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World War II

By: History.com Editors

Updated: March 13, 2024 | Original: October 29, 2009

World War II, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history, involved more than 50 nations and was fought on land, sea and air in nearly every part of the world. Also known as the Second World War, it was caused in part by the economic crisis of the Great Depression and by political tensions left unresolved following the end of World War I.

The war began when Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939 and raged across the globe until 1945, when Japan surrendered to the United States after atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. By the end of World War II, an estimated 60 to 80 million people had died, including up to 55 million civilians, and numerous cities in Europe and Asia were reduced to rubble.

Among the people killed were 6 million Jews murdered in Nazi concentration camps as part of Hitler’s diabolical “Final Solution,” now known as the Holocaust. The legacy of the war included the creation of the United Nations as a peacekeeping force and geopolitical rivalries that resulted in the Cold War.

Leading up to World War II

The devastation of the Great War (as World War I was known at the time) had greatly destabilized Europe, and in many respects World War II grew out of issues left unresolved by that earlier conflict. In particular, political and economic instability in Germany, and lingering resentment over the harsh terms imposed by the Versailles Treaty, fueled the rise to power of Adolf Hitler and National Socialist German Workers’ Party, abbreviated as NSDAP in German and the Nazi Party in English..

Did you know? As early as 1923, in his memoir and propaganda tract "Mein Kampf" (My Struggle), Adolf Hitler had predicted a general European war that would result in "the extermination of the Jewish race in Germany."

After becoming Chancellor of Germany in 1933, Hitler swiftly consolidated power, anointing himself Führer (supreme leader) in 1934. Obsessed with the idea of the superiority of the “pure” German race, which he called “Aryan,” Hitler believed that war was the only way to gain the necessary “Lebensraum,” or living space, for the German race to expand. In the mid-1930s, he secretly began the rearmament of Germany, a violation of the Versailles Treaty. After signing alliances with Italy and Japan against the Soviet Union , Hitler sent troops to occupy Austria in 1938 and the following year annexed Czechoslovakia. Hitler’s open aggression went unchecked, as the United States and Soviet Union were concentrated on internal politics at the time, and neither France nor Britain (the two other nations most devastated by the Great War) were eager for confrontation.

Outbreak of World War II (1939)

In late August 1939, Hitler and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin signed the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact , which incited a frenzy of worry in London and Paris. Hitler had long planned an invasion of Poland, a nation to which Great Britain and France had guaranteed military support if it were attacked by Germany. The pact with Stalin meant that Hitler would not face a war on two fronts once he invaded Poland, and would have Soviet assistance in conquering and dividing the nation itself. On September 1, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland from the west; two days later, France and Britain declared war on Germany, beginning World War II.

On September 17, Soviet troops invaded Poland from the east. Under attack from both sides, Poland fell quickly, and by early 1940 Germany and the Soviet Union had divided control over the nation, according to a secret protocol appended to the Nonaggression Pact. Stalin’s forces then moved to occupy the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) and defeated a resistant Finland in the Russo-Finnish War. During the six months following the invasion of Poland, the lack of action on the part of Germany and the Allies in the west led to talk in the news media of a “phony war.” At sea, however, the British and German navies faced off in heated battle, and lethal German U-boat submarines struck at merchant shipping bound for Britain, sinking more than 100 vessels in the first four months of World War II.

World War II in the West (1940-41)

On April 9, 1940, Germany simultaneously invaded Norway and occupied Denmark, and the war began in earnest. On May 10, German forces swept through Belgium and the Netherlands in what became known as “blitzkrieg,” or lightning war. Three days later, Hitler’s troops crossed the Meuse River and struck French forces at Sedan, located at the northern end of the Maginot Line , an elaborate chain of fortifications constructed after World War I and considered an impenetrable defensive barrier. In fact, the Germans broke through the line with their tanks and planes and continued to the rear, rendering it useless. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was evacuated by sea from Dunkirk in late May, while in the south French forces mounted a doomed resistance. With France on the verge of collapse, Italy’s fascist dictator Benito Mussolini formed an alliance with Hitler, the Pact of Steel, and Italy declared war against France and Britain on June 10.

