WWII Fascist Aggression Italian Expansion Mussolini builds army 1935 Ethiopia invaded League of Nations denounces action and urges boycott of arms to Italy GB & France not agree to oil embargo- might push Italy to Hitler Spanish Civil War Republican govt. replaced monarch 2 sides: (war between ideologies) Falangists (Fascists) under Franco Republicans (anti-Fascists) Hitler and Mussolini aid Fascists Stalin and volunteers from US, France, England aid Republicans 1939- Franco becomes dictator Fascist Aggression German rearmament and expansion (Turning Point) Weimar Govt. tried to change treaty through diplomacy Hitler vows to destroy treaty- rebuilds military 1936 Rhineland remilitarized Hitler believed no action would be taken Pull out of League, International Disarmament Conference League condemns- takes no action France not act w/out GB GB signs pact w/ Germany- fleet to 35% of British
1936 Rome-Berlin Axis Hitler’s strength leads to agreement w/ Mussolini Europe come to rotate around them Appeasement Giving into other’s demands in order to avoid conflict Followed by GB and France towards Germany After WWI people wanted peace at any price (ignored Hitler’s advances) GB cut military spending- focus on economy
Why Appeasement? France needed help of GB to take on Hitler -
Hitler’s goals limited & acceptable Many in GB believed Stalin and Communism was more of a threat than Hitler
German Advances Result of appeasement- Hitler continues to enlarge German territory Self-determination- Bring German speaking together in Third Reich 1938 Anschluss- Union of Germany and Austria (Austria threatened with use of force) Surrounds Czech on 3 sides Czechoslovakia- Hitler wanted the Sudetenland Czech backed by GB, France, Russia Czech sacrificed for peace (Chamberlain)
Munich Peace Agreement Issue= Sudetenland (3.5 million Germans live here) Mussolini, Chamberlain, Daladier meet with Hitler Give Hitler Sudetenland if he would stop expansion Student becomes teacher Chamberlain “Peace for our time” Appeasement discredited Result- Hitler not satisfied and takes all of Czechoslovakia
Beginning of War for Germany The Coming War March 1939- Germany turn to Poland to recover Polish Corridor Hitler demands port of Danzig, RR’s and highways through the corridor to East Prussia Poland refuses demands France and GB give support Hitler did not expect war The Coming War August 1939 Nazi-Soviet Pact- Distrust between France, GB, Russia prevented alliance Russia felt left out Soviet Union agreed to let Germany invade Poland in return for land in Poland, Baltic States, etc. Sept. 1, 1939- Germany invades Poland Sept. 4, 1939- GB and France declare war on Germany ***WWII BEGINS*** The Sides Allies England France Poland Later USA Later USSR Axis Germany Austria Italy USSR
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Blitzkrieg in Eastern Europe Blitzkrieg- “Lightning Warfare”German style of warfare consisting of quick, concentrated attacks on land, air, and sea (reaction against WWI) Sept. 27, 1939- Poland surrenders Hitler and Stalin divide Poland USSR sets up bases in Baltic States for invasion of Finland Blitzkrieg in Western Europe “Phony War”- No real fighting in winter of 1939-1940 Spring 1940 Germans begin advances in Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg France establishes the Maginot Line- heavily defended forts along German, French border Invasion of France Maginot Line- Switz to Belguim Belguim neutral- remilitarization Germany attacks through Belgium Divides the Allies (Paris and coast) Dunkirk- 300,000 Allies retreat, all available vessels sent to rescue troops **GB united and inspired against Hitler** Germans continue through France French Resistance Free French- fled to GB Led by C. de Gaulle Secret, underground resistance Did not grow in strength until appeared Germany might lose France is Conquered June 10, 1940- Mussolini declares war on France June 14- Germans march on Paris -
French sign armistice where Germany surrendered WWI Germany occupied N. France Puppet Govt. est in S. France= Vichy Govt. (Petain’s govt.)
