Transcript Chapter 28 PowerPoint File

Chapter 28
WORLD WAR II
ONCE MORE, THE ROAD TO WAR
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Germany clear aggressor WWII
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Unhappy with Treaty of Versailles
Hitler’s rise to power and ideology
Therefore, it is important to understand his goals prior to the
war and how they influenced his actions leading up to the war
HITLER’S GOALS
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Hitler expressed his main goals in his book Mein
Kampf.
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His primary goal with the unification of the German
people, the Volk, under one flag.
This nation would include all of the Germanic parts of
the Habsburg Empire, including Austria.
It would need extra room to live, Lebensraum, which
would be taken from the Slavs
Removal of Jews to purify new Germany
Rearming
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In 1933 Germany withdrew from the League of
Nations.
In 1934 Germany signed a non-aggression pact with
Poland
1935 Hitler formally renounced the disarmament
provisions of the Versailles treaty, and soon reinstated
conscription.
Though the League of Nations denounced Germany’s
decision to rearm, it was helpless to prevent it,
indicating it uselessness.
ITALY ATTACKS ETHIOPIA
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In October 1935 Mussolini attacked Ethiopia
 France and Britain were both willing to
appease him
 Mussolini refused all offers of
appeasement
 Economic sanctions imposed
 Italy looks to Germany > Rome-Berlin Axis
Also Japan takes Manchuria from China
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League of Nations condemns Japan
Japan drops out of the League of Nations
What does all this demonstrate?
REMILITARIZATION OF THE RHINELAND
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Mussolini’s success convinced Hitler that the Western powers
would also not oppose him substantially.
On March 7, 1936 he sent a small armed force into the
demilitarized Rhineland.
France and Britain both registered a complaint with the League
of Nations, but did nothing else.
THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR
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The new dividing line in Europe between Fascist
and Western democracies was made clearer by the
Spanish Civil War.
 The war broke out in July 1936, between the
elected Popular Front Government and the
Falangist (Fascists), lead by General Francisco
Franco (1892-1975). It lasted three years.
 Germany and Italy supported the Falangists.
 The Soviets supported the Republicans.
 The Western democracies remained neutral.
Rome-Berlin Axis Pact official 1936
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Japan joins Axis > Anti-Comintern Pact
The Fascists won in 1939.
AUSTRIA AND CZECHOSLOVAKIA
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In 1938 Hitler’s new found closeness to Mussolini encouraged him to
attempt to take Austria.
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The Anschluss was strategically significant, as Germany now surrounded
Czechoslovakia, a country which was an affront to Hitler’s sensibilities.
Throughout 1938 Hitler increased the pressure on the Czechs
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He marched into Austria on March 12th, in order to forestall a plebiscite on
Anschluss, the union of Germany and Austria. Italy did not object.
Disseminated false rumors that the Germans would attack, forcing the Czechs to
mobilize their army on the German border in May.
September 12: Hitler made a speech at a Nazi rally, which provoked ethnic
German rioting in the Sudetenland, the Czechs declared martial law.
Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister, made three flights to
Germany between September 15th and 29th, attempting to appease Hitler
and avoid war. He ended up conceding the Sudetenland to Germany, by
withdrawing support from Czechoslovakia. However, Hitler insisted that the
Czechs withdraw within three days. It looked like there would be war.
THE MUNICH CONFERENCE
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On September 29th, 1938,
Mussolini called a conference at
Chamberlain’s request.
Results of the conference:
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Hitler’s demands were met, and he
gained control of the Sudetenland.
However, he promised that he had
no further territorial demands in
Europe.
Chamberlain claimed he had
brought “peace with honour.”
THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR
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March 15, 1939, Hitler occupied Prague, taking
the rest of Czechoslovakia
Spring, 1939, Germany put pressure on Poland
to return the formerly German city of Danzig,
and for the rights to build a connecting railroad
through Poland to East Prussia.
March 31st, 1939 Chamberlain announced a
joint Franco-British guarantee of Polish
independence.
August 23rd, 1939 The Soviets signed a pact
with Germany, agreeing to divide Poland
between them.
September 1st, 1939 Hitler invaded Poland.
September 3rd, 1939 Britain and France
declared war on Germany.
