Chapter 26 The Crisis Deepens: World War II

Chapter 26The Crisis Deepens: World War II

Europe in 1939, Eve of World War II


1. The announcement by Adolf Hitler in March 1935 of the creation of a new German air force and the introduction of a draft, both contravention of the Versailles treaty, brought condemnation from France, Britain, and Italy but none took concrete action. Emboldened, German troops were sent into the demilitarized Rhineland in March 1936. Britain viewed this simply as the reoccupation of German territory and without British support France chose not to act.

2. In July 1934 Austrian Nazis tried to overthrow the Austrian government by murdering the chancellor. They were unable to take power, however, when Mussolini threatened to use force to stop German troop movement intended to aid the insurrectionists. Hitler was more successful in March 1938 when threats of invasion forced the chancellor to put Austrian Nazis in charge of the government. The new government invited Germany to send troops to maintain law and order.

3. Italy, under Benito Mussolini, embarked on imperialist expansion with the invasion of Ethiopia in October 1935. Roundly condemned by Britain and France, Mussolini drew closer to Hitler. This relationship was solidified by their joint support of Francisco Franco in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). In 1936 Hitler and Mussolini signed an agreement recognizing common economic and political interests. The Rome-Berlin Axis was born.

4. The weakness demonstrated by the European states convinced Hitler he could move on Czechoslovakia with impunity. His initial demand in 1938 was autonomy for the Sudetenland, a mountainous area on the northwestern border containing about three million ethnic Germans. The region contained Czechoslovakia's most important frontier defenses and industrial resources. On September 15, 1938, Hitler increased his demand to cession of the Sudetenland to Germany. Two weeks later a hastily arranged conference at Munich gave in to Hitler. Under the pretext of quelling internal disorder, Germany occupied the Czech lands of Bohemia and Moravia in March 1939. Slovakia was declared independent and became a puppet state of Germany.

5. The German occupation of Czechoslovakia in March 1939 sent the predominantly German people of Memel into a frenzy, forcing the Lithuanian foreign minister to surrender the territory to Germany.

6. Annoyed by the occupation of Prague, Mussolini struck out with his own aggression in April 1939 by transforming the Italian protectorate over Albania into full annexation into the Italian Empire.

7. German demands for the return of Danzig led Britain to openly declare protection of Poland. On September 1, 1939, Poland was invaded.

Questions:1. What drove Hitler's quest for territory?2. Why and how did Italy and Germany form an alliance.










Dictatorial Regimes Birth of Fascism

Benito Mussolini (1883-1945) Fascio di Combattimento (League of Combat),

1919 Support from middle class industrialists and

large landowners Growth of the socialist Mussolini appointed prime minister, October

29,1922 Fascist government Fascist organizations Role of women in the Fascist society Lateran Accords, February 1919

Nazi GermanyAdolf Hitler (1889-1945)

Vienna Munich

German Workers’ Party National Socialist German Workers’ Party , 1921 Sturmabteilung (SA), Storm Troops Munich Beer Hall Putsch, November 1923

Mein Kampf, My StruggleBecomes chancellor, January 30, 1933Reichstag fire, February 27, 1933Enabling Act, March 23, 1933GleichschaltungPresident Paul von Hindenburg dies, August 2, 1934

The Nazi State, 1933-1939 Mass demonstrations and spectacles to create

collective fellowship Economics Heinrich Himmler and the SS Churches, schools, and universities brought under

Nazi control Hitler Jugend (Hitler Youth) and Bund deutscher

Mädel (League of German Maidens) Impact on women Aryan racial state

Nuremberg laws, September 1935 Kristallnacht, November 9-10, 1938 Restrictions on Jews

Stalinist Era in the Soviet UnionFirst Five Year PlanSocial and political costs of industrializationRapid collectivization of agriculture

Famine of 1932-1933; 10 million peasants diedPolitical control

Stalin dictatorship established, 1929 Political purge, 1936-1938; 8 million arrested

