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Explore the deepening European crisis that led to World War II, with a focus on Hitler's aggressive actions, alliances, and the path to conflict in Europe and Asia.
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Chapter 27 The Deepening of the European Crisis: World War II
Prelude to War • The Role of Hitler • World War II began in the mind of Adolf Hitler • Hitler believed that the Russian Revolution created the conditions for German expansion • Lebensraum – living space for German people • A nation’s power depended on the amount and kind of land it occupied • Hitler wanted to expand in Eastern Europe & Russia • Hitler thought the Slavs of Eastern Europe were inferior and should be enslaved by Aryans • Hitler thought the Bolsheviks of Russia were Jews
Possible Test Question • The idea of Lebensraum maintained that • A nation’s power depended on the amount and kind of land it occupied. • Only large populations could maintain a powerful country. • Authority must be dictated from a powerful leader. • Air power was the key to a successful military. • A pure race was necessary for national survival.
The “Diplomatic Revolution” (1933-1937) • Hitler becomes chancellor, January 30, 1933 • First dramatic act as chancellor • withdrew from League of Nations and Geneva Disarmament Conference • Repudiation of disarmament clauses of the TOV, 1935 • Slow rearmament • Anglo-German Naval Pact 1935 – Germany can build a navy 35% of Britain’s & an equal number of submarines • Troops into the demilitarized Rhineland, March 7, 1936 • Allies did nothing to this violation of the TOV • Appeasement – allied policy of giving into Hitler to avoid war • New Alliances • Rome-Berlin Axis, October 1936 • Anti-Comintern Pact between Germany and Japan, November 1936 – maintain a common front against Communism
Possible Test Question • Hitler’s first act of aggression took place in 1936 when the Germans occupied what area? • Austria. • Sudetenland • Bavaria • Rhineland • East Tyrol
Adolph Hitler & Benito Mussolini in Munich, Germany ca. June 1940
The Path to War (1938-1939) • Annexation of Austria, March 13, 1938 • Hitler demands the cession of the Sudetenland, September 15, 1938 • Munich Conference, September 29, 1938 • Leaders from Italy, Germany, France & G.B. met • British Prime minister Chamberlain gave into Hitler’s demands for the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia • Winston Churchill criticized this decision as a tragic outcome of appeasement • Neville Chamberlain (1869-1940) • Strong advocate of Appeasement “peace for our time” • Hitler systematically took over the rest of Czechoslovakia a few months later
Possible Test Question • Following the Munich Conference, Hitler • Had Germany relinquish its claims to Czechoslovakia. • Systematically took the rest of Czechoslovakia. • Attacked France. • Launched an attack on the Soviet Union. • Invaded Belgium.
Hitler demands Danzig • British offer to protect Poland • Non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union, August 23, 1939 • Invasion of Poland, September 1, 1939 • Soviet Union invades Poland Sept. 17, 1939 • Britain and France declare war on Germany, September 3, 1939 - Official Start of WWII • Unable to mobilize quick enough to help Poland • Poland falls in a few weeks to the combined forces of German and the Soviets • New military tactic of Blitzkrieg “lightning war” air attack, tank attack, infantry attack • After the fall of Poland, there is no fighting until the spring of 1940 • Period called the Phony War or “sitzkrieg”
Possible Test Question • Hitler took Poland in 1939 • Despite interference by the Soviet Union. • In a long protracted struggle that cost Germany dearly. • Upon Poland’s request for a restructured government. • Using Blitzkrieg or “lightning war” tactics and with active support from Joseph Stalin. • Peacefully, with the reluctant acquiescence of Britain and France.
The Path to War in Asia • Japan’s Rise to World Power Status • Defeat of China (1895) and Russia (1905) • By 1933, Japanese Empire included: Korea, Formosa, Manchuria, and the Marshall, Caroline, and Mariana Islands • Internal Tensions • Population growth (30 million in 1870 to 80 million in 1937) • Lack of natural resources on the small island nation • Impact of trade barriers • Depression causes western countries to impose tariffs to protect their economy • Devastates Japan politically & economically • Rise of militarist government • Military backed expansion
Possible Test Question • Chief among the reasons for Japanese expansion in the 1930s were • An expanding population and severe lack of natural resources on the island nation. • Intense hatreds for the Chinese and Chinese culture. • Desires by ruling military leaders to test their newly developed and newly organized armed forces. • Beliefs among the Japanese that they were a “master race” destined to rule all of Asia. • Fear of Chinese imperial aggression unless the Japanese struck first.
