World War II

What started WWII?

• Rise of Fascism in Italy, Nazism in Germany & Militarism in Japan

• Factors that contributed to the rise of extremist political philosophies– WWI- Versailles Treaty: Humiliated Germany

• Germany had to pay “war reparations”• Germany lost its colonies• Germany had to dismantle its military

– Great Depression

Fascism

• Root of term: “fasces” --battle ax

• Definition:”political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader”, 100% capitalism…

Benito Mussolini

• Founded Fascist Party in Italy in 1921

• Became dictator in 1922 by overthrowing previous regime by force

• Brownshirts

Mussolini’s Rise to Power

• Fascism v Socialism

Mussolini’s Rise to Power

• Fascism v Socialism

Adolph Hitler

• Adolph Hitler– Rise because of

WWI, Depression– Motivations:

• Glory of Germany• Room for Aryans• Rid

“undesirables”

Hitler’s attempt to rise to power

• Tries to pull a Mussolini in 1923

• Spends about 9 months in prison

• Writes Mein Kampf

Nazi Party

• Nazi-National Socialist German Worker’s Party

• Initially, Hitler went to spy on the Nazi Party

• He liked what he saw• The Nazi Party won

majority of Reischtag in 1933

• Hitler heads party & becomes Chancellor

Hitler becomes dictator

• Fuhrer (leader)• Reishtag Fire• Is granted

“emergency powers”

Hitler and Mussolini

• Both rise to power by attacking communists

• Regimes in power before overthrow figure that fascism would be better than communism

Appeasement

• 1938• Hitler wants the

Sudetenland (W. portion of Czech)

• Chamberlain of GB & Dedaliar of Fr

• Breaks promise

Germany’s Attack in Europe

• Germany invade Poland

• Britian and France declare war on Germany– Sept. 1, 1939– Blitzkrieg– Warsaw Ghetto

Germany’s Attack in Europe

• Denmark, Holland• Norway (Quisling)• Belgium and France

– Dunkirk

• Britain– Winston Churchill

Alliances

• Hitler makes pact w/ Stalin in 1939 to not attack each other

• Breaks agreement and invades S. Union in 1940

• Allied Powers: France, Britain & USSR (US joins in 1941)

• Axis Powers: Italy, Germany & Japan

Holocaust

• Holocaust- literally means “whole burning” in German

• Comes to denote a massive genocide

• 6 million Jews & 4 million others “undesirables” were killed

Holocaust Continued

• Very gradual---came to power oppressing communists, then Jews…other groups-gypsies, slavs, homosexuals, anyone too old or too young to work in the occupied areas

• At first, wanted just to get rid of Jews• “Final Solution”--plan to exterminate Jews

was a last resort after many countries refused to allow Jews in

Why?

• Eugenics--”good genes” • Hitler believed (like many

others did) that there were 2 groups of people: weak and strong/ superior inferior

• In US, Eugenics popular in 1920s--led to sterilization of mentally ill

• Hitler borrowed this idea

How did Hitler pull off the “Final Solution?”

• Slow dismantling of civil rights within Germany (see timeline)

• World was silent• Anti-semitism (St.

Louis) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaiU9YJmod0

US Isolationism

• 1920-1941• Result of WWI &

problems at home– Kellogg-Briand Act– Neutrality Act

FDR’s “Acts Short of War”

• FDR was an “internationalist”

• Congress was largely “isolationist”

• FDR got Congress to pass– Lend-Lease Act– Destroyer Program

Role of Japan in War

• Like Germany & Italy, Japan was “nationalistic” and wanted to expand its empire

Why does the US eventually enter WWII

• Japan attacks Pearl Harbor

• Why? (Zinn/ text readings)

Zinn Reading

• 1. Why does the author refute the idea that the attack on Pearl Harbor was a “surprise?”

• 2. Why does he think that Pearl Harbor was attacked? What evidence does he use to support his argument?

• 3. What is the larger point the author seems to be making in this reading?

Japanese Internment Camps

• FDR passes Executive Order # 9066 on Feb. 19th, 1942

Japanese in the U.S.-History

• Most “issei” arrived in the U.S. b/w 1885 & 1921

• Most lived in Hawaii or W Coast (esp Cali)

• Most worked in agricultural sector

• Issei-1st generation• Nissei-2nd generation

Anti-Japanese rules in US

• Japanese were not allowed to become US citizens

• Not allowed in most labor unions

• Segregated schools

• Laws barring inter-racial marriage

• 1924 Exclusion Act

How the U.S. homefront was affected

• Women worked for war effort

• Draft• Rationing• Higher taxes• Sacrifices were

shared!

Maximum Axis Control (Sept 1942)

Allied Counterattacks in Europe

• Battle of Stalingrad (winter 1942-43)

• D-Day (June 6,1944)

• US & Br from West, USSR from East

War in Europe ends

• As allies close in, Hitler commits suicide on April 8, 1945

• Surrender from Germ on May 8, 1945 (V-E day)

Allied Counterattacks in the Pacific

• Midway• Southeast Asia• Island hopping• Japanese main

islands

Pacific War

Aftermath of WWII

• Nuremberg Trials

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights

• Creation of UN

• Creation of Israel

• Movements for independence all over

• Desegregation of Armed Forcees

• Cold War b/w US and USSR