WH Ch 17 World War II
World War II started because of AGGRESSION
*A* - Appeasement. Allies give into Hitler. *G* - Germans take Austria and Czechoslovakia *G* - German Nationalism *R* - Real Cause: Hitler Invades Poland *E* - Everyone ignores League of Nations *S* - Stupid Treaty of Versailles makes Germany and Italy want revenge *S* - Stupid Pacifism in Great Britain and France *I* - Italy wants land *O* - Oh, US Isolationist! *N* - No one stops Japan in Asia
England and France declared war on Germany after
*Germany invaded Poland* - The war in Europe began when Germany invaded Poland - Britain and France took little action after they declared war - Germany launched its next initiative by attacking Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, and France.
The Holocaust was caused by HATRED
*H* - Hitler's belief in the master race *A* - Antisemitism *T* - Totalitarianism and Nationalism *R* - Racist genocide "final solution"--kill all Jews quickly *E* - Economic depression blamed on German Jews *D* - Defeat in WWII blamed on Jews
Quick devastating attack by tanks and planes
*blitzkrieg* - "lightning war." - shock the opponent so severely that there would be little resistance, allowing the country to be overrun quickly, with minimal German losses.
What is a "scorched Earth" policy and why was it used?
- *either destroy or remove all useful supplies or facilities before retreating so that these resources would not fall into German hands* - Stalin ordered the Soviet army to implement a scorched-earth policy - The Russians thus destroyed roads and bridges, burned fields of crops, and demolished or emptied many factories - the policy was effective and hindered the advancing Germans armies
The Kellogg-Briand Pact
- 15 nations dedicated to outlawing aggression and war as tools of foreign policy - 62 nations signed - Problems--no means of actual enforcement and gave Americans a false sense of security
Franklin Roosevelt
- 32nd U.S. president - agreed to continued commitment of United States to defeat Germany in Europe
The Fiver Power Treaty
- A battleship ratio of US, Britain, Japan, France, and Italy - Treaty that regulated ship ratios. - no battleships can be built in the 10 years - Japan got a guarantee that the US and Britain would stop fortifying their Far East territories - Loophole--no restrictions on small worships - Effect--divided the war up by naval power
Iwo Jima
- A small island off the Japanese coast, - served as an early warning station against Allied bombers en route to attack Japan so was an obvious target. - U.S. Marines began an assault on February 19, 1945. - U.S. forces came ashore, surrounding Mt. Suribachi within a single day. - After a brutal, four-day struggle, U.S. forces reached the peak of Mt. Suribachi on February 23 - an Associated Press photographer took a now world-famous photograph of a group of Marines raising the American flag.
The America First Campaign
- America First Committee that was organized by isolationists before WWII, wished to spare American lives. - They wanted to protect America before we went to war in another country.
Hitler's birthday
- April 20 - Hitler spent his birthday in an underground bunker - soon resigned to kill himself when the city fell - defeat was obvious but Hitler refused to allow his troops to surrender and insisted that the army was to defend Berlin to the last man
The day Hitler committed suicide
- April 30, - Hitler killed himself in the bunker he had been living since the beginning of the month. - Later that evening, the Red Army hung a Soviet flag from the top of the German parliament building in Berlin - Over the following days. some German forces surrendered, while others continued to fight. - some went into hiding or sought escape abroad - Others followed Hitler's example and committed suicide.
V-J Day
- August 15, Japan announced capitulation in accordance with the Potsdam Declaration - Victory Over Japan Day - September 2, formal surrender signed
The 9 Power Treaty
- Britain, France, Italy, Japan, U.S., China, The Netherlands, Portugal, and Belgium - Reaffirmed the Open Door Policy in China between all the major parties - All members to allow equal and fair trading rights with China
Winston Churchill
- British prime minister who took office in May 1940 - rallied British people and military during Battle of Britain - insisted on unconditional surrender for Germany and delayed invasion of western Europe
Adolph Hitler
- Chancellor of Germany - pursued aggressive territorial expansion in the late 1930s - committed suicide on April 30, 1945, with fall of Berlin imminent
Panay was
- December 12, 1937. - Japan bombed USS Panay gunboat & three Standard Oil tankers on the Yangtze River. - The river was an international waterway. - Japan was testing US resolve! - Japan apologized, paid US an indemnity, and promised no further attacks. - Most Americans were satisfied with the apology. - Results--Japanese interpreted US tone as a license for further aggression against US interests.
