World War II (1939 – 1945) and the Cold War (1947 – 1991)

8th grade Social StudiesUnit 5

Figure 1:

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World War II (1939 – 1945) and the Cold War (1947 – 1991)Prior Wars

1. Complete the table below using your prior knowledge. o For “Combatants”, explain what country(s) fought what

country(s).o For “Causes”, explain why the war began. o For “Conclusion”, explain how the war ended. Who won, and did

they sign a peace treaty?o For “Analysis”, explain whether you believe the conclusion of

the war left unresolved issues that might later turn to war again, or if it resolved all the issues between the countries.

Prior Wars Combatants Causes Conclusion AnalysisRevolutionary War

War of 1812

Mexican War

Civil War

Spanish War

WWI (Great War)

The End of World War I (the Great War)Germany was blamed for the Great War, and it was forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles which forced it to pay for all the damage it had done in the war (which Germany could not afford). When the Great Depression hit, its economy suffered even more. Since Germany’s economy was doing so poorly, a man named Hitler became popular in Germany because he promised to make Germany a great country again.

Japan’s economy suffered during the Great Depression, and its leaders wanted the resources of other nearby countries (like China) to improve its economy. The United States did not approve of Japan’s actions, and placed an embargo on Japan.

2. Based on your Prior Wars analyses above, what do you predict Germany and Japan are likely to do? What is motivating Germany and Japan to behave as they are?

3. If you were the United States, how would you react to what is happening in Germany and Japan? Explain.

4. Use the world map in the back of your textbook and indicate where each of the Axis and Allies countries are on the map below.

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World War II (1939 – 1945) and the Cold War (1947 – 1991)World War II (1939-1945)

Axis AlliesGermany (major power) FranceItaly United Kingdom/Britain (major

power)Japan (major power) Russia/Soviet Union/USSR (major

power)United States (major power)

World War I (Great War) (1914-1918)Triple Alliance (Central Powers) Triple Entente (Allies)

Germany FranceAustria-Hungary United KingdomTurkey Russia

ItalyJapan

5. Compare and contrast the various alliances in World War II with the alliances in the Great War (World War I) by explaining how they changed or remained the same.

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World War II (1939 – 1945) and the Cold War (1947 – 1991)Definitions:

Anschluss: Natural political unification of Germany and Austria. Appeasement: The policy of giving in to the demands of another. Blitzkrieg: German term meaning “lightning war”, a war that is fought swiftly and

with surprise. Cede: Give up something, usually land. Collaboration: Working together. Embargo: When a country refuses to trade with another. Fascism: A radical form of government that was an extreme form of nationalism and

militarism, with a strong belief in a single powerful leader. Lebensraum: German term for “living space”. Scorched Earth: A military strategy where you destroy your own farms and cities so

that the enemy cannot use it against you. Spazio Vitale: Italian term for “living space”. Schutzstaffel: Abbreviated as the S.S., a german word that translates as Protection

Squadron. Tariffs: Taxes on products from other countries, designed to make them more

expensive so people will buy locally-made products.

Leaders of WWIIThe Rise of Hitler in GermanyIn 1938, Germany was fascist country under the Nazi Party and Chancellor Adolf Hitler. Although the 1919 Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I had put limits on the size of Germany’s military, by the late 1930s, Hitler had begun ignoring those limitations. He began not only to rebuild his military rapidly, but also to speak openly of Germany’s need for lebensraum, or “living space.”

Germanys economy was ruined after WWI, and his expansion of Germany’s military created tens of thousands of new jobs and helped Germany’s economy recover from the harsh economic penalties Germany was forced to pay the Allies.

The Rise of Mussolini in ItalyMussolini founded fascism in Italy and part of his success in popularizing fascism was its emphasis on unity. Fascism did not care whether you were rich or poor, it only cared that you were loyal to the nation and that you were loyal to that nation’s leader.

Mussolini became even more popular in Italy when he began arguing for Spazio Vitale, claiming that Italy was overpopulated and crowded and that it needed to expand into the Mediterranean Sea, particularly in the east.

The Japanese EmpireHirohito was emperor of Japan during WWII and was considered the son of Heaven. The real leader of Japan was Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, who was the main proponent of war with the Allies.

The United Kingdom (Britain)Before and at the beginning of the war, Neville Chamberlain was the Prime Minister of the U.K., and practiced the policy of appeasement. He was replaced by Winston Churchill in 1940, who early on opposed Hitler and appeasement.

The Soviet Union (formerly Russia)Joseph Stalin was leader of the Soviet Union during WWII and was infamous for his “Great Purge”, where hundreds of thousands of his political enemies were executed or imprisoned.

