Japanese defenders
fought virtually to the last man. Rather than surrender, many Japanese troops readily
killed themselves. At the same time, Japanese kamikaze pilots deliberately crashed their
planes into American ships. By the end of the war, more than 3,000 Japanese pilots had
died in kamikaze missions. There deaths, however, did not prevent General Douglas
MacArthur from retaking the Philippines or the United States Navy from sinking Japanese
ships.

One of the fiercest battles in the island-hopping campaign took place in February and
March 1945. On Iwo Jima, a five-mile-long island 650 miles southeast of Tokyo, United
States Marines faced a dug-in, determined enemy. In 36 days of fighting, more than
23,000 marines became casualties. But they took the island. The famous photograph of six
marines (including Native American, Ira Hayes) planting the American flag on Iwo Jima
symbolized the heroic sacrifice of American soldiers.
Manhattan Project / Harry S. Truman
 Harry Truman - (1884-1972) Vice-President to FDR, Truman
became president following Roosevelt’s death in April 1945
and served until January 1953. Truman received Germany’s
surrender in May 1945 & Japan’s surrender in August 1945,
and was the first President of the Cold War era, but he is best
known for making the decision to use the Atomic Bomb
against Japan.
 Manhattan Project - The atomic bomb began with an idea. In
the early 1930s, scientists learned how to split the nuclei of
certain elements. They also discovered that this process of
nuclear fission released tremendous energy. They learned
more about the nature of the atom, the effect of a chain
reaction, and the military use of uranium. Early in the war,
Albert Einstein signed a letter that alerted Roosevelt about the
need to proceed with atomic development. In 1942, FDR
gave the highest national priority to the development of an
atomic bomb. The program, code-named the Manhattan
Project, cost several billion dollars & employed tens of
thousands of people.
Potsdam Conference
 (July 1945) First meeting between the new U.S. President,
Harry Truman, and Joseph Stalin. The Allies agreed to
divide Germany into 4 zones of occupation, establish
new borders for Poland & support free elections there,
and permit the Soviets to claim reparations for war
damages from their zone of occupation in Germany.

A dramatically altered Big Three met in the Berlin Suburb of Potsdam. Although Stalin remained
in power in the Soviet Union, Harry S. Truman had become U.S. President upon the death of FDR.
After the start of the conference, Clement Atlee replaced Churchill as prime minister of Britain.
While in Potsdam, Truman learned of the successful test of the atomic bomb. But he was more
focused on Europe and the Soviet Union than on Asia. Though in the conference Stalin
reaffirmed his pledge to enter the war against Japan, the Potsdam Conference is remembered
for increasing tension between the Soviets and Americans.