SpainSpanish Civil War, 1936-1939

Rise of Militarist JapanTakeover of Manchuria, 1931Conscription law, 1938Imperial Rule Assistance Association, 1940

Road to War Germany

Versailles Treaty limited the army to 100,000 , no air force, and limited navy

Creation of a new air force and expand the army by conscription to 500,000, 1935

Rome-Berlin Axis, October 1936Occupation of the demilitarized Rhineland, March 7,

1937Annexation of Austria, March 13, 1938Demand the cession of the Sudetenland, September

15, 1938 Munich Conference, September 29, 1938 German dismemberment of Czechoslovakia

Nonaggression pact with the Soviet Union, August 23,1939

JapanMukden Incident, September 1931Seizure of Manchuria

United States refuses to recognizeClash at Marco Polo Bridge, July, 1937Japanese New Order in East AsiaDemands right to occupy airfield and exploit economic

resources of Indochina, summer 1942 United States warns of economic sanctions

World War II in Europe



















WWII in Asia and Pacific

Course of World War II Europe

Germany invades Poland, September 1, 1939 Britain and France declare war on Germany,

September 3, 1939“Phony war”, winter 1939-1940Blitzkrieg against Denmark and Norway, April 9, 1940Attack on Netherlands, Belgium, and France, May 10,

1940 Evacuation of Dunkirk Surrender of France, June 22, 1940

Battle Britain, Fall 1940German Mediterranean strategyGermany invaded the Soviet Union, June 22, 1941

World War II in Asia and the Pacific


1. The population of Japan had exploded from 30 million in 1870 to 80 million in 1937. The ability to feed the people and purchase raw materials depended on the manufacturing of industrial goods and textiles. When Western nations hit by the depression sought to protect their economies by erecting tariff barriers, Japan's economy was devastated. This, in turn, affected democratic growth.

2. Patriotic societies allied with the army and navy to push for expansion at the expense of China and Russia. The navy especially cast its eyes on oil rich British Malaya and the Dutch East Indies.

3. Japan had controlled Manchuria (Manchuko) since its victory over Russia in 1905. Chinese nationalism, however, threatened Japan's warlord puppets. In response, junior army officers in 1931 blew up the tracks of a Japanese owned railroad at Mukden. Citing the need for self-defense, Manchuria was occupied. The following year, Japan proclaimed Manchuko an independent state with a Manchu puppet as emperor. Manchuria's valuable raw materials had been guaranteed. When the League of Nations condemned Japan in 1933, it withdrew from the League. In July 1937 Japan invaded northern China. Two years later, from May to September 1939, an undeclared war was fought with the Russians on the Mongolian border.

4. Following the German defeat of France in June 1940, Japanese troops pushed into northern French Indochina. By July 1941 the occupation was completed when southern Indochina was seized. The United States responded by cutting off supplies of vital scrap iron and oil to Japan. This action led the army to press for the occupation of the oil rich Dutch East Indies and Malaya. However, the military leaders feared this would provoke the United States. Therefore, a preemptive strike was determined. On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This was quickly followed in succession by the capture of Singapore, the Dutch East Indies, the Philippines, and northern Burma between February and May 1942.

5. The tide of battle turned on May 7-8, 1942, at the battle of the Coral Sea when naval and air power stopped the Japanese advance and also relieved Australia from the pressure of Japan. The following month Japanese hopes of annihilating the rest of the American Pacific fleet were dashed at the battle of Midway in which Japan lost four aircraft carriers. At this point the war became a defensive one for the Japanese. The Americans initiated two island hoping campaigns. The first sought the recapture of the Philippines which was accomplished by June 1945. The second struck out across the South Pacific beginning at the Gilbert Islands (Tarawa, November 1943). The two offensives converged at Okinawa in April 1945. From Okinawa American bombers could strike Japan.