On June 14, German forces entered Paris; a new government formed by Marshal Philippe Petain (France’s hero of World War I) requested an armistice two nights later. France was subsequently divided into two zones, one under German military occupation and the other under Petain’s government, installed at Vichy France. Hitler now turned his attention to Britain, which had the defensive advantage of being separated from the Continent by the English Channel.

To pave the way for an amphibious invasion (dubbed Operation Sea Lion), German planes bombed Britain extensively beginning in September 1940 until May 1941, known as the Blitz , including night raids on London and other industrial centers that caused heavy civilian casualties and damage. The Royal Air Force (RAF) eventually defeated the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) in the Battle of Britain , and Hitler postponed his plans to invade. With Britain’s defensive resources pushed to the limit, Prime Minister Winston Churchill began receiving crucial aid from the U.S. under the Lend-Lease Act , passed by Congress in early 1941.

Hitler vs. Stalin: Operation Barbarossa (1941-42)

By early 1941, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria had joined the Axis, and German troops overran Yugoslavia and Greece that April. Hitler’s conquest of the Balkans was a precursor for his real objective: an invasion of the Soviet Union, whose vast territory would give the German master race the “Lebensraum” it needed. The other half of Hitler’s strategy was the extermination of the Jews from throughout German-occupied Europe. Plans for the “Final Solution” were introduced around the time of the Soviet offensive, and over the next three years more than 4 million Jews would perish in the death camps established in occupied Poland.

On June 22, 1941, Hitler ordered the invasion of the Soviet Union, codenamed Operation Barbarossa . Though Soviet tanks and aircraft greatly outnumbered the Germans’, Russian aviation technology was largely obsolete, and the impact of the surprise invasion helped Germans get within 200 miles of Moscow by mid-July. Arguments between Hitler and his commanders delayed the next German advance until October, when it was stalled by a Soviet counteroffensive and the onset of harsh winter weather.

World War II in the Pacific (1941-43)

With Britain facing Germany in Europe, the United States was the only nation capable of combating Japanese aggression, which by late 1941 included an expansion of its ongoing war with China and the seizure of European colonial holdings in the Far East. On December 7, 1941, 360 Japanese aircraft attacked the major U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii , taking the Americans completely by surprise and claiming the lives of more than 2,300 troops. The attack on Pearl Harbor served to unify American public opinion in favor of entering World War II, and on December 8 Congress declared war on Japan with only one dissenting vote. Germany and the other Axis Powers promptly declared war on the United States.

After a long string of Japanese victories, the U.S. Pacific Fleet won the Battle of Midway in June 1942, which proved to be a turning point in the war. On Guadalcanal, one of the southern Solomon Islands, the Allies also had success against Japanese forces in a series of battles from August 1942 to February 1943, helping turn the tide further in the Pacific. In mid-1943, Allied naval forces began an aggressive counterattack against Japan, involving a series of amphibious assaults on key Japanese-held islands in the Pacific. This “island-hopping” strategy proved successful, and Allied forces moved closer to their ultimate goal of invading the mainland Japan.

Toward Allied Victory in World War II (1943-45)

In North Africa , British and American forces had defeated the Italians and Germans by 1943. An Allied invasion of Sicily and Italy followed, and Mussolini’s government fell in July 1943, though Allied fighting against the Germans in Italy would continue until 1945.

On the Eastern Front, a Soviet counteroffensive launched in November 1942 ended the bloody Battle of Stalingrad , which had seen some of the fiercest combat of World War II. The approach of winter, along with dwindling food and medical supplies, spelled the end for German troops there, and the last of them surrendered on January 31, 1943.

On June 6, 1944–celebrated as “D-Day” –the Allies began a massive invasion of Europe, landing 156,000 British, Canadian and American soldiers on the beaches of Normandy, France. In response, Hitler poured all the remaining strength of his army into Western Europe, ensuring Germany’s defeat in the east. Soviet troops soon advanced into Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Romania, while Hitler gathered his forces to drive the Americans and British back from Germany in the Battle of the Bulge (December 1944-January 1945), the last major German offensive of the war.