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World War II (1939 – 1945) and the Cold War (1947 – 1991)FranceCharles de Gaulle became leader of the French resistance after France’s early surrender to Germany. He was opposed to collaboration with Germany.

The United StatesFranklin D. Roosevelt was president of the U.S. during WWII and became president during the Great Depression with the promise that he would heal the country and keep it out of another war in Europe. He tried to aid the allies during WWII without declaring war against Germany, Italy, or Japan.

6. How did Hitler come to power in Germany?7. How did Mussolini come to power in Italy?8. How could we have prevented the rise of the two fascist dictators above?9. Create a chart on the important world leaders above in the space below.

Include titles such as: Leader, Country,

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World War II (1939 – 1945) and the Cold War (1947 – 1991)

The Start of World War IIAnschluss and AppeasementIn March 1938, Nazi troops took control of Austria, which put up no resistance. Hitler claimed that the annexation was supported by his doctrine of Anschluss. Britain and France took no action. Shortly thereafter, Hitler demanded that Czechoslovakia cede to Germany the Sudetenland, a territory along the German-Czech border. Hitler accused the Czechs of tyrannizing the large German population there and argued that the territory belonged to Germany. Britain and France met with Germany and both countries agreed to give in to Germany’s demand if Hitler and Germany took no more land. Hitler signed an agreement with Britain and France agreeing to take no more land.

After taking the Sudetenland, however, Hitler ignored the agreement and occupied most of western Czechoslovakia. Britain and France did nothing.

10. What is lebensraum? Explain.11. What is Anschluss? What similar philosophy have we studied before?12. How did Hitler become leader of Germany?13. What do you think of Hitler’s taking over of other countries? Explain.14. What do you think of Britain and France’s actions? Explain.15. What caused WWII?

The German-Soviet Nonaggression PactSeveral months after Germany’s annexation of the Sudetenland (in Czechoslovakia), on August 23, 1939, a meeting occurred in Moscow between German foreign minister von Ribbentrop and Soviet foreign minister Molotov. Afterward, they announced publicly that Germany and the Soviet Union had signed the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact to prevent hostilities between the two countries.

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World War II (1939 – 1945) and the Cold War (1947 – 1991)The German Invasion of PolandGermany’s invasion of Poland came quickly and with overwhelming force. The attack began on September 1, 1939, with heavy air strikes followed by a rapidly advancing ground invasion. Hitler referred to the strategy as blitzkrieg, or “lightning war.” The object of the blitzkrieg strategy was to shock the opponent so severely that there would be little resistance, allowing the country to be overrun quickly, with minimal German losses. It took Germany 26 days to conquer Poland.

Atrocities against the Polish PeopleGermany sought not just to destroy the Polish government but also to obliterate the Polish people. In the first days and weeks of the war, both Jewish and non-Jewish civilians were killed regardless of whether they resisted. Villages and towns were burned, and fleeing survivors were ruthlessly chased down and shot.

Although the regular German army defeated the Polish military within days of the invasion, a more sinister set of squadrons followed — part of the soon-to-be-infamous S.S. These S.S. squadrons immediately began rounding up and killing Polish civilians. Larger groups of Jews were singled out and herded into the central Warsaw ghetto where they were slowly starved for the next two years. Smaller groups encountered along the way were shot on the spot.

The Soviet Invasion of PolandJust two weeks after the German invasion began, Soviet troops were ordered by their leader, Stalin, to invade Poland from the east on September 17, 1939. It took them only two days to push far enough to meet German troops advancing from the west.

16. What was the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact? Explain.17. Why did both Germany and the USSR keep the nonaggression pact secret?18. Explain blitzkrieg. Was it effective? Why?19. We’ve talked of total war, is what the German army did against the Polish

people part of total war?20. What is the S.S. and what did they do?21. Do we have organizations today similar to the S.S.? Explain.22. What atrocities did the Germany army commit in Poland?23. Why do you think the German army acted the way it did towards the people

of Poland?24. What effect do you think the German-Soviet nonaggression pact will have on

the future course of the war? Explain.

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World War II (1939 – 1945) and the Cold War (1947 – 1991)Propaganda in World War II

25. For the following propaganda posters: For Description: Briefly describe what the poster shows. For Meaning: Explain what message you think the poster is showing. For Likely Origin: Explain what major Allied or Axis country created the

poster AND explain why.