How did Hitler's invasion of Russia change the war for Germany and how did it affect the remainder of the war?
- German forces were tied up in this conflict for years - It drained Germany's resources, hurt morale, diverted its military presence from western Europe - Ultimately made it possible for British and American forces to invade France in 1944
***Battle of Stalingrad
- Germans violated nonaggression pact with Soviet Union and attacked - Germans nearly won (controlled 9/10 of the city) - Winter of 1943 hit and German soldiers succumbed to frostbite and hypothermia - Hitler ordered them to continue. - Soviets used to their advantage and won - Soviets lost 1,100,000 people in this battle - Turning point in WWII - From that point on, Soviet army began to move westward towards Germany
What is Eagle Day?
- Hitler decided to begin massive bombing raids on air bases and military posts in England - August 13, *Germany sent more than 1,400 bombers and fighters across the English Channel* - The Germans brought down only 13 British fighters that day but lost more than three times as many of their own aircraft. LONDON BLITZ - In early September 1940, Hitler directed the Luftwaffe to shift its focus to the major British cities, including London. - The attacks began on September 7 and continued into May of the following year. - Tens of thousands of Londoners lost their lives during this time - Hitler then turned his attention to Russia.
***FDR's Good Neighbor Policy
- Important to have all nations in the Western Hemisphere united in lieu of foreign aggression - FDR - "The good neighbor respects himself and the rights of other." - Policy of non-intervention and cooperation
The name of the atomic bombs were
- Little Boy--Hiroshima - Fat Man--Nagasaki
V-E Day
- May 7, 1945, official surrender for Germany was signed which went into effect the next day - May 8, 1945 - celebrated Victory in Europe Day
D-Day
- Operation Overlord - 20,000 British and American airborne troops - 6,000 ships - 150,000 Allied soldiers and than 2 million more would enter France - thousands of German troops - By early 1944, the Allies had been planning an invasion of France for more than a year - Autumn of 1944, Germany was surrounded by all sides
Who attended (leaders) and what was the significance of the Casablanca Conference?
- Roosevelt and Churchill - decided for nothing but unconditional surrender for Germany
Who attended (leaders) and what was the significance of the Tehran Conference?
- Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin - discussed detailed plans for the Allied invasion of Europe (Operation Overlord)
Who attended (leaders) and what was the significance of the Yalta Conference?
- Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin - discussed their strategy for the last stages of the war
***German Retreat from the East
- Soviet forces steadily made their way toward Germany - The assault was in Poland, where most of the concentration camps were - the German S.S. was trying to hide evidence of the atrocities - The Nazis forced prisoners to march to Germany. - In November, Hitler retreated, abandoning his staff and relocating to Berlin. - In December, the Germans began their last counteroffensive - Allied failed to intercept the Germans so it was a complete surprise. - By December 24, the Germans had penetrated deep into France, making a distinct bulge that lent the Battle of the Bulge its name. - Germans pushed back and supplies were airdropped to US troops - By January 1945, Germans were in retreat - January 16, the soldiers trapped were free, and the "bulge" was no more.
