ww2

3. What was decided at the Potsdam Conference?

"The Potsdam Conference, 1945. The Big Three—Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (replaced on July 26 by Prime Minister Clement Attlee), and U.S. President Harry Truman—met in Potsdam, Germany, from July 17 to August 2, 1945, to negotiate terms for the end of World War II." Encyclopedia > Potsdam Conference Article Content Potsdam Conference The Potsdam conference was held in Potsdam, Germany (near Berlin) from July 17 to August 2, 1945. Participants were the victorious allies of World War II who were to decide how to administer Germany, which had unconditionally surrendered several months earlier. Participants were: USA, represented by president Harry S Truman USSR, represented by Joseph Stalin Britain, represented by Winston Churchill and later Clement Attlee The primary results of this conference was the Potsdam Agreement which called for the division of Germany and Austria in four occupation zones (agreed on earlier at the Yalta Conference), division of Berlin and Vienna in four zones, and the establishment of the Odra-Nysa line as the provisional border between Germany and Poland. In addition, the Allies issued the Potsdam Declaration which outlined the terms of surrender for Japan. The western allies, and especially Churchill, were suspicious of Stalin's motives, who had already installed communist governments in the eastern European countries under his influence; the Potsdam conference turned out to be the last conference among the allies. During the conference, Truman told Stalin about his "powerful new weapon"; Stalin of course knew already about the atomic bomb through his spies in the Manhattan project. Toward the end of the conference, Japan was given an ultimatum (threatening "prompt and utter destruction" without mentioning the new bomb), and after Japan had rejected it, atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

2. What acts of aggression helped lead to WW II?

1. Hitler violated the treaty of Versailles and then extended his military.. All of this was in direct violation of the Treaty however no nation attempted to stop Hitler. France was in particular position to act and could have easily ended Hitler's militaristic expansion but did not do so fearing war. 2. Hitler annexed Austria.The combination of Germany and Austria (known as Anschluss) was also specifically prohibited by the Treaty of Versailles. 3. Hitler asks for permission to annex the half of Czechoslovakia known as the Sudatenland. In the Munich Pact the powers of Europe agree to this in exchange for a promise from Hitler would not expand anymore. Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of England and author of the Munich Pact and this policy of appeasement, declare "Peace in our time!" than took the rest soon after. 4. Mussolini attacked and invaded Ethiopia 5. Japan led by General Togo attacked and annexed the Chinese province of Manchuria. 6. Hitler and Stalin sign a non aggression pact. Each hate each other but wish to secure that border first. 7. On September 1st 1939 Germany invaded Poland. England and France declare war on Germany.

General Eisenhower

A US Army general who held the position of supreme Allied commander in Europe, among many others. He was best known for his work in planning Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Europe. The general of the US who led D-Day.American commander who was put in charge of the D-Day invasion at Normandy. He had already distinguished himself in the North Africa and Mediterranean campaigns not only for his military capacity but also for his gifts as a conciliator of clashing Allied interests.

Totalitarian state (gov't)

A government that aims to control the political, economic, social, intellectual, and cultural lives of its citizens A type of government ruled by a dictator; the government controls every aspect of life; there is one-party rule and surpemacy of the state over the individual. In the USSR, there was collective ownership, centralized planning, censorship and secret police.

Fascism

A political system headed by a dictator that calls for extreme nationalism and racism and no tolerance of opposition. A governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.

Rosie the Riveter

A propaganda character designed to increase production of female workers in the factories. It became a rallying symbol for women to do their part. A character who symbolized women in manufacturing jobs. she became the symbol of the working woman during World War II. Women were welders, machinists, fabricators, etc...

Nuremberg Trials

A series of court proceedings held in Nuremberg, Germany, after World War II, in which Nazi leaders were tried for aggression, violations of the rules of war, and crimes against humanity. Series of trials in 1945 conducted by an International Military Tribunal in which former Nazi leaders were charged with crimes against peace, crimes against humanity, and war crimes

Communism

A theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state.

Causes of World War II

Aggression by totalitarian powers, Nationalism, Failures of the Treaty of Versailles, Weakness of the League of Nations, Appeasement, Isolationism in the USA, Pacifism in Europe

Lend Lease Act

Allowed sales or loans of war materials to any country whose defense the president deems vital to the defense of the U.S. Approve by Congress in March 1941; The act allowed America to sell, lend or lease arms or other supplies to nations considered "vital to the defense of the United States."

United Nations

An international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. It was founded in 1945 at the signing of the United Nations Charter by 50 countries, replacing the League of Nations, founded in 1919.