Poster 1

Poster 2

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World War II (1939 – 1945) and the Cold War (1947 – 1991)

Poster 3

Poster 4

Poster 5 Poster 6

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World War II (1939 – 1945) and the Cold War (1947 – 1991)Poster #

Description Meaning Likely Origin

1

2

3

4

5

6

26. Create your own propaganda poster about the current war in Afghanistan. The poster should include some catchy image as well as words to that effect. Your poster should be as colorful and eye-catching as possible.

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World War II (1939 – 1945) and the Cold War (1947 – 1991)The War in EuropeInvasion of Western Europe

Soon after invading Poland, the Soviet Union fought a four-month invasion of Finland, ultimately conquering that country, though it lost 200,000 soldiers to Finland’s loss of 100,000. In April of 1940, Germany simultaneously conquered both Denmark and Norway.

On May 10, 1940, Germany began the invasion of Western Europe with the primary goal of conquering France. The Netherlands and Belgium were both quickly overrun by the German blitzkrieg, both surrendering to Germany in just two weeks of fighting. Germany achieved surprise in these invasions by moving its tank army through the Ardennes forest, which the Allies did not believe was possible, and thus did not defend against an invasion from that route.

Meanwhile, Germany invaded France and managed to surround the main French army, separating it from the British army near the French port city of Dunkirk. The British began withdrawing its 300,000 soldiers and all their equipment from France and fleeing back to the United Kingdom, leaving France on its own against the German army.

The new British prime minister (leader) Winston Churchill encouraged France to resist Germany at all costs. By June 22, 1940, over half of the French army

had been destroyed by the Germans and Adolf Hitler of Germany forced the French to surrender in the very same railway car that the Germans in the Great War were forced to surrender to the French.

27. What role did geography play in the German victory over France? Explain.28. In what other wars have we seen geography play a role in one side’s victory?

Explain.29. Why do you think the British withdrew from France and left the French on

their own against the Germans? 30. Would you have done the same as the British? Why?

Battle of Britain

After France’s surrender, Germany’s main goal was to conquer the British in the United Kingdom. From July to September of 1940, Germany bombed the United Kingdom, particularly the British capital city of London, which was heavily bombed by the Germans, resulting in numerous civilian casualties. In the course of these months of air battles, the British lost 900 planes to Germany’s loss of 1,700 planes. The primary reason for the British victory was the use of radar by the British to detect incoming German airplanes and intercept them before they could arrive at their targets. The British also benefitted from supplies sent by American convoy ships.

After Germany’s huge losses in the Battle of Britain, Hitler postponed his invasion of Britain and instead turned to attack the Soviet Union in the east.

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World War II (1939 – 1945) and the Cold War (1947 – 1991)31. What was the one main factor that helped the British defeat the Germans at

the Battle of Britain? Explain.32. What other wars have we seen technology play a key role in one side’s

victory? Explain.33. What role do you think technology will play in future wars?

ItalyItaly, led by Mussolini, joined Germany as part of the Axis powers on June, 1940 and declared war on Britain and France. Italy joined too late to help the Germans in France, and the Italians had no real air force to speak of. Italy began attacking British forces in Eastern Africa, where it won, and in North Africa, where it lost. Italy also attacked Greece and failed. It was at this point that Germany helped Italy and invaded Greece by first invading neutral Yugoslavia, which quickly surrendered.

34. In your opinion, was Italy a good ally? Explain.

The Invasion of Russia (Operation Barbarossa)Germany began the invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. Germany invaded with over 4 million soldiers and planned the conquest of the Soviet Union to be complete by the winter of 1941. In the first week of the German invasion they destroyed over 5,000 Soviet planes, with few losses to the German air force.

The leader of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, ordered his army to fight to the last man and conduct a scorched-earth tactic, which meant that whatever resources they could not carry away, they were to burn so that the Germans could not use it. The Russians thus destroyed roads and bridges, burned fields of crops, and demolished or emptied many factories. Some major factories were even disassembled and moved eastward out of danger. The scorched-earth policy was effective and slowed the advancing German armies.

The British and Americans began supplying the Soviets through their northern port cities. Hitler had already planned to have defeated the Soviets by winter, and when winter finally arrived, his armies were still fighting. As a result, many German soldiers died from frostbite and large numbers of German equipment (tanks, guns, etc.) malfunctioned in the cold weather.

Germany continued to fight in the Soviet Union, both in the winter of 1941 and through the next year and into the winter of 1942. In this time, they managed to kill 20 million Soviets, and lost over 1 million of their own soldiers.