Vichy Government Thought Germany would win Dictatorial Church gains status Extremely nationalistic Germans order deportation of Jews (60,000) Britain Holds Out Winston Churchill (PM)- refuses to give in to Hitler Churchill opposed appeasement, inspired British Hitler thought GB agree to let Germany have continent if GB got to keep empire Aug 8, 1940- Battle of Britain Children sent to countryside By fall German losses cause Hitler to give up (Hitler promised people they would not be hurt) Hitler continues the blitz (day & night) until Spring 1941 Air raids avoids GB’s navy
Battle of Britain RAF aided by radar- used to spot enemy aircraft Destroys 2X more than lost RAF bombs Germany cities Germany diverts bombing in SE & turns to London for revenge Allies broke German secret code German subs block shipments US Role in Battle of Britain March 1941- Congress passes Lend-Lease Act FDR could sell, lease or lend military equipment to countries whose defense was vital to US security Allied Drive to Victory Invasion of USSR June 22 1941 Hitler invades Operation Barbarossa Why USSR? Hates Communism Lebensraum- living space Grain for Germans -
GB and US immediately help Offer Lend-Lease Act Goal: destroy Russia before winter BUT Invasion delayed 6 weeks Hitler forced to back up Mussolini- tried unsuccessfully to expand Italian possessions
Seize of Leningrad Russia initially devastated 2 year siege, 3 million trapped 1 million die of disease and starvation First year: 2.5 million soldiers lost “Scorched-earth”- withdraw from Germans destroying fields and equipment Russians- only 700 of 15,000 tanks left November- Hitler diverts large # of troops south Winter = NO VICTORY Winter helps Russians win- troops from Siberia arrive Battle of Stalingrad Summer 1942 Strategic city in terms of north-south transportation Oil fields August 600 planes bomb city Russians refuse to surrender More Russians lost here than total US losses in combat The Tide Turns Marshal Zhukov plans counter-attack Encircle German army-Stalingrad Hitler refuses to let Germans surrender Feb. 1943- last German surrenders against Hitler’s order **Turning point in Eastern Europe** Soviets begin push toward Berlin North African Campaign First year of war- Mussolini works to est. control of Mediterranean Libya (Italian colony) unsuccessfully invades Egypt trying to take control of Suez Canal (from GB) Germany sends Afrika Corps led by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel to protect Libya Rommel battles GB for more than a year 1942 GB sends Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery to block Rommel’s advance to the Suez El Alamein- retreating GB begins counterattack (west) Rommel driven from Africa First major British victory US in Africa Dec. 1941- Germany declares war on US Nov. 1942 Allied forces led by General Dwight D. Eisenhower arrive in French Morocco and Algeria (move east) French commander helps even though colonies were controlled by Vichy Govt. Allies trap Afrika Corp Results in Africa German army squashed in Tunisia May 1943- Allies held all N. Africa Allies control Suez Canal Africa would serve as a base to launch attacks into Southern Europe Europe Under Hitler Third Reich to last 1,000 years Size of Hitler’s Empire Atlantic to USSR Norway to North Africa War in the Pacific Japanese Aggression 1937 Japan invades Chiang Kai-shek’s China Hitler’s moves against West gave Japan a chance to expand in Pacific Desire to create “Greater East Asia Company Prosperity Sphere”- supply Japan with raw materials, food, new markets
Pearl Harbor Only US could challenge Japanese expansion US embargo- ban of sale of raw materials to Japan Japan joins Axis Powers believing war with US was unavoidable Dec. 7, 1941- attack on Pearl Harbor Easy targets- ships in harbor, planes on runaways Much of Pacific fleet and air force destroyed Same time Japan attacks US islands in Pacific and British holdings Dec.8 1941-US,GB declare war on Japan Germany, Italy declare war on US Victories for the Allies End of 1942- Allies on offensive in Asia and Europe Germany increased output of military = less consumer goods, shortages, food rationing Supplies taken from conquered lands The Surrender of Italy Italy attacked from North Africa Churchill- Italy “soft underbelly” of Axis July 1943- GB, US land in Sicily, later in month Mussolini overthrown Germany remains in Italy- Germans diverted Badoglio leader- declares war on Germany Rome captured in 1944 (Italians helped) Invasion of France Gen. Eisenhower leads Allies across English Channel Operation Overlord Hitler knew of preparations, but where invasions Allies use phantom army, radio messages that could be decoded June 6, 1944 D-Day- Allies land in Normandy 150,000 landed at 5 beaches Omaha, Juno, Sword- major Germans caught off guard 1 million Allied troops in France within month End of August- Paris freed Free French join Allies Defeat of Germany Fall 1944 Germans hopeless Soviets on East & US, GB on West Battle of the Bulge Mid Dec. 1944 Germans attack US soldiers at German border near Belgium, Luxembourg Germans break through lines US holds key towns and roads -