An intensive aerial bombardment in February 1945 preceded the Allied land invasion of Germany, and by the time Germany formally surrendered on May 8, Soviet forces had occupied much of the country. Hitler was already dead, having died by suicide on April 30 in his Berlin bunker.

World War II Ends (1945)

At the Potsdam Conference of July-August 1945, U.S. President Harry S. Truman (who had taken office after Roosevelt’s death in April), Churchill and Stalin discussed the ongoing war with Japan as well as the peace settlement with Germany. Post-war Germany would be divided into four occupation zones, to be controlled by the Soviet Union, Britain, the United States and France. On the divisive matter of Eastern Europe’s future, Churchill and Truman acquiesced to Stalin, as they needed Soviet cooperation in the war against Japan.

Heavy casualties sustained in the campaigns at Iwo Jima (February 1945) and Okinawa (April-June 1945), and fears of the even costlier land invasion of Japan led Truman to authorize the use of a new and devastating weapon. Developed during a top secret operation code-named The Manhattan Project, the atomic bomb was unleashed on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in early August. On August 15, the Japanese government issued a statement declaring they would accept the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, and on September 2, U.S. General Douglas MacArthur accepted Japan’s formal surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

African American Servicemen Fight Two Wars

World War II exposed a glaring paradox within the United States Armed Forces. Although more than 1 million African Americans served in the war to defeat Nazism and fascism, they did so in segregated units. The same discriminatory Jim Crow policies that were rampant in American society were reinforced by the U.S. military. Black servicemen rarely saw combat and were largely relegated to labor and supply units that were commanded by white officers.

There were several African American units that proved essential in helping to win World War II, with the Tuskegee Airmen being among the most celebrated. But the Red Ball Express, the truck convoy of mostly Black drivers were responsible for delivering essential goods to General George S. Patton ’s troops on the front lines in France. The all-Black 761st Tank Battalion fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and the 92 Infantry Division, fought in fierce ground battles in Italy. Yet, despite their role in defeating fascism, the fight for equality continued for African American soldiers after the World War II ended. They remained in segregated units and lower-ranking positions, well into the Korean War , a few years after President Truman signed an executive order to desegregate the U.S. military in 1948.

World War II Casualties and Legacy

World War II proved to be the deadliest international conflict in history, taking the lives of 60 to 80 million people, including 6 million Jews who died at the hands of the Nazis during the Holocaust . Civilians made up an estimated 50-55 million deaths from the war, while military comprised 21 to 25 million of those lost during the war. Millions more were injured, and still more lost their homes and property. 

The legacy of the war would include the spread of communism from the Soviet Union into eastern Europe as well as its eventual triumph in China, and the global shift in power from Europe to two rival superpowers–the United States and the Soviet Union–that would soon face off against each other in the Cold War .

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History Presentations by Edward E. Gordon

World War II Presentation Topics

European Theater

“creating the hitler myth: the origins of modern propaganda and its lessons for today”.

Propaganda was one of the chief means employed by Adolf Hitler to create and sustain one of history’s most monstrous criminal regimes. His propaganda tools not only included films, radio, and newspapers but also carefully orchestrated events such as the Nuremberg Rallies, the 1936 Olympic Games, and gigantic military parades. While television and the internet dominate today’s media, learn how some of the same techniques developed by the Nazi regime are still being used to spread misinformation.

“The Continuing Saga of Nazi Art Theft”

During World War II throughout Europe the Nazi government systematically looted millions of works of art from museums and churches and from Jews and others who were deemed enemies of the Third Reich. This is the story of how the Nazis literally raped Europe of its art masterpieces and other valuables and secreted these treasures in mines, warehouses, barns, and castles across Europe. As the war was winding down, art specialists who were called “Monuments Men” were recruited by the Allies to rescue these treasures and restore them to thier rightful owners. Now 70 year later this story is far from over as artworks that were though lost are discovered and endless litigation between individuals, museums, and nations continues over them.