35. Was Germany’s invasion of Russia a betrayal? What about the saying, “All’s fair in love and war”?

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World War II (1939 – 1945) and the Cold War (1947 – 1991)36. What evidence was there in Germany’s past behavior that would indicate its

future behavior towards Russia?37. Was the German invasion of Russia a success? Explain.38. Would you have attacked Russia if you were the leader of Germany? Why?39. Explain below what your plan to win World War II would have been if you

were in Hitler’s place.

Figure 2: Pacific Theater

The War in the PacificJapan and the United StatesIn the meantime, the United States was becoming more and more of a problem for Japan. Throughout the 1930s, the United States and many European nations, suffering from the Great Depression, created high protective tariffs. These tariffs greatly reduced Japanese export of goods and made worse the effects of Japan’s economic depression. In July 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt decided not to renew trade treaties with Japan and this effectively eliminated Japan’s primary source of oil, scrap metal, and other material resources needed for war. On September 27, 1940, Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy. The pact made the three nations official allies.

40. How would Japan feel towards the United States because of these tariffs and refusal to trade? Why?

41. If the United States had kept trading with Japan, would Japan have still become allies with Germany and Italy? Why?

The United States Prepares for WarAlthough the United States remained officially neutral during the first two years of World War II, the United States provided material support first to Britain and later to the Soviet Union, secretly at first but then openly later. The American people also paid close

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World War II (1939 – 1945) and the Cold War (1947 – 1991)attention to the events developing in the Pacific and, by mid-1941, considered war with both Japan and Germany to be likely possibilities.

U.S. intelligence services had direct access to Japanese coded transmissions, so U.S. officials were well aware that the Japanese were planning something against them—they just did not know precisely what.

IndochinaIndochina was a French colony in Southeast Asia comprising the present-day nations Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. On July 20, 1941, Japanese troops entered the region and quickly occupied the entire area. Japan justified the occupation as necessary in order to deny resources to the Chinese resistance. However, Indochina also provided Japan with a convenient base for launching attacks against other countries and territories in the region, including Singapore and the Dutch East Indies. Both the United States and Britain saw this move as a threat and a clear indication of Japan’s intention to continue its expansion throughout the Pacific Rim. The two countries expressed their disapproval by freezing1 Japanese bank accounts.

42. What was the main point of disagreement between Japan and the United States in the Pacific?

The Japanese Attack PlanAs early as January 1941, Admiral Yamamoto developed a plan for attacking the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor and carried out training exercises to prepare specifically for such an attack. In October, the Japanese emperor, Hirohito, gave his general approval for action against the United States and, on November 8, approved the specific Pearl Harbor attack plan. On November 25–26, the Japanese fleet set sail from Japan, its goal was to make a permanent end to Western interference in its affairs by obliterating the U.S. and British military in the Pacific.

Pearl HarborOn the morning of December 7, 1941, a fleet of six aircraft carriers, twenty-five submarines, and nearly three dozen additional support ships was sitting 200 miles north of the Hawaiian island of Oahu—in the open sea, far beyond the line of sight of any U.S. forces.

The first wave of Japanese planes numbered more than 180. Although U.S. radar operators saw the massive formation nearly a full hour before the attack began, they raised no alarm, because they mistook the planes for a group of U.S. bombers expected to arrive from California around the same time. This mistake happened in spite of the fact that the planes seen on the radar were coming from the wrong direction and were much more numerous than the expected bomber fleet.

The first wave arrived at the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor at 7:55 a.m. and achieved complete surprise; only nine Japanese planes were lost. The primary targets were major U.S. warships, most of which were docked close together in neat lines. These included eight of the nine battleships in the U.S. Pacific Fleet, along with several dozen other warships. The Japanese also targeted six nearby military airfields. A second attack wave of more than 160 planes followed just over an hour later. By this time, the Americans were well alerted and managed to bring down twenty Japanese planes.

1 This meant that Japan could not access its money in banks in the U.S. and U.K.

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World War II (1939 – 1945) and the Cold War (1947 – 1991)In all, the attack on Pearl Harbor killed 2,402 Americans, destroyed five battleships completely, put three more out of commission, sank or seriously damaged at least eleven other warships, and destroyed nearly more than 180 aircraft on the ground. The only good luck the U.S. Navy had was that none of its aircraft carriers were in port at the time and that the Japanese bombers failed to hit the large fuel reserves in the area.

In addition to attacking Pearl Harbor that day, Japan also attacked the U.S. territories of Guam, the Philippines, Wake Island, and Midway Island, as well as British colonies in Malaya and Hong Kong.

Declarations of WarThe next day, December 8, President Roosevelt went before both houses of the U.S. Congress to request a declaration of war against Japan; after a vote, the declaration was formalized just hours later. Britain declared war on Japan on the same day. Three days later, on December 11, Germany declared war on the United States. Thus, the United States was now at war with both Japan and Germany and able to enter fully into its alliance with Britain.

