World War II and the End of the European Order

1. World War II and the End of the European Order Hey, guys, World War I was such a bummer, let’s try again.

2. Old Causes • Anger over Versailles • Nationalism • Gradual militarization of Japan • General Chiang Kai-shek dominated regional warlords of China • Success of Nationalist Party in China worried Japan

3. Newer Causes • The Great Depression • Socialists oppose military spending (especially during Depression) • Nazism (along with it’s virulent racism, jingoism, and—with the emergence of the U.S.S.R.—anti-communism) • Western reticence (e.g. appeasement) • No one wants another war with Germany; Hitler sees this as a lack of national pride due to socialism and influence of Jews

4. The Problem of Unchecked Aggression • Japan unchecked in China. • War weariness and economic depression in the West • Invades Manchuria (1931) • Invades greater China (1937) • Germany rejects Versailles terms and tests French and British resolve. • Rebirth of the Wermacht. (1935) • Heim ins Reich “Home into the Empire” or “Back to the Empire” • Anschluss (1938) “link-up” • Sudetenland (1938)—by British permission! • Czechoslovakia (1939) • Munich ultimatum (1939)

5. The Wisdom of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain "In spite of the hardness and ruthlessness I thought I saw in his face, I got the impression that here was a man who could be relied upon when he had given his word.“ --On Hitler, after telling him that he’d ask parliament to let Germany take over the Sudetenland in exchange for Hitler’s promise to ask for no more.

6. The Non-aggression Pact • August 23, 1939. • Hitler and Stalin agree to divide Poland amongst themselves. • A peace with the Soviets will allow Hitler to conquer Western Europe and avoid a two-front war. • The British and French declared war on Germany Sept. 3, 1939. • Germany invades Poland 9/1/1939. * Start of WWII*

7. The Sides • Allies: U.S., U.S.S.R. (with the US joining late), Great Britain, France • Axis: Germany, Italy, Japan

8. Two Theaters of War • Pacific: Japan seized Indochina from France and attacked Malaysia and Burma • US Embargoes against Japan result in Japan’s attack of the US Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor. • Europe: Early successes of the Axis began to be rebuffed with Hitler’s unsuccessful invasion of the USSR. Soviet armies from the East and British and American troops from the West and South would end the Axis threat

9. Major Theaters • Europe: • East (USSR v. Germany), 1941-1945 • West (Great Britain and the U.S.), 1944-1945 • Mediterranean: • Middle East and North Africa (Great Britain and the U.S. v. Germany), 1942-1943. • Sicily and Italy (Great Britain and the U.S. v. Germany and Italy), 1943-1945. • Pacific and East Asia • Various Pacific Islands (U.S. v. Japan, 1942-1945) • China (Chinese v. Japan 1931-1945)

10. Blitzkrieg • “Lightening War” – rapidly penetrating enemy territory. • Less emphasis on mass; emphasis on mobility • Creates chaos in and behind enemy lines. • Polish, French, and British forces routed. • France fell to Germany quickly – result of divided & weak leadership • Great Britain only western democracy to survive Nazi takeover. • Any position that refused to yield was destroyed.(remember the Mongols?)

11. Britain Defends Itself • Churchill’s speeches. • Goering’s promises to Hitler. • V2 rockets; Luftwaffe hellfire. • Radar, the spitfire, and the resolve of the royal family and British people. • Battle of Britain – Britain was able to withstand Nazi air offensive • Germany decided to abandon plans to conquer the British Isles. • The Luftwaffe’s inability to destroy British air defenses renders their amphibious assault plans moot.

12. French Surrender • May 10, 1940-June 22, 1940 • The French military large but dated (Maginot-Line?) – forts surrounding borders • German military outstanding • France overwhelmed.

13. Italy Struggles • Mussolini’s big talk yields small results. • Even Ethiopia resisted well. • Bogged down in Albania. • Defeated in Yugoslavia and Greece. • Germany has to step in to reverse Italian failures • Allied forced advanced into Italy and took over regime & Mussolini.