“Killing Hitler: The Assassination Plots That Failed to Stop a Madman”

Between 1921 and 1945, there were about 50 alleged assassination attempts on Adolph Hitler, all of which failed. This program will review 10 of the better documented incidents, the people behind them, and why they failed including: the 1934 “Night of the Long Knives,” the 1939 Munich beer-hall bomb, and the 1944 Wolf’s Lair bomb. Hitler’s assassination fears led to the growth of the SS Lifeguard detachment from a few men to a division. In April 1945, a remnant of this force was still on duty at the Fuhrer’s Berlin bunker when Hitler finally ended his own life by shooting himself.

“The Shadow Army: European Resistance during World War II”

As the tyrannical regime of Nazi Germany spread across Europe, its savage acts of repression, hostage taking, and the persecution of Jews, labor leaders, Communists, Catholics and anyone who dared to oppose the Nazi occupation provided more than enough motivation for hundreds of thousands of people to join secret armies. Resistance forces all over Europe gathered intelligence for the Allies, established hiding places and escape routes for captured Allies and those fleeing Nazi persecution, and fomented acts of sabotage, raids, and uprisings. This program will trace how and why resistance forces grew as the war continued and how underground movements differed from country to country. It will celebrate the heroic deeds of many notable individuals who refused to surrender their countries to Adolf Hitler’s twisted regime.

“The Invasion that Shook the World: France 1940” (May-June 1940)

In all the annals of history, Nazi Germany’s six-week blitzkrieg resulting in the lightning defeat of France in 1940 stands as a classic military campaign. How did Germany develop such a powerful strategic war plan and the tactical skills to accomplish in a first weeks what four bloody years had failed to achieve in the First World War — the complete rout of the Western allies? This program provides the intriguing political, economic, and military answers that added up to Germany’s greatest victory in the Second World War.

“U-Boat War: Tragedy & Redemption in the North Atlantic” (1939-1945)

During World War II Nazi Germany’s U-boat fleet so effectively blocked fuel and supplies to Britain that the survival of this island nation was threatened. The success of the Allied war effort also heavily depended upon the capacity to ship troops and material across the Atlantic. This is the story of the people, strategy, tactics, and technology that were employed on both sides of the U-boat war. More than 2,700 ships were sunk by U-boats which costs the lives of over 35,000 British and American seamen. But by 1943 the Allies began to turn the tide against the U-boat menace through a combination of advances in convoy tactics, radar, active sonar, codebreaking, and intelligence gathering. By the end of the war, over 700 U-boat were sunk at sea and 28,000 sailors perished, resulting in the highest proportion of combat losses for any branch of the German armed forces.

“When the Desert Fox Met General Patton: The North African Campaign” (1941-1945)

During the Second World War both Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, Germany’s Desert Fox, and Lt. General George S. Patton, Jr., “Old Blood and Guts,” established their military careers on the sands of North Africa. Set on the vast wind-swept stretches of the Sahara Desert, this is also the story of Italian dreams of empire, the British determination to turn the tide of war against Nazi Germany, and the beginning of American participation in the European theater of operations (Operation Torch).

“Clash of the Titans: The Russo-German Campaign of World War II” (1941-1945)

On June 22, 1941, Adolf Hitler unleashed an army of 3 million for a blitzkrieg conquest of the Soviet Union. Over 10 million Germans and Russians would fight for four years over a 1,500 mile front stretching from the Arctic Ocean to the Black Sea. Both side deployed countless thousands of planes, tanks, and field guns in a seemingly endless conflagration on a truly epic scale. The outcome of this campaign shaped the map of Europe for the next 50 years.

“From Sicily to Victory: The Italian Campaign” (1943-1945)

Winston Churchill once referred to the Mediterranean region as the “soft underbelly of Europe” and influenced the Allies to launch the Italian Peninsular Campaign. The Allies would find to their regret that there was nothing soft about this underbelly. This program explores some of the key figures and prominent battles of this long, costly, grinding front.