Reaction in the United StatesThe story of the attack on Pearl Harbor has become a part of American culture. For the American population, the event was a traumatic shock, as few regular Americans knew much about the events in Japan leading up to the war or about the level of hostility that Japan bore toward the United States.

Britain’s prime minister, Winston Churchill, was desperate for active U.S. participation and had long been pressing his old friend Roosevelt to enter the war. Some historians argue that British intelligence had specific information about the Pearl Harbor attack and that Churchill deliberately kept the information to himself so that the United States would finally go to war. These claims, however, remain unconfirmed.

43. What was Japan’s goal in attacking the American fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii? Did it achieve this goal? Explain.

44. Did the United States have any warnings that Japan might attack them?45. Was Japan’s sneak attack a part of total war? Was it right to attack the

United States in this way? Why?46. If you were Churchill, the leader of the United Kingdom, and you knew that

Japan was planning on attacking the United States, would you have told the United States about the planned attack? Why?

America during World War IIFood, gas and clothing were rationed. Communities conducted scrap metal drives. To help build the weapons necessary to win the war, women found employment as electricians, welders and riveters in defense plants. People in the U.S. grew increasingly dependent on radio reports for news of the fighting overseas. And, while popular entertainment served to demonize the nation’s enemies, it also was viewed as an escapist outlet that allowed Americans brief escapes from war worries.

47. How were the lives of ordinary Americans affected by WWII?

THE PLIGHT OF JAPANESE AMERICANSNot all American citizens were allowed to retain their independence during World War II. Just over two months after Pearl Harbor, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt (1882-1945) signed into law Executive Order 9066, which resulted in the removal from their communities and the subsequent imprisonment of all Americans of Japanese descent who resided on the West Coast.

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World War II (1939 – 1945) and the Cold War (1947 – 1991)Executive Order 9066 was the offshoot of a combination of wartime panic and the

belief on the part of some that anyone of Japanese ancestry, even those who were born in the U.S., was somehow capable of disloyalty and treachery. As a result of the order, nearly 120,000 Japanese Americans were sent to makeshift “relocation” camps. Despite the internment of their family members, young Japanese-American men fought bravely in Italy, France and Germany between 1943 and 1945 as members of the U.S. Army’s 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry. By the end of the war, the 100th had become the most decorated combat unit of its size in Army history.

48. Why do you think only Japanese Americans were placed in internment camps and not German or Italian Americans?

AFRICAN AMERICANS DURING WWIIThe Tuskegee airmen were the first black servicemen to serve as military aviators in the U.S. armed forces, flying with distinction during World War II. Though subject to racial discrimination both at home and abroad, the 996 pilots and more than 15,000 ground personnel who served with the all-black units would be credited with some 15,500 combat sorties and earn over 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses for their achievements. It is ironic that segregation still existed in the U.S. for these African-Americans, since German and Italian prisoners of war were allowed to freely eat at restaurants African-Americans were forbidden to even enter.

The highly publicized successes of the Tuskegee Airmen helped pave the way for the eventual integration of the U.S. armed forces under President Harry Truman in 1948.

49. Why do you believe African-Americans still fought for America, even knowing they still faced segregation, discrimination, and racism at home?

50. Map out the numbered events below on your map of the Pacific Theater.51. Why did Japan lose the battles of the Coral Sea and Midway?52. What piece of technology allowed the United States to defeat Japan’s forces

in the Pacific?53. What was Japan’s New Plan? What was one advantage to the plan? What

was one disadvantage? 54. Do you think Japan’s New Plan was a good one? Explain.

Event 1) The Japanese OnslaughtAfter its initial attacks on Pearl Harbor and Allied interests throughout the Pacific, the Japanese navy continued to expand its conquests over the coming months. On February 15, 1942, Japanese forces took Malaya, a humiliating defeat for the United Kingdom. On March 9, after a series of sea battles, the Dutch East Indies surrendered. On April 9, the U.S. territory of the Philippines also fell to Japan. Island colonies, territories, and nations in Southeast Asia continued to fall one after the other as Japanese forces exploded across the South China Sea and into the Bay of Bengal, threatening Burma and even India.

Event 2) The Doolittle RaidOn April 18, 1942, U.S. forces launched a daring air raid to demonstrate that Japan itself was vulnerable to Allied attack. Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle led the attack, which came from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet. The bombers flew more than 800 miles to Japan, where they dropped bombs on oil and naval facilities in Tokyo and several other cities. The planes then continued on to China to land. Although the raid did minimal damage to Japan, it was a powerful psychological victory for the United States and demonstrated that the Japanese homeland could be attacked.

