Total War and the Decision to Drop the Bomb
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Total War and the Decision to Drop the Bomb
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Total War and the Decision to Drop the Bomb. How did WWII end?. In Europe: The D-Day invasion leads to the Allied takeover of Europe Mussolini captured and executed Hitler committed suicide in a bunker in Berlin V-E Day in May 1945 - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Transcript of Total War and the Decision to Drop the Bomb
Total War and the Decision to Drop the Bomb
How did WWII end? In Europe:
The D-Day invasion leads to the Allied takeover of Europe Mussolini captured and executed Hitler committed suicide in a bunker in Berlin V-E Day in May 1945 http://www.history.com/shows/mysteryquest/videos/death-of-
hitler#death-of-hitler
How did WWII end? In the Pacific:
Island Hopping strategy works, but had resulted in many fierce battles
US bombing raids weaken Japan, but they do not surrender until the US drops two atomic bombs in August, 1945
http://www.history.com/videos/atomic-bomb-ends-wwII#atomic-bomb-ends-wwII
Country Total Deaths % of Pre-war Population Military Deaths Civilian Deaths
USSR 20,600,000 10.4% 13,600,000
Germany 6,850,000 9.5% 3,250,000
France 810,000 1.9% 340,000
United States 500,000 0.4% 500,000
Great Britain 388,000 0.8% 326,000
Deaths: World War II
What could explain the high civilian death rate?
What is total war?
Total war requires the mobilization not only of armed forces but also of whole populations.
The most crucial determinant of total war is the widespread, indiscriminate, and deliberate inclusion of civilians as legitimate military targets.
In your notebook
Evidence that WWII was a Total War:
Mobilization of All Using Civilians as
Resources Targets
When you finish:
Use your iPad to research the decision to drop the atomic bomb. There are several good links on the Unit 6 page of the class wiki.
Complete your chart and write down your own opinion. We will have a class debate about the issue.
Hiroshima: Primary Source Questions What type of source is this? Who is the author? Who is the intended audience? What kind of information is presented about
the atomic bomb? What is the purpose of this document? Do you detect any bias? What does this document add to our
understanding of the decision to use the atomic bomb?
When you are finished…
Write a thesis statement to the following question:
The term “total war” can not be applied to any war in the twentieth century. To what extent do you agree with this statement?
sources
www.uncp.edu/home/rwb/hst332_p4.htm http://www.churchillonline.org.uk/ Battle of the Atlantic game http://www.lawbuzz.com/tyranny/snow_falling/
internment_camps.htm http://www.mcs.k12.ny.us/pages/jbartalo/us
%20history/new_page_297.htm Extensive site with great info and links