“Divided on D-Day: New Perspectives on the Normandy Invasion”

By focusing on the points of conflicts among the principal Allied commanders, Ed Gordon offers new insights on the Normandy Invasion and the three-month campaign that followed. Drawing on research from his new book, Divided on D-Day , he explores how national and personal rivalries led to poor command decisions and missed opportunities that needlessly prolonged the Allied campaign to defeat Nazi Germany. ( Click here to see the major controversies discussed in this presentation.)

“Judgment at Nuremberg: Defending Humanity”

At the end of World War II, the international tribunal convened in Nuremberg was an important step forward in the development of international law as it established precedents and procedures for dealing with wartime genocide and other atrocities. This program will cover how the Third Reich’s principal leaders were brought to trial, charged, defended, and sentenced.

Pacific Theater

“day of infamy: pearl harbor, december 7, 1941”.

The Second World War was thrust on the United States when Imperial Japan launched a surprise attack that decimated much of the U.S. Pacific fleet in Pearl Harbor. This program will examine the complex components of Japan’s daring military operation and whether America’s lack of preparedness can be blamed on intelligence lapses, poor planning, or bad strategy.

“Japan Strikes at Dawn! Defeat at Pearl Harbor, the Philippines, and Singapore: Conspiracy or Foul-up?”

In the first three months after its December 7. 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, Imperial Japan was spectacularly victorious. After decimating the U.S. Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces destroyed U.S. air and naval installations in the Philippines and defeated the British and Empire forces defending Singapore. This program will examine the factors behind the string of defeats in the Pacific and the lessons learned before the Allies began to turn the tide in the Pacific.

“Empire of the Sun: Japan Triumphant” (1931-1942)

From Korea to the shores of Australia, and westward to the central Pacific, Japan’s Rising Sun grew ever larger from the 1930s to mid-1942. This is the story of how a small nation organized for war and swept most of Asia into its “Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.” Ed Gordon explores how Japan’s civilian government was thwarted by the military’s quest for the domination of Asia and describes how allied neglect of Asia resulted in early crushing defeats.

“The Rising Sun Sets: The Defeat of the Japanese Empire” (1942-1945)

In the summer of 1942, Allied forces under Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and General Douglas MacArthur began campaigns that led to the slow implosion of the Japanese Empire in the vast expanse of the Padific ending with the epic battles on Iwo Jima and Okinawa and the A-Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Meanwhile under the leadership of British Lord Louis Mountbatten, Allied forces liberated Southeast Asia from Japanese occupation. This programs draws upon the heroic stories of individual soldiers, sailors, and airmen about how these battles led to victory.

“Bloody Iwo: Iconic Battle of the Second World War’s Pacific Theater”

The famous photo of the Marines raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi has made Iwo Jima one of World War II’s most iconic battle sites. More than 30,000 Marines and 350 American ships participated in this bloody five-week battle against over 22,000 Japanese soldiers encased in a well-fortified network of caves and tunnels. Learn how the conquest of this tiny island played a vital role in the U.S. bombing campaign against the Japanese homeland in the final months of World War II.

“Okinawa: Crucible of the Pacific”

On March 14, 1944, American forces launched its largest amphibious assault in the Pacific on Okinawa. It was countered by a Japanese defense force of 130,000 troops and 3,000 kamikaze sorties on the American fleet. The Americans not only faced a new Japanese defense strategy, and numerous kamikaze air attacks, but also a major typhoon that caused significant damage to the American fleet. Losses were high on all sides with 50,000 American casualties, an estimated 110,000 Japanese troops killed, and the deaths of about 100,000 inhabitants of Okinawa. The ferocity and costs of this over three-month battle weighed heavily on the minds of those planning the invasion of Japan.

