World War II

An Introduction

Causes of WWII

• W: World War I and the Treaty of Versailles

• A: Appeasement

• R: Rise of Totalitarianism

WWI and the Treaty of Versailles

• Germany lost land to surrounding nations.

• War Reparations (Debt)- Germany owed lots ofmoney.

• Desperate people turn to leaders to save them.

Appeasement

• Hitler demanded land that did not belong to Germany and other nations willingly gave it to him to avoid future conflict.

• This boosted Hitler’s ego and gave him the idea that he could do/control whatever he wanted.

Rise of Totalitarianism

• Individual rights are not as important as the needs of the nation.

• This took away someone’s right to vote or free speech.

• The government controlledall aspects of the economy.

Axis Leaders

• Adolf Hitler: Germany

• Hideki Tojo: Japan

• Emperor Hirohito: Japan

• Benito Mussolini: Italy

The Allied Leaders

Winston Churchill:Great Britain

FD Roosevelt: United States

Josef Stalin:USSR

How Did Hitler Make Nations Mad?

• He wanted to rearmGermany (he wanted a military again). This broke the Treaty of Versailles.

• Moved troops into the Rhineland territory which also broke the Treaty of Versailles.

Why Did the War Start?

• Germany invaded Poland.

• Allies declared war on Germany.

• Hitler invaded France, Belgium and Russia.

• Blitzkrieg: “Lightning War”

Blitzkrieg

War in the Pacific

• Mostly between the United States and Japan. • The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on

December 7th, 1941 (“A day that will live in infamy”).

• The United States retaliated with two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

• Japanese surrender after the atomic bombs are dropped.

Pearl Harbor

Atomic Bombs in Japan

How Did the War End in Europe?

• Operation Overlord: Invasion of France by the Allies.

• 1 million Allied troops were stationed in Europe which contributed to its surrender.

• Germany surrendered after Hitler committed suicide in 1945.

• Trials are held to try the people responsible for war crimes in Europe and Japan.

Credits

• PowerPoint adapted from:http://www.slideshare.net/janetdiederich/world-war-ii-power-point