World War IITest #7 Lecture Notes

VUS.11-12

Axis Powers

Axis Powers1.) Italy

Mussolini and the Fascist Party2.) Germany

Hitler and the Nazi Party3.) Japan

Emperor Tojo and General Hirohito

1.) Fascism in Italy Most people in Italy felt dissatisfied after

WWIItaly had entered the war late on the side of

the Allies during WWI—hoping to gain some landItaly did not get what it had hoped for after the

warItaly only received a small piece of Austrian

territoryThis made Italy very bitter with the rest of the

Allies

Italy also suffered from heavy debts caused by WWI

Soldiers coming home could not find workItalian industries had not raw materialsItalian industries had no markets for their

goodsItaly’s largest buyers before the war were

Austria and Germany—now they both had been defeated in WWI and had no $ to buy goods from Italy

Benito Mussolini:Born in 1883 to a working class familyA journalist and very active in socialist

politics before WWIAfter WWI, he left his socialist ideas and

became a nationalist1919: Mussolini created a new political party

in Italy—Fasci di Combattimento (Fascist Party)

Mussolini’s Fasci di Combattimento:Glorified the state, a strong single ruler, and

totalitarian governmentThe state had absolute authorityThe party defended private property and class

structureWar and conquest were glorified to achieve

national goalsAn attempt to recreate the old glory of ancient

Rome

1920s: Italy experience lots of economic problemsValue of the Lira (Italian $) declinedBread prices increasedA coal shortage occurredWorkers began to strike Peasants started seizing land from the wealthy

land ownersThe Middle and Upper classes feared a

communist revolution like that which occurred in Russia

Mussolini tried to win the favor of the landowners by vowing to end all of the unrest and protect private property—what the middle and upper classes wanted

By 1921: fascism was a major force in ItalyMussolini’s Blackshirts—his followers—

physically attacked political opponents and drove officials out of office

Mussolini and his Blackshirts

The democratic government of Italy did nothing to stop the Blackshirts

The government’s apathy caused Mussolini to do more

October 1922: the Fascists marched on Rome

King Victor Emmanuel II named Mussolini Prime Minister of ItalyMussolini legally assumed power in Italy

Mussolini’s Dictatorship:As Prime Minister of Italy, Mussolini quickly

put an end to the democracy in ItalyIn the elections of 1924, the Blackshirts used

violence to make people vote for fascist candidates

Fascists won the majority of seats in the Italian Parliament

The party’s victory gave Mussolini lots of power in Italy

With his new power, Mussolini began calling himself “Il Duce”—The Leader

He reorganized the government into a cooperate state

The majority of people in Italy supported Mussolini

Those people that opposed fascism and Mussolini were arrested, assaulted, and murdered

The people believed he had done good for ItalyHe had prevented a communist revolutionHe had brought order to Italy

1935: Benito Mussolini wanted to test his powers

He “flexed his muscles” by invading Ethiopia (Africa)

Ethiopian soldiers had no chance against Mussolini’s mechanized militaryEthiopians were fighting on horseback with

outdated weaponsBy the Spring of 1936, Italy had control over

Ethiopia

2.) GermanyWeimar Republic:The Allies wanted to make sure Germany

would never threaten European Peace againThe Versailles Treaty put heavy restrictions

on GermanyLimiting Germany’s sizeForced a democratic government on Germany

1919: the German people voted for delegates to go into the new democratic national assembly

The new assembly met in Weimar, GermanyThe new assembly drafted a democratic

constitution that created a democratic republic in Germany

From 1919 to 1933, the Weimar Republic—the assembly—ruled over Germany

From very early on, the Weimar Republic met with lots of opposition

1920: nationalist army officers attempted to overthrow the Weimar government by staging a coup d'état

The officers believed the Weimar leaders had betrayed Germany by accepting the Treaty of Versailles

The Weimar leaders were able to squash the revolt

Reparations:The governments of Great Britain and France

had promised their citizens that Germany would pay for WWI

The Allies set the cost of the war at $35 billion

1922: German government said it could not pay for the war because the nation had NO $

France still insisted that Germany pay off the debt

1923: French troops marched into the Ruhr Valley and took control of the coal and steal mills