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World War II (1939 – 1945) and the Cold War (1947 – 1991)Event 3) The Battle of the Coral Sea By late spring 1942, Japan had captured most of Southeast Asia and turned its attention southward. In early May, Japanese invasion fleets were ordered to take over Tulagi in the Solomon Islands and Port Moresby on New Guinea—the location of a major Allied base and the last Allied outpost standing between the Japanese navy and Australia. U.S. forces in the area were alerted in advance because of intercepted Japanese radio transmissions.

The Americans and Japanese fought on May 7 in the Battle of the Coral Sea. The entire battle was carried out by carrier-based aircraft, without any ships exchanging shots—the first time in history that a naval battle was waged exclusively from the air. Both sides suffered heavy losses. While losses were roughly equal for each side, the Allied forces succeeded in their goal of protecting Port Moresby.

Event 4) Japan’s New PlanFollowing the humiliation of the Doolittle Raid and the failure to take Port Moresby during the Battle of the Coral Sea, Japan knew that something had to be done to eliminate the threat from U.S. aircraft carriers. Admiral Yamamoto, who had planned the Pearl Harbor attack, was again put in charge.

Yamamoto’s plan involved a massive attack on the Pacific island of Midway and a second, smaller attack on the Aleutian Islands of Alaska with the intent of drawing part of the U.S. Navy away from Midway. The Japanese assembled a huge armada of more than 150 ships for the attack, including four aircraft carriers and seven battleships.

As with the Battle of the Coral Sea, however, U.S. intelligence managed to decipher Japanese coded transmissions and determine where the actual attack would take place. The United States responded by sending its entire Pacific Fleet to Midway.

Event 5) The Battle of MidwayJapan started its attack early in the morning on June 4, bombing the U.S. base on Midway Island. The Battle of Midway was over by the end of the day. In all, the United States lost one aircraft carrier, one destroyer, nearly 150 airplanes, and just over 300 men. The Japanese losses were far worse: four aircraft carriers, along with more than 230 airplanes and more than 2,000 men.

Event 6) Japan on the DefensiveThe nature of the war in the Pacific changed dramatically during the first half of 1942. Japan had begun with a strong offensive but quickly overextended itself by conquering most of Southeast Asia. Furthermore, Japan underestimated the U.S. Navy and took a risky gamble in its attack on Midway. Japan’s losses at Coral Sea and Midway forced it to shift into a defensive mode. Never again would Australia or the U.S. mainland face a serious danger from Japanese attack.

America would “island hop” from one island group in the Pacific to another, coming ever closer to the Japanese home islands. Fighting during this time was brutal, as the Japanese rarely surrendered and often fought to the last man. Eventually, the Americans took islands close enough to Japan’s home islands that they could conduct bombing raids of many Japanese cities.

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World War II (1939 – 1945) and the Cold War (1947 – 1991)The end of the War

Yalta Conference (Feb 1945); Location: CrimeaHeld during the war, on the surface, the Yalta conference seemed successful.  The Allies agreed a Protocol of Proceedings to:

divide Germany into four ‘zones’, which Britain, France, the USA and

the USSR would occupy after the war. bring Nazi war-criminals to trial. set up a Polish Provisional Government of National Unity 'pledged to the

holding of free and unfettered elections as soon as possible'. help the freed peoples of Europe set up democratic and self-governing

countries by helping them to (a) maintain law and order; (b) carry out emergency relief measures; (c) set up governments; and (d) hold elections (this was called the 'Declaration of Liberated Europe').

set up a commission to look into reparations.

At Yalta, the negotiations went very much in Stalin's favour, but this was because Roosevelt wanted Russian help in the Pacific, and was prepared to agree to almost anything as long as Stalin agreed to go to war with Japan.  Therefore, Stalin promised that:

Russia would join the war in the Pacific, in return for occupation zones

in North Korea and Manchuria. Russia also agreed to join the United Nations.

Although the Conference appeared successful, however, behind the scenes, tension was growing, particularly about reparations, and about Poland. After the conference,

Churchill wrote to Roosevelt that ‘The Soviet Union has become a danger to the free world.’  And on their return home both he and Roosevelt were criticized for giving away too much to the Soviets. 