“The Other Nuremberg: The Tokyo War Crimes Trial” (1946-1948)

Based on the procedures established at the Nuremburg Trials in Germany, 28 Japanese military and political leaders were tried by representatives of 11 Allied nations at the Tokyo War Crimes Trial. The charges against them included wanton destruction in captured territories and barbaric attacks on their civilian population, inhumane treatment of prisoners of war, and enslavement of women for prostitution. Most of those indicted were sentenced to death or life imprisonment. Yet the Emperor of Japan was not brought to trial. At the same time separate trials were held in about fifty other locations in Asia and the Pacific at which 5,700 lower-ranking personnel were charged with war crimes.

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WORLD WAR II

Jul 22, 2014

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WORLD WAR II. 1939-1945. During this Unit We Will:. SS.912.A.6.1 Examine causes, course, and consequences of World War II on the United States and the world.

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Presentation Transcript

WORLD WAR II 1939-1945

During this Unit We Will: • SS.912.A.6.1 Examine causes, course, and consequences of World War II on the United States and the world. • SS.912.A.6.2 Describe the United States’ response in the early years of World War II (Neutrality Acts, Cash and Carry, Lend Lease Act). • SS.912.A.6.3 Analyze the impact of the Holocaust during World War II on Jews as well as other groups. • SS.912.A.6.4 Examine efforts to expand or contract rights for various populations during World War II. • SS.912.A.6.5 Explain the impact of World War II on domestic government policy. • SS.912.A.6.6 Analyze the use of atomic weapons during World War II and the aftermath of the bombings. • SS.912.A.6.7 Describe the attempts to promote international justice through the Nuremberg Trials. • SS.912.A.6.8 Analyze the effects of the Red Scare on domestic United States policy. • SS.912.A.6.9 Describe the rationale for the formation of the United Nations, including the contribution of Mary McLeod Bethune. • SS.912.A.6.15 Examine key events and peoples in Florida history as they relate to United States history.

At the End of this Unit YOU will • …identify and/or evaluate the social, political, and economic causes of World War II. • …identify and/or evaluate the causes and consequences of World War II both domestically and internationally. • …evaluate the significance of specific wartime events and actions both on the home front and on the progress of the war. • …analyze the role played by individuals in the war effort, including the involvement of women and minority groups in home front and overseas activities. • …identify and/or evaluate the role of technology in World War II and the political, economic, and social implications of the use of technology.

This will be measured by …your correct completion of assignments …your demonstration of understanding during discussion and participation activities …your performance on assessments

I. Prelude to War A. WWI Leftovers 1. treaty resentment 2. destruction 3. economic depression 4. weakened political systems

B. Rise of dictatorships in Europe 1. Mussolini, 1922 2. Stalin, 1924 3. Hitler, 1933 4. Franco, 1939

C. Nationalism leads to conflict 1. Japan invades Manchuria, 1931

2. Germany begins persecution of Jews and others, 1933 3. Italy invades Ethiopia, 1935-36

4. Germany reclaims Rhineland, 1936 5. Franco’s revolt in Spain, 1936-39 6. Japan continues invasion of China, 1937 7. Germany annexes Sudetenland and Austria, 1938; then Czechoslovakia In 1939

D. Allied Isolationism 1. Failure of the League of Nations a. Manchuria/China b. Ethiopia c. Spain d. German military/territory violations 2. U.S. International Policies a. Debt Default Act, 1934 b. Neutrality Acts, 1935-39 3. British/French Appeasement, 1936-39

4. Soviet Non-Aggression Pact, 1939

II. War Begins A. Germany invades Poland, Sept. 1, 1939 B. Soviets ‘annex’ territory, invade Finland C. Germany invades North/West Europe, 1940

D. U.S. ends ‘neutrality’ but stays ‘neutral’ 1. Cash and Carry 2. Draft 3. Lend-Lease E. Japan gets testy, U.S. sets embargo

III. U.S. Enters the War A. Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941 1. Causes 2. Effects B. Declaration of War, Dec. 8, 1941

C. Gaining a ‘war footing’ 1. Expanded Military 2. Gov’t control of Economy 3. Minority contributions 4. Propaganda and Film industry