THE GERMAN CONQUEST OF EUROPE
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Germany quickly overran Poland, using the new
technique of Blitzkrieg, “lightening warfare,”
which employed fast moving armored columns
supported by airpower
 Russians invade Poland from the east
 What did the Russian fight with the Fins
show?
The French remained behind the Maginot Line,
while the British rearmed and the British Navy
blockaded Germany
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Why wasn’t the Maginot Line effective?
April 1940, Hitler invaded Denmark and Norway.
May 1940, He began a Blitzkrieg through
Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The
British and French Armies in Belgium were forced
to flee.
Hitler continued into France, while Mussolini
attacked from the south on June 10th. Less than
a week later, the French, under Marshal Henri
Philippe Petain, surrendered.
THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN
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May 1940, Chamberlain replaced by
Winston Churchill (1874-1965), an
early and forceful critic of Hitler.
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What did Hitler want from Britain?
August 1940, Germany began
bombardment of Britain, in the
hopes of softening the country up
for invasion
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German Air Force? British Air Force?
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Luftwaffe and RAF
He managed to destroy much of London
and kill 15,000 people
However, he lost twice as many planes
as the British, and was forced to
abandon the invasion plan.
Why?
THE GERMAN ATTACK ON RUSSIA
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December 1940, Hitler tells his generals to
prepare for an attack on Russia by May 15th,
1941
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Operation Barbarossa does not actually begin
until June 22, 1941 > Why?
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The Russians were quite surprised, Stalin had not
expected Hitler to violate their pact
Germans advance to Leningrad
German generals want to attack Moscow next
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Operation Barbarossa.
Designed to destroy Russia before winter set in
Hitler diverts attention south
When ready for Moscow > its too late > winter sets in
déjà vu????????????
November and December 1941, the Russians
counterattacked
HITLERS PLANS FOR EUROPE
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Third Reich
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Needed Lebensraum at the expense of other people deemed
inferior
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Poland & Russia (living space)
Some races would be adopted into the master race
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Hitler’s Empire in Europe (1,000 years)
Other races eliminated or used as a labor force
Conquered areas were plundered
JAPAN AND THE UNITED STATES ENTER THE WAR
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Throughout the 30s and 40s Japan’s Imperial interests had been thwarted
by the United States > Why attack US?
October 1941, A war faction led by General Hideki Tojo took power in Japan.
December 7th, 1941, The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, catching
the Americans completely off guard.
The US and Britain immediately declared war on Japan. Three days later,
Germany and Italy declared war on the US.
THE TIDE TURNS
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Future looked bleak for the allies before 1942
Spring 1942, the US has a string of victories
against Japan in the pacific > Name some?
How did Soviets and it’s allies work together?
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Summer 1942, the Battle of Stalingrad raged
for months, with the Russians eventually
prevailing. The Germans lost an entire army
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Russians wanted Allies to open up a second
front > So why didn’t they?
How many men did the Russians lose at this
battle? Guess
November 1942, an Allied forced landed in
French North Africa, defeating German forces
there.
July and August 1943, the Allies took Sicily.
1943 Allies gained ground in production and
logistics.
In 1943 the Allies began a massive bombing
campaign in Germany. By 1945, the Allies
could bomb at will.
STRATEGIC BOMBING
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1943 US at full industrial capacity for war
Massive bombing by Great Britain & US on Germany
Precision bombing and Area bombing?
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Destroy moral of German people
Savage and destructive > morality?
THE DEFEAT OF NAZI GERMANY
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June 6th, 1944, D-day, a British-American invasion force landed at
Normandy beach on the coast of France. By the beginning of September,
France had been liberated.
December 1944, the Germans launched a counter attack in Belgium and
Luxembourg. Known as “The Battle of the Bulge,” this was Germany’s last
gasp in the West.
By March 1945 the Allies were near Berlin. On April 30th, 1945 Hitler
committed suicide. Germany surrendered within the week.
THE FALL OF THE JAPANESE EMPIRE
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“Island hopping” in the Pacific
Last major battle in Pacific > Okinawa > Importance?
August 6th, 1945, The US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Two days
later, they dropped one on Nagasaki. Ordered by new US President Harry
Truman
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Why did we drop the bombs? Controversy?
