In the 1930’s, Italy,
Germany, and Japan
aggressively sought to build
new empires. The League
of Nations was weak.
Western countries were
recovering from the Great
Depression and did not
want anymore war……
•1936 – Hitler sends troops to the
Rhineland
•1938 – Hitler annexes Austria
•1938 – Hitler seizes Sudetenland
•1939 – Hitler invades Poland
German Aggression in Europe
Little Hitler Cartoon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-axJTzj0VU
As a result of these
aggressive acts, the
Western democracies
adopted a policy of
appeasement. Under
this policy, nations
gave into aggressive
demands to maintain
peace.
At the Munich
Conference in
1938, the western
democracies
agreed that
Germany would
seize control of the
Sudetenland from
Czechoslovakia.
Major Countries:
•Soviet Union
•Great Britain
•France
•China
•United States
(1941 on)
Allied Powers
Roosevelt ChurchillStalin
Charles de Gaulle
ChiangKai-Shek
•The Nazi’s swiftly overran much of
Europe using the blitzkrieg, or
“lightning war”
Nazi Blitzkrieg
Step 1 Luftwaffe Step 2 Tanks Step 3 Ground Troops
•By 1940, the Axis Powers controlled
most of Europe and had pushed the
Allied Forces back to Great Britain
•Miracle of Dunkirk stops Axis
advance into Britain
Nazi Blitzkrieg
•Battle of Britain –
Nazi’s attempt to use air
strikes to defeat Britain (the
“Blitz)
First Nazi defeat
Took nearly 4 months
Nazi Blitzkrieg
“No Surrender”• Audio / video of Winston Churchill’s famous
speech to the British people.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up2O8kvtRT4
•European forces fight for control of
North Africa from 1940-1943
•Axis powers control much of N.A.
African Theatre
•Japan made steady
gains at taking over
the Pacific Island
nations as well as
China
Japanese Offensive
•After
unsuccessful
attempt against
Britain, Hitler
invades the
Soviet Union in
June 1941
Hitler’s Mistake
•Nearly captures Moscow and Leningrad, but is stopped by “scorched earth” and the harsh Russian winter
Hitler’s Mistake
•Battle of Stalingrad
•Soviets force
Nazi’s to surrender
•Begin pushing
West towards
Germany
Hitler’s Mistake
•Japanese attack U.S. Naval Base on December 7, 1941(surprise attack)•U.S. had halted sales of materials for weapons to Japan•U.S. enters war
Pearl Harbor
•Operation Torch
•Axis are defeated
•Allies retake
North Africa and
provides a
launching point
into Europe
Foothold in
Africa
•Allies attack into Italy from North
Africa
•Begin pushing up peninsula in late
1943
Italian Invasion
•Nearly 200,000 troops
stormed the beach at
Normandy, France
•Supported by air strikes
and paratroopers
D-Day Invasion
•Nazi’s launch “last ditch” effort at the
Battle of the Bulge
•Brutal winter fighting that “bulged”
the Allied line
Final Defeat
December
January
1944-1945
•In late April, the American and
Russian soldiers shook hands at the
Elbe River in central Germany
Final Defeat
•On April 27, 1945 Mussolini was
captured escaping Italy and executed
•His body was hung and stoned by
Italians
Benito Mussolini’s End
•As Russian troops advanced into
Berlin, Hitler committed suicide on
April 29, 1945
Adolf Hitler’s End
•On May 7, 1945,
Germany
surrendered
•European war ends
May 8, 1945
•V-E Day (victory in
Europe)
Final Defeat
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