World War II

1. World War II World in Flames SSUSH 19

2. Causes of World War II • World War I and the worldwide economic depression devastated Europe. • Political and Social unrest led to the rise of totalitarian political parties – Nazi and Fascists Parties • Charismatic leaders like Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini rose to power. SSUSH 19

3. Adolf Hilter • Took advantage of German resentment over WWI to win support for Nazi Party. • Ascended to power in 1933, known as the “Fuhrer” (leader) • Called his government the ‘Third Reich’ and empire that would last a thousand years • Blamed the Jews for all of Germany’s problems SSUSH 19

4. Benito Mussolini • dictator of Italy from 1922- 1945 • head of the Fascist party • executed after he was overthrown by Italian King; hung from meat hooks to prove his death to the public SSUSH 19

5. Hitler’s Aggression • 1936 Germany occupies the Rhineland without any opposition • 1938 Germany annexes Austria with no resistance • 1938 demands the right to annex the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia • Hitler’s aggression is setting the stage of WWII SSUSH 19

6. Hitler’s Aggression • In an effort to avoid war, Great Britain and France give into Germany for a promise not to invade anymore territories • This policy was known as appeasement SSUSH 19

7. Winston Churchill A member of parliament at the time, he said, “Britain and France had to choose between war and dishonor. They chose dishonor. They will have war.” SSUSH 19

8. Japan • In the 1920’s and 1930’s, Japan began to aggressively expand its territory • Japan had become a modern country but had few resources, so it choose to take the resources that it needed. • Japan invades Manchuria – a province in China in 1931 • Captures most of the coastal cities but is unable to control inland • Japan Joins the Axis powers in 1940 SSUSH 19

9. U.S. Reactions • Congress passes the Neutrality Act of 1939 and considers a Constitutional amendment to restrict the governments power to declare war. • President Roosevelt keeps a suspicious eye on both Germany and Japan. SSUSH 19

10. U.S. Reactions • Roosevelt had to deal with racial tensions in the U.S. armed forces • A. Phillip Randolph, a civil rights leader, proposed a march on Washington D.C. to protest racial discrimination in the military. • Roosevelt supports the Fair Employment Act • Prohibits discrimination in defense industry • First law against employment discrimination SSUSH 19

11. Major Events and Battles of World War II SSUSH 19

12. The War in Europe • Sept. 1, 1939, Hitler launches WWII by invading Poland • He choose to invade Poland because it stood between Germany and Russia • He signs a Non-aggression Pact with Russia agreeing to divide Poland. • Joseph Stalin, dictator of USSR, agrees to buy time to build up his forces. • Britain and France declare war on Germany! SSUSH 19

13. The Fall of France. • April 1940, Germany conquers Denmark, Norway • In less than one month, Germany overruns the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France • Hitler wanted to establish peace with Britain so that he could turn his efforts toward Russia SSUSH 19

14. Battle of Britain • Winston Churchill finds himself alone in Europe to fight Hitler. • Hitler knew that he had to destroy Britain’s Royal Air Force before launching an invasion of England. • Nightly bombings of London strengthened the British and Churchill in their fight. • Hitler gives up his plan to invade Britain. SSUSH 19

15. The United States Enters the War • Roosevelt wins a third term to office in 1940 • He is convinced that America can’t afford to stay out of the war. • 1941 Congress passes the Lend-Lease Act – we would send aid to any country deemed vital to the U.S. and defer payment until later. SSUSH 19

16. Pearl Harbor • U.S. imposes an embargo on oil and steel to Japan. • Japan sets its sights on the natural resources of the Dutch East Indies. • Japan had to deal with the US Naval fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii • Japan delivers a surprise attack on December 7, 1941 • “A day that will live in infamy” -Roosevelt SSUSH 19

17. Internment Camps • Many suspected that Japanese, German and Italian Americans would support the Axis powers • Thousands were relocated to internment camps • American military forced 100,000 Japanese Americans to leave their homes. SSUSH 19

18. Internment Camps • Korematsu vs. United States said relocation was constitutional based on military urgency; • Ex Parte Endo case ruled that loyal Americans could not be held against their will. SSUSH 19

19. War in Europe • Three days after Pearl Harbor, Germany and Italy declared war on America • Hitler had also invaded Russia • The United States, Russia and Great Britain stood as the Allied Powers • The Allies drive the Axis out of North Africa and parts of Italy and prepare for an invasion of Western Europe. SSUSH 19

20. D-Day • Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt meet in Dec. 1943 • Soviets wanted Britain and American to open a second front against Germany • General Dwight D. Eisenhower is appointed as Supreme Allied Commander of Operation Overlord. SSUSH 19

21. Operation Overlord • Involved hundreds of thousands of troops • Largest amphibious invasion in military history. • Launched June 6, 1944 • 500,000 troops come ashore in Normandy, France • August, 1944 Allies liberate Paris SSUSH 19