After the war ended in August 1945, plans for the postwar world had to be turned into realities.
However, the changes that took place were not often what the Allies had envisioned at Yalta
and Potsdam. World War II altered the political realities of the world. The borders of Poland, for
example, shifted slightly to the west. In time differences between the Soviet Union and its former
Allies led to the division of Germany into two countries: communist East Germany and
noncommunist West Germany. Nearly all the nations of Eastern Europe became communist
states under Soviet control. Other countries experienced profound political changes. In China,
a long-standing civil war between Nationalists and communists resumed. In Japan, General
Douglas MacArthur headed an American military occupation and supervised the writing of a
new constitution. It abolished the armed forces except for purposes of defense, gave women
the right to vote, enacted democratic reforms, and established the groundwork for full
economic recovery.
Hiroshima / Nagasaki
 Hiroshima (August 6, 1945) – Site of the first atomicbomb attack. The bomb exploded at 9:14 A.M. By
9:16 A.M. more than 60,000 of Hiroshima’s 344,000
residents were dead or missing. An estimated total of
140,000 residents were killed by the blast and the
radiation poisoning that followed, and 69% of the
city’s buildings were completely destroyed.
 Nagasaki (August 9, 1945) – Second atomic-bomb
attack site. 35,000 were killed by the blast, with a
total of nearly 75,000 killed by the blast and
radiation. The destruction, coupled with a
declaration of war by the Soviet Union on the same
day, led the Japanese to surrender on August 15th,
officially ending WWII.
 Following the bombing of Hiroshima Japanese
leaders debated whether to surrender or continue to
fight for 3 more days. Then, on August 9th, two events
rocked Japan. First, the Soviet Union declared war
against Japan and invaded Manchuria. Next, the
United States dropped a second atomic bomb on
Nagasaki. Debate continued at the highest levels of
Japanese government. Finally, Emperor Hirohito
made the decision to surrender. On August 15, the
Allies celebrated V-J (Victory in Japan) Day. Japan
officially surrendered on September 2nd aboard the
USS Missouri. The most costly war in history was over.
As many as 60,000,000 people, mostly civilians, had
died in the conflict.
Closure Question #2: How were the final phases of the war in Europe similar to
the final phases of the war in the Pacific? How were they different? (At least 2
sentences)
 Refugees – Survivors of war who either or no longer
welcome in their home country or whose home
country no longer exists; In the aftermath of World War
II millions of Europeans found themselves homeless
and penniless.
 Nazi Collaborators – People who assist the enemy;
During WWII many non-German Europeans aided the
SS in locating and arresting Jewish Europeans. After
the war collaborators became targets of an anti-Nazi
backlash throughout Europe.

The Nazis were responsible for the deliberate death by shooting, starvation, or overwork of
at least nine to ten million non-Jewish people. The Nazis considered the Roma (sometimes
known as Gypsies), like the Jews, to be an alien race. About 40% of Europe’s one million
Roma were killed in the death camps. The leading citizens of the Slavic peoples – the
clergy, intellectuals, civil leaders, judges, and lawyers – were arrested and killed. Probably
an additional four million Poles, Ukrainians, and Belorussians lost their lives as slave
laborers. Finally, at least three or four million Soviet prisoners of war were killed.
Nuremberg Trials
 Trials of Nazis for war crimes in violation of the Geneva Convention.
The trials, which were followed closely by Americans, highlighted the
horrors of the Holocaust. Though most of the defendants pleaded that
they were only following orders and that Hitler was to blame for all
crimes, virtually all accused were convicted and sentenced to either
death by hanging or long prison sentences.

In the effort to create a better world, the Allies did not forget to punish the people who had
caused so much destruction and death. During the war, the Axis Powers had repeatedly violated
the Geneva Convention. The Allies tried more than a thousand Japanese citizens for committing
atrocities in China, Korea, and Southeast Asia and brutally mistreating prisoners of war. Hundreds
were condemned to death, including Prime Minister Hideki Tojo and the general responsible for the
Bataan Death March.

Americans more closely followed the Nuremberg Trials, held in the German town that was the
spiritual center of the Nazi movement. The trials turned a glaring spotlight on the evils of the Third
Reich. The first of the Nuremberg Trials involved key leaders of Nazi Germany, such as Hermann
Goring. In the following decades, Allied or Israeli authorities captured and tried such other Nazis as
Adolf Eichmann, a leading architect of the “Final Solution.” The periodic trials kept alive the
memory of the Nazi crimes against humanity.
Israel
 Jewish nation established in Palestine in 1948 with the
support of all 3 Allied Powers; Arab Muslims, who had
controlled the region for nearly 1800 years, were
forced out of the area, sparking conflict in the region
and Muslim resentment towards the United States.

For most Americans, the enormity of the Nazi crime became real only when
soldiers began to liberate the concentration camps that dotted the map of
Germany. When they saw it all – the piles of dead bodies, the warehouses full
of human hair and jewelry, the ashes in crematoriums, the half-dead
emaciated survivors – they realized as never before that evil was more than
an abstraction. Hardened by war, accustomed to the sight and smell of
death, the soldiers who liberated the camps were nevertheless unprepared
for what they saw. The liberation of the camps led to an outpouring of
American sympathy and sincere longing to aid the victims. Many survivors
found temporary or permanent homes in the United States.

