world war ii
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(or should we say the “Great War Part II”?). World War II. Prelude to The Great Depression. WWI expensive Two countries relied on American credit: France and Germany. October 1929 – Stock Market Crash. International Catastrophe Americans stopped issuing credit - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
WORLD WAR II(or should we say the “Great War Part II”?)
Prelude to The Great Depression
WWI expensive Two countries relied on American
credit: France and Germany
October 1929 – Stock Market Crash
International Catastrophe Americans stopped issuing credit Germany had no way to pay reparations France therefore had no money either U.S. and Germany hit hardest – 1/3 out
of work
Response
United States 1932 elected
Franklin Roosevelt Strong political
structure allowed for change
Germany (and Italy) Democratic elective
assemblies still shaky
Fascism takes root
Fascism – Common Ideas
Destroy the individual in favor of “the people” Unify society Not concerned with eliminating identity
characteristics such as class or private property
New identity pushed – relied on extreme nationalism and racial identity
Fascism (ideology) Extreme nationalism Single party (or person) control Appeals to middle and upper classes, as well as
unemployed (anti-communist) Law, order and hard work at the expense of
individuality Nazism is a form of fascism, only more racist/anti-
semetic
Italy: Rise of Mussolini
1919 - Founder of the National Fascist Party
“Blackshirts” fought socialist and communist organizations, winning support from factory and land owners
1921 – many seated in parliament, Mussolini named Prime Minister
As the post-war economy failed to improve, Mussolini seized the opportunity to create a totalitarian regime by 1926
Germany: Rise of Hitler
The Weimar Republic replaced the emperor after WWI
As Germany's economy collapsed (Treaty of Versailles), people lost faith in the “Reichstag”
As head of the Nazi Party, Hitler rose to power inspiring extreme nationalism
Espousing ideas of Social Darwinism and racism, Hitler called for the deportation (later elimination) of Slavs and Jews, and the takeover of Europe by Germans
“Fuhrer”
By 1923, Nazis dominated German government
1933, Hitler became “chancellor” of the Reichstag
Hitler seizes full control of the government, establishing the “Third Reich”, and set out to take over Europe
1933 – began militarizing in clear violation of the Treaty of Versailles and withdrew from the League of Nations
Similarities
Mussolini and Hitler’s Rise to Power Fear of Communism Democratic government failed to address
economic depression (more so in Germany) Appeal to Nationalism (it’s everyone else’s
fault) Lack of democratic tradition in respective
countries Used totalitarian means to gain power:
terror & intimidation, secret police, censorship, propaganda
Totalitarianism
What Fascist Hitler, Mussolini, Franco and Communists Lenin and Stalin all have in common: Government where state (or one
person/party) has ALL the power While promising liberty, abolishes freedom
(press, etc) Police state Propaganda vital Grows usually where democracy fails Communist and Fascist leaders can be
totalitarian rulers
Differences
Fascism under Mussolini Winner in WWI –
upset about lack of land granted after war
Heavy taxes to pay for war hurt economy
Inflation due to lack of goods
Less racist/anti-Semitic until end of war
Fascism (Nazism) under Hitler Loser in WWI –
anger at land loss Reparations to pay
after war hurt economy
Inflation due to printing too much money
More racist/anti-Semitic
Appeasement
Nations of Europe ignored Hitler’s buildup, fearing another war
Germany and Italy supported Nationalists in Spain under Francisco Franco in overthrowing the Spanish Monarchy and parliamentary democracy, France and Britain turned a blind eye
Germany took back the Rhineland in 1935 1937 – German alliance with Japan 1938 – Germany annexed Austria (Anschluss),
threatened Sudetenland ALL DONE UNDER THE CONCEPT OF
“LEBENSRAUM”
Munich Conference of 1938(more appeasement)
1938 – Hitler, Mussolini, Neville Chamberlain (PM of England) all in attendance
Hitler given Sudetenland without the consent of the Czechs, as long as expansion stopped
Expansion stops (for 1 whole year!) before Hitler takes all of Czechoslovakia
European Response
Britain and France signed a non-aggression pact with Greece, Turkey, Romania and Poland as Italy invaded Albania
Germans signed the Nazi-Soviet pact, insuring the Soviets would not intervene in German affairs, and a plan for dividing up parts of Europe between the both of them
Sept. 1939, Germany invaded Poland
Guess What Happened Next?(Alliances – Not Again!!)