22. Battle of the Bulge • Last major offensive battle for Germany; attempt to break through allied lines to capture Antwerp, Belgium • The Battle of the Bulge was the bloodiest of the battles that U.S. forces experienced in World War II; • the 19,000 American dead were unsurpassed by those of any other engagement • Germans finally turned back – Allies move on Berlin SSUSH 19

23. Fall of Berlin • ", two massive Soviet army groups attacked Berlin from the east and south, while a third overran German forces positioned north of Berlin • one of the final battles of the European Theatre of World War II. • Hitler committed suicide in his bunker as the Soviets approached the city. SSUSH 19

24. V-E Day • President Roosevelt dies will in office shortly before the war is over. • Harry Truman becomes president • Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day) = May 8, 1945 SSUSH 19

25. Holocaust • The invasion of Europe uncovered the horrible atrocities committed by the Nazi’s • Nazi’s targeted people they felt were inferior or unfit – especially the Jewish people. • He blamed the Jewish people for all of Germany’s problems when he took power. SSUSH 19

26. Holocaust • The anti-semetism progressed to Hitler’s Final Solution to the Jewish problem • The Nazi’s attempt to exterminate the Jewish race through mass genocide • Jews would be rounded up and placed in concentration camps for extermination. • Approximately six million Jews and five million undesirables were killed . SSUSH 19

27. War in the Pacific • Within hours of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan also attacked the Philippines, destroying half U.S. planes stationed there. • Japanese forces invade and eventually take the Islands • General Douglas MacArthur forced to abandon the Philippines, vowing to its people that he would return. SSUSH 19

28. Bataan Death March • the forcible transfer of 90,000 to 100,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war captured by the Japanese in the Philippines from the Bataan peninsula to prison camps, • Characterized by wide-ranging physical abuse, murder, savagery, and resulted in very high fatalities inflicted upon the prisoners and civilians along the route by the armed forces of the Empire of Japan SSUSH 19

29. The Battle of Midway and Island Hopping • Admiral Yamamoto – considered a military genius for his attack on Pearl Harbor wanted to destroy the remainder of the US Fleet • Battle of Midway – a surprise by the American Navy on Japan • American victory –allows US to go on the offense in the Pacific SSUSH 19

30. Island Hopping • The U.S. decided to advance on Japan from two directions. • Across the central Pacific under Admiral Nimitz. • From the South under General MacArthur and Halsey • The southern route required an invasion of the Philippines which MacArthur had promised to the people of the Philippines. SSUSH 19

31. Island Hopping The U.S. began a process of island hopping, in which it attacked and conquered one group of islands and moved onto the next. “People of the Philippines , I have returned.” MacArthur SSUSH 19

32. Island Hopping • In desperation, Japan turned to the use of Kamikaze pilots to try and avoid defeat • Kamikazes were pilots who committed suicide by intentionally crashing their planes into U.S. ships • Famous battles include – Iwo Jima. Guadalcanal, Okinawa SSUSH 19

33. Atomic Bomb • The capture of Okinawa cleared the way for the invasion of Japan. • Manhattan Project was conducted to build the first atomic bomb; project was based in Los Alamos, New Mexico. SSUSH 19

34. Potsdam Conference • Harry Truman, Churchill and Stalin meet to discuss post war policies. • Potsdam Declaration restated their policy of unconditional surrender • Japanese insisted on the condition that the Emperor would be protected. • Truman authorized the use of the bomb SSUSH 19

35. Victory in Japan • August 6, 1945, a B-29 bomber named the Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan • August 8, 1945, the Soviet Union invaded Manchuria • When Japan delayed its surrender, August 9, 1945 , America dropped the second bomb on Nagasaki. • Japan finally surrendered on August 14, 1945 • The next day was declared V-J Day SSUSH 19

36. The War at Home • The government realized the support of the American People was crucial to victory • They launched huge advertising campaign and theaters played newsreels that showed American war effort in a positive light SSUSH 19

37. SSUSH 19

38. War Production Board • The U.S. economy had to switch from peacetime to wartime as quickly as possible. • Roosevelt set up the War production Board (WPB) to oversee the transformation. • It redirected the raw materials and resources from the production of consumer goods to the production of military goods. • The U.S economy boomed and the western population increased rapidly. SSUSH 19

39. Income Tax and War Bonds • The number of people required to pay income tax increased • The government introduced the idea of withholding income tax from people’s paychecks and give it to the government • War bonds were used as another source. Americans loaned the govt. $60 million dollars. SSUSH 19

40. Citizen Sacrifice • People started growing victory gardens of their own food so that more food could be sent to soldiers. • Rationing programs were started to control how certain resources were distributed. • Government forced people to conserve resources that were needed for the war effort SSUSH 19

41. “Rosie the Riveter” • Women took jobs normally reserved for men. • Women became an important part of the workforce at home. • A popular song was called Rosie the Riveter • It became the symbol of women who entered the workforce to fill the gap. SSUSH 19