Emperor Hirohito

At the start of his reign, Japan was still a fairly rural country with a limited industrial base. Japan's militarization of in the 1930's eventually led to Japan's invasion in China and involvement in WW2. Emperor Shōwa was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order, reigning from December 25, 1926, until his death on January 7, 1989.

Joseph Stalin

Bolshevik revolutionary, head of the Soviet Communists after 1924, and dictator of the Soviet Union from 1928 to 1953. He led the Soviet Union with an iron fist, using Five-Year Plans to increase industrial production and terror to crush opposition. General secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1922 until his death in 1953. In some ways, Stalin was responsible for the USSR's severe losses at the beginning of World War II, as he failed to head the warnings of his advisors and did not allow the Russian military to prepare a proper defense. At the same time, he did succeed in holding the country together and inspiring among his people an awesome resistance against Germany, which ultimately forced a German retreat. Stalin's own regime in the USSR was just as brutal as the Nazi regime in many ways, and the alliance between Stalin and the Western Allies always remained rather tenuous because of mutual distrust.

Winston Churchill

British Prime Minister A noted British statesman who led Britain throughout most of World War II and along with Roosevelt planned many allied campaigns. He predicted an iron curtain that would separate Communist Europe from the rest of the West. 1874 to 1965; greatest wartime leader; rallied the British with his speeches, infectious confidence, and bulldog determination; known for his "iron curtain" speech; led the British during World War II; agreed Hitler should be conquered; was thrown out by his own people.

Manhattan Project

Code name for the U.S. effort during World War II to produce the atomic bomb. Much of the early research was done in New York City by refugee physicists in the United States. The Manhattan project was a secret research and development project of the U.S to develop the atomic bomb. Its success granted the U.S the bombs that ended the war with Japan as well as ushering the country into the atomic era.

Yalta Conference

February 1945 (FDR) 1945, want quick end to war "The Big Three" FDR, Churchill and Stalin met at Yalta. Russia agreed to declare war on Japan after the surrender of Germany and in return FDR and Churchill promised the USSR concession in Manchuria and the territories that it had lost in the Russo-Japanese War, Stalin broke promise on free elections and representative govt.

Charles deGaulle

French General who Led the French resistance. Organized the Free French military forces that battled the Nazis until France was liberated in 1944. Created the French 4th Republic. A French general and statesman, leader of the Free French during World War II and the architect of the Fifth Republic. Refused to accept the French government's truce with the Germans and escaped to London, where he announced the formation of a French government in exile. He was the dominant political leader and grand figurehead of France during and after World War II. De Gaulle was a career soldier in the French Army who had been wounded and held prisoner during World War I. He rose to the rank of general and was serving as France's minister for National Defense and War in June, 1940, when France capitulated to Germany early in World War II. DeGaulle escaped to Britain, where he made a famous broadcast calling on the French people to resist (earning him the nickname of the "Man of June 18, 1940"). DeGaulle formed the Free French forces and led the provisional government that ruled France after it was retaken from Germany. After the war he was elected head of the French government.

Adolf Hitler-

German leader of the Nazi party. Leader of the Nazi party, Chancellor in 1933, sought Lebensraum through anti semitism for his people, motivating speaker, leader of Germany during the Holocaust. This man became Chancellor of Germany in 1933 after the death of Paul von Hindenburg. He rose to power as Dictator where he enacted anti-Jewish policies and built up the military. He committed suicide on April 30, 1945. Was a fervent anti communist and an admirer of Mussolini

-Battle of the Bulge

Germans mounted one final winter offensive in December 1944 through Belgium's Ardennes Forest, Allies prevailed and crossed the Rhine River in March of 1945 Final Stages of WWII

1. How did the Versailles Treaty help lead to World War II?

Germany broke the treaty by increasing their army, and getting more land.

Axis powers

Germany, Italy, Japan, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria) versus Allies (U.S., Britain, France, USSR, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Greece, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Yugoslavia and Soviet union before June 22, 1941 when Germany attacked them.

Final Solution

Hitler's program of systematically killing the entire Jewish people. Final solution of the Jewish question-murder of every single Jew-had begun-mass arresting, and trafficking of Jews to the concentration camps-mass killings occurred as well in the gas chambers. The Nazi's euphemistic term for their plan to exterminate the Jews of Germany and other German-controlled territories during World War II. The term was used at the Wannsee Conference of January 1942, in which Nazi leaders planned the Holocaust but made no specific mention of the extermination camps that ultimately killed millions.