Inflation:To pay off the war debt, the German

government began printing more money—the money had no backingPrinting more $ without backing led to high

inflation in GermanyThe German Mark lost nearly all of its value1923: 1 trillion Marks=$1 (US)German money had no real value at all

France eventually backed off a little from Germany

Germany began getting loans from the US, allowing Germany to slowly regain its economic strengthThis will, of course, end when the US enters a

depression and cannot loan money to Germany any longer

Nazism & Hitler:Many different political parties began

challenging the Weimar RepublicOne party in particular was the National

Socialist Workers’ Party—Nazi PartyAdolf Hitler became a member of the Nazi

PartyHitler had tried to enter an Austrian art school

but failed the entrance examsHe had served in the military during WWI—

becoming wounded in the warAfter his failed art career, he decided to go into

politics

Hitler’s Art

Adolf Hitler

Hitler formed a private army—BrownshirtsThe Brownshirts were mostly street thugs and

Hitler’s friends1923: Hitler was arrested and put in jail for

a drunken attempt at to create a coup d'état against the Weimar RepublicWhile in jail, he wrote Mein Kampf—”My

Struggle”The book outlined Hitler’s views on Germany

and why Germany had suffered so greatly during and after WWI

He blamed the Jews and Communists for Germany’s defeat in WWI

When Germany began to recover some in the 1920s, the Nazi Party began losing power and influence

1929: after the American stock market failure and the stoppage of loans to Germany, the German people were ready for the Nazi message

Germans began to believe Hitler’s claims that the Jews were causing Germany’s problems

The people believed Hitler could solve all of Germany’s problems

1932: the Nazi Party won 229 seats in the Reichstag (German Parliament)The victories made the Nazi Party the largest

party in the ReichstagJanuary 30, 1933: the German president—

Paul von Hindenburg—asked Hitler to become German ChancellorThe Nazi’s and Hitler had gained power in a

legal manor

Hitler Speech Video

Hitler in Power:Hitler’s Primary goal when he came to

power: to create a totalitarian stateHe wanted the Nazis to have total control

over the ReichstagHe wanted to hold new electionsOne week before the elections were held, the

Reichstag burned to the groundHitler blamed the communists for the fire, but

Hitler probably had the fire started himself

New elections were heldHitler’s Brownshirts forced German voters to

vote for Nazi candidatesOnce the Reichstag was under Nazi control,

Hitler then set out to crush his opponents—especially the communistsHitler banned all political parties except the

Nazi partyHitler banned freedom of speech, freedom of

assembly, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press

All labor unions would be placed under Nazi control

Hitler and the Jews:Hitler’s most vicious attacks were against the

Jews in Germany1935: Hitler passed the Nuremberg Laws

The laws restricted Jews’ freedomsCitizenship was stripped from the JewsJews were forbidden to hold public officeJewish children could not go to schoolJewish businesses were burnedJews were forced to wear yellow badges

signifying their being Jewish

Kristallnacht: “the night of broken glass”When Jews and Jewish business were

vandalized by the Nazi Party

Gestapo: Hitler’s secret policeThe Gestapo arrested Jews and Nazi opponents

Hitler even feared some of his own supporters

He feared the radical members of the Nazi Party

1934: Hitler had hundreds of Brownshirts killedCalled Night of the Long KnivesAlso called Operation Hummingbird

Once Hitler believed had had all power, he began calling himself Der Fuhrer (the leader)Hitler called his government the Third ReichHe believed his government would last 1000

yearsOnce in power, Hitler began to ignore the

Versailles TreatyHe began building a massive army and a huge

supply of weapons—actually giving many Germans jobs

“Today Germany; tomorrow, the World.”—A. Hitler

1938: Hitler marched into Austria and proclaimed Austria part of GermanyHitler faced NO opposition in gaining Austria

6 months later, Hitler’s troops marched into the Sudetenland region of CzechoslovakiaThis region had a large German population

No one in Europe was willing to stand up to Hitler and challenge his taking over of Europe

France and Great Britain took on a policy of appeasement toward HitlerFrance and Great Britain were trying to avoid

war with Hitler They would give into Hitler’s demands in an

attempt to keep peace

September 1938: a conference was held in MunichBritish Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain

and French Prime Minister Edouard Daladier agreed NOT to oppose Hitler’s advance into the Sudetenland

The 3 nations signed the Munich Pact—this allowed Hitler’s conquest of the Sudetenland to stand

Chamberlain believed war had been averted by the Munich Pact—”We have secured peace in our time.”