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World War II (1939 – 1945) and the Cold War (1947 – 1991)

Potsdam Conference (July 1945); Location: GermanyAt Potsdam, the Allies met after the surrender of Germany (in May 1945) to finalise the principls of the post-war peace – Potsdam was the Versailles of World War II. Three factors meant that the Potsdam Conference was not successful:

Relations between the superpowers had worsened considerably since Yalta.  In March 1945, Stalin had invited the non-Communist Polish leaders to meet him, and arrested them.  Things had got so bad that, in May 1945, the British Joint Planing Group had drawn up plans for 'Operation Unthinkable' - a 'total war ... to impose our will upon Russia'.

Meanwhile, Roosevelt had died, and America had a new president, Truman, who was inclined to ‘get tough’ with the Russians.  

Also, soon after he had arrived at the Conference, Truman learned (on 21 July) that America had tested the first atomic bomb. It gave the Americans a huge military advantage over everyone else. It also meant that Truman didn't need Stalin's help in Japan. Instead, Truman's main aim at the conference was to find out from Stalin what date the Russians intended to enter the war in the Pacific - something which (unlike Roosevelt) he did NOT want.

So, at Potsdam, the arguments came out into the open.

The Conference agreed the following Protocols: to set up the four ‘zones of occupation’ in Germany.   The Nazi Party,

government and laws were to be destroyed, and 'German education shall be so controlled as completely to eliminate Nazi and militarist doctrines and to make possible the successful development of democratic ideas.

to bring Nazi war-criminals to trial. to recognize the Polish Provisional Government of National Unity and

hold 'free and unfettered elections as soon as possible'. Russia was allowed to take reparations from the Soviet Zone, and also

10% of the industrial equipment of the western zones as reparations.  America and Britain could take reparations from their zones if they wished.     

President Truman presented it as a 'compromise', but in fact the Allies had disagreed openly about:

the details of how to divide Germany. the size of reparations Germany ought to pay. Russian influence over the countries of eastern Europe.

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World War II (1939 – 1945) and the Cold War (1947 – 1991)Decision to Drop the Atomic BombYou are the President of the United States in 1945. Germany has been defeated and the war in Europe is over. Our country has been at war with the Japanese Empire for the last 4 years. When you became President of the United States after the death of President Roosevelt, you were informed of a secret military program known as the “Manhattan Project”; a weapon of mass destruction unlike anything the world has ever seen. This “atomic bomb” uses the process of nuclear fission, splitting an atom which releases an enormous amount of energy. The destruction caused by this bomb would be catastrophic, and could potentially end the war. You now have the duty as Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces to make the decision of whether or not to use the atomic bomb against the Japanese. You hold a meeting with your cabinet, in which they offer suggestions and make the case for and against using the atomic bomb. During the meeting, you wrote down notes in your notebook about what was said by your cabinet members:

The United States has been at war with Japan and Germany for 4 years. In that time, the United States military has lost 416,800 soldiers in this war. This war has claimed 60 million lives (2.5% of the world’s population).

Using the atomic bomb could bring a swift end to the war. The atomic bomb carries the equivalent power of 20,000 tons (40,000,000 lbs.) of TNT

explosive. Regular bombs only carry 2 tons of explosive. This means that the atomic bomb is 10,000 times more powerful than a standard bomb. This could be seen as excessive.

To the Japanese, the idea of surrender is disgraceful. Based on what we have seen in our previous battles with them, we can expect the Japanese people to fight to the last man.

The Japanese military has kept 2 million soldiers on the Japanese mainland to protect themselves from invasion. It is estimated that an invasion of Japan would cost 1 million American lives. Even still, success is not guaranteed. We believe that we could expect heavy resistance from the Japanese, including bloody hand-to-hand combat in the streets (including women and children).

Using the atomic bomb will kill and estimated 200,000 innocent civilians. The effects of the bomb will be terrible. The bomb will destroy an entire city. Those within the blast radius of the bomb will be vaporized instantly, and those who survive will have serious burns and radiation poisoning. Radiation poisoning could impact the Japanese people and environment for generations.

There is no guarantee that the Japanese will surrender because of this bomb. We have been conducting bombing raids on Japan for 2 years, and the Japanese government has shown no signs that civilian casualties will deter them.

After our military victories in the Pacific, we have effectively taken away the Japanese’s ability to wage war or invade the United States and its territories. It is possible that we can reach a peaceful solution.

Negotiations before Pearl Harbor with the Japanese were a failure. The Japanese have shown that they can be untrustworthy.

We only have 2 atomic bombs. There has only been one successful test on this weapon that has been done. It is possible that it will fail.

Successful use of the atomic bomb could lead to an arms race between the US and Soviet Union. This could make the world unsafe.