Japanese Goals in East Asia • September 1931: Japanese conquest of Manchuria • Japan targeted China first • Attacked China 1937 - Rape of Nanjing (Chinese capital where thousands were raped and killed) • Cooperation with Germany – wanted to divide Soviet Union • Nonaggression Pact made Japan look elsewhere for empire • Shift of attention to Southeast Asia in the late 1930s • Conflict with France, Britain & U.S. • U.S embargos iron and oil to Japan
The Course to World War II • Britain & France pledge to back up Poland • Blitzkrieg (lightening war) (planes, tanks, troops) • Russia attacks from the other side • Poland divided on September 28, 1939 • Victory and Stalemate • “Phony War”, winter 1939-1940 • France built the Maginot Line, defensive structures on their eastern border, and waited for a defensive war • Germany resumes offensive, April 9, 1939, against Denmark and Norway • Attack on Netherlands, Belgium, and France, May 10, 1940 • Evacuation of Dunkirk (330,000 troops) • Surrender of France, June 22, 1940 • Vichy France • Marshal Henri Pétain (1856-1951) • Unoccupied France, but seen as a German puppet state
Possible Test Question • The Maginot Line was • A sophisticated line of defenses in eastern France. • The temporary demarcation line between France and the German Rhineland imposed by the Versailles Treaty. • Fortifications built by Mussolini to defend Rome. • England’s first line of coastal defense against possible German invasion. • The railroad that extended from the North Sea to the Swiss Alps.
Battle of Britain, August-September 1940 • Winston Churchill replaces Neville Chamberlain as Prime Minister of G.B. • German Luftwaffe (air force) wages a massive air attack • British use radar and broke German codes to prepare for attacks • Hitler switches to bombing cities (after attack on Berlin), allowing the RAF to rebuild • Hitler is forced to postpone his invasion of Britain • German Mediterranean strategy • Capturing Egypt and the Suez Canal and cutting off the British oil supply from the Middle East • Leaves this strategy largely up to Italy, but they fail • Hitler sends troops to support Italy, but it is to late • Germany invades the Soviet Union, June 22, 1941 • Supposed to start in the spring and finish by winter
War in Asia • Japanese Expansion • Attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941 • Attack Philippines the same day • Move towards British Malaya • By the spring of 1942 • Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere • Japan had captured all of Southeast Asia
Explosion of the U.S.S. Shaw during attack on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941
Turning Point of the War (1942-1943) • Entry of United States into the war critical to Allied victory • Germany declares war on U.S. 3 days later • Historians argue that Hitler’s unnecessary declaration of war against the U.S. was the key decision leading to the inevitable defeat of Nazi Germany. • The Grand Alliance (Russia, G.B., & U.S.) • Defeat of Germany the first priority • Military aid to Russia and Britain • Allies ignore political differences • Agree on unconditional surrender
Possible Test Question • After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the main priority for the United States was • Defeating Japan as quickly as possible. • Recovering the Hawaiian Islands. • Defeating Germany first and then turning its great naval war machine against Japan. • To remain neutral, while buying time to build up industrial and military supplies. • Defending “Fortress America” from the unexpected combined Japanese and German invasion of the United States.
The Course of the War (1942-1943) • German success in 1942 in Africa and Soviet Union • Allies invade North Africa, November 1942, victory in May 1943 • Major Turning Points in the War • North African Campaign • Battle of El Alamein, Summer 1942 • British stopped German General Rommel • Safeguarded the Suez Canal and oil shipments from the Middle East • Combined U.S. and British forces force Germans and Italian troops to surrender North Africa in 1943
Possible Test Question • The turning point in the North African campaign came • At El Alamein where the British stopped Rommel in the summer of 1942. • When South African troops crossed the Sahara and overwhelmed Rommel. • With the revolt of the Vichy French in North Africa. • When the Italians joined the Allied cause in 1942. • When Cairo and the Suez Canal were recaptured by the British and the Americans.
Battle of Stalingrad, November 1942-February 1943 • Hitler disregards advice from his generals to take the Caucus oil fields • Instead, Hitler attacks the industrial center of Stalingrad • Gradual breakdown of German morale allowed them to become surrounded in the city • The entire German Sixth Army is captured or killed (300,000) • Battle of Midway, June 4, 1942 • U.S. breaks Japanese code and knows they will attack Midway • Island defends the attack while U.S. planes sink 4 Japanese aircraft carriers • Established U.S. naval supremacy in the Pacific
Possible Test Question • The decisive Battle of Stalingrad was best characterized by • The Russians fighting to the last man until an exhausted German army took the city. • A gradual breakdown in German morale until the Germans were surrounded and forced to surrender. • The lack of conviction on the part of the Russians to defend the city. • The decisive role that the Soviet air force played in halting the German advance. • The complete destruction of both armies, leading to a temporary armistice.
The Last Years of the War • Invasion of Sicily, 1943 • Invasion of Italy, September 1943 • Rome falls June 4, 1944 • D-Day invasion of France, June 6, 1944 • Five assault divisions landed on Normandy beaches • Within three months, two million men landed • Greatest naval invasion in history • Opened up 2nd Front in Europe • German surrender at Stalingrad, February 2, 1943 • Tank Battle of Kursk, Soviet Union, July 5-12, 1943 • Largest tank battle of all time– Germans defeated • Over 15,000 tanks combined • Germans are defeated • Russians enter Berlin, April 1945
End of the War • Hitler’s suicide, April 30, 1945 • Surrender of Germany, May 7, 1945 • Death of FDR, April 12, 1945 • Difficulty of invading the Japanese homeland • New President Harry Truman makes decision to use the atomic bomb • Hiroshima Aug. 6, 1945 • Nagasaki Aug. 9, 1945 • Surrender of Japan, August 14, 1945 • Human losses in the war: 17 million military dead, 18 million civilians dead but may have numbered as high as 50 million dead
The New Order • The Nazi Empire • Nazi occupies Europe was organized in two ways • Some areas annexed and made into German provinces • Most areas were occupied and administered by Germans • It was never organized systematically or governed efficiently despite German claims to the contrary. • Racial considerations • Aryan nations like Norway, Denmark & the Netherlands were ruled more leniently • Rule was most ruthless in Eastern Europe because Slavic people were viewed as inferior • Resettlement plans of the East • Poles were uprooted and moved • 2 million ethnic Germans settled Poland, 1942 • Need for labor • Forced labor of conquered people caused more resistance to the Nazis.