Allied Powers Axis Powers Great Britain France Later – Soviet Union
and U.S. (non-aggression pact
with Greece, Turkey, Romania and Poland)
Germany Italy Japan (non-aggression pact
– Soviet Union)
World War II: Tens of Millions Dead
Eastern Europe - Germany’s “blitzkrieg” devastating. Within 10 days Poland divided between Germany and Russia
“Phony War”
Western Europe - 1939- April, 1940 - British and French strategy – await a German attack (defensive war) behind the “Maginot Line” along the Franco-German border
Battles of France and Britain
Maginot Line failed to protect the border between France and Belgium
April, 1940 – Germany attacked Holland and Belgium, then France (Vichy Regime – Marshall Petain), controlling most of continental Europe by June
The British military was spared due to the evacuation at Dunkirk
Next stop for Germany: Great Britain itself
Winston Churchill
Hitler anticipated peace negotiations with it’s “German” brother
Resolute and fierce Prime Minister Winston Churchill refused a deal with Germany
1940 – Battle of Britain – air bombing campaign by Hitler, bravely fought by the British with the help of radar
OTHER REGIONS OF THE “ATLANTIC (EUROPEAN) THEATER”
1941
North Africa and the Balkans Italy attacked and later defeated Greece with
the help of Germany The takeover of the Balkan state violated the
pact with Russia who was promised the Balkan state an earlier non-aggression pact
Germany moved into Russia, relieving pressure on the British
PACIFIC THEATER1941
1941 - Pacific Theater
Japan invaded Indochina and the US issued sanctions
Japan entered the Tripartite Pact with Rome and Berlin
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor after the US refuses to lift sanctions
US declares war on Japan, Germany declares war on US
Japanese History: A Quick Review
By 1905: Kicked out the Europeans (again), Industrialized, defeated China and Russia for territory
Fought with allies in WWI, economy and military was thriving
By 1930, severely impacted by the Great Depression; Claimed “empire building” would help Japan economically
1931 – Invaded Manchuria, withdrew from the League of Nations, signed the Anti-Comintern pact with Germany in 1936
1937 Invaded China – “Rape of Nanjing” (250,000 slaughtered)
1941-1942
Allies fought Japan in the Pacific, and Germans and Italians in Africa
US secretly worked on Manhattan Project
Finally – An Allied Assault 1943 - US and Britain begin offensive in
Italy 1944 – British, Canadian and US forces
land on the beaches of Normandy, France (D-Day), with the help of French forces liberate France
Meanwhile – 1942, Red Army defeated the Germans at Stalingrad and advance west for the next 3 years
1945 - Hitler closed in on from the eastern and western fronts, reaching Berlin – Hitler commits suicide
War in the Pacific
Battle of Midway cripples Japan Dragged on a few more months as
the allies defeated Japan from island to island at a great economic and human cost
Japanese refused to surrender, President Truman reasons that dropping an atomic bomb was the answer to ending a prolonged war
The Atomic Bomb
August 6, 1945 – dropped on Hiroshima, 100,000 died immediately, Japan refused to surrender
August 9 a second bomb is dropped on Nagasaki and Japan surrenders
The impact of the bomb continues to be felt years later
Atomic Bomb
=
Consequences
Holocaust revealed, sympathy for a Jewish state rose sharply
The peace settlement made the US and the Soviet Union superpowers
Europe torn to shreds, US institutes the Marshall Plan Decline of Colonialism Changes for Women Creation of International Organizations
United Nations World Bank International Monetary Fund General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs
And THE COLD WAR
The Marshall Plan
US will give economic aid to countries in order to prevent the spread of communism
Used WITH the Truman Doctrine Aid to Turkey and Greece (monetary
AND military) to prevent Soviet control Considered the start of the Cold War