Download - World War II 1939 - 1945. Causes of World War II.

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Page 1: World War II 1939 - 1945. Causes of World War II.

World War II1939 - 1945

Page 2: World War II 1939 - 1945. Causes of World War II.

Causes of World War II

Page 3: World War II 1939 - 1945. Causes of World War II.

Political instability and economic devastation in Europe resulting from World War I

1. Worldwide depression

2. High war debt owed by Germany

3. High inflation

4. Massive unemployment

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Rise of Fascism

• Fascism is a political philosophy in which total power is given to a dictator and individual freedoms are denied.

• Fascist dictators included Adolf Hitler (Germany), Benito Mussolini (Italy), and Hideki Tojo (Japan).

• *** Joseph Stalin was a dictator but NOT a fascist. He was a communist. He will take power after Lenin’s death. The Soviet Union will become a member of the ALLIES.

• These dictators led the countries that became known as the Axis Powers

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Adolf Hitler

• Hitler was angry with the Treaty of Versailles and he attempted to correct the “injustices” created by the treaty.

• He formed the National Socialists Workers’ Party, also known as the Nazi Party.

• Hitler created a totalitarian form of government in Nazi Germany.

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The Allies and their Leaders

• Democratic nations were known as the Allies.1. United States – Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry

Truman2. Great Britain – Winston Churchill3. Canada – William Lyon Mackenzie King 4. The Soviet Union was also a member of the Allies.

However, the Soviet Union was not democratic, it was communist! Led by Joseph Stalin

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The Axis and their leaders

• Germany - Adolf Hitler• Italy – Benito Mussolini• Japan – Hideki Tojo

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Axis Aggression

• Germany – Took control of the Rhineland (1936), Austria (1938), Sudetenland (1938), Czechoslovakia (1939), Poland (1939)

• Italy – Conquered Ethiopia (1935) and Albania (1939)• Japan – Occupied Manchuria (1931) and Indochina

(1940)

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World War II Begins

• The immediate cause of World War II was the invasion of Poland by Germany on September 1st, 1939.

• The Germans used a method known as blitzkrieg or lightning war when invading Poland.

• As a result, France and Great Britain declared war on Germany.

• The Soviet Union also invaded Poland and the Baltic nations of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia.

• Germany invades France and captures Paris, the capital.• Germany bombs Great Britain and the Battle of Britain (1940 –

1941) begins. The Battle of Britain is fought in the air between Germany and Britain to gain supremacy of the air.

• Germany invades the Soviet Union (June 1941).

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American Involvement

• When WWII begins, the United States remained neutral as it had done during WWI (Isolationism).

• However, in March of 1941, Congress approved the Lend – Lease Act. This allowed for the sale of American airplanes and war supplies to the Allies.

• The U.S. gave Britain war supplies and old naval warships in return for military bases in Bermuda and the Caribbean.

• There was rising tension between the U.S. and Japan because of Japanese aggression in East Asia.

• On December 7th, 1941, the Japanese attacked the U.S. navy base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

• As a result, the United States declared war on Japan December 8th, 1941.

• Three days later Germany and Italy declare war on the U.S. We declare war on Germany and Italy.

• The U.S. got involved in WWII to help stop aggression by Germany and Japan.

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The Home Front

• American involvement in World War II brought an end to the Great Depression. Factories and workers were needed to produce goods to win the war.

• Thousands of American women took jobs in defense plants during the war (e.g., Rosie the Riveter).

• Americans at home supported the war by conserving and rationing resources.

• The need for workers temporarily broke down some racial barriers (e.g., hiring in defense plants) although discrimination against African Americans continued.

• While many Japanese Americans served in the armed forces, others were treated with distrust and prejudice, and many were forced into internment or relocation camps.

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The Holocaust

• Resulted from anti-Semitism and the desire for Aryan Supremacy.

• It was the organized attempt to rid Europe of all Jews.• Tactics that were used included:1. Boycott of Jewish Stores2. Threats3. Segregation4. Imprisonment and killing of millions Jews and others in

concentration camps.

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Turning Points

• The Soviet Union defeats Germany at Stalingrad, marking the turning point of the war in Eastern Europe.

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Turning Points

• The United States was victorious over Japan in the Battle of Midway. This victory was the turning point of the war in the Pacific. THE UNITED STATES WON THIS BATTLE!!!

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Turning Points

• American and Allied troops landed in Normandy, France June 6th, 1944 which is known as D-Day. This was the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe.

• The purpose of D-Day was to develop a second front against Germany in Northern Europe.

• Dwight D. Eisenhower led the invasion of France which was also known as Operation Overlord.

• June 6th, 1944 = Operation Overlord = Invasion of Normandy, France

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Turning Points

• The U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on Japan. The first was dropped on Hiroshima, August 6th, 1945. The second one was dropped on Nagasaki, August 9th, 1945.

• President Harry S Truman made the decision to drop the atomic bombs.

• This forced the Japanese to surrender on August 14th 1945.

• Germany surrendered on May 7th, 1945.

• World War II was over.