3.) Japan—Prime Minister Hideki TojoJapan’s government shifted from a civilian

controlled government to a military controlled government after the world wide depression struck in the 1920s and 1930sThe military government was looking to create

an empire for JapanJapan’s growing population placed heavy

strains on the nation’s resourcesJapan needed to find new places to get the

resources it needed—especially land and raw materials

Japan was also tired of being dependent on other nations for much of the resources they needed

A Pacific Empire would make Japan more self-sufficient and less reliant on other nations

Japan started their quest for an empire even before their involvement in World War I

1895: Japan had gained the island of Taiwan

1904-1905: Japan had gained land in Korea and parts of ManchuriaJapan wanted the rest of Manchuria

1931: Japan invaded Manchuria to get its iron and coalJapan also wanted the land in Manchuria so

that Japan could colonize the land to produce agricultural and industrial goods

By 1932, Japan had control over ManchuriaJapan installed a “puppet government” in

Manchuria

The League of Nations looked down on Japan for Japan’s taking of ManchuriaJapan withdrew from the League of Nations

1937: Japan moved its forces into Northern ChinaJapan executed over 200,000 Chinese citizens

in their capture of the Chinese capital—called the “China Incident”

1940: Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Italy and Germany—creating the Axis PowersEach nation pledged to help one another if the

U. S. attacked either Japan, Germany, or Italy

By the fall of 1941, Hideki Tojo had become Prime Minister of Japan

The U. S. had become very upset at Japan’s attacks on China

FDR cut off all fuel and metal shipments to Japan

Allied Powers1.) Soviet Union

Joseph Stalin and CommunismHad a pact with Germany, but the pact was

broken when Germany invaded The Soviet Union

2.) Great BritainNeville Chamberlain and Winston Churchill

3.) United StatesFranklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman

Joseph Stalin

Hitler with Neville Chamberlain

Winston Churchill

Franklin Roosevelt

Harry S. Truman

Axis Strategy for WWIIGermany wanted to invade the Soviet Union

to gain access to the Soviet Union’s oil fieldsGermany planned on defeating the Soviet

Union quicklyGermany also wanted to avoid a 2-front war—

having enemies on both sidesMake a pact with the SovietsConcentrate on and defeat FranceThen attack the Soviets

Allied Strategy for WWIIFirst order was to defeat Hitler

Most efforts were placed on gaining Europe back from Nazi control

Most American military resources (once we enter the war) were targeted toward Europe

Settle problems in PacificIsland Hopping—seizing islands closer and

closer to Japan

The War In Europe

Non-Aggression Pact and the Soviet Union

5 months after the signing of the Munich Pact, Hitler took the rest of Czechoslovakia

August 29, 1939: Hitler signed the Non-Aggression Pact with Stalin and the USSRThe Pact stated that neither nation would

attack the otherHitler, could then, avoid a 2-front war—he

could concentrate his efforts on the West and France

Invasion of PolandHitler and Stalin had divided Poland

between them in the Non-aggression PactWith Stalin’s approval, Hitler’s mobile

army moved into Poland on September 1, 1939

Hitler’s Luftwaffe (air force) bombed Polish cities

His Panzer tank divisions stormed into Poland

This swift attack style is called Blitzkrieg (lightening) warfare

September 3, 1939: France and Great Britain declared war on Germany—World War II had begun

Invasion of Poland Video

Invasion and Fall of FranceFrance had prepared for a German invasionNearly 1-million French soldiers stood along

the French/German border in an attempt to protect France

England had also sent supplies and troops to help aid the French in a possible German attack

May 1940: German tanks stormed across the French border from BelgiumThe Germans went north and swept in behind

the French troops defending the borderThe fortified guns of the Maginot Line were

never firedThe failure of the Maginot Line to defend

France sucked the life out of many in FranceThe massive tank attacks and constant

bombardment by the Luftwaffe caused the French and British to retreat

By the end of the month, many French soldiers had given up the fight

The British had retreated all the way to Dunkirk—a port on the English Channel

The British were saved by boarding private ships that took them back to England

The evacuation of the British left the French to fight alone

June 3: Paris was bombedOne week later, Italy declared war on France

and attacked Southern FranceJune 14: Germans marched into ParisJune 22: France surrendered to Hitler