14. Second Global War • Nazis were able to control most of the European continent by mid 1941. • Nazi forces drove the Soviets out of Finland, Poland and the Baltic States. • German advances were stalled on the outskirts of Moscow and Leningrad. • Germans were never able to take key cities in the USSR • 1943-USSR went on offensive and drove out Germany and by late 1944 got Germany out and captured Poland.

16. More Labensraum (more land) • Germany captures the important Mediterranean islands. • Rommel leads the Africa Korps across North Africa, even into Egypt—but stubborn British defenses save the Suez Canal. • American tank divisions joined Great Britain in N. Africa • 1942-1943 helped clear Germans from N. Africa & Middle East • Betrayal of the non-aggression pact: 3.5 million German soldiers invade the Soviet Union and “liberate” Finland. • Soviet armies retreat but do not surrender—I wonder if they know something…

18. Russia’s Secret Weapon • What Napoleon could have taught Hitler… • Russian defenses save Moscow and Leningrad. • German forces cruel to conquered Slavs—ironic since the Ukrainians probably would have helped (because they hated the Soviets) • German forces move southeast toward oilfields. • Battle of Kursk—thousands of tanks. Got that? THOUSANDS. • Offensive ends with the failure to capture Stalingrad. • After another harsh winter, the Red Army attacks.

19. Go, Red Army, Go! • Germans defeated at Stalingrad and overextended. • German armies flee U.S.S.R. • June 1944, D-Day creates a second European front. • By late 1944, Red Army had expelled the Germans from the U.S.S.R. and “liberated” Poland (talk about between a rock and a hard place!) • Also into the Balkans (story about Ulypa) • Berlin in April, 1945. Hitler commits suicide. • By early 1945, the Allies began invading Germany from the West & the Soviets were invading from the East.

20. The Holocaust • Racial and eugenic component of Nazism • Wannesee Conference (1942): The Final Solution, plan of deporting or extermination of Jews. • Concentration camps become death camps • Up to 12 million murdered, half of whom were Jews—mostly from Poland. • Could the Holocaust have been less terrible? • The more the war turned against Hitler, the more they pressed the genocidal campaign.

21. British and American Offensives • Step One: Counter German U-boats. • Step Two: Invade North Africa. • Patton and Montgomery v. Rommel. • Tank and infantry combat. • Battle of El Alamin– north Africa, Allied victory • Nazi material supplies run low. • Step Three: Invade Sicily and Italy. • Sicily pretty quick; Italian peninsula not so much. • Mussolini toppled in 1945. • Step Four: D-Day • Beachheads to Market Garden to the Bulge to the Elbe

22. The Empire of the Sun Rises & Sets • Gains • Manchuria (1931) • Pearl Harbor (1941)—temporarily neutralizes U.S. fleet and forces. • British Hong Kong, Malaya, and Burma (1942) • Philippines and Dutch East Indies (1942) • French Indochina (1942) • Turning Points • Battle of the Coral Sea (1942)—a tie. • Battle of Midway—greatest naval battle/victory since the Spanish Armada. U.S. neutralizes Japanese fleet. • Island Hopping • The Bomb

23. The Conduct of a Second Global War • The Allies began bombing the Japanese islands. • The United States dropped two atomic bombs: one on Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945 and Nagasaki on August 9th, 1945. • Over 100,000 people were killed immediately and about 100,000 people died later from radiation poisoning. • Japan surrendered on August 15th, 1945.

25. War’s End and the Emergence of the Superpower Standoff • Leaders from the Axis and Allied Powers met on several occasions to build a more lasting peace. • The United Nations was established. • The UN initiated international diplomacy and assistance beyond just the Western powers. • The primary mission of the UN is provide a forum to settle international disputes.

26. Making Peace in Europe • Peace with the Germans not the problem; the Soviets v. the West • Tehran Conference (1944) • Tensions between countries surfaced. Allies focus on liberation of France • Yalta Conference (1944) • Germany divided into four zones. • USSR joins the war against Japan and provides for the division and occupation of Germany • Potsdam Conference(July 1945) • Final post-war settlements. Independent nations created in 1918 were restored and most fell under Soviet domination. • Soviets absorb Baltic republics and dominate everything East of Germany except for Yugoslavia and Greece.

