WWII

Lesson 1:
Causes of the war:

1. Failure the treaty of versailles

● Germany orders were changed, and it’s economy was bankrupted by
reparations payments
● Germany lost lands to surrounding nations and wanted them back.
● War Guilt Clause
➔ Germany forced pay $57 trillion (modern equivalent)
➔ These payments bankrupted the german economy
➢ Hopeless and Embarrassed
● The US rejected the treaty, embarrassed Germans
2. Economic factors
● All countries suffered the effects of the Great Depression, and people
blamed their governments and sought change
● The Depression made Germany's debt even worse
● Desperate people turn to strong leaders
➔ Feel better, blame others
➔ In this case, Hitler blamed the former government, Jews, foreigners,
communists, Roma (Gypsies), the mentally ill, and homosexuals
● Similar situations existed in other countries such as Italy

3. Nationalism
● Extreme nationalism gave rise to Fascism in Italy and Nazism in Germany
and caused Japan to colonize Asia
● Extreme pride in one's country
● Extreme nationalism gave rise to Fascism
➔ Italy and Germany
● Japan to colonized Asia and the Pacific
● Countries increase their military strength
➔ Allowed them to protect their interests
 4. Appeasement and isolationism
● England and France
➔ Still recovering from WWI
● Some countries (like the US) isolated themselves
● 2. Perceptions of WWI
➔ Wouldn't solve much
➔ Expensive
● This led to "Appeasement."
➔ give dictators what they want and hope that they won't want
anything else.
● Included allowing the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, the Italian invasion
of Ethiopia, and Germany's invasion of the Sudetenland (Czechoslovakia)

Lesson 2:
The Allies and the Axis

1. The Major Combats

● The Allies
❖ United Kingdom
➢ Winston Churchill
❖ Soviet Union(USSR)
➢ Joseph stalin
❖ United States
➢ FranklinD, Roosevelt, HarryS. Truman
● The Axis
❖ Germany
➢ Adolf Hitler
❖ Italy
➢ Benito Mussolini
❖ Japan
➢ Emperor Hirohito
★ Viewed as a living god
➢ Hideki Tojo
★ Day to day ruler
 2. The rise of Totalitarianism
● The government controls every aspect of public and private life
● Individual rights are not viewed as important as the needs of the nation.
● Fascism
➔ Military government with based on racism & nationalism with
strong support from the business community
3. The rise of Hitler
● Hitler peacefully annexed Austria and Czechoslovakia in 1938
● Hitler Signed a nonaggression pact with the USSR
➔ Agreement to not invade
➔ Split Poland

Lesson 3:
Understanding Propaganda

1. Propaganda
● Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a
political cause or point of view

Lesson 4:
The Battles of WWII

1. Invasion of poland, Sept 1, 1939

● Blitzkrieg
➔ Lightning warfare
● Poland unprepared
➔ 500,000 soldiers vs 1,500,000
➔ Panzers vs, Cavalry
● Geographic advantage of Germany
➔ Surround on 3 sides
● Significance
➔ Britain and France declare war
2. France, May 1940
● Rapid and unexpected conquest of low countries and france
➔ 4 weeks
➔ Showed German mastery of mobile warfare
● Significance
➔ France surrenders
➔ Hitler would gain control over western Europe
➔ Italy enters the War
➔ Russia itself was now threatened
➢ No long, mutually destructive war between the
capitalist powers

3. Battle of Britain, August, Sept, 1940

● Daytime raids against RAF bases and later London
● Hoped to gain air superiority and force Britain to make peace
➔ Germany prepared to invade
● Britain had radar
➔ Could see attack coming
● Public morale did not crack
➔ Germans switched to night bombing
● Significance:
➔ The Americans sent help
➔ Germany decides to invade USSR

4. Moscow, Dec, 1941

● Red Army surprise counter-offensive near Moscow

● Significance:
➔ Blitzkrieg strategy of Hitler and his generals had failed
➔ Turned into war of attrition
➢ Third Reich could not win a war of attrition
5. Pearl Harbor, 7,Dec,1941
● Short and one-sided
● Six Japanese aircraft carriers and over 400 planes attacked the US
● Crippling the US Navy
● Significance:
➔ Allowed Japan to overrun southeast Asia
➔ US entered the war
➔ Fierce anti-Japanese sentiment
➢ Fire bombing and atomic bombs

6. Midway, June 1942

● The Japanese Fleet threatened Midway Island
➔ Hoping to "bait" Americans.
● Significance:
➔ Japanese lost their 4 best carriers
➔ Allowed the Americans to take the strategic initiative in South
Pacific
➔ Japanese had no time to fortify their island defense line

7. Stalingrad, Nov 1942 to Jan 1943

● Turning point of the war
● Germans tried to cut off city
➔ Red Army held off
● Significance:
➔ Showed power of rebuilt Red Army
➔ Is major German surrender
➔ Third Reich was now on the defensive

8. D-Day, June, July 1944

● Operation Neptune
● Death Day
● Normandy, France
● June 6th, 1944
 ● Significance:
➔ It allowed the rapid liberation of Europe
➔ Largest seaborne invasion in history
➔ 10,000+ allied casualties