Questions: 1. Why did Japan need an economic hegemony over Asia?2. What was the strategy of Japan in fighting the war against the United States? What was the strategy of the US? Why was one more successful than the other?


1. The population of Japan had exploded from 30 million in 1870 to 80 million in 1937. The ability to feed the people and purchase raw materials depended on the manufacturing of industrial goods and textiles. When Western nations hit by the depression sought to protect their economies by erecting tariff barriers, Japan's economy was devastated. This, in turn, affected democratic growth.

2. Patriotic societies allied with the army and navy to push for expansion at the expense of China and Russia. The navy especially cast its eyes on oil rich British Malaya and the Dutch East Indies.

3. Japan had controlled Manchuria (Manchuko) since its victory over Russia in 1905. Chinese nationalism, however, threatened Japan's warlord puppets. In response, junior army officers in 1931 blew up the tracks of a Japanese owned railroad at Mukden. Citing the need for self-defense, Manchuria was occupied. The following year, Japan proclaimed Manchuko an independent state with a Manchu puppet as emperor. Manchuria's valuable raw materials had been guaranteed. When the League of Nations condemned Japan in 1933, it withdrew from the League. In July 1937 Japan invaded northern China. Two years later, from May to September 1939, an undeclared war was fought with the Russians on the Mongolian border.

4. Following the German defeat of France in June 1940, Japanese troops pushed into northern French Indochina. By July 1941 the occupation was completed when southern Indochina was seized. The United States responded by cutting off supplies of vital scrap iron and oil to Japan. This action led the army to press for the occupation of the oil rich Dutch East Indies and Malaya. However, the military leaders feared this would provoke the United States. Therefore, a preemptive strike was determined. On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This was quickly followed in succession by the capture of Singapore, the Dutch East Indies, the Philippines, and northern Burma between February and May 1942.

5. The tide of battle turned on May 7-8, 1942, at the battle of the Coral Sea when naval and air power stopped the Japanese advance and also relieved Australia from the pressure of Japan. The following month Japanese hopes of annihilating the rest of the American Pacific fleet were dashed at the battle of Midway in which Japan lost four aircraft carriers. At this point the war became a defensive one for the Japanese. The Americans initiated two island hoping campaigns. The first sought the recapture of the Philippines which was accomplished by June 1945. The second struck out across the South Pacific beginning at the Gilbert Islands (Tarawa, November 1943). The two offensives converged at Okinawa in April 1945. From Okinawa American bombers could strike Japan.

Questions: 1. Why did Japan need an economic hegemony over Asia?2. What was the strategy of Japan in fighting the war against the United States? What was the strategy of the US? Why was one more successful than the other?

JapanAttack on Pearl Harbor and the Philippines, December 7,

1941 Germany declared war in the U.S., December 11,

1941 Great East-Asia Co-prosperity Sphere

Turning Point of the War United States program of Lend-Lease Agreement to fight until unconditional surrender of the Axis German success in 1942 in Africa and Soviet Union

Allies invade French North Africa, victory in May 1943Battle of Stalingrad, November 1942-February 1943

Battle of the Coral Sea, May 7-8, 1942 Battle of Midway, June 4, 1942 Solomon Islands, November 1942

Last Years of the War Tank Battle of Kursk, Soviet Union, July 5-12, 1943 Invasion of Italy, September 1943

Rome falls June 4, 1944 D-Day invasion of France, June 6, 1944 Russians enters Berlin, April 1945 Hitler’s suicide, April 30, 1945 Surrender of Germany, May 7, 1945 Difficulty of invading the Japanese homeland

Hiroshima, August 6, 1945Nagasaki, August 14, 1945

Human losses in the war: 17 million military dead, 18 million civilians dead

The New Order German racial considerations

Resettlement plans of the EastSlave laborThe Holocaust

The Final Solution Einsatzgrupen Extermination camps

The other Holocaust Asia

Economic utilization of occupied territories by the Japanese

Power of military authorities in occupied territories

The Home Front Mobilization of people

Soviets dismantled factories and shipped them to the interior

Soviet women in the factories and as combatantsUnited States, the “arsenal of democracy”