The revelation of the Holocaust also increased demand and support for an
independent Jewish homeland. In 1948, when the Jewish community in
Palestine proclaimed the State of Israel, President Truman immediately
recognized the new nation. The United States became perhaps the
staunches ally of the new Jewish state.
The Holocaust
9/11/01
 April 11th, 1945 – American soldiers liberate Buchenwald Concentration Camp, the first
direct exposure to the Holocaust by American citizens.
 May 7th, 1945 – Germany officially surrenders, ending the war in Europe.
Approximately 3 million Jewish refugees were freed from Concentration Camps.
 November 29th, 1947 – The United Nations, due to pressure from U.S. President Harry
Truman, recognizes the formation of the Jewish state of Israel, forcing 250,000 Muslim
Arabs out of their homes in the third-holiest city of the Islamic Faith, Jerusalem. To this
day, most Arab nations refuse to recognize the sovereignty of the Jewish state of Israel.
 1967; 1969-1970; 1973; 1977; 1981; 1982; 1987; 1991; 2006; 2009 – Years in which the
nation of Israel has been engaged in official warfare with Muslim nations, including
Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, & Lebanon. In each of these conflicts the United
States has supported Israel.
 September 11th, 2001 – Saudi Arabian Muslims, funded by the terrorist group Al Qaeda,
carry out kamikaze attacks on the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon in
Washington. Al Qaeda justifies the attacks due to the continued support of the “illegal”
Jewish state of Israel by the United States.
 Demilitarization – Disbanding a nation’s armed forces;
As a condition of their surrender, Japan agreed to
completely break-up its military, leaving Japan with
only a small police force while the United States,
under the command of General Douglas MacArthur,
established military bases throughout the country.
 Democratization – The Process of creating a
government elected by the people. In February 1946,
MacArthur and his American political advisers drew
up a new constitution, changing Japan into a
constitutional monarchy similar to Great Britain.

MacArthur was not told to revive the Japanese economy. However, he was
instructed to broaden land ownership and increase the participation of
workers and farmers in the new democracy. To this end, MacArthur put
forward a plan that required absentee landlords with huge estates to sell
land to the government. The government then sold the land to tenant
farmers at reasonable prices. Other reforms pushed by MacArthur gave
workers the right to create independent labor unions.
United Nations
 International organization established in April 1945
which, many hoped, would succeed where the League
of Nations had failed in preventing warfare and
resolving conflict between nations. The five major WWII
allies – the U.S.A., U.S.S.R., Britain, France, and China –
make up the most powerful arm of the U.N., the Security
Council.

The United States led the charge for the establishment of the United Nations. In
April 1945, delegates from 50 nations met in San Francisco to write the charter
for the UN. The Senate overwhelmingly ratified the charter, and the UN later set
up its permanent home in New York City. The United Nations was organized on
the basis of cooperation between the Great Powers, not on the absolute
equality of all nations. All member nations sat on the General Assembly.
However, the five major World War II Allies were assigned permanent seats on
the most powerful arm of the UN, the Security Council.
Closure Question #3: Why do you think Americans supported participation in the
UN after WWII when they had opposed participation in the League of Nations after
World War I? (At least 1 sentence)
Closure Assignment #2
 Answer the following questions based on what you
have learned about the end of World War II
1. Do you think that the U.S. military should have
decided to bomb railway lines leading to the death
camps? Why or Why not? (At least 1 sentence)
2. How were the final phases of the war in Europe similar
to the final phases of the war in the Pacific? How were
they different? (At least 2 sentences)
3. Why do you think Americans supported participation
in the UN after WWII when they had opposed
participation in the League of Nations after World War
I? (At least 1 sentence)
The Trial of Harry Truman