The End Jan. 1945- Allies take German gains April 1945- US and Soviet troops meet in Eastern Europe May 1,1945- Hitler commits suicide in underground quarters in Berlin May 8, 1945 VE Day- Germany surrenders unconditionally WWII’s Aftermath Most costly war in human history 40 million dead 10 million die in concentration camps Homeless refugees Vast areas of destruction Racism Slavs- beasts not treated as humans Hitler’s goals- Judenrein/ Europe “free of Jews” Countries involved- E. Europe, Russia, France, Netherlands, Italy, Belguim Heinrich Himmler He carried out Nazi racial policies “Aryan Superiority” Policy- enslave, destroy all “inferiors” Jews, Poles, Russians, etc. Racial “Cousins”- people of Germanic descent Re-educate to be valued citizen in “Greater Germany”- germanization Racial Policies Conquered people who looked German were taken and sent to Germany Brought up as Germans More people needed to populate “Greater Germany”
Poland Captured Soviets in Poland- carried on programs of murder and terror 1 million sent to forced labor camps Any threats to Stalinist rule eliminated Germans in Poland- concentration camps used for political prisoners Farm families relocated to make room for Germans Poland breeding ground for Jews
Escalating Treatment Lublin- 1939 Nazis believed all Jews in occupied Europe could live here -
Lodz, Warsaw- sealed w/ police guards & walls Jews lost personal property & businesses Germans and their Conquered Germans took food, weapons, and art from conquered Labor demanded from conquered 7 million sent to labor camps in Germany Died of disease, hunger, exhaustion 6 million Russians POW & civilians dead The Holocaust Reinhard Heydrich- Himmler’s deputy and chief planner of Nazi program to rid Europe of Jews 1941“The Final Solution to the Jewish problem”- genocide Holocaust- systematic murder of European Jews Jews rounded up, put in cattle cars and sent to death camps
Life in Death Camps Methods of killing: Gas chambers, torture, starvation, beatings Medical experiments 6 million Jews killed Auschwitz (Poland)- 2 million died here 90% of pre 1939 Jewish population in Poland destroyed Resistance Movements Nazis did meet opposition Hit and run attacks on German forces Strikes, blowing up factories, underground newspapers, relaying info to Allies, rescuing prisoners “Govts. in exile”- govts. fled occupied countries Citizens escaped and joined GB
Resistance Groups Danish Resistance- Denmark’s 8,000 Jews were smuggled into neutral Sweden Civilian killed for each German soldier killed Heydrich killed by Czech. Resistance- Czech village wiped out in revenge Free French- led by Charles de Gaulle Survivors of Dunkirk and others
War Crime Trials Nazi leaders arrested and charged with “crimes against humanity” Nuremberg Trials- Nov. 1945 World learned of Nazi horrors ½ of officers tried were sentenced to death Japanese officers also tried The Conferences Allies held 3 summits (meetings between top govt. officials) during the war Tehran, Iran Yalta, USSR Potsdam, Germany
Atlantic Charter August 1941 FDR & Churchill Basis for peace = 14 Point Plan
Tehran Conference Nov. 1943 Present- Churchill, Stalin, FDR “Big Three” Plan- discuss war strategy for Europe Normandy invasion planned Division of Germany into 4 Russia help w/ Japan- after Germany defeated Keep Eastern Europe Russia agrees to self-determination & democratic elections Avoid conflict w/ Allies Yalta Feb 1945 the “Big Three” meet Stalin agrees to free elections in Soviet occupied Eastern Europe Puppet govts. had already been est. Stalin agrees to declare war on Japan when Germany defeated (for land in Asia) United Nations developed Division of Germany into temporary occupation zones Potsdam July 1945 Present- Stalin, Atlee, and Truman Stalin refuses to hold free elections It would be “anti-Soviet” Disagreements over Eastern Europe would split Allies Raise fears of another world war
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