Hitler could now focus on Great Britain

Battle of BritainHitler now set out to conquer Great BritainGreat Britain was now led by Prime Minister

Winston ChurchillHitler attempted to use his Luftwaffe to bomb

the BritishThe British conquered with their Royal Air

ForceThe RAF had better planes and pilotsThe RAF shot down hundreds of German

planes

Hitler put a ban on the daytime bombing of Great Britain

Hitler started attacked Great Britain at night from Sept. 1940 until May 1941

Hitler also started using his V-2 rockets to bomb Great Britain

Churchill pleaded for the Americans to give the British some aid against the Germans

America’s ResponseMany in the U. S. felt that the nation should

have stayed out of WWI and were in favor of the Neutrality ActsThese people were isolationists

Others believed in interventionism and believed the U. S. should give all possible support to Great Britain—except a full scale declaration of war

FDR remained cautious as not to offend any groups within the United States

After the French fell to Germany in 1940, FDR began sending aid to the BritishSeptember 1940: FDR sent 50 American

destroyers to Britain in return for the right to establish U. S. naval bases on British held lands

FDR also singed into law the Selective Training and Service Act—the 1st peacetime draft in history All men between the ages of 21 and 35 were eligible Over 1 million men served 1-year terms, but they only

served in the Western Hemisphere FDR was trying to build an American military in case

the U.S. got involved in the war

In 1941, after his re-election—FDR created the Lend-Lease BillThis was open support for the AlliesThe president had the right to sell, lend, or

lease military supplies to any nations deemed vital to the defense of the U. S.

Most Americans supported the Lend-Lease BillThe U. S. was not physically at war with

Germany, but was in an economic war with Germany

FDR compared Lend-Lease to “lending a garden hose to a next-door neighbor whose house is on fire”

March 1941: Congress approved the Lend-Lease bill

Summer 1941: German subs sank many American and British ships carrying supplies to Great BritainFDR ordered the US navy to help track German

subsThe Navy was ordered to escort British ships

and destroy any subs trying to sink the ships

Fall 1941: a German sub sank an American destroyerFDR ordered the navy to shoot Axis ships on

sightOctober 1941: German subs sank 2

American destroyers killing 100 American sailorsCongress responded by repealing the

Neutrality Acts

FDR and Churchill met to talk about what would happen in the world when and if the war ended

The 2 created the Atlantic Charter—becomes the basis for the United Nations

German Invasion of the Soviet Union

1939: Germany and the USSR signed the Non-aggression Pact

Stalin still did not fully trust HitlerJune 22, 1941: Germany invaded the Soviet

UnionThe invasion took Stalin and the Soviets by

surpriseGerman troops used Blitzkrieg warfare to take

Leningrad and the Crimean Peninsula

By November 1941, Germany had the capital of Moscow surrounded

The harsh Soviet winter helped the Soviet military push the Germans back

Spring 1942: Germans attacked Soviet oil fields in SW Russia

September 1942: 300,000 German soldiers were attacking Stalingradthe Battle of Stalingrad lasted 5 months until

the Germans surrendered in 1943The surrender stopped the German’s advance

eastwardStalin never forgave the Allies for failing

to support the Soviet’s defense—one reason for the Cold War

United States Enters the WarAlthough the US had gone a long ways to

help Great Britain, the US had not officially entered the war

Japan had started taking steps that made FDR upset

FDR placed further embargoes on Japan after Japan made an alliance with Germany and Italy—Rome-Tokyo-Berlin Axis

The US continued to use negotiation to deal with the Japanese instead of taking hostile actionThe US would only reopen trade with Japan if

Japan pulled out of China and IndochinaBy November 1941: war with Japan was

just about inevitable—everyone knew itJapan decided it was time to actMost Americans believed the attack would

come in Malaysia or the PhilippinesThe Japanese planned to attack the

Americans at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

December 7, 1941: the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor destroying many American ships and killing thousands of American sailorsThe attack only lasted 3 hours19 ships were destroyed188 planes were destroyed2400 men were killed