IV. War at Home A. The “War Effort” B. Economic Changes C. Social Adjustments D. Tension and Discrimination

V. War in/for Europe A. Battle for the Atlantic 1. U-boats 2. Modified Convoys

3. The numbers game Ship Sinkings by Region

B. North Africa 1. The ‘Desert Fox’ 2. Operation Torch

C. Europe 1. Hitler invades Russia, 1941 a. Racism, Revenge, Resources b. Stalingrad, Fall-Winter 1942

2. Casablanca and the ‘Second Front’ a. Italy, 1943 b. France (Normandy D-Day: Operation Overlord), 1944 c. Beginning of the end

3. Battle of the Bulge, Fall-Winter 1944 4. Yalta, Feb. 1945 5. Germany Falls a. Hitler suicide April 30, 1945 b. Official surrender May 8, 1945 6. Potsdam Conference, Summer 1945

D. The Holocaust 1. Systematic Process, phased in over time (1933-1945) 2. Targeted Jews and other groups 3. Labor/detention camps, concentration camps, death camps 4. About 10 million killed 5. Long term effects: - on European Jews - on American Jews - on International Community

VI. War in the Pacific A. Aftermath of Pearl Harbor 1. Japanese conquest, Dec. 1941-May 1942 2. U.S. response: Doolittle Raid 4/42

B. Pacific Campaign, 1942-1945 1. Island Hopping/Leap Frogging 2. Japanese Honor Code/cruelty 3. Forcing Unconditional Surrender

C. Major Engagements 1. Battle of Coral Sea, May 1942 2. Battle of Midway, June 1942 3. Battle of Leyte Gulf, Oct. 1944 4. Iwo Jima/Okinawa, Spring 1945

D. War ends 1. Hiroshima – Aug. 6, 1945 2. Nagasaki – Aug. 9, 1945 3. USSR ‘helps’- Aug. 8, 1945 4. Formal Surrender – Sept. 2, 1945

VII. WWII Changes the World A. Political Changes 1. Dictators out… 2. Dictators in… 3. U.S. World Police 4. Middle East Policy 5. the U.N.

B. Territorial Changes 1. Old Countries 2. New Countries 3. the ‘Iron Curtain’ C. Economic Changes 1. U.S. 2. Germany/Japan

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World War II

1935: Hitler rebuild military (illegal from Treaty of Versailles) ... 1938: Hitler clearly dangerous (strong military, campaigns against Jews) ...

611 views • 29 slides

World War II. 1939-1945. I. Causes. A. Similar Causes to WWI. 1. Axis Powers. 2. Allied Powers. B. Nationalism. C. Militarism. 1. New Nazi Technologies. D. Imperialism (Axis Aggressions). 1931 Japan takes Manchuria and port of Shanghai 1935 Italy invades Ethiopia

938 views • 39 slides

World War II. World War: Total war, with a total commitment from all the major superpowers in the world to win the war. Commitment economically, militarily and politically. Allies. Represent the “Free” world. Major players consisted of Great Britain, France, U.S., and the Soviet Union.

626 views • 28 slides

World War II. December 2, 2013. World War II begins in Europe. World War II started in _____ when __________ invaded Poland Adolf Hitler was trying to unite all countries with Germans living in them under his Nazi government There were ___ groups fighting each other during the war

626 views • 25 slides

World War II. Hgg # j By Ciara and Grace. World War II.

305 views • 16 slides

World War II . Review Created By: Michael Crews. Precursors. Fascism and Militarism in Central Europe Japanese invasion of Manchuria and China Rise of Nazism in Germany Invasion of Ethiopia by Italy Invasion of Poland and subsequent “Blitzkrieg” by Germany. Early U.S. Involvement.

239 views • 7 slides

The Pacific Front. World War II . Doolittle’s Raid – April 18, 1942. 15 B-25 bombers, led by James Doolittle, took off from an aircraft carrier. Bombed factories, steel mills, oil tanks and other military targets in Japan This hits Japan’s spirits hard

301 views • 9 slides

WORLD WAR II. TERRITORIAL EXPANSION IN THE PACIFIC – 1930’s. Hideki Tōjō , Prime Minister of Japan from 1941 to 1944. 1931: Manchuria. Hirohito , the Emperor of Japan. . JANUARY 1933. ADOLF HITLER GERMAN CHANCELLOR. FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT U.S. PRESIDENT. THE DEMOCRAT.

