Early Turning Points of

World War II

Recap of the Path to War

militarization

Anschluss

Sudetenland

Munich Conference

Invasion of Poland

Appeasement

• 3 possible motives

• Significance in 1938?

• Modern significance?

• Application to U.S. foreign policy

• end of isolationism

The Fall of FranceJune 1940

• the French learned the wrong lesson from WW I

• construction of the Maginot Line

• “phony war”

• blitzkrieg warfare

• fall of Denmark and Norway

• less than three weeks....

• train car

Battle of Britain aka“The Blitz” (Fall 1940)

• Background of battle

• new technology

• Nazis change tactics

• First major turning point: Allies go on the offensive--Germany is not invincible!

The U.S. at the Start of WW II

• end of WW I: the U.S. demilitarizes!

• policy of isolation

• impact of the Battle of Britain

• lend lease program

• Hitler’s opinion of the United States

Operation Barbarossa June 1941

• Nazis invade the USSR! (lebensraum)

• what about the relationship? Left--------|--------Right

• second major turning point: two front war

• a new alliance and propaganda--”Uncle Joe”

• lend lease is extended to the USSR

Significance of Operation Barbarossa

Ultimately, Hitler failed to learn from WW I