-Battle of Stalingrad

Hitlers troops only made is as far as Stalingrad. One of the costliest battles. Hitler was determined to destroy Stalin's namesake city, and Stalin was determined to defend it. Trapped, without food or ammunition and with no hope of rescue, the German commander finally surrendered. Hitler's army lost a lot of troops and equipment. Hitlers troops only made is as far as Stalingrad. One of the costliest battles. Hitler was determined to destroy Stalin's namesake city, and Stalin was determined to defend it. Trapped, without food or ammunition and with no hope of rescue, the German commander finally surrendered. Hitler's army lost a lot of troops and equipment.

1. What were the results of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor?

Jap decedent send to camp lost everything mentally, physically and socially. lost loved to army. lost pets. lost friends, pets, shelter, freedom, money, jobs, clothing personal items etc. U.S got into ww2.

Bataan Death march

Japanese forced about 60,000 of americans and philippines to march 100 miles with little food and water, most died or were killed on the way April 1942, American soldiers were forced to march 65 miles to prison camps by their Japanese captors. It is called the Death March because so may of the prisoners died en route.

Kamikaze

Japanese suicide pilots who loaded their planes with explosives and crashed them into American ships. A Japanese aircraft loaded with explosives and making a deliberate suicidal crash on an enemy target.

-D-Day(Normandy Invasion)

June 6, 1944, Allies invaded France in Normandy, American led attack from dependent British soil, established a beachhead and were able to land over a million men in the next few months. operation overlord. Assault by Britain, Canada, and US on German occupied France; Opened the "Second Front" demanded of the Western Allies by Stalin. France was attacked by the nazis and nazis controlled the northern part of France. Then the english and American attacked the beaches by foot but there were spikes that. General Dwight Eisenhower leads combined Allied forces onto the beaches of Normandy in France to begin the liberation of France from the Nazis.

Harry Truman

Led the U.S. to victory in WWII making the ultimate decision to use atomic weapons for the first time. Shaped U.S. foreign policy regarding the Soviet Union after the war. The 33rd U.S. president, who succeeded Franklin D. Roosevelt upon Roosevelt's death in April 1945. Truman, who led the country through the last few months of World War II, is best known for making the controversial decision to use two atomic bombs against Japan in August 1945. After the war, Truman was crucial in the implementation of the Marshall Plan, which greatly accelerated Western Europe's economic recovery.

AFTERMATH OF WAR

Many countries were in ruins. Total war had destroyed cities, factories, homes, harbors, and many more necessities of life. The Soviet Union had the most casualties. They had over 20 million deaths. Cold war, Communism/Capitolism After the war, Germany is left poor, sad, annoyed, destroyed, and in a terrible economic state of inflation. The UK comes off strong with a strongly boosted industrial base, and Austria-Hungary breaks up into Austria and Hungary.

Navajo Code Talkers

Native Americans from the Navajo tribe used their own language to make a code for the U.S. military that the Japanese could not desipher Native American served the country by enlisting in the armed services and working in thousands of factories across the United States. Most famous was this group, who translated U.S. code into the Native American Language so that enemy forces could not decipher the content.

rationing

Restricting the amount of food and other goods people may buy during wartime to assure adequate supplies for the military

Japanese-American Internment camps

Roosevelt signed a document Feb. 19,1942 stating that all people of Japanese ancestry from California and parts of Washington, Oregon, and Arizona, needed to be removed. Put them in internment camps because of their fear for another attack by the Japanese. About 66% were actually Nisei (native born american citizens). Some Americans irrationally thought that the Japanese-Americans would suddenly become loyal to Japan and fight for them or act as spies. They were unjustly interned w/o fair treatment during war. Lost businesses, possessions and money. Japanese-Americans living on the west coast were moved to camps inland because of fears that they were loyal to Japan. Outbreak of racist hysteria after Pearl Harbor, many believe Japanese Americans are Japanese spies (the Fifth Column), FBI interviewed select Germans, Italians, Some want Americans of Germanic and Italian descent put in internment camps as well, but there are just too many to fit. Executive Order No. 9066: Authorizes military to ban any citizen from West Coast region of US, Japanese American citizens forced to liquidate businesses and sell property (usually at a loss); store goods in government-owned warehouses (which were robbed); and relocate to internment camps (beginning 1942).

WAR IN EUROPE

September 1, 1939-June 14, 1945 Germany invaded; Austria, Poland, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Soviet Union (1941) Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union. Hitler breaks Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact attacks using Blitzkrieg. Initially very successful, fails but fails because Hitler split his army, and his troops were unprepared for the cold. Nazis are defeated at Stalingrad.