Possible Test Question • The Nazi Empire was • Strictly organized into efficient states that paid tribute to Germany. • Never much larger than the size of present-day Germany and Austria. • Never organized systematically or governed efficiently despite German claims to the contrary. • For the most part composed of independent states that collaborated with Hitler. • A and D.
Resistance Movements • Resistance movements in Nazi-occupied Europe • Resistance in all parts of Europe • Communists assumed leadership roles • Major source of resistance after the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 • Women participated in resistance • Message carries, assassinated Nazi officials, planted bombs • Resistance in Germany • Limited resistance: White Rose • Student movement in Munich • Plots against Hitler • Count Claus von Stauffenberg (movie Valkyrie)
The Holocaust • First focused on emigration of Jews • The Final Solution • Planned Extermination of all European Jews • Developed by Hitler and Himmler (head of SS) • Reinhard Heydrich (1904-1942) • SS officer responsible for carrying out the final solution • Wannsee Conference – Jan 20, 1942 • Established procedures for the Final Solution • Einsatzgrupen • Special strike forces used in eastern Europe that rounded up and executed Jews • Largest death camp was Auschwitz-Birkenau • Use of Zyklon B (hydrogen cyanide) and huge ovens • Death of 2 out of 3 European Jews • The Other Holocaust • Death of 9 - 10 million people beyond the 5 - 6 million Jews • 40 percent of European Gypsies
Possible Test Question • The conference that established the procedures for the “Final Solution” occurred at • Munich. • Nuremburg. • Berlin. • Wannsee. • Wittenberg.
The New Order in Asia • “Asia for Asians” • Promised independent governments in occupied territory • Power in the hands of Japanese military • Exploited occupied territories for war resources • Little respect for local populations • Raped local women, looted homes and businesses and killed men arbitrarily
The Mobilization of Peoples • Great Britain • More complete mobilization than its allies or Germany • Efforts to solve food shortage “Dig for Victory” • Sports fields were converted for civilian agriculture • Planned economy • The Soviet Union • Enormous losses, 2 of every 5 killed in WWII were Russians • The brunt of the war effort fell on the peasants for combat and industrial roles • Only nation to use women in combat roles • Mobilization for total war produced the “supercentralization” of government authority • Siege of Leningrad (900 days) • Factories moved to the interior
Possible Test Question • The brunt of the Soviet war effort was borne by • Small factory owners and craftsmen. • Heavy industry and factory laborers. • The peasants. • Communist party officials. • Conscripted women.
The United States • Slow mobilization at first • Full employment mid-1943 • Shut down of smaller factories due to fear of overproduction • Internal migration of the population to industrial centers • Social problems • African-Americans – 1 million migrated from the South to the North and West • Detroit, June 1943 – race riot • Japanese Americans • Racially motivated internment
Mobilization of Peoples (cont) • Germany • When Germany went to war in 1939, many Germany citizens thought it would spell disaster for Germany • Continued production of consumer goods first two years of the war • Hitler wanted to maintain morale at home • Blitzkrieg and then plunder conquered countries • Albert Speer and armaments production • Tripled armament production • Total mobilization of the economy, 1944 • Too little too late to save the German war effort • Japan • Highly mobilized society • Code of bushido – the way of the warrior • Demands on women – bear more children • Women were not expected to fill jobs vacated by men • Korean and Chinese laborers were brought in for industrial jobs
Possible Test Question • When Germany went to war in 1939 • The populace was as euphoric as in 1914. • The populace feared that it would spell disaster for Germany. • Consumer goods were cut in favor of war materials. • War production tripled. • There was an immediate highly organized secret attempt to assassinate Hitler, but unfortunately it failed.
Frontline Civilians: The Bombing of Cities • Bombing Civilians • Strategy developed at the end of WWI to break the will of the people to continue the war effort • Civilian bombing in WWII had the opposite effect and created stubborn resistance to attacking nations • Luftwaffe begin the Blitz in Britain • Allies begin bombing raids on German cities under Arthur Harris • Cologne, Hamburg, Dresden • American daytime bombing raids on precision targets • British made night time saturation bombing raids • Success or failure of bombing raids
Nuclear Power • U.S. successfully tests their first A-bomb on July 16, 1945 • Atomic bomb • U.S. decided to use A-bomb to avoid an invasion of Japan that would cost hundreds of thousands of American lives • Hiroshima, August 6, 1945 • Nagasaki, August 9, 1945