Public support for the war is slipping. We have defeated the Germans and the American people don’t understand why it is taking so long to defeat the Japanese. The people are losing patience.

The decision is yours and yours alone to make. Once you have made your decision, you need to write a speech to address the American people, justifying your decision. Your speech should be at least 3 paragraphs, and you should give at least 3 reasons that you came to the decision you did. Also, you need to show that you are aware of the consequences of your decision, and that needs to be reflected in your speech.

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World War II (1939 – 1945) and the Cold War (1947 – 1991)

THE PACIFICIn the Pacific, the Americans and Japanese fought from island to island (aka “Island Hopping”), with the Americans steadily pushing the Japanese back to their home islands. The president of the United States had initially planned for a normal invasion of Japan much like the invasion of Germany in Europe, but his top military officials warned him that minimum estimated American casualties for such an invasion would exceed one million (up until this point only some 400,000 Americans had died in the war). Japanese casualties in an invasion were predicted to be as high as 10 million (up until this point some 2 million Japanese military had died in the war). President Harry Truman made the decision to use the newly-created atomic bomb on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. America had considered dropping these bombs on Germany, but the decision was made to save them for later. The two bombs killed 200,000 people, mostly civilians. A few days later Japan surrendered and World War II officially ended.

55. What is “island hopping”?56. Why do you think the decision was made to drop the atomic bombs on

Japan, and NOT Germany?57. Was Truman’s decision the correct one? Explain.58. What would you have done if you had been President Truman? Why?

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World War II (1939 – 1945) and the Cold War (1947 – 1991)

The HolocaustThe Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored

persecution and murder of approximately six million Jews (there were nine million living in all of Europe) by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. The Nazis, who came to power in Germany in January 1933, believed that Germans were "racially superior" and that the Jews, deemed "inferior," were an alien threat to the so-called German racial community.

During the era of the Holocaust, German authorities also targeted other groups because of their perceived "racial inferiority": Roma (Gypsies), the disabled, and some of the Slavic peoples (Polish, Russians, and others). Other groups were persecuted on political, ideological, and behavioral grounds, among them Communists, Socialists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and homosexuals.

ADMINISTRATION OF THE "FINAL SOLUTION"

In the early years of the Nazi regime, the National Socialist government established concentration camps to detain real and imagined political and ideological opponents. Increasingly in the years before the outbreak of war, SS and police officials incarcerated Jews, Roma, and other victims of ethnic and racial hatred in these camps. To concentrate and monitor the Jewish population as well as to facilitate later deportation of the Jews, the Germans and their collaborators created ghettos, transit camps, and forced-labor camps for Jews during the war years. The German authorities also established numerous forced-labor camps, both in the so-called Greater German Reich and in German-occupied territory, for non-Jews whose labor the Germans sought to exploit.

Following the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, Einsatzgruppen (mobile killing units) and, later, militarized battalions of Order Police officials, moved behind German lines to carry out mass-murder operations against Jews, Roma, and Soviet state and Communist Party officials. German SS and police units, supported by units of the Wehrmacht (German army) and the SS, murdered more than a million Jewish men, women, and children, and hundreds of thousands of others. Between 1941 and 1944, Nazi German authorities deported millions of Jews from Germany, from occupied territories, and from the countries of many of its Axis allies to ghettos and to killing centers, often called extermination camps, where they were murdered in specially developed gassing facilities.

THE END OF THE HOLOCAUST

In the final months of the war, SS guards moved camp inmates by train or on forced marches, often called “death marches,” in an attempt to prevent the Allied liberation of large numbers of prisoners. As Allied forces moved across Europe in a series of offensives against Germany, they began to encounter and liberate concentration camp prisoners, as well as prisoners en route by forced march from one camp to another. The marches continued until May 7, 1945, the day the German armed forces surrendered unconditionally to the Allies.

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World War II (1939 – 1945) and the Cold War (1947 – 1991)

After World War II (The Cold War) (1947-1991)Warsaw Pact NATO (North Atlantic Treaty

Organization)Soviet Union United States? ?

??

59. What major countries are part of the NATO alliance? What alliance were most of these countries in during World War II?

60. What major countries are part of the Warsaw Pact alliance? What alliance were most of these countries in during World War II?

61. Based on the map above, which alliance do you think eventually won World War II? Explain.

62. Create an alliances flip book showing the change in alliances between the major countries of the world, beginning with the Great War, continuing with World War II, and ending with the Cold War-era NATO and Warsaw Pact alliances. Each map of your flip book should contain a brief summary of each major nation in that alliance. The Summary should include the following information:

a) Leader:b) Government:c) Goals:

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