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World War II. The inevitable war Part I Axis Aggression. Germany, Italy, and the Soviet Union. These Gov’ts used terror to suppress individual rights and to silence all forms of oppression. They controlled all aspects of everyday life. Fascism
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World War II The inevitable war Part I Axis Aggression
Germany, Italy, and the Soviet Union. These Gov’ts used terror to suppress individual rights and to silence all forms of oppression. They controlled all aspects of everyday life. Fascism Germany’s Adolf Hitler and Italy’s Benito Mussolini. Places the importance of the nation above the value of the individual. Focused on the need to rebuilt Italy/Germany. Different from communism, b/c it allows private business. Totalitarian Governments
Benito Mussolini • Fought/wounded in WWI. • Felt Italy was shortchanged in Treaty of Versailles. • 1919, joined Fascists. • Called himself, “Il Duce.” • The leader • His gang – the black-shirts. • March on Rome • The King panicked and named him Prime Minister. • Suspended election, outlawed other political parties, est. a dictatorship.
Adolf Hitler • Born in Austria. • Was a struggling artist. • Wounded in WWI. • 1919, joined NAZI’s. • National Socialist German Worker’s Party. • Nov. 1923 – Beer Hall Putsch • Served time & wrote Mein Kampf. • Means “my struggle.” • Discussed his feelings about Jews and how they are responsible for German’s problems.
Adolf Hitler, continued. • He proposed strengthening Germany’s military and expanding its borders to include Germans living in other nations. • Aryan Race • He called for “purifying” this race. • Blond-haired, blue-eyed, Germans. • Can do this by removing bad groups from Germany. • Jews, homosexuals, Italians, Russians, Gypsies. • Germany suffered high unemployment and inflation.
Adolf Hitler, cont. • In 1933, the Weimar Republic President Paul Von Hindenburg, named Hitler chancellor. • Soon he died, and Hitler combined the offices of President and Chancellor…and emerged as Der Fuhrer. • Means “the leader.”
Expansion boosts National Pride • March 9, 1936 – Germany into Rhineland. • Treaty of Versailles excluded Germany military forces from this region. • Invasion was a HUGE risk b/c of violation, and they weren’t ready to fight…but no one opposed. • 1936 – Hitler signed treaty with Mussolini. • Created what Mussolini called the “Axis Powers” b/t Rome and Berlin (& later Japan).
German Empire Grows • March 1938 – Hitler annexed Austria. • GB and FR protested, but Hitler was defiant. • Months later, he demanded the Sudetenland. • A region of eastern Czechoslovakia, with a heavy German population. • To avoid war… reps from GB, FR, Germany and Italy met in Munich to chat. • Neville Chamberlain, GB Prime Minister, came up with Appeasement.
Appeasement • Giving into one’s demands in order to keep the peace. • Neither GB or FR was prepared for war, and neither had forgotten the costs of WWI. • GB & FR let Germ have Sudetenland. • In March 1939, Hitler annexed the rest of Czech. • GB and FR had said any other moved would risk war… • March 1939, they pledged their support to Poland if it would be invaded by Germany.
Did they invade Poland? • After signing a treaty with the Soviet Union so he would face no threat from the East. • Hitler invades Poland on Sep. 1, 1939. • Two days later GB and FR declared war on Germany. • Germ uses blitzkrieg (lightning war).
Invasion of Poland – Blitzkrieg Tanks, artillery and soldiers moving by truck instead of foot, rapidly deep into enemy territory before the foe had time to react. Germany overruns Poland in less than a month. In mid-September under the terms of his agreement with Hitler, Stalin attacked and seized eastern Poland for the Soviet Union. After this, things slowed down to a Sitzkrieg. A sit down war. Blitzkrieg and Sitzkrieg
“The Phony War” • The first six months after GB and FR declared war… not much happened. • April 1940 – Hitler launched an attack on Denmark and Norway. • In May, he launched a Blitzkrieg on Belgium, the Netherlands, and France. • GB and FR troops retreated to, and were rescued from Dunkirk.
June 14 – German troops enter Paris A few days later, FR surrenders. Vichy Regime – fascist puppet gov’t controlled by Germ. In less than three months, Hitler has conquered most of Western Europe. Of the Allies (those who fought against the Axis Powers) GB now stood alone. The US and Soviet Union will eventually join. What else can go wrong?
The Battle of Britain • Winston Churchill, GB’s new Prime Min. • Hitler used the Luftwaffe (air force) to destroy GB’s ability/will to resist. • In this battle, he launched the greatest air assault the world has seen. • 1,000 planes/day rained bombs on GB. • Ended in June 1941… 30,000 Londoners had been killed and 120,000 had been injured.
Japan begins to build an Empire! • 1920’s – Japanese were unhappy. • A small chain of islands, that lacked sufficient raw materials & markets for its industries. • Needed land to support its growing population. • Great Depression didn’t help that much! • 1931 – Japan seized Manchuria • Mineral rich region in Northern China. • 1937 – Japan invaded China and next went to the Dutch East Indies. • April 1941 – signed neutrality pact with the Soviet Union. • US establishes trade embargo against Japan.
Where the heck is America? • Neutrality • The US will withhold weapons & loans from all nations at war. • Cash and Carry • Allies can buy war goods from the US and transport them in their own ships. • Lend-Lease Act • Allies could buy goods from the US on credit, in exchange for leases on military bases.
December 7, 1941 – Pearl Harbor • Hawaiian Island, Oahu • Right before 8:00am, 180 Japanese warplanes sailed overhead. • Most of the Pacific fleet was in an area less than 3 square miles. • 2,400 Americans were killed and 1,200 were wounded. • 300 warplanes damaged. • 18 warships sunk, (8/9 fleet battleship). • Japan lost 29 planes.
Three days later, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States.Americans were part of another world conflict.Their contributions would make the differences between victory and defeat for the Allies.
Atlantic Charter:Churchill and Roosevelt agree on war aims… August 1941.
Axis Powers: Germany Italy Japan Allied Powers: Great Britain Soviet Union (Russia) United States Gov’ts in exile – “Free French” Who’s side are you on?
