Transcript 4.3 World War II - Ms Martin`s History 30

4.3 World War II
Cluster 4: Achievements & Challenges
"Naturally the common people don't want war: Neither in
Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That
is understood. But, after all, IT IS THE LEADERS of the
country who determine the policy and it is always a simple
matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy,
or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist
dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be
brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you
have to do is TELL THEM THEY ARE BEING ATTACKED, and
denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and
exposing the country to danger. IT WORKS THE SAME IN ANY
COUNTRY.”
- Hermann Goering at the Nuremberg Trials
Background
• The Treaty of Versailles was signed and the League of Nations was
created after WWI to resolve the issues that led the world into the
“Great War.”
• However, in the 1920s and 1930s, crippling economic problems,
especially in Italy, Spain, and Germany, caused many people to look
for stronger political leadership.
• Some people turned to dictators, leaders who rule with absolute
power, in the hope that these leaders would solve their country’s
problems…
Rise of Fascism
• Frustrated with their poor economy and weak government, Italy
elected Benito Mussolini to leadership in 1922
• He introduced fascism:
• A combination of militant nationalism and totalitarianism, in which one group
strictly controls a country
• Fascism also stresses the importance of the state over the individual
• Mussolini’s fascist government controlled all aspects of Italian life
• Those who didn’t support him stayed silent, fled, or were imprisoned or
executed
Benito Mussolini
Rise of Nazism
• After WWI, Germany faced economic ruin from trying to meet the
financial obligations of the Treaty of Versailles…
• Adolf Hitler was an Austrian who served in the German army during
the war
• He was determined to restore Germany to its former glory
• In 1921, Hitler took control of a political party and named it the
National Socialist German Worker’s Party
• Known as the Nazis
Adolf Hitler
• Hitler promised jobs, power, and a return to greatness
• He claimed that Germans were a “master race” and should rule over
all other peoples, such as Slavic or Jewish people
• In 1933, the Nazis won Germany’s election and Hitler became
Chancellor
• Calling himself “Der Führer,” Hitler demanded loyalty from his people
and punished those who resisted
• Nazi ideals were taught in schools, and powerful propaganda was
used to convince Germans to support Hitler
Canada’s Prime Minister:
William Lyon Mackenzie King
US President:
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Tension in the Pacific
• Europe was not the only region in the world where countries were
vying for power
• In Asia, Japan continued an aggressive campaign to expand 1931,
invaded Manchuria, a Chinese province
• Despite China’s plea for help from the League of Nations, Britain,
France, and other League members refused to take action
• They feared that interference might start a larger conflict
Warm-up activity
• 2 corners activity – what would you do?
• Scenario:
• A mother is walking through a crowded grocery store with her 5 year old son.
While in the middle of shopping, her son breaks out into an uncontrollable
tantrum – screaming and crying uncontrollably. The mother then reaches into
her purse and pulls out a sucker. The 5 year old immediately stops crying, and
she continues her shopping.
• Agree or disagree with her actions? If you agree with how she solved
the problem, move to the front of the class. If you disagree with how
she handled it, move to the back.
Appeasement
• Once in power, Hitler ignored the Treaty of Versailles
• Refused to pay reparations
• Built a large, powerful military
• Took control of the Rhineland, a region ordered to have no German military
presence
• He then took control of Austria and Czechoslovakia
• Hitler claimed he only wanted to unify the Germanic people
separated by the Treaty
• The other League of Nations members had neither the means or
desire to fight another war
• They hoped German aggression would be taken care of through a
policy of appeasement
• Believed that if they conceded to some of Hitler’s demands,
• Germany’s needs would be met (appeased) and war could be
avoided
• However, appeasement did nothing to prevent Germany’s growing
strength, or war in general
At least Hitler is standing up to Communism
The attitude of Britain’s Empire
We must not repeat the horror
of the Great War
Appeasement: The Cause of WWII?
• Definition: the policy of making concessions in order to maintain peace
• Why did the Allies ‘appease’ Hitler?
•
•
•
•
ANY THOUGHTS?
