Transcript World War II Begins

World War II Begins
Axis Powers on the Move
Rebuilding Germany
• Hitler came to power in 1933 under the
promise of restoring German greatness and
territory
– Treaty of Versailles had taken this from them after
World War I
• Hitler said Germans needed lebensraum
– Lebensraum – living space for Germans to grow
and prosper
– Began the quest to give Germany more territory
Rebuilding the Military
• Hitler prayed on the laziness of European leaders
– They did not want to fight over German aggression or
over the Germans breaking the Treaty of Versailles
• 1935 – Britain agrees to a treaty with Germany
allowing them to build submarines and other
warships
– Hitler claimed that he needed these to combat the
spread of Communism
German Expansion
• 1936 – Germany sends armed forces into
Rhineland and holds it
– Said it was in response to Soviet-French agreement
– France and England not happy but do nothing
• 1938 – Annexation of Austria by Germany
– Annexation – formal joining of one nation to another
– Called the Anschluss
– Germany sent military in during March and no one
opposed him
German Expansion
• 1938 – Czechoslovakia was given to Germany
by British when British Prime Minister Neville
Chamberlain gave in to Hitler
– Appeasement – policy where one nation gives in
to the demands of another aggressive nation to
prevent a war
– Chamberlain quote “I believe this is a peace for
our time.”
– Deal was opposed by Churchill in Parliament
Axis Powers Unite
• Started with the Anti-Comintern Pact between
Germany and Japan in 1936
– 1937 – Italy joins the Anti-Comintern Pact
• Anti-Comintern Pact – united Germany, Japan, and Italy in
an agreement to fight against the spread of Communism
– Once Italy joins – Axis Powers are formed
• 1939 – Germany and Italy sign a military alliance
pledging to fight for each other in the event of
war
Final Preparations Before War
• Spanish Civil War – this was used for Italy and
Germany to gain an alliance with Spain
– 1936 – Spanish Fascist Francisco Franco was
supported by Germans and Italians while he was
fighting against the Republicans supported by Soviet
Union
– 1939 – Franco was in control of Spain
• Nonaggression Pact – signed in Summer of 1939
between Germany and Soviet Union
– Soviets feared that France and England would not
help them if attacked so they made a truce with
Germany
World War II Begins
• September 1, 1939 – Germany attacks Poland
– Used a battle tactic called blitzkrieg
• Blitzkrieg – lightning war – emphasized speed and close
coordination between planes in the air and fast-moving
forces on the ground.
– Polish Forces had little they could do, but they did
have aid of French and British
• September 3, 1939 – Britain and France
declare war on Germany
– Become known as the Allies
France Attacked
• Began with German invasion of Denmark and the
Netherlands.
– Gave Germany more ports for Navy
• May 10, 1940 – Germany invades France
– Germany raced through Belgium with one force which
the French tried to cut off
– Second force moved through the Ardennes Forest
which was undefended
– June 22, 1940 – France surrenders to Germany
– Dunkirk was the last hold out for allied troops and
they had to be rescued by British ships
Battle of Britain
• Between August and October 1940 – Germans
began bombing British cities and tried to take out
the British Air Force
– Goal was to soften Britain for a German invasion
– London Blitz – bombing of London to terrorize the
people of England began in fall of 1940
– Winston Churchill came to power in England in 1940
and he helped inspire the people to overcome the
German attacks and held off German invasion
– Germany never invaded – lost many planes
Germany Invades Soviet Union
• June 1941 – A frustrated Hitler has Germany
break the nonaggression pact with Soviet
Union and Germany invades
– Caused severe losses for Soviet Troops but they
never fell to Germany
– By Winter of 1941 – German troops had not
reached major cities and German troops did not
reach major cities – stopped German progress
Japanese Aggression In The Pacific
• Japan had been attacking areas in Asia including
China
• 1941 - Japan invades French Indochina
– Wanted the rubber, oil, and other natural resources
– U.S. banned sale of oil to Japan – goal was to slow
Japanese military expansion
• Angered Japanese – they began to plan a way to punish U.S.
• They disguised their intentions with peace talks with U.S.
Pearl Harbor
• Designed by General Hideki Tojo
• Plans called for a surprise attack of the American Naval Base in
Hawaii – Pearl Harbor
• Goal – severely damage or destroy the American Pacific Naval
Fleet and keep them from being able to attack against Japan
• December 7, 1941 – attack on Pearl Harbor begins
– Used hundreds of Japanese planes launched from Japanese Air-Craft
Carriers
– Result:
• Many American ships damaged or destroyed
• Destroyed many American planes on the ground
• Killed nearly 2400 Americans
American Response to Pearl Harbor
• Forced a change in attitude by Americans:
– Many before Pearl Harbor wanted to maintain isolationism
from the war overseas
• Isolationism – do not get involved in affairs of other nations
• Did not want a huge loss of life
• Still trying to recover from Depression – did not want outside
issues to damage recovery
– After Pearl Harbor:
• Americans demanded vengeance against Japan
• Thousands sign up for service
• December 8, 1941 – Roosevelt asks for and gets a declaration of
war against Japan
Questions 1 of 3
• What is meant by Lebensraum?
• Why was Hitler able to rebuild his military in
Germany? What was the significance of the
agreement between Germany and Britain in
1935?
• What areas did Germany take control of before
1939?
• What does the term annexation mean?
• What is appeasement?
Questions 2 of 3
• What role did the Anti-Comitern Pact play in
creating the Axis Powers? Who were the Axis
Powers?
• Who was Francisco Franco?
• What was the impact of the Nonaggression Pact?
• What event started World War II?
• What is blitzkrieg? Explain how it was
accomplished.
Questions 3 of 3
• How long did it take Germany to conquer France?
• What was the Battle of Britain? What was the
purpose of the London Blitz?
• Was the German invasion of the Soviet Union
successful? Why do you feel the way you do?
• What American action led to Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor?
• What was the results of the Pearl Harbor attack?
• How did American attitudes change after Pearl
Harbor?