December 8, 1941: FDR asked Congress for a declaration of war against JapanA few days later, Germany and Italy declared

war on the United StatesThe US had officially entered WWIIWWII had become a true world War

Video on Pearl Harbor

The US had to prepare for war on 2 frontsOne in EuropeOne in the Pacific

As soon as war was declared, the draft was increased in the United States

Thousands of men and women voluntarily enlisted in the military

By 1945, the US had 12 million people in the military

About 1 million soldiers were African-Americans

The military was segregated into black and white unitsMost black units were commanded by whitesMany black soldiers were put into cooking or

laboring jobsRacial discrimination existed on most military

basesSome African-Americans did get to see some

battle actionTuskegee Airmen—an all African American air

fighting force

Video on teh Tuskegee Airmen

Japanese-Americans were the most decorated war heroes in World War II—Nisei RegimentsNisei Regiments were all Japanese

American soldiers

Other minority groups also contributed to the war effort

Hispanic-Americans fought for the US in WWIIFought in non-segregated (integrated) units

Communication codes of the Navajo Indians were usedThe Navajo was an oral, not written, languageThe Navajo code was impossible for the

Japanese to break Minority units usually received very high

casualties

The War @ Home in the United States:Conflict between the different races was

going on in the US while the US was fighting in WWII

Segregation was the norm in the southern states

1.) African Americans:Many African Americans migrated to the cities

to find work in the war plantsSegregation was legal in the 1940sThe war gave many civil rights groups a

reason to protest against segregationA. Philip Randolph led the movement for

black equalityRandolph was upset that minorities were excluded

from the high paying industrial jobs in many wartime plants

Randolph organized the March on Washington Movement (MOWM)

“We loyal American citizens demand the right to work and fight for our country.”—A. Philip Randolph

A. Philip Randolph

1943: riots broke out in DetroitBlacks attacked white workersThe next day, a mob of whites roamed the

streets looking for any blacks they could find25 blacks and 6 whites were killed

2.) Mexican-Americans:Thousands of farm workers form Mexico

illegally entered the US to work—American Southwest

Many of these workers had children in the USThose born in American were called Chicanos

The Chicanos began getting jobs in industry—willing to work for less than poor whites and blacks

In Los Angeles, the discrimination against the Chicanos and Hispanic-Americans turned into hatred

Many Hispanic teenagers wore “Zoot Suits”—a long jacket with padded shoulders and pleated pants

The Zoot Suiters and white sailors squard off in LA

The sailors blamed Zoot Suiters for stabbing and robbing a group of white sailors

The sailors roamed the Hispanic neighborhoods, beating up any one in a zoot suit

The police arrested the zoot suiters, NOT the sailors

3.) Japanese Americans:1942: many Japanese Americans were taken

from their homes and placed in internment campsMany in the US government feared the

Japanese Americans were going to try to sabotage the US from within—helping Japan win the war

A false belief that the Japanese were aiding the enemy

Over 100,000 Japanese Americans were placed in internment camps even though they showed NO signs of disloyalty

The people were eventually released and a public apology was given to them by the US government

Ironically, Japanese American soldiers were the most decorated of all American soldiers in WWII

Video on Japanese Internment Camps

Media and Communications in America during the War:

The United States government maintained strict censorship of reporting of the war

Public morale and ad campaigns kept Americans focused on the war effort

The entertainment industry produced movies, plays, and shows that boosted morale and patriotic support for the war effort as well as portrayed the enemy in stereotypical ways

How the War Changed Home Life:As soon as the US officially entered the war,

the US began to changeFactories were converted over to produce

materials for warPlanesTanksWeaponsUniforms

The War Production Board (WPB) was created to oversee the transformation

Production of non-essential materials was cut back

The government paid businesses to build new plants and factories to produce war materials

Industrial production nearly doubled—helping the economy

The war and its need for materials caused the American economy to grow

The nations GNP (Gross National Product) rose from $90 billion to $211 billion in 1945

17 million new jobs were createdCrop prices doubled between 1940 and 1945With more money, people looked to spend $

on stuffThis need to spend caused prices on consumer

goods to inflateFDR wanted to stop the inflation in pricesFDR began freezing people’s wagesFDR created the National War Labor