9. Battle of Bulge, Dec 16, 1944-Jan. 25 1945

● Ardennes Forest
● Allies fatigued and low on supplies
● Hitler's attempt to split allied forces
➔ German soldiers not optimistic
● Allies were surprised
➔ Fog made air units immobile
● Germans unable to use Blitzkrieg
● Largest battle US Fought in War
● Germans lose most tanks

10. Iwo Jima, feb 19 -March 26, 1945

● Fist attack on Japanese Homeland

● American attempt to seize Japanese airfields
● American victory
● Significance:
➔ Capture of Japanese Airfields
➔ Americans advance on to mainland

11. Battle of Berlin, April 16th-May 2nd 1945

● Soviet troops surround Berlin

● Hitler's Tearful Rage
● Significance:
➔ Hitler realizes war is lost
➢ Blames generals, kills himself
➔ Germans forced to surrender
 Lesson 5:
Understanding the Just War Theory

1. The Just War Theory

● Basis for international law in regards to war
● Originated with classical Greek and Roman philosophers like Plato
and Cicero
➔ Expanded by Augustine and Aquinas
● Believes that war is inevitable
➔ Tries to find way to fight in an ethical manner
● states that..
➔ Taking human life is seriously wrong
➔ States have a duty to defend their citizens, and defend justice
➔ Protecting innocent human life and defending important moral
values sometimes requires willingness to use force and violence
● Two parts to the theory
● Jus ad Bellum
➔ The conditions under which the use of military force is justified
➔ How to start a war
● Jus in Bello
➔ How to conduct a war in an ethical manner
➔ How to fight a war

2. Jus ad Bellum
● The war must be for a just cause
● The war must be lawfully declared by a lawful authority
● The intention behind the war must be good
● All other ways of resolving the problem should have been tried first
● There must be a reasonable chance of success
● The means used must be in proportion to the end that the war seeks
to achieve
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3. Jus in Bello
 ● Innocent people and non-combatants should not be harmed
● Only appropriate force should be used
➔ This applies to both the sort of force, and how much force is used
● Internationally agreed conventions regulating war must be obeyed
Lesson 6:
Foundations of a Genocide
1. Foundation of Genocide
● Plan to rid Europe, and then the world, or Hitler's "undesirables"
● Undesirables
➔ Jews, Roma (Gypsies), Homosexuals, Mentally Delayed, Physically
impaired, Political Dissidents
● Aktion T4
➔ Forced euthanasia and sterilization
➔ Done to save money and create a pure race
● Pressure on parents to send children to "treatment"
2. The final solution
● Prejudice against Jews was widespread
➔ M.S. St. Louis
➢ Ship of Jewish refugees denied entry into US, Cuba, and
Canada
● Was the answer to "The Jewish Question"
● Led to death of 6,000,000 Jews
➔ 9,500,000 in Europe before war
➔ 91% of Jewish population in Poland
3. If you were there
● Loaded into train car
➔ Possible journey for days
➔ No food, no water, no bathrooms
● Arrival at camp
➔ Men and women separated
➢ Children stay with mothers
● Registered and given tattoo
● Strip naked
● Have hair shaved
● Shower
➔ At death camps, this was the end.
Lesson 7:
Dachau and Auschwitz

1. Dachau
● First Nazi Camp
➔ 1933
● Work Camp, primarily for political prisoners
● Numerous instances of torture
➔ Standing cells, pole hanging
● 32,000 documented deaths
2. Auschwitz
● Most prolific camp
● Purpose was to kill as many people as possible
● 1.1 Million documented deaths
● Many died from
➔ Starvation
➔ Diseases
➔ "Medical" experiments

Lesson 9:
The Atrocities of War

1. Rape of Nanjing, December 13, 1937 - January 1938

● 50,000-300,000 dead
● Mass murder and rape of Chinese
● Committed by Japanese soldiers
● Most documents detailing event were destroyed

2. US internment camps,Feb. 19th 1942- March 20th, 1946

● Executive Order 9066
● Forced relocation of 110,000-1 20,000 Japanese-Americans)
➔ 62% were US citizens
● Done to protect US from "spies"
● Problems?
Lesson 10:
The Atomic Bombing of Japan

1. The Atomic Bomb

● Manhattan Project
➔ Code name from project to develop atomic bomb
● Secrecy is key
➔ Developed by Canada, US, and UK
➢ Why no USSR?
➔ Truman kept in the dark
● Hiroshima and Nagasaki
➔ Major targets
➔ Drop this or invade?
➔ What do you do?

2. Hiroshima
● August 6th, 1945
● "Little Boy"
● Exploded over hospital
● Effects of Radiation
● 20,000 soldiers killed
● 70,000-126,000 civilians killed
● First ever Atomic Bomb attacked

3. Nagasaki
● August 9th, 1945
● "Fat Man"
● 39,000-80,000 killed
● Japan surrenders August 15th, 1945
4. The lasting impact
● Power Shifts
● U.S. and U.S.S.R become world powers, replacing Englar
● Germany,
● Tensions Rise
● Arms Race and Cold War begin.
● Communism Spreads
➔ U.S.S.R. sets up satellite nations in Eastern Europe.
● Hope Survives
● United Nations and Marshall Plan implemented.