Joseph Stalin
- Soviet premier - ordered scorched-earth policy to halt German advances in USSR - pushed for early invasion of western Europe to take German pressure off the USSR
Midway Island
- The Pearl Harbor attack provoked a war by the US on Japan - Yamamoto, who planned Pearl Harbor, planned a massive assault on Midway (Japan's New Plan) - US determined where the attack was going to take place through coded transmissions - The US responded by sending the fleet to Midway - Japan initiated the attack early in the morning, bombing the U.S. base on Midway Island. - The Battle of Midway was over by the end of the day. - The Japanese toll was far worse than the US - Japan's losses at Coral Sea and Midway forced it to shift into a defensive mode - Eventually, Japan would gradually lose all of these earlier gains
The National Debt
- The war inflated national debt 6x - but 45% of total war costs were paid with tax revenues
Who attended (leaders) and what was the significance of the Postdam Conference?
- Truman, Churchill, and Stalin - discuss the future of administration of Germany POTSDAM DECLARATION - unconditional surrender - demilitarization of the country - the replacement of Japan's current leadership - Allied forces were closing in on Japan at the same as they were closing in on Germany - bombing campaigns against major Japanese cities
The GI Bill was aimed at
- Veterans - loans to start small businesses and money to go back to college
What was the Atlantic Wall? What battle did it influence? How?
- a series of heavily armed fortifications all along the French coast. - Operation Overlord (D-Day) - it helped the Germans by preventing an invasion from Britain
Doolittle air raids?
- led by Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle - April 18, 1942, U.S. launched an air raid to demonstrate that Japan was susceptible to Allied attack. - The planes dropped bombs on oil reservoirs and naval facilities in Tokyo and other cities. - Then continued on to China to land. Low on fuel, all sixteen planes crash-landed - the raid did minimal damage to Japan. It was a powerful victory for US and demonstrated that Japan was vulnerable.
Why did the OPA set up rationing of goods during World War II?
- limited the amount of consumer goods each person could get. - The government rationed items because of inflation, that would make the item's price rise.
***Pearl Harbor
- morning of December 7, 1941 - Japan bombs US navy base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - destroyed many battleships and cruisers - killed 2,402 Americans
The 4 Power Treaty
- no Italy - Treaty that maintained the status quo in the South Pacific so that no countries could seek further territorial gain.
Roosevelt ran for President in 1940
- ran for a third term as president - against Wendell L. Willkie
During World War II, women could
- serve in the military - 6 million worked in war-related industries
The development of the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima
- summer of 1945, American scientists succeeded in completing a atomic bomb - it was tested on July 16 in New Mexico. - Scientists around the world had theorized about the concept of such a weapon for years - active research on its development had been taking place in the US, Nazi Germany, Japan, and the USSR. - The American effort, with help from Canada and Britain, was code-named the Manhattan Project - The first atomic bomb was dropped from the Enola Gay on the morning of August 6, 1945, onto the city of Hiroshima. - The blast obliterated most of the central city, killing 80,000 in a single moment. - It is estimated that the total death toll from Hiroshima was well over 200,000. - By the end of the year, 60,000 more victims would die from radiation poisoning, and thousands more would die in the years to come, from cancer and other long-term effects of the radiation.
The Clark Memorandum set out US policy that
- the US would not intervene in Latin American affairs in order to protect US property rights - this was a complete rebuke of the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine
Hitler was elected Chancellor of Germany but assumed more power when the Parliament building was burned. He did this by
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How did Hitler feel about Mussolini?
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Pearl Harbor was a great risk taken by the Japanese
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Prior to December 7, 1941, the United States and Japan
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Roosevelt died when
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The 1929 Kellogg-Briand Pact called for
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The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor when
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The policy the United States used in the Pacific was called
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What were Germany's goals with the invasion of Russia?
1. *Gain more land for Germany* 2. *Control the oil fields* 3. *Control exterminate Bolshevism* (radical Communism in Russia) - The German invasion of the Soviet Union began on June 22, 1941 - Despite the fact that the USSR was far larger than German, Hitler believed that the country would collapse quickly. - Although Hitler hoped to complete the operation by winter, Germany's conflict with the Soviet Union would continue for most of the war. - German forces advanced quickly across the Russian countryside.