August 14th, 1945, Japan surrendered.
RACISM AND THE HOLOCAUST
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One of the pillars of Nazi Ideology was racism
 All non-Aryan peoples
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6 million Slavs (Untermenschen) in Poland & Russia die under
Nazi control
Hitler had envisioned a special fate for the Jews
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Slavs, Jews, and Gypsies were considered lower orders of beings
He wanted to make all of Europe Judenrein, free of Jews
He planned to exterminate them > Final Solution
6 million Jews die > Known as the Holocaust
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Took different forms in different regions
POLISH JEWISH COMMUNITY
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The Fate of the Polish Jewish community as a case
study for the Holocaust
Language, food, dress, and place of residence
distinguished Jews from the rest of the Polish
population
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After death of Jozef Pilsudski (Post WWI) start to see
increase in anti-Semitism
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In Poland many were poor > vulnerable to the economic turmoil
of the 1920s & 1930s
Laws/Regulations/Exclusion
Through all of this they began to assimilate into Polish culture
Russia & Germany occupy Poland WWII
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Nazis saw Poland as the chief breeding ground of Jewry
Jews moved to ghettos (Lodz and Warsaw)
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Lose civic standing and property
1941 > Final Solution > moved to death camps
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Killed in gas chambers
90% of Poland’s Jewish population perish
Racism and the Holocaust
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Are its roots to be found in the flaws in human nature as a
whole, or are they unique to the experience of the West or,
perhaps, to the German people?
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Persistence of anti-Semitism in Christianity & Western culture
How was it possible to kill six million people?
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Powerful force of nationalism > in the name of the homeland
These questions and suggestions are meant to spur further
discussion & deeper thought
THE GERMAN HOME FRONT
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Hitler demanded few sacrifices from the German people
at first
The economy improved during the war
Things change when Germany invades Russia
By 1943 labor shortages made it necessary for
teenagers, retired men, and some women to work in the
factories
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Radio and Film propaganda were used to boost the Nazi
cause
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What was the women’s role?
Who was propaganda leader?
Propaganda made the German people think that victory
was at hand
After the Allied bombing campaign began, the Germans
had much to fear
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Was their morale undermined?
FRANCE AT HOME
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The terms of the 1940 Armistice allowed
the Germans to occupy more than half of
France
In Southern France, Petain sets up a
dictatorial regime based in Vichy
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Some French men and women fled to
Britain after the occupation, organizing the
French National Committee of Liberation,
or “Free French,” to resist the occupation
and the collaborators
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Many conservatives viewed this as a
positive thing > hated Third Republic
However, large scale resistance did not
begin until 1944
Battle shifts Vichy govt. will not survive
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Quarrels over what was done during the
occupation will divide the French for yrs.
GREAT BRITAIN
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May 22, 1940, Parliament gave the
government emergency powers, allowing
them to institute a draft, rationing and
economic controls
By 1941, Britain production had surpassed
Germany’s
The “blitz” bombings in 1940-41 were the
most immediate experience of the war for
most Britons
British Broadcasting Company (BBC) formed
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Role?
General health of nation improves during
the war
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Why? > No ones really knows for sure
THE SOVIET UNION
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No nation suffered more than the Soviet Union during WWII
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Germans surprised Stalin > he was not prepared
Soviets used diff. style of propaganda > Why?
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Direct citizens hatred towards the Germans
Struggle with Germans > “Great Patriotic War”
Within occupied portions of Western Russia there was an active resistance
movement
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16 million were killed
Guerilla warfare
Stalin will gain power after the war
PREPARATIONS FOR PEACE
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August 1941, Roosevelt and Churchill met and agreed to the Atlantic Charter
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Provided a theoretical basis for the peace they sought
In 1943 Soviet, American, and British leaders met at Tehran
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They agreed to attack the western coast of Europe the following year
Stalin agreed to fight Japan once Germany was defeated
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Question of Eastern Europe?
Germany > divide four zones
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Stalin wants big reparations
February 1945 Big Three meet at Yalta (in Crimea)
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Wants some concessions?
Germany almost defeated at this time
Russia given some territory?
United Nations notion reinforced
July 1945 meet in Potsdam (Germany) for last time
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Truman, Atlee, and Stalin
Previous agreements reaffirmed