Women in the factories Migration of blacks from the south to the North and

West Racial difficulties

Japanese AmericansGerman failure to cut production of consumer goods

until 1944German reluctance to use women as laborersJapan fully mobilized society for war

Did not use women for labor

Bombing of CitiesGuilio Douhert, 1930Lufwaffe raids on BritainGeneral Arthur Harris, 1942

Attack on Cologne, May 31, 1942 American bombing by day, British bombing by

night Firebombs

» Hamburg, August 1943; Dresden, February 1945

German failure to cut production of consumer goods until 1944 German reluctance to use women as laborers Japanese cities bombed

People’s Volunteer Corps

The Cold War in Europe, 1945-1990


1. In a speech at Westminister College in Fulton, Missouri, on March 5, 1946, Winston Churchill proclaimed that "... an iron curtain has descended across the continent."

2. At Yalta in February 1945 it was agreed that Germany, Austria, and Berlin would be divided into four zones of occupation. While the Western leaders wanted Eastern European states to be independent, autonomous, and democratic, Stalin feared that such conditions could mean an unfriendly attitude toward the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, rather than risk confrontation, Stalin signed the Declaration on Liberated Europe promising self-determination and free democratic elections. By 1948 the Soviets had established loyal governments in Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Yugoslavia, though communist, remained unallied to either East or West.

3 .As disagreements over the economic and political future of Germany became heated, the Western Allies proceeded in 1948 with uniting their sectors. In the summer, Russia sought to drive the West out of Berlin (located in the Russian sector) by closing railroads and highways. The Berlin Blockade failed and access was reestablished in May 1949. The split of Germany became formal in September 1949 when a constitution was granted to the western German Federated Republic. In October, the eastern German Democratic Republic was granted its own constitution by the Soviets. In both cases, outside troops remained while in Austria troops were withdrawn.

4. In March 1948 Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, and Britain signed the Treaty of Brussels that provided for cooperation in economic and military matters. In April 1949 these states were joined by Italy, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Iceland in signing an agreement with the United States and Canada forming the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). A few years later, West Germany, Greece, and Turkey joined the alliance. The United States agreed both to supply equipment for European rearmament and to guarantee Western Europe against invasion. The alliance was somewhat weakened when France, protesting the influence of the United States in Europe, withdrew in 1969. However, France still remained a western ally.

5 .In 1953, workers revolted in East Germany over the nationalization of industry. The Soviets responded with tanks. Such a steady flight of people to West Germany ensued that East Germany built the Berlin Wall in August 1961. 6. The Warsaw Pact was created in May 1955 as a formal military alliance. It included Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union. Earlier in the year, Soviet occupation forces were withdrawn from Austria after it pledged to be a neutral state.

7. In October 1956 the Polish Communist Party refused to fill the vacant office of prime minister with a Soviet selected successor. Instead, they selected Wladyslaw Gomulka who declared Poland had a right to follow its own socialist path. Nevertheless, rather than provoke the Soviets, Poland promised to remain loyal to the Warsaw Pact. With this, Poland was allowed to pursue its own socialism.

8. Drawing energy from Poland, Hungary attempted an independent road when the new head of government, Imry Nagy, declared it a free state on November 1, 1956. Since the promise of free elections could potentially doom communist rule, Russia sent tanks into Budapest on November 4. Soviet authority was reestablished.

9. In January 1968 Alexander Dubcek was elected first secretary of the Czechoslovakian Communist Party and introduced reforms that included freedom of speech and the press. However, he went too far when suggesting neutrality and withdrawal from the Soviet bloc. In August the Soviet army crushed the reform movement.