548 views • 22 slides

By: Mireina Barrios . World War II . Facts About World War II. The first german service service man killed in the war was killed by the japanese china 1937 The highest ranking American killed by the U.S Army Aircorps 12,000 heavy bombers were shot down in world war II

212 views • 4 slides

World War II:

World War II:. Europe At War. Objectives:. How the Axis powers took Europe. Europe under Nazi rule. Hitler’s motivation for the invasion of the Soviet Union. - Several Eastern European nations supported the Axis. - Japan joined the Axis powers in 1940.

1.52k views • 33 slides

World War II. 1939-1945. Causes of War. Long Term Causes. Immediate Causes. Expansion policies Appeasement German invade Poland Pearl Harbor. Treaty of Versailles Nationalism Militarism & Totalitarian States Great Depression. Expansion of Nazi Germany 1933-1939. Invasion of Poland.

6.36k views • 33 slides

World War II. The history behind the events The reasons behind the start of the war The countries involved Important people Dates that will always be remembered. The End of World War I. World War I was fought from 1914-1918

538 views • 38 slides

World War II. 1939-1945. I. Dictators Rise To Power. A. Treaty of Versailles- created depression in Europe and resentment in Germany. Countries were economically ruined and people feared Communism in the East. I. Dictators Rise To Power.

759 views • 53 slides

World War II. Chapter 26, Section 2 “ War in Europe ”. Keys to WWII. 2 fronts: Eastern and Western Be able to compare and contrast the three dictators: Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini. 3 parts to the War: 1. War in Europe (the 2 fronts) 2. War in Japan (war in the Pacific) 3. Holocaust.

363 views • 18 slides

World War II. What Caused World War II ?. Competing Empires “Spheres of Influence” England France USSR Japan United States Italy Economic Depression Led to the rise of militaristic dictators Hitler Mussolini Tojo Treaty of Versailles German anger at the harsh terms that ended WWI

400 views • 14 slides

World War II. 1. Treaty of Versailles (signed after WWI) created angst because of its harsh terms. CAUSES WORLD WAR II. 3. Failure of policy of Appeasement (Britain) AND Failure of the ‘League of Nations’.

206 views • 11 slides

1939-1945. World War II. Causes of World War II Political instability and economic devastation in Europe resulting from World War I:. Worldwide depression High war debt owed by Germany High inflation Massive unemployment. Rise of Fascism:

273 views • 11 slides

World War II. By Jordan Eudy. Causes of US entering WWII. Japanese Imperialism – US economic sanctions against Japan to protest aggression. German Sub Attacks on US naval destroyers while escorting British ships.

1.13k views • 92 slides

World War II. Battle of Monte Cassino Jan 4 - May 18, 1944. In late 1943…. German troops had blocked off northern Italy, Rome from allies Monte Cassino, an elevated area in the Liri Valley, was crucial to Germany’s defense of Rome.

493 views • 16 slides

WORLD WAR II. JAPAN. Japan suffered from a great economic depression after World War I. In 1930 Japan’s military took control of the country. Japan’s military took control of the schools and taught the young boys military practices. Hirohito – the emperor of Japan. 1. Soviet Union. China.

569 views • 31 slides

World War II. Daniel W. Blackmon. Mukden Incident. Germany Begins Open Rearmament. 1935 March 16 Germany repudiates military clauses of the Versailles Treaty. Italy invades Ethiopia. October 3, 1935. Germany Reoccupies the Rhineland. Spanish Civil War Begins. Rome – Berlin Axis Formed.

1.25k views • 121 slides

World War II. In what ways did the peace settlement with Germany at the end of World War I make a new world war with Germany more likely?   How was Hitler able to rise from obscurity and lead millions of Germans to embrace the extreme and violent ideas of the Nazi Party? 

790 views • 71 slides

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