Board (NWLB) to control wages and monitor inflation

Workers said that if wages were to freeze, the prices on goods should also freeze

1942: Congress allowed the Office of Price Administration (OPA) to fix a maximum price on goodsthe OPA instituted rationing—limiting how

much of something the people could buyLocal rationing boards were createdEach family had a quota on their rationing

coupons

Since most men were out fighting, women were needed to work in the factories (“Rosie the Riveter”)Welding CarpentryHeavy construction

The women had a job, but the job security was only temporary

The women were paid less than menAfter the war, most of the women lost their

jobs to the soldiers returning home

To help pay for the war, the government began selling war bondsThe government was borrowing $ from the US

peoplePeople would buy a bond and, in a few years,

they buyer would get their $ back plus interest

The bonds also helped to control inflation

European FrontThe Allies were in a jam early in the war with

France surrendering and Hitler bombing Great Britain

The Allies decided they had to fight an offensive war to have any chance of defeating Hitler

Allied Offenses:Nov. 1942: the US and Great Britain landed

troops in Northern AfricaTrying to get Africa so the Allies could enter Europe

through the back door The Allies marched into Morocco and AlgeriaThe Allies faced the German tank commander

Erwin RommelGermany was threatening to seize Egypt and the

Suez CanalThe British Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery

defeated Rommel at El Alameinthe Allied victory marked the turning point in the warThe Allies had control over Northern Africa by 1943Germany’s defeat also kept Hitler from gaining access

to Middle Eastern oil fields and attacking the Soviet Union from the South

From North Africa, the Allied launched an invasion of Southern Europe

July 1943: the Allies landed in SicilyAugust 1943: the Allies had driven the

Germans out of SicilyMussolini’s fascist party fell out of power in

ItalyThe Allies invaded Italy from Sicily

September 8, 1943: Italy surrendered to the Allies

June 4, 1944: the Allies finally liberated Rome

D-DAY:June 6, 1944: General Dwight D.

Eisenhower launched the largest land-sea-air attack in history—Operation Overlord

175,000 Allied soldiers came ashore on the coast of Normandy, FranceThe Allies were trying to gain a foothold in

Hitler’s EuropeThe Allies established a beach head, but

suffered heavy casualties2245 killed1670 wounded

From Normandy, the Allies began to launch an invasion into Europe to drive the Germans back to Germany

Near the End:The Allies proved their superiority in the

skies over EuropeWith control over the skies, Allied ground

troops could move against the GermansAugust 25, 1945: Paris was liberated

from the GermansBy the end of the summer other European

nations had been freed from German controlFranceBelgiumLuxembourg

The Allied navy began using SONAR to track and destroy German U-boats

The Allies also used naval convoys to help transport goods across the Atlantic

Battle of the Bulge:Hitler launched one last ditch effort to

help him win the warHe launched a counter-offensive in the

Ardennes Forest of BelgiumGerman troops drove a bulge 80 miles

long and 50 miles deep into the Allied lines

After a week of fighting, the Allies were able to drive the Germans back

The Battle of the Bulge was the final German offensive of the war

the Allies could now advance toward Germany

Yalta Conference :Just before the end of the war in Europe, the

big three nations met at Yalta in the Soviet UnionGreat Britain—Winston ChurchillUnited States—FDRSoviet Union—Joseph Stalin

These nations and their representatives became known as the “Big Three”

Churchill wanted to save the British empireStalin wanted to protect his borders and

rebuild the USSRFDR wanted a worldwide spread of

democracy and free tradeFDR wanted the Soviets to help him defeat

JapanThe Big Three met for a week in Yalta

Stalin agreed to help the US against Japan, but only after the war has been over for 2 or 3 months

For his help, Stalin would get some territory in Asia

All 3 disagreed on what should be done with Germany after the warEach nation agreed to divide up Germany once

the war was overStalin wanted to have power in

RomaniaPolandBulgariaAustriaHungaryCzechoslovakia

Holocaust:After arriving in Germany, the Allies met with

something they had never expectedThe troops witnessed what Hitler was doing with

the Jews1942: Hitler began to round up Jews, 1st in

Germany, then in the rest of EuropeHitler called his attempt at exterminating all