27. Peace in the Pacific • Japan occupied by U.S.; empire dissolved—China recovers most of its territory. • Korea independent but divided into U.S. and Soviet zones. • French and British colonies returned to French and British (set up for Vietnam war)

28. Nationalism and Decolonization • The devastation of World War II drained the resources of the European powers. • WWII also enhanced the power and influence of the United States and the USSR. • The Atlantic Charter of 1941 was an alliance agreement between the United States and Great Britain.

29. Africa and the Middle East • Indian soldiers had helped the British. • But British imprison nationalist leaders and post-pone discussion on decolonization. • Africans had helped the French. • Overall, Europe’s imperial grip is weakened. The stage is set for change. • Whole lotta names, boys and girls.

30. A New World Order • Seeds of Cold War planted. • Formation of the United Nations. • Initiated international diplomacy and assistance beyond just the Western powers. • Provide a forum to settle international disputes • Atlantic Charter of 1941 • “right of all people to choose the form of government under which they live” • In opposition to Soviet and Anglo-French Colonization plans. • Alliance between US and Great Britain

31. Independence Movements • Weakened Europe inspires nationalists • India • Africa • Southeast Asia • Middle East

32. India • British refuse concessions in exchange for help in war. • Sir Stafford Cripps fails to gain nationalist support. • Quit India Movement (summer 1942) • Massive civil disobedience that began in the summer to end British control of India. • Communists and the Muslim League support the British.

33. The Muslim League • Led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah • Support for British war effort will go far in promoting partition. • Fear a Hindu-dominated India, want an independent Muslim state.

34. India Unravels • Wartime inflation causes urban unrest. • Wartime famine causes unrest all around. • New Labour government in Britain wants to talk • Communal rioting and Muslim misgivings. • Partition • Violence happens anyways: Hindu v. Muslim; Sikh-v. Muslim. • Up to 10 million refugees! • Gandhi assassinated on Jan. 30, 1948.

35. More Independence • If they jolly well gave India independence… • Burma (Myanmar) • Ceylon (Sri Lanka) • Ghana, Nigeria, and other African colonies in the 1950s and 1960s. • Dutch, French, and American colonies too • Dutch and French resist. • Dutch fight (and lose) Indonesia. • French fight (and lose) Vietnam. • U.S. peacefully cedes independence to the Philippines.

36. Non-Settler Africa • War led to disruptions in African society • Promoted migration and urbanization • Increased unemployment; disgruntled and idle workers turn to nationalists. • Rioting and Radical Rebellions, but violence limited. • Kwame Nkrumah – lead Gold Coast to independence. Prime Minister of Ghana • French grant slow concessions to their African colonies to ensure the rise of moderate African leaders that would keep economic ties to France. (all French colonies free by 1960) • Belgians retreat much faster and leave no educated African class behind (16 college graduates out of 13 million+). Consequences?

37. The Settler Colonies • Where there were large numbers of whites, decolonization meant trouble. • Algieria, Kenya, Rhodesia. • Settlers don’t want to leave OR cede any power to indigenous peoples. • Violence in Kenya • Jomo Kenyatta leads nationalist Kenya African Union • Kenyatta forms the Land Freedom Army • Guerrilla warfare against whites and collaborators. • British settlers fight back fiercely, defeat rebels in 1956 but at alarming costs in lives. • British settle with Kenyatta and give independence in 1963 • Became one of the most stable and prosperous new African states • Longer and more brutal fighting in Algeria. • White South Africans retain power • Afrikaners and English dominate 23 million Africans • Harsh racial policies of the Afrikaner National Party • Apartheid (1948-1990s)

38. The Middle East • Emergence of Arab States • Egypt, Iraq, Syria—among others. • UN and the formation of Israel • British had sought to limit Jewish immigration to Palestine before WWII. • Holocaust provided support for the idea that the Jews should have their own homeland. • Zionists were determined to carve out a Jewish state in Palestine. • After WWII, more Europeans open to Zionism. • UN agrees to a partition of Palestine into Arab and Jewish Zones—even the U.S. and U.S.S.R. agreed on this! • Arab neighbors oppose any Jewish state. • Well armed Zionists strike Arab zones and expand territory beyond the 1948 UN approval. • Area of Palestine and Israel continues to be an international problem to this day.