The Allied leaders wanted to avoid another costly and painful war
They hoped that diplomacy and negotiation could save a fragile peace
The believed that Hitler was an honest, sensible man and that some German
demands were reasonable
• “No sacrifice can be too great, which can save war.” –PM M. King
• Although appeasement may have temporarily avoided war, many historians have
argued that this policy actually led to WWII…
Germany Invades Poland
• On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded
Poland
• September 3, Britain, Australia, New Zealand,
and France declared war on Germany
• PM King summoned Parliament to debate the
issue
• September 10, Canada officially declared war
on Germany
WWII Alliances
Allied Powers:
• Britain (and its Commonwealth,
including Canada)
• France
• Soviet Union (joined 1941)
• USA (joined 1941)
• Italy (after 1943)
• China
Axis Powers:
• Germany
• Italy (until 1943)
• Japan
Some historians have described the two world wars as
one war with a twenty-one year lull in the middle.
Considering the issues and events surrounding the
outbreak of the Second World War, would you agree
or disagree that this war was caused by unresolved
issues from the First World War?
War Begins
• The first Canadian troops arrived in Britain in December
1939
• Most were inexperienced, their barracks were unfinished,
and they were short of equipment
• Hitler realized the Allies weren’t ready to fight, and took
advantage
The Conscription Crisis
• During the First World War, conscription had divided Canada.
• Prime Minister Mackenzie King believed it was important to
keep the country united, so during his election campaign in
1940, he promised that there would never again be
conscription for overseas service.
• But in June 1940, his government enacted the National
Resources Mobilization Act, which allowed the conscription
of labourers who were not working in war industries.
• By 1942, the number of overseas casualties was increasing,
and not enough volunteers were signing up to replace the
soldiers who had been killed or injured.
• Mackenzie King decided to hold a plebiscite—a vote on a
specific issue—on conscription.
• He wanted Canadians' permission to break his promise not to
send conscripts overseas.
• "Not necessarily conscription, but conscription if
necessary" was the slogan Mackenzie King used to
summarize his approach.
• The results of the plebiscite
showed how deeply Canadians
were divided:
• 79 percent of English-speaking
Canadians voted yes to
conscription, while 85 per cent of
French-speaking Canadians voted
no.
• Many labour groups also
opposed conscription. Despite
opposition, in spring 1942,
Parliament authorized the use of
conscripts overseas.
• However, it was not until October 1944, after heavy losses
in Normandy, that Mackenzie King finally gave the order to
send 16 000 conscripts for overseas duty.
• In the end, about 13 000 conscripts were actually sent overseas,
and 2500 reached the front lines.
• Despite strong French Canadian opposition to conscription,
French Canadian volunteer regiments played important
roles in helping the Allied forces win the Second World
War.
The Blitz
• While the Allies scrambled to train and arm their forces, Germany
continued advancing across Europe
• Employed a strategy called blitzkrieg
• Large numbers of tanks, artillery, and airplanes moved quickly through the
enemy lines, overwhelming the opposition and forcing a surrender
• By June 1940, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium,
Luxemburg, and France had fallen to Germany
With the fall of France,
Germany controlled
nearly all of western
Europe and could focus
on its next
target…Britain.
The Battle of Britain
• Hitler knew the RAF would prevent any invasion, so he ordered the
Luftwaffe to gain control of the air
• Bombed Britain’s aircraft factories, airfields, and radar stations
• The campaign was successful at first, but the RAF resisted
• By August, 1940, the Luftwaffe was bombing London as well as
military targets, but couldn’t destroy Britain’s air defence
• By September, Hitler postponed his invasion of Britain indefinitely
The Battle of the Atlantic
• With much of Europe in German hands by 1940, Britain depended on
Canadian cargo ships for supplies
• The German navy attempted to cut this line and its Unterseebooten (U-boats)
hunted Allied ships in the North Atlantic
• Allies organized convoys for protection
• U-boats travelled in groups (“wolf packs”) and were sinking Allied ships faster
than they could be built
• Canada’s navy grew from 13 ships and 3000 sailors to 370 ships and
90,000 sailors
Canada at War
The War in the Pacific
• USA remained neutral for the first two years of the war
• As Japan expanded its empire, it saw the USA’s growing naval strength
as a potential obstacle
• On December 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise air attack on the
American naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii (clip)
• On December 8, USA, Britain, and Canada declared war on Japan
• Germany and Italy declared war on USA
• The United States had now joined the war
Germany and USSR
• Despite the non-aggression pact Germany had signed with the Soviet
Union, on June 22, 1941, Hitler attacked
• Hitler’s decision to pour troops into a second front would be decisive
for the Allies because:
• It drew forces away from western Europe
• It ensured the Soviet Union joined the Allies