European Jews his “final solution”Jews were shipped to concentration camps to do

slave labor or face medical experimentsMany Jews were beaten or starved or killedThe bodies were burned or buried in mass graves

1945: the Allied forces liberated many of the concentration camps and were shocked at what they saw

About 6 million Jews were killedHitler also went after the Polish, Slavs,

Gypsies, and what he called the “untouchables” (homosexuals, mentally ill, political dissidents) in his attempts at genocide—systemic and purposeful destruction of a racial, political, religious, or cultural group

Victory in Europe:The British and US were moving east through

Germany, the Soviets were moving west through Germany

April 12, 1945: FDR died leaving VP Harry Truman as president

April 30, 1945: Hitler committed suicideMay 2, 1945: Berlin fellMay 7, 1945: Germany surrendered to the

AlliesMay 8, 1945: V-E day

War in the PacificWhile the war in Europe was over, it still

raged on in the Pacific against JapanThe war in the Pacific was fought differently

than the war fought in EuropeVery early in the Pacific theatre, Japan was

victoriousMay 1942: the Americans were having more

success against the Japanesethe US kept Japan from taking Australia

June 1942: Battle Midway IslandThe American naval forces defeated a much

larger Japanese forceIf Japan had won at Midway, Japan could have

invaded HawaiiThe Americans sank 4 Japanese carriers and

destroyed 300 Japanese planesA great victory for the US

Japan still held a lot of strategically important islands in the Pacific

The US adopted a strategy called “island hopping”A way of capturing key islandsOnce captured, military bases were built on the

islands

August 1942: the Marines landed on Guadalcanal

The Americans were trying to destroy a Japanese military base

Early 1945: the US fought Japan at Iwo Jima and Okinawathe US gained the islands, but suffered heavy lossesThe US pulled within 700 miles of the Japanese

islands—closer than they had ever been to Japan before

The battles also proved that an all out assault on Japan would cost millions of American lives

The Japanese were willing to commit suicide than surrender

Convinced Truman to use the Atomic bomb

American Flag being raised @ Iwo Jima

Iwo Jima Video

Atomic Bomb:The US was secretly working on a new

weapon—the atomic bombThe name of the project to build the bomb

was called the Manhattan Projectthe project was led by J. Robert

OppenheimerTruman had scheduled an invasion of

Japan for late in 1945July 16, 1945: scientists successfully

detonated the 1st atomic bomb in New Mexico

Oppenheimer

First Atomic Bomb Test Video

Truman decided to use the Atomic bomb instead of sending in millions of Americans to their death with an invasion of Japan

August 6, 1945: “Little Boy” was dropped on Hiroshima100,000 people were killed on impact100,000 more died from burns, radiation, or

woundsThe bomb was dropped by the Enola Gay

Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Video

August 9, 1945: Japan had still not surrendered

The US dropped another atomic bomb on Nagasaki—40,000 killed instantly

August 14, 1945: Japan finally surrendered to the US—V-J Day

WWII was now over Now members of both Japan and Germany

were placed on trial for war crimes committed against the Jews and other people in the war

Geneva Convention:Created in 1949Attempted to ensure the humane treatment of

prisoners of war (POWs) by establishing rules to be followed by all nations

The treatment of POWs in WWII was horrible, especially in the Pacific Theater

Examples of mistreatment of POWsBataan Death March—American and Filipino

POWs were brutally treated by the Japanese military after the Philippines surrendered to Japan

POWs were forced to march 60 miles and face severe physical abuse

Dead soldiers during the Bataan Death March

Nuremburg Trials:Nazi leaders and others were placed on trial

and convicted of war crimesEmphasized individual responsibility for

actions during war, regardless of orders received

The Nuremburg Trials increased demand for a Jewish homeland

Creation of Israel1948: The Allies that fought in WWII will complicate

problems in the Middle EastThe nation of Israel was created out of the British

mandate of PalestineStarting in the early 1900s, thousands of Jews

migrated to British held PalestineInitially, Palestine would be divided among the Jews

and Palestinian Arabs (Muslims)Israel was created in 1948 with roughly 650,000 JewsSince the land taken to create Israel at one time

belonged to Palestinian Muslims, confrontations broke out between the Muslims and JewsThese confrontations are still going on today