39. Following the War • The US occupies Japan • Korea was divided into US and Soviet occupation zones • China regained most of its territory • The USSR absorbs or occupies much of Eastern Europe • New push for colonial independence • Creation of the United Nations • A two-superpower world: the USA and USSR and the ensuing Cold War

40. Enhanced anti-colonialist and nationalist movements in African and Asia • Independence and division of British South Asia into Pakistan (Muslim) and India (Hindu) • Widespread African independence movements • Relatively easy independence in non-settler colonies (Ghana) • Great violence in settler colonies (Algeria) • UN Sponsored creation of Israel

41. So… • WWII led to complete German and Japanese defeat. • Two superpowers emerge: U.S. and U.S.S.R. • British, French, Dutch, Belgian, and Portuguese lose African and Asian colonies to nationalist movements. • The Arab-Israeli debate over Palestine emerges and continues to this day.

42. Chapter 30 Discussion Questions • How did the results of World War I influence the start of World War II? • What were the goals of the National Socialist (Nazi) party of Germany? • How were the Japanese involved in World War I? • How did the “hot war” of World War II lead to the “cold war” of the 1940’s-1980’s? • What conferences took place after World War II and what were their results (3)? • How was India able to gain independence from Great Britain? • Describe the eventual independence of settler and non-settler countries in Africa. • How was the nation of Israel created and why?

43. Chapter 31 • (but only in fragment)

44. What to make of the Soviets • Stalinist principles continued even after WWII • Restriction of travel, media censorship, isolation • Religion restricted • Lagging in consumer goods, poor agricultural production • Standard of living improves only compared to previous Soviet conditions—far behind the West. • Horrific environmental damage (no property rights) • Nikita Khrushchev signaled a slight thaw following the death of Stalin, ‘de-Stalinization’ • Cold War ends when the U.S.S.R. exhausts its limited economy after a failed occupation of Afghanistan.

45. The Iron Curtain • Winston Churchill dubs the separation between East and West as an Iron Curtain with Germany as a focal point. • To the East-Communist, supportive of the USSR, to the West, Capitalist/Democratic, supportive of the USA • To Halt the further spread of communism, the USA enacts the Marshall Plan to rebuild war torn Europe • The Truman Doctrine outlined the help the US would offer according to the policy of containment • Opposition to Soviet rule was crushed • Mass education and Soviet-style propaganda • Industrialization pushed • The divide best signified by the Berlin Wall, built in the early 1960’s.

46. Cold War Alliances • NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization • Formed in 1949 as a defense alliance against possible Soviet aggression. • Warsaw Pact: The USSR and its satellite nations • Defense organization of communist countries (alliance) • Rivalry would intensify with the USSR’s successful detonation of an atomic bomb in 1949, launching an arms race, later a space race. • USSR & USA began stock-piling nuclear weapons. • The Cold War gets hot with the invasion of South Korea by communist North Korea • The policy of containment would spread around the globe: southeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America

47. The End of the Cold War • Ultimately, the economic strength of the United States would lead to the collapse of Communist USSR

48. The Resurgence of Western Europe • In 1958, six European nations (West Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) formed the European Economic Community, which later is the European Union. • In 2001, a single currency, the Euro was established. • Ireland, Denmark, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Sweden and Finland joined later.

49. The Resurgence of Western Europe • Economies in Europe expanded in the 1950’s. • Europe saw labor shortages and then saw an influx in immigrant labor from Africa, the Middle East and Asia. • Ownership of standard consumer goods like televisions and cars expanded. • Economic inequality was seen in the 1990’s as many immigrants experienced discrimination and low wage employment.

50. Cold War Allies: The United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand • Canadian economic integration with the United States continued. • Canada’s most distinctive issue was growing agitation of French Canadians in Quebec for regional autonomy and event national independence. • Australia and New Zealand cooperated with the United States foreign policy after World War II but began to distance themselves in the 1980’s. • Australian and New Zealand exports were increasingly directed toward Pacific nations, like Japan.