WORLD WAR II: PART I

WORLD WAR II: PART I

The Largest War in Human History

Involved Countries, Colonies, and Territories Around the World

By the End, Over 70 Million Were Dead

Essential Questions

• What were the CAUSES of World War II?
• What were the MAJOR EVENTS of World War II?
• Who were the MAJOR LEADERS of World War II?

Causes of World WAR II

• Nationalism
• Italian, Japanese, and German Aggression
• Failures of the Treaty of Versailles
• Weakness of the League of Nations
• Appeasement
• Isolationism and Pacifism in the U.S.

NAtionalism

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Italian Aggression

Italian Aggression in Ethiopia

• Benito Mussolini invades North Africa with overwhelming force
• 275,000 Ethiopians killed
• 2,000 Italian troops killed
• Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie appeals to the League of Nations
• League's actions and protests are ineffective
• Italy invades Libya and Albania as well

Japanese Aggression

Japan Invades Manchuria

• September 1931, Japanese troops staged an incident in Manchuria on their own railway lines
• Japan accused China of sabotage
• Japanese forces launched a full invasion
• The ruse was exposed to the League of Nations and Japan withdrew in 1933

Spanish Civil War=Practice

German Aggression

German Aggression

• March 1936-Hitler militarizes the Rhineland
• March 1938-Anschluss-Germany annexes Austria
• September 1938- Hitler annexed the Sudetenland in Western Czechoslovakia
• Multiple violations of the Treaty of Versailles
• Many feared that Hitler was unstoppable

German Aggression

Anschluss

The Sudetenland

could the League of Nations really muzzle the "Dog of War"?

Appeasement

The Munich Agreement

• The League of Nations was too weak to address Germany's aggression
• British PM Neville Chamberlain met with Hitler to "establish peace."
• Hitler signed a settlement that gave the Sudetenland to Germany, but a "Czech state" was guaranteed
• Chamberlain hoped this would appease Hitler and bring "peace for our time."

"Peace For Our Time"

Appeasement

INVASION

ISOLATIONISM and PACIFISM

POST-World WAR I Woes

• The United States public took on a feeling of isolationism after the First World War
• Many idealist writers, poets, and artists swore themselves as pacifists-against war under any circumstances
• Due to domestic economic and political turmoil, European countries chose to stay out of the affairs of the aggressive countries

MAJOR EVENTS OF THE WAR

Invasion of Poland

The War is On!

• ALLIES- Great Britain and France declare war on Germany
• Germany, Italy, and Japan formed the- AXIS Powers
• Hitler annexed Danzig and begins attack on Poland
• BLITZKRIEG- "Lightning War"-Successful military strategy using tanks and airplanes supported by infantry

EARLY GAINS:By the Spring of 1940, Germany had invaded Denmark and Norway and moved in toward the Northeast border of France

The FALL OF FRANCE

The Fall of France

• Paris was captured just seven weeks after the invasion began
• German military occupied Northern France while the French Vichy government ruled Southern France
• French authorities were made to obey German Nazi officials from 1940-1945

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BATTLE OF BRITAIN

BAttle of Britain

• Nazi Luftwaffe conducted air raids on Great Britain night and day
• British RAF (Royal Air Force) counter-attacked with a new tool- RADAR
• German air raids died down, but continued to cut off British shipping which made food and consumer goods scarce
• Prime Minister Winston Churchill lended determination and encouragement to UK

British children seeking cover from German Luftwaffe air raids

Winston Churchill

• "Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."
• "If you're going through hell, keep going."
• "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
• "Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference."

"We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."

Operation Barbarossa

German Attack on Soviet Union

• Nazi-Soviet Pact- Hitler and Stalin had agreed not to attack each other
• June 22nd 1941 Germany invaded the Soviet Union without warning
• Battle of Stalingrad-lasted 6 MONTHS
• Soviets trapped and encircled German troops in city
• February 2nd, 1943-remaining German troops surrender

Battle of Stalingrad

The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the bloodiest battles in history with over 2 million combined military and civilian casualties. It stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union and marked the turning of the tide in favor of the Allies.

Major events of World WAR II

• German Invasion of Poland
• The Fall of France
• The Battle of Britain
• German Invasion of the Soviet Union
• More to come...