Introduction to WWII
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Transcript of Introduction to WWII
Introduction to WWII
Adapted from McIntyre at
http://worldhistory.pppst.com
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Key Concept: What were the four main causes of WWII? Give an example of each.
•Treaty
•of
•Versailles
1. Failure of the Treaty of VersaillesGermany’s borders were changed, and its economy was bankrupted by reparations payments.
4. Appeasement and Isolationism:England and France were still recovering from WWI and unsuccessfully tried to use diplomacy to stop Hitler. Some countries, such as the United States, isolated themselves to try to avoid being drawn into other nations’ wars.
3. Nationalism:Extreme nationalism gave rise to Fascism in Italy and Nazism in Germany and caused Japan to colonize Asia.
2. Economic Factors:All countries suffered the effects of the Great Depression, and people blamed their governments and sought change.
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Quick FactsA. War Costs
1. US Debt 1940 - $9 billionUS Debt 1945 - $98 billion
• The war cost $330 billion -- 10 times the cost of WWI & as much as all previous federal spending since 1776
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Quick Facts:B. Human Costs1. 50 million people died
(compared to 15 million in WWI)• 21.3 million Russians (7.7 million civilians)
• 11 million died as a result of the HOLOCAUST(6 million Jews + 5 million others)
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When?
1939
Sept.1 - Germany invades Poland (official start to the war)
Sept. 3 -Britain &
France declare war on
Germany
Dec. 7 – Japan
bombs Pearl Harbor; US enters the
War
1941
May - Germans Surrende
r
Sept. - Atomic
Bombing of
Hiroshima &
Nagasaki,
Japanese Surrende
r
1945
•1939-1945•US involvement 1941-1945
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Who?
Allies Axis
Great Britain
France(note: France surrendered to
Germany in 1940 (after 6 weeks of fighting)
United States
RussiaGerman
yItaly
Japan
(major powers)
(major powers)
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Major LeadersAdolf HitlerNazi Germany
Benito MussoliniItaly
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Major LeadersHideki Tojo
Japanese Prime Minister
Winston ChurchillBritish Prime Minister
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Major Leaders
Franklin Delano RooseveltUS President
Joseph StalinRussian Leader
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Why? (underlying causes of WWII)1. Failure of Treaty of
VersaillesA. Germany lost land to surrounding nations and wanted them back.
B. War Guilt Clause1) Germany forced pay $57
trillion (modern equivalent). These payments bankrupted the
German economy and left them hopeless and embarrassed.
C. The U.S. Congress rejected the treaty. embarrassed Germans
Lloyd George, Georges Clemenceau, and Woodrow Wilson during negotiations for the
Treaty of Versailles
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Why? 2. Economic FactorsA. The Depression made Germany’s debt even worse.
B. Desperate people turn to leaders who make them feel better about themselves and put the blame on others. In this case, Hitler blamed
the former government, Jews, foreigners, communists, Roma (Gypsies), the mentally ill, and homosexuals.
C. Similar situations existed in other countries such as Italy.
1923 - Wallpapering with German
Deutschmarks
1938- Evidence of Kristallnacht, or the Night of the Broken Glass
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Why? 3. Nationalism
A. Extreme nationalism gave rise to Fascism in Italy and Nazism in Germany and caused Japan to colonize Asia.
B. It is an extreme form of having pride in one’s country. It creates a situation in which people think, “My country and people are the best, we deserve the best, and we’re going to take it from you.”
C. To support nationalism, countries increase their military strength to get what they want.
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Why? 4. Appeasement and IsolationismA. Why was the U.S. isolationist? 1. The Great Depression
caused economic problems in the U.S. 2. Perceptions of WWI:
a. WWI did not seem to solve much and cost
too much in money and lives.
3. People thought that the U.S. got into WWI for the wrong reasons (greedy
businessmen!).B. This led to “Appeasement.”
1. Appeasement: give dictators what they want and hope
that they won’t want anything else.
2. Appeasements included allowing the Japanese
invasion of Manchuria, the Italian invasion of Ethiopia, and Germany’s invasion of
taking of part of Czechoslovakia called the Sudetenland.
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Rise of Totalitarian RegimesIn a Totalitarian country, individual rights are not viewed as important as the needs of the nation. The government controls every aspect of public and private life.
Totalitarianism
Communist Dictatorship
(USSR)Fascist
Dictatorship (Germany, Italy)
Military Dictatorship
(Japan)
Fascism: military government with
based on racism & nationalism with strong support
from the business community
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What else did Hitler get?
• Hitler peacefully annexed (took
over) Austria in 1938.• Hitler signed a
nonaggression pact with the USSR.• They agreed not to fight each other
and split Poland between them
• Hitler would later break the pact and attack the USSR.
• The USSR then became one of the Allies fighting
Germany.
Hitler's triumphal entry into Danzig, Poland 1939
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How Did Hitler Make War?Blitzkrieg = “Lightning War”
In the next year, Hitler invades: • Denmark• Norway• The Netherlands • France
Hitler in Paris
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US AssistanceRoosevelt provided aid to the Allies:
Lend-Lease - 1939• US “lent” war materials to cash-strapped Great Britain
London Firefighter Tackles an Air Raid Blaze
Atlantic Charter• US secretly meets with England to commit to defeating Germany
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Meanwhile … in the PacificPearl Harbor: “a date which will live in infamy”
USS Arizona sinking in Pearl Harbor
What?• Surprise attack by the Japanese on American forces in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Effect? • US declares war on
Japan & other Axis powers
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Key Concept: What were the four long-term effects of WWII? Give an example of each.
Effect Examples
Power Shifts U.S. and U.S.S.R become world powers, replacing England and Germany.
Tensions Rise
Arms Race and Cold War begin.
Communism Spreads
U.S.S.R. sets up satellite nations in Eastern Europe.
Hope Survives
United Nations and Marshall Plan implemented.