Importance of the Battle of Britain
1. *it was Germany's first military failure* (the German air force, the Luftwaffe, was never able to overcome Britain's Royal Air Force.) 2. *The value of the new technology of radar was also effectively demonstrated for the first time.* 3. *By the battle's end, Germany had lost 1700 planes to 900 British planes* (about twice as many planes) 4. *first time in history when air power alone decided the outcome of a major battle* - After France fell, Britain was certain that Germany's next move would be against them so preparations had long been under way - Germany launched an attack on Britain exclusively from the air in the English Channel
How did World War II restore US prosperity?
1. WWII ended the Great Depression 2. Factories run at full capacity (Ford Motor Company--one bomber plane per hour) 3. People save money (rationing) 4. Army bases in South provide economic boom (in South b/c of climate) 5. The national debt grew to $260 billion (6 times its size on Dec. 7, 1941)
Attempt to avoid war by giving in to the demands of an aggressor nation
Appeasement
EVENTS: Total War in the Pacific
April 9--Japan captures the Philippines April 18--Doolittle Raid on Tokyo May 4-8--Battle of the Coral Sea June 3-6--Battle of Midway
Hitler's so-called master race destined to rule the world
Aryan race
In the 1930s, preliminary to World War II, actual conflict broke out first in
Asia when Japan invaded China in 1937 and in Europe when Germany invaded Poland in 1939
Requirement imposed by the Neutrality Act for the purchase of non-military supplied from the United States
Cash and Carry
The supreme leader in the Normandy Invasion
Dwight D. Eisenhower
During World War II, the fastest rate of growth occurred in the
Far West
***Erwin Rommel
German field marshal and tank specialist; helped Italian forces in Egypt; was also involved in later North African campaigns
Where were the atomic bombs dropped?
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Benito Mussolin
Italian Fascist prime minister whose territorial ambitions drew Italy into the war in June 1940
The Stimson Doctrine
JAPAN ATTACK MANCHURIA - League of Nations condemned the action - Japan leaves the League - Hoover wants no part in an American military action in the Far East - US would not recognize any territorial acquisitions that were achieved by force - Japan was infuriated because the US had conquered new territories a few decades earlier - Japan bombed Shanghai in 1932--massive casualities
Adolf Hitler blamed Germany's defeat in WWI on the
Jews
EVENTS: The Battle of Britain
July 10, 1940--First German bombers attack over English Channel July 19--Hitler urges Britain to make peace August 13--Eagle Day; more than 1,400 German planes attack southern England September 7--Beginning of "London Blitz" September 17--Hitler indefinitely postpones plans for ground invasion of England
EVENTS: Southeast Asia
July 1942--Japan occupies Guadalcanal August 7--Allies launch offensive on Guadalcanal February 9, 1943--Battle of Guadalcanal ends February 19, 1945--Battle of Iwo Jima begins March 26--Iwo Jima declared secure April 1--Battle of Okinawa begins May 3--Allies liberate Rangoon June 21--Battle of Okinawa ends
EVENTS: Italy and the Mediterranean
June 10, 1940--Italy declares war on Britain June 11--Italian planes attack Malta British skirmish in African desert September 13--Italy launches failed invasion of Egypt October 28--Italy begins invasion of Greece
EVENTS: The Invasion of Russia
June 22, 1941--Germany begins invasion of USSR July 3--Stalin orders scorched-earth policy September--Hitler shifts priority of attack to southern Russia October--Thousands of russian civilians dig trenches around Moscow November 27--German advance on Moscow is halted August 23, 1942--German troops reach Volga River; Luftwaffe bombs Stalingrad November 19-20--USSR launches two offensives against Germans February 2, 1943--German Sixth Army surrenders
EVENTS: The Allied Invasion of France
June 6, 1944--D-Day invasion begins August 15--Allied forces land on Mediterranean coast of France Mid-August--Hitler orders evacuation of southern France Soviet forces enter Germany from the east September 10--First Allied troops enter Germany from west October 18--Hitler authorizes conscription of all healthy men aged 16-60
The Good Neighbor policy of Roosevelt applies specifically to
Latin America - he was eager to enlist Latin American allies to defend the Western Hemisphere European and Asian dictators.
