World War II: Causes, Aggression, and Turning Points

1. World War II 1939 - 1945

2. Causes of World War II

3. Political instability and economic devastation in Europe resulting from World War I • Worldwide depression • High war debt owed by Germany • High inflation • Massive unemployment

4. Rise of Fascism • Fascism is a political philosophy in which total power is given to a dictator and individual freedoms are denied. • Fascist dictators included Adolf Hitler (Germany), Benito Mussolini (Italy), and Hideki Tojo (Japan). • *** Joseph Stalin was a dictator but NOT a fascist. He was a communist. He will take power after Lenin’s death. The Soviet Union will become a member of the ALLIES. • These dictators led the countries that became known as the Axis Powers

5. Adolf Hitler • Hitler was angry with the Treaty of Versailles and he attempted to correct the “injustices” created by the treaty. • He formed the National Socialists Workers’ Party, also known as the Nazi Party. • Hitler created a totalitarian form of government in Nazi Germany.

6. The Allies and their Leaders • Democratic nations were known as the Allies. • United States – Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman • Great Britain – Winston Churchill • Canada – William Lyon Mackenzie King • The Soviet Union was also a member of the Allies. However, the Soviet Union was not democratic, it was communist! Led by Joseph Stalin

7. The Axis and their leaders • Germany - Adolf Hitler • Italy – Benito Mussolini • Japan – Hideki Tojo

8. Axis Aggression • Germany – Took control of the Rhineland (1936), Austria (1938), Sudetenland (1938), Czechoslovakia (1939), Poland (1939) • Italy – Conquered Ethiopia (1935) and Albania (1939) • Japan – Occupied Manchuria (1931) and Indochina (1940)

9. World War II Begins • The immediate cause of World War II was the invasion of Poland by Germany on September 1st, 1939. • The Germans used a method known as blitzkrieg or lightning war when invading Poland. • As a result, France and Great Britain declared war on Germany. • The Soviet Union also invaded Poland and the Baltic nations of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia. • Germany invades France and captures Paris, the capital. • Germany bombs Great Britain and the Battle of Britain (1940 – 1941) begins. The Battle of Britain is fought in the air between Germany and Britain to gain supremacy of the air. • Germany invades the Soviet Union (June 1941).

10. American Involvement • When WWII begins, the United States remained neutral as it had done during WWI (Isolationism). • However, in March of 1941, Congress approved the Lend – Lease Act. This allowed for the sale of American airplanes and war supplies to the Allies. • The U.S. gave Britain war supplies and old naval warships in return for military bases in Bermuda and the Caribbean. • There was rising tension between the U.S. and Japan because of Japanese aggression in East Asia. • On December 7th, 1941, the Japanese attacked the U.S. navy base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. • As a result, the United States declared war on Japan December 8th, 1941. • Three days later Germany and Italy declare war on the U.S. We declare war on Germany and Italy. • The U.S. got involved in WWII to help stop aggression by Germany and Japan.

11. The Home Front • American involvement in World War II brought an end to the Great Depression. Factories and workers were needed to produce goods to win the war. • Thousands of American women took jobs in defense plants during the war (e.g., Rosie the Riveter). • Americans at home supported the war by conserving and rationing resources. • The need for workers temporarily broke down some racial barriers (e.g., hiring in defense plants) although discrimination against African Americans continued. • While many Japanese Americans served in the armed forces, others were treated with distrust and prejudice, and many were forced into internment or relocation camps.

12. The Holocaust • Resulted from anti-Semitism and the desire for Aryan Supremacy. • It was the organized attempt to rid Europe of all Jews. • Tactics that were used included: • Boycott of Jewish Stores • Threats • Segregation • Imprisonment and killing of millions Jews and others in concentration camps.

13. Turning Points • The Soviet Union defeats Germany at Stalingrad, marking the turning point of the war in Eastern Europe. • The Soviet Union

14. Turning Points • The United States was victorious over Japan in the Battle of Midway. This victory was the turning point of the war in the Pacific. THE UNITED STATES WON THIS BATTLE!!!

15. Turning Points • American and Allied troops landed in Normandy, France June 6th, 1944 which is known as D-Day. This was the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe. • The purpose of D-Day was to develop a second front against Germany in Northern Europe. • Dwight D. Eisenhower led the invasion of France which was also known as Operation Overlord. • June 6th, 1944 = Operation Overlord = Invasion of Normandy, France

16. Turning Points • The U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on Japan. The first was dropped on Hiroshima, August 6th, 1945. The second one was dropped on Nagasaki, August 9th, 1945. • President Harry S Truman made the decision to drop the atomic bombs. • This forced the Japanese to surrender on August 14th 1945. • Germany surrendered on May 7th, 1945. • World War II was over.