10. At Gadansk, Poland, an independent labor movement called Solidarity began to make revolutionary demands for the workers in 1980. Despite arrests, outlawing the union, and military rule, Solidarity triumphed and parliamentary elections were held in 1988.

Question:1. What were the future implications of Soviet gains after the war?


1. In a speech at Westminister College in Fulton, Missouri, on March 5, 1946, Winston Churchill proclaimed that "... an iron curtain has descended across the continent."

2. At Yalta in February 1945 it was agreed that Germany, Austria, and Berlin would be divided into four zones of occupation. While the Western leaders wanted Eastern European states to be independent, autonomous, and democratic, Stalin feared that such conditions could mean an unfriendly attitude toward the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, rather than risk confrontation, Stalin signed the Declaration on Liberated Europe promising self-determination and free democratic elections. By 1948 the Soviets had established loyal governments in Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Yugoslavia, though communist, remained unallied to either East or West.

3 .As disagreements over the economic and political future of Germany became heated, the Western Allies proceeded in 1948 with uniting their sectors. In the summer, Russia sought to drive the West out of Berlin (located in the Russian sector) by closing railroads and highways. The Berlin Blockade failed and access was reestablished in May 1949. The split of Germany became formal in September 1949 when a constitution was granted to the western German Federated Republic. In October, the eastern German Democratic Republic was granted its own constitution by the Soviets. In both cases, outside troops remained while in Austria troops were withdrawn.

4. In March 1948 Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, and Britain signed the Treaty of Brussels that provided for cooperation in economic and military matters. In April 1949 these states were joined by Italy, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Iceland in signing an agreement with the United States and Canada forming the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). A few years later, West Germany, Greece, and Turkey joined the alliance. The United States agreed both to supply equipment for European rearmament and to guarantee Western Europe against invasion. The alliance was somewhat weakened when France, protesting the influence of the United States in Europe, withdrew in 1969. However, France still remained a western ally.

5 .In 1953, workers revolted in East Germany over the nationalization of industry. The Soviets responded with tanks. Such a steady flight of people to West Germany ensued that East Germany built the Berlin Wall in August 1961. 6. The Warsaw Pact was created in May 1955 as a formal military alliance. It included Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union. Earlier in the year, Soviet occupation forces were withdrawn from Austria after it pledged to be a neutral state.

7. In October 1956 the Polish Communist Party refused to fill the vacant office of prime minister with a Soviet selected successor. Instead, they selected Wladyslaw Gomulka who declared Poland had a right to follow its own socialist path. Nevertheless, rather than provoke the Soviets, Poland promised to remain loyal to the Warsaw Pact. With this, Poland was allowed to pursue its own socialism.

8. Drawing energy from Poland, Hungary attempted an independent road when the new head of government, Imry Nagy, declared it a free state on November 1, 1956. Since the promise of free elections could potentially doom communist rule, Russia sent tanks into Budapest on November 4. Soviet authority was reestablished.

9. In January 1968 Alexander Dubcek was elected first secretary of the Czechoslovakian Communist Party and introduced reforms that included freedom of speech and the press. However, he went too far when suggesting neutrality and withdrawal from the Soviet bloc. In August the Soviet army crushed the reform movement.

10. At Gadansk, Poland, an independent labor movement called Solidarity began to make revolutionary demands for the workers in 1980. Despite arrests, outlawing the union, and military rule, Solidarity triumphed and parliamentary elections were held in 1988.

Question:1. What were the future implications of Soviet gains after the war?

Emergence of the Cold War Conference at Tehran, November 1943

Future course of the war, invasion of the continent for 1944

Agreement for the partition of postwar Germany Declaration on Liberated Europe Conference at Yalta, February 1945

Soviet military assistance for the war against Japan Creation of a United NationsGerman unconditional surrenderFree elections in Eastern Europe

Conference at Potsdam, July 1945Truman replaces RooseveltStalin refuses to allow free elections in Eastern Europe

Chapter 26 The Crisis Deepens: World War II

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