World War II

1939-1945

Review

• Who were the dictators?

• What factors helped them come to power?

• What did they do once in power?

Road to War: Aggression and Appeasement

Mizell, Year II, Humanities

EQ: How did Aggression and

Appeasement help lead to WWII?

Background• League of Nations was weak

–U.S. did not join • Britain and France want to avoid

war• Depression – people look for new

leadership–Rise of fascism and communism

• In Germany, Hitler and Nazis desire lebensraum (living space for the German people)

Aggression of the 1930s by the dictators

• 1931 – Japan invades Manchuria

• 1935 – Mussolini takes over Ethiopia

• 1935 – Hitler ignores Treaty of Versailles and builds up German military

• 1936 – Hitler occupies the Rhineland (area between France and Germany)

• 1937 – Japan invades China

• 1938 – Hitler annexes Austria

• 1938 – Hitler wants the Sudetenland (area of Czechoslokvia)

• Munich Conference – meeting between great powers. Neville Chamberlain of Great Britain agrees to let Hitler have the Sudetenland to avoid war. Hitler agrees not to invade the rest of Czechoslakvia

• This is an example of appeasement

• 1939 – Hitler seizes the rest of Czechoslovakia

• 1939 – Mussolini conquers Albania

What does Appeasement prove to the Dictators?

• They can continue to be aggressive because the other countries want to avoid war

• The countries of the U.S., France, and Great Britain must be weak

• The League of Nations has no power

Fill in first five vocab boxes• Totalitarianism – government

control over every aspect of private and public life

• Dictator – a leader with absolute power and no restrictions

• Communism – economic system where everything is owned by the public; no private property

• Fascism – belief that promotes extreme nationalism and militarism with a dictator

• Command Economy – economy where the government makes all decisions

EQ: What were the major events in the early years of the war and how did they impact the

war?

The Beginning of WWII: Invasion of Poland

• Hitler unleashes the German Army on Poland [Sept 1, 1939]

• Uses blitzkrieg (lightening war)–Use fast moving planes and tanks

which were followed by mass infantry

– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpYpbiIZDGw

• Great Britain and France declare war on Germany

The Phony War• Britain and France mobilize

their armies in France and wait for the Germans

• While they wait, Hitler conquers Denmark, Norway, Belgium, and Holland in May 1940.

Invasion of France• German Army cuts through

heavy Ardennes Forest and surprises the French

• France surrenders in one month to Germany–Lets Southern France (Vichy

France) be an ally of Germany

Battle of Britain• July – Oct 1940• Britain stands alone to face

Hitler• Benefit – Britain is an island

nation• Hitler’s Plan is to destroy

British air force so Germany can invade across the English Channel

Hitler’s Mistake• Luftwaffe vs RAF -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVBO61qg-kc

• Hitler makes 1st major mistake: In Sept, he orders the Luftwaffe to target British cities and not the airfields

• Also, British had radar so they could spot German planes

• 1st German defeat of the war

Importance of the Battle of Britain

• Proved that Hitler and Germany were not invincible

• Hitler loses large number of pilots and planes

• Hitler now looks to the east – the Soviet Union

• Britain will serve as a base for Allied troops

Work on Vocab sheet

DepressionNazismPurgeScapegoatInflation

Essential Question

• How and why did U.S. involvement in WWII change?

America Remains Neutral at First• Why?

–United States is still in the Depression

–Saw WWI as a mistake so want to stay out of Europe

• What does the U.S. do to stay out?–Pass the Neutrality Acts – banned

U.S. loans and sale of weapons to countries at war

America Moves Closer to War• 1.Places an embargo on Japan after

they invade China (not sell them resources/oil)

• 2. U.S. Congress passes the Lend-Lease Act where the Allies could buy arms from the U.S. but must use own ships

• 3. U.S. Navy protects allied cargo ships against German U-boats

• 4. Japanese Expansion– Expanding into the Pacific but the U.S. is

there too– Plan: Need a knock-out blow to keep U.S.

out of the war

Surprise Attack at Pearl Harbor

• Japanese attack U.S. naval base/fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941

Dec 7, 1941

Aftermath• 2,500 killed, several battleships

sunk• U.S. declares war on Japan and

enters WWII

Doolittle Raid• U.S. launches bombers from

carriers and bombs Tokyo• Shows Japan that the U.S. will not

back down• Morale boost for Americans

"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping

giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.“

~Yamamoto

U.S. Mobilizes

• People are needed in the army and factories – ends Depression

• FDR wants the U.S. to become an “Arsenal for Democracy”–By 1944, US production was double

what all the Axis Powers produced combined

Propaganda During WWII

EQ: What is propaganda and how did countries use

it to support the war?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy7ZWlMAhFQ

What is Propaganda?

•Material spread to support a cause or damage an opponent’s cause

Propaganda Contains…• Slogans• Implied messages• Graphics (people, flags, symbols,

etc…)• Targeted Audience and Purpose

– Women or men to work to support the war

– Men to enlist in the army– Children who need to be protected– Resources (food, oil, rubber, money) to

save for the army– Enemies – why we hate them/ fight

them– Why we are fighting (freedom)

“Rosie the Riveter”• Slogan?• Describe the

poster• Targeted

audience?• What is the

purpose/implied message?

• How can women help the war effort?

• Emotions conveyed?

“Don’t Ride Alone”• Slogan?• Describe the

poster• Targeted

audience?• What is the

purpose/implied message?

• How can you help the war effort?

• What emotions are conveyed?

Group Activity (Participation Grade)• I will place you in groups of 3-4

• Each group will receive one propaganda poster of WWII

• You will have a few minutes as a group to describe and analyze it

• You will present you description and analysis to the class– Slogans, poster description, targeted

audience– What is the implied message/purpose?– How does it help the war effort? – Emotion(s) conveyed

Propaganda

Design own Propaganda Poster• Create your own propaganda poster

• Your posters should include pictures, a slogan/title, purpose/implied message, symbols/graphics, targeted audience, and be colored

• At the bottom of the paper, explain your poster in 5-8 sentences– What is its purpose/theme, who is the

targeted audience, how will it lend support to the war effort, what emotions are conveyed by the poster, and does your poster glamorize or vilify the war? Explain

Here is where you write your description and analysis of the poster.

Rubric 0-1 pts 2-3 pts 4-5pts

Picture Picture is not complete and not colored. Does not relate to WWII

Picture is complete but not colored. Relates to WWII

Picture is complete and fully colored. Relates to WWII

Content: Description and Analysis

Lacks an adequate description or analysis of the poster.

Basic analysis and description. Some parts may be missing. (see box to the right)

5 or more sentences with a thorough description and analysis of the picture. Not missing any components such as implied message, audience, significant symbols, emotions conveyed, etc…

Organization Less than 5 sentences

5-6 sentences 7-8 sentencesTotal: ___/15 points