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
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