Appeasement/Munich Pact

Signed in 1938 between Great Britain, Gemany, and France that gave part of Czechoslovakia to Germany; Chamberlain said it guaranteed "peace in our time". It attempted to prevent large-scale war by granting German chancellor Adolf Hitler his demand for control over the Sudetenland, a German-populated region bordering Czechoslovakia. Instead it verified Hitler's theory that the West would not interfere in eastern Europe, gave him time to rebuild an army, an emboldened him to continue the invasions - beginning with Czechoslovakia just months later - that led to WWII.

Nazi Party/ Third Reich

The Third German Empire, established by Adolf Hitler in the 1930s.The Third Republic of Germany which began Hitler's rule in 1933 and ended with his defeat in 1945 Name given to Germany during the Nazi regime, between 1933 and 1945. The First Reich (or empire) was from 963 to 1806 (the Holy Roman Empire). The second was from 1871 to 1917 (the reigns of William I and William II). Hitler believed the _____ would rule Europe for a thousand years.

HOMEFRONT

The efforts by many that were home in the U.S. to support the war effort. The home-front was called to support the war effort by supporting rationing, buying war bonds, and planting Victory gardens. referring to domestic efforts to assist the war effort during WW1. War on the home front was factories, rationing, etc.

1. What were the human and economic costs of the war?

The estimated costs for WWI for each participating nation are listed below (in US dollars): -United States: $22,625,253,000 -Great Britain: $35,334,012,000 -France: $24,265,583,000 -Russia: $22,293,950,000 -Italy: $12,413,998,000 -Belgium: $1,154,468,000 -Romania: $1,600,000,000 -Japan: $40,000,000 -Serbia: $399,400,000 -Greece: $270,000,000 -Canada: $1,665,576,000 -Australia: $1,423,208,000 -New Zealand: $378,750,000 -India: $601,279,000 -South Africa$300,000,000 -British Colonies: $125,000,000 -Germany: $37,775,000,000 -Austria-Hungary: $20,622,960,000 -Turkey: $1,430,000,000 -Bulgaria: $815,200,000 "Russia 7,000,000 Germany 3,500,000 China 2,200,000 Japan 1,300,000 Britain 350,000 United States 300,000 Civilian Losses A civilian is a person who is not on active military duty. The total number of civilian losses during the war may have exceeded the nearly 20 million total military losses. __ Millions of civilians were killed in the Nazi mass exterminations of Jews, Poles, and other persecuted groups. __ The civilian death toll was a reason for postwar trials for war crimes—acts that violate the customs of war, including civilian murder and other crimes against humanity. The most famous were the Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminals. Wounded In addition to military and civilian deaths, there were more than 13 million military wounded and more than 6 million civilian wounded. __ The death toll might have been twice as great were it not for penicillin and other medical advances in treating the wounded. Total losses—from military and civilian deaths during the war, as well as death"http://www.primohistory.com/Standard%2010.8.6%20Shortcut.pdf

4.What was the Holocaust?

The systematic mass slaughter of Jews and other groups judged inferior to the Nazis. The slaughter of Europe's Jews by the Nazis, 6 million Jews were tortured and murdered. The Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators.

2. Describe our strategy of island hopping used to win the war against Japan?

They had a tactic called "island hopping" it when they take islands one by one from Japan. They also destroyed Japan's fleets. And one of the major strategies was atomic bombs.

WAR IN THE PACIFIC

WWII, fall of singapore, allies strike back at Japan, The battles of the coral sea and midway island, macarthur's drive toward japan Germany and Italy declare war on the US Dec. 11, 1941 with the Tripartite pact (don't do much though). USA has embargo on Japan.

Hitler-Stalin (Nazi-Soviet) Pact

agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union in 1939 in which the two nations promised not to fight each other and to divide up land in Eastern Europe and divided Poland for an easy win, but Germany didn't keep true to their word and attacked Stalin later

Tuskegee Airmen

famous segregated unit of African-American pilots. 332 Fighter Group famous for shooting down over 200 enemy planes. African American pilots who trained at the Tuskegee flying school., all black unit of fighter pilots. trained in Tuskegee Alabama. won many awards for bravery and never lost a single pilot.

Master race/Aryans

nomads from Europe and Asia who migrated to India and finally settled; vedas from this time suggest beginning of caste system. German people who Hilter saw as the master race. Adolf Hitler believed they were they leading race and should make a great civilization. They were threatened by the inferior Slavs.

