I. Military and Political Turning Points of World War II

Objective 10.02

A. Battle of Britain• Germany experienced early success – took over France and

Belgium.• Battle of Britain- Germany vs. Great Britain• Great Britain was the last power left in Europe.• Hitler tried to destroy the British Royal Air Force with air raids for

FOUR MONTHS in London.• People hid in fear each night.• Churchill proved to be an inspirational leader to his people during this

time period. • British were able to fight off the Germans; Hitler was forced to give

up his plans to invade Great Britain.

Battle of Britain Pictures

Stalingrad

D-Day

Battle of the Bulge

War in the Pacific

II. The Atomic BombObjective 10.02

A. The Manhattan Project• Secret project to build an

atomic bomb• Found out from Albert Einstein

that the Germans were experimenting, and Roosevelt wanted to create one before they did.

• Led by J. Robert Oppenheimer• Tested in isolated New Mexico

-- The explosion was so strong that it shattered windows over 125 miles away.

B. Dropping the Bomb• New president: Harry S. Truman• Japan did not respond to U.S.

message asking them to surrender and emperor to stand down.

• Instead of invading Japan after Okinawa, Truman decided to use the atomic bomb.

• Dropped two atomic bombs on two Japanese cities: Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

C. Effects of the Atomic Bomb• Instant death tolls:

100,000 in Hiroshima, 75, 000 in Nagasaki.

• August 15th, 1945 – Japan surrenders, celebrated as “V-J Day”

• Officially the end of World War II

C. Effects of the Atomic Bomb• The world was shocked by

Truman’s decision to drop the bomb. • He defended it because he said

that he had saved more American lives by dropping the bomb than sending in troops to attack Japan.

• After the war, the Allies allowed Japan to keep its emperor. If we were going to do that anyway, many people wondered if it was really necessary to drop the atomic bomb.

Independent Practice• Do you think Truman made the right

decision in dropping the atomic bomb? Say yes or no using the AEC model.• A: Assertion/Claim• E: Evidence• C: Commentary

• Your answer should be 6-8 sentences.

III. World War II AftermathObjective 10.02

A. Holocaust• The invasion of Europe by the Allies brought an end to

the war, but it also exposed the horrible atrocities committed by the Nazis against the people they considered to be socially inferior and unfit to live.

• Among the groups that they targeted, no group suffered as much as the Jewish people.

B. Nuremberg Trials• Twenty-four Nazi leaders were put on

trial for “crimes against humanity.” • The court sentenced twelve of the

defendants to death while the others received long prison sentences.

• Trials were also conducted in Tokyo where Japanese officers were also sentenced either to prison or to death.

• “The wrongs we seek to condemn and punish have been so calculated, so malignant, so devastating, that civilization cannot tolerate their being ignored because it cannot survive their being repeated”. –Robert Jackson, chief counsel

Exit Ticket1) Why was the Battle of the Midway a turning point in the

war in the Pacific? a. It was the first time that Japan had used aircraft carriers

to launch an attack.b. General MacArthur returned as he had promised he

would.c.Both sides realized that there was little hope for victory.d.Heavy Japanese losses allowed the Allies to begin re-

taking Pacific Islands.

Exit Ticket2) Why was the Battle of the Bulge such an important Allied

victory? a. It was the first Allied victory on the European continent since

the fall of France.b. It was the beginning of the combined Allied assault on Japan.c. It marked the last significant attack by the Germans against

the Allies.d. It demonstrated the superiority of Allied air power.

Exit Ticket3) Why did Truman decide to drop the atomic bomb on Japan? How did this decision impact the war?

Exit Ticket4) Identify a military or political turning

point of World War II. Explain what happened and why it is important to the outcome of the war.