world war ii: duration, characteristics, and resolution · wwii, like wwi, was another total war-...
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World War II: Duration, Characteristics, and Resolution
1939-1945
The Battle of Britain (1940-1941)
● Only Britain stood between Nazis and domination over Europe● Winston Churchill, British PM, declared Brits would never give in-
encouraged them to “keep calm and carry on”● German Luftwaffe (air force) began bombing Britain- targeted London● British RAF (air force) had radar and the enigma machine- could interpret
enemy code● British held firm until 1941, when Hitler backed off.
The Battle of Britain featured heavy use of the air force on both sides!
Axis Expansion in the Balkans (1941)
● Hitler wanted to build bases in SE Europe (why?)○ Got Bulgaria, Hungary,
Romania to join Axis Powers
○ Greece and Yugoslavia resisted- invaded them
Nazi Invasion of the Soviet Union (1941-1943)
● Hitler turned on Stalin- invaded USSR in June 1941● USSR had biggest army in the world, but still less equipped and
not as well trained as Germans● Russians used scorched earth tactics against Nazis● Nazis attacked Leningrad (fmr St. Petersburg)- residents
starved, but city didn’t fall-turned to Moscow● Hitler ordered no retreat- Nazis accomplished nothing in the
USSR from 1941-1943, but lost 500,000 lives
The Battle of Leningrad left heavy devastation in its wake!
The USA Enters WWII (1941)
● US had previously wanted to stay neutral- passed the Neutrality Acts (1935-1937)
● Under the Lend-Lease Act (1941)- the US could lend or lease arms to “any country vital to US”
● German U-boats began attacking US ships- undeclared naval war between GER & US
● However, it was the bombing of the US naval base at Pearl Harbor (Hawaii) that brought the US into the war.
Why did the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor?
The USA Enters WWII (1941)
● US had previously wanted to stay neutral- passed the Neutrality Acts (1935-1937)
● Under the Lend-Lease Act (1941)- the US could lend or lease arms to “any country vital to US”
● German U-boats began attacking US ships- undeclared naval war between GER & US
● However, it was the bombing of the US naval base at Pearl Harbor (Hawaii) that brought the US into the war.
THE PACIFIC THEATER (1942-1943)
● US Doolittle raids (1942)- aerial bombing campaign of Tokyo● Battle of the Coral Sea (1942)- new form of naval combat- use of planes
that took off from aircraft carriers- stopped Japan’s southward advance● Battle of Midway (1942)- turned the tide of war in the Pacific- Japan
stopped its eastward advance● US General Douglas MacArthur’s “island hopping” strategy- take
strategic islands to get closer to Japan
THE HOME FRONT DURING WWII
● WWII, like WWI, was another total war-○ Factories converted to wartime
production- women again went to work in the factories during the war
○ US govt rationed scarce items, citizens encouraged to be more self-sufficient and donate what they could (scrap drives)
○ People bought war stamps/war bonds to help finance the war
○ Govts had heavy use of propaganda during the war
The Holocaust
● Hitler and the Nazis believed Germans were Aryans, and proclaimed themselves a “master race”
● Those seen as inferior (Jews, Gypsies, Poles, Russians, homosexuals, the mentally ill, the disabled) were targeted- discriminated legally, attacked, grouped into ghettos, then sent to concentration camps & death camps
● “The Final Solution”- Nazi program of genocide- extermination of Jews (6 million Jews died in the Holocaust)
The Holocaust
Japanese Internment Camps
People of Japanese descent also faced discrimination in the US- sent to Japanese internment camps
Another global warBritain once again relied on its colonies in WWII
Japanese Internment Camps
TURNING POINTS IN THE EUROPEAN THEATER
● US, under the command of Dwight D. Eisenhower, put troops in N. Africa- Rommel’s Afrika Korps defeated by May 1943
● Battle of Stalingrad (1943)- Despite controlling much of the city, Germans fell to brutal winter, Soviet resistance- Nazis driven back
● Allied invasion of Italy in 1943- Italy surrendered, but fighting continued until 1945
● D-Day Invasion (June 6, 1944)- Amphibious Allied invasion force attacked Nazis at Normandy (off the NW coast of France)- pushed Germans back
● Battle of the Bulge (1944-1945)- Nazi last stand- led to unconditional German surrender in May 1945- Hitler committed suicide
TURNING POINTS IN THE PACIFIC THEATER
● Fighting continued in the Pacific Theater after the European Theater had ended in May 1945
● US was pursuing the island hopping strategy- costly victories at Iwo Jima and Okinawa brought them closer to Japan
● Victory was in sight for US, but still not guaranteed- what were the options?
END OF THE PACIFIC THEATER
● US President Harry Truman gave the order to drop two atomic bombs on Japan at Hiroshima and Nagasaki
● Forced Japanese unconditional surrender in August 1945- WWII had ended.
EFFECTS OF WWII
World War II lasted from 1939-1945.
What were the effects of this conflict?
EFFECTS OF WWII● Most deadly conflict in history (60 million dead)- 40 mil Europeans died (⅔ were
civilians)● Others were injured and/or displaced (many without food or supplies)● Europe, Japan devastated by the war- began the rebuilding process● Many major cities destroyed● Industry, agriculture were disrupted● Psychological toll from the war● More focus on human rights, war crimes
○ GER: Nuremberg Trials- Nazi war criminals prosecuted● United Nations created in 1945● Nation of Israel created in 1948● Western Europe damaged by war; USA, USSR now the dominant global powers-
immediate mutual mistrust would lead to future tension (Cold War)● Decline of influence of fascism● Warfare continued to change- use of aircraft carriers, beginning of the “atomic age”
after A-bombs used in war
EFFECTS OF WWII
EFFECTS OF WWII
EFFECTS OF WWII● JAPAN: US occupied Japan until 1951- led by General
Douglas MacArthur○ Started with demilitarization and then democratization○ Created a new constitution in 1947. Japan also became a
constitutional monarchy (ended divine right of emperor)- had a prime minister and parliament
○ Land reform- landlords’ lands taken by govt, then sold to tenant farmers at reasonable prices
○ Constitutional bill of rights protected freedoms○ Japan could no longer make war- could fight only if
attacked○ US & Japan became allies- continued US military presence
for protection○ In the later decades: “post-war economic miracle”- rapid
recovery of Japanese economy
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