Concentration Camps

prison camps used under the rule of Hitler in Nazi Germany. Conditions were inhuman, and prisoners, mostly Jewish people, were generally starved or worked to death, or killed immediately.

3. How did rationing, victory gardens, and war bonds help the U.S. war effort?

rations limitation on the amount of certain goods people could buy. Victory Gardens produced 40% of vegtable.

1. How did America mobilize its economy for war?

volunteering or being drafted into the military, rationing of food and essential materials, women working in war factories as "Rosie the Riveter".

-Battle of Britain/ RAF http://www.military-history.org/articles/the-battle-of-britain-a-brief-guide.htm

" What: The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940. The name derives from a famous speech delivered by Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the House of Commons: "The Battle of France is over. I expect the Battle of Britain is about to begin..." When: Common opinion is that the Battle of Britain took place between 10 July and 31 October 1940. There are believed to have been four main phases to the battle: 10- 11 August, 12- 23 August, 24- 6 August and 7 September onwards. Who: The German Luftwaffe's Messerschmitt Bf109E and Bf 110C fought against the British RAF's Hurricane MKI and the Spitfire MKI. Where: From July 1940 coastal shipping convoys and shipping centers were the main targets of the attacks; one month later the Luftwaffe shifted its attacks to RAF airfields and infrastructure. As the battle progressed the Luftwaffe also targeted aircraft factories and ground infrastructure and eventually resorted to attacking British towns and cities. Why: The Germans planned to invade Britain with the objective of landing 160,000 soldiers along a fourty mile coastal stretch of South-East England. This plan was codenamed Operation Sealion. Hitler's generals were very worried about the damage that the Royal Air Force could inflict on the German Army during the invasion and so Hitler therefore agreed that the invasion should be postponed until the British Air Force had been destroyed. Accordingly the campaign objective was one of gaining air superiority over the RAF, especially Fighter Command. Significance: The Battle of Britain was the first major campaign to be fought entirely by air forces, and was also the largest and most sustained aerial bombing campaign to that date. The Battle of Britain marked the first defeat of Hitler's military forces. Outcome: Air superiority was originally seen as the key to British victory at the Battle of Britain. Records show that during the period of the Battle the Luftwaffe lost somewhere in the region of 1,652 aircraft, including 229 twin engined and 533 single engined fighters.RAF Fighter Command aircraft losses totalled 1087 from July 10 to October 30 1940, including 53 twin engined fighters. In addition the RAF lost 376 Bomber Command and 148 Coastal Command aircraft conducting bombing, mining, and reconnaissance operations in defence of the country."

2. What roles were played by women during WWII?

"Before the Second World War, women were expected to be 'housewives' or perhaps to do certain 'women's jobs', such as nursing or being a domestic servant or shop assistant. The war changed the world of work for women for ever. When men went to fight, women were called upon to fill their jobs, and this included many jobs that were previously thought of unsuitable for women. Women were called up for war work from March 1941. Jobs undertaken by women during the war included: mechanics engineers Tank drivers Building ships Working in factories - making bombs and aircraft parts Air raid wardens Driving fire engines Plumbers Ambulance drivers WRVS volunteers Nurses Women were required by the government to work. At first, only single women aged 20-30 were called up, but by mid-1943, almost 90 per cent of single women and 80 per cent of married women were working in factories, on the land or in the armed forces. Huge numbers of women were involved in the war effort and many joined the armed forces even though they did not have to: 640,000 in the armed forces; 55,000 serving with guns and providing essential air defence; 80,000 thousand in the Land Army; plus many more who flew unarmed aircraft, drove ambulances, worked as nurses and worked behind enemy lines in the European resistance. The Women's Land Army Horse and cart What was the Women's Land Army? As the prospect of war became increasingly likely, the government wanted to increase the amount of food grown within Britain. In order to grow more food, more help was needed on the farms and so the government started the Women's Land Army. LandgirlsWhen was it started? The Women's Land Army was set up in June 1939. What kind of jobs did the Land Army do? The girls of the land army looked after animals, ploughed the fields, dug up potatoes, harvested the crops, killed the rats, dug and hoed for 48 hours a week in the winter and 50 hours a week in the summer. Land girls The women earned £1,85 for a working week with a minimum of 50 hours. In 1944 the wages were increased to £2.85. Memorial to war women The memorial stands in Whitehall, about a hundred yards from the cenotaph. The 22ft-high bronze sculpture depicts the uniforms and working clothes worn by women during the war."