EVENTS: The Start of the War
March 13, 1938--Germany annexes Austria October 7-10--Germany takes Czech region of Sudetenland August 23, 1939--German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact September 1--Germany invades Poland September 3--Britain and France declare war on Germany
EVENTS: The Fall of Japan
March 1945--Allies begin mass bombing raids of Tokyo and other cities July 16--United States successfully tests first atomic bomb July 26--Potsdam Declaration signed August 6--United States drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima August 9--United States drops atomic bomb on Nagasaki USSR invades Manchuria August 15--Hirohito announces Japan's surrender September 2--Japan signs formal surrender
EVENTS: The Invasion of France
May 10, 1940--Germany begins invasions of Belgium, the Netherlands, and France May 14--Luftwaffe bombs central Rotterdam; Netherlands surrenders to Germany June 3--Luftwaffe initiates air raids on Paris June 12--German forces penetrate France's final lines of defense June 22--France signs armistice with Germany June 23--Hitler visits Paris
The first area to be liberated from Axis control by the Allies was
North Africa
EVENTS: The Fall of Germany
November 20, 1944--Hitler abandons Rastenburg headquarters December 16--Battle of the Bulge; Germans begin counteroffensive in Ardennes Feb 4--Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin meet at Yalta Conference April 12--Roosevelt dies; Truman becomes U.S. president April 16--Soviets begin offensive on Berlin April 25--U.S. and Soviet advances meet for first time April 30--Hitler commits suicide May 7--Germany signs formal surrender May 8--Western Allies declare V-E Day May 9--USSR declares Victory Day
What was the code name for the Allied invasion of Europe?
Operation Overlord
Location of six of the seven death camps
Poland
What did the Germans do with the Jews in France and Poland as allied forces were closing in on them?
The Nazis forced those prisoners who were still living to march on foot westward to Germany.
Which nations signed a nonaggression pact with Germany that led tot he invasion and division of Poland?
The Soviet Union
The final decision to drop the atomic bomb was made by
Truman
African American pilots were trained in a segregated facility at
Tuskegee
Name of the African American fighter pilots
Tuskegee Airmen
In 1933, the United States finally recognized the government of communist Russia, in part because the
United States hopes for substantial trade with Russia. - FDR felt that recognizing Moscow might bolster the US against Japan. - Maybe trade with the USSR would help the US economy during the Depression.
Answer to the Jewish Problem
WANNSEE CONFERENCE - fifteen Nazi officials met - discussed how to resolve the "Jewish question" - included the logistics of expelling Jews from Germany by emigration, mandatory sterilization, and the best way of dealing with people of mixed blood - who would legally be considered a Jew - concentration camps purely for the purpose of killing
The origins of the American middle class are rooted in
World War II
During World War II, the Japanese world "kamikaze" referred to
a suicide mission in which a Japanese pilot purposely crashed his plane into an enemy ship
The Neutrality Act of 1935 forbade the sale of arms and munitions to
belligerent nations - Act that allowed nations at war to buy goods and arms in the United States if they paid cash and carried the merchandise on their own ships
In World War II, the Allied strategy agreed upon by the US and Great Britain, was to
concentrate on defeating Germany first before turning on Japan.
The British and French realized that appeasement (told Hitler not to invade countries again) had failed when Hitler
made demands for territory in Poland
The Nye committee reached the conclusion that an important factor leading the United States in to war in 1917 was the
need to protect American bank loans to the Allies. - Senator Gerald P. Nye of North Dakota held hearings to investigate the country's involvement on WW1 - this committee documented the huge profits that arms factories had made during the war
The diplomatic strategy behind the Lend-Lease program was to
support England's war efforts against Germany without the United States entering World War II.
Among the reasons the atomic bomb was used against Japan was the belief that it would
ultimately save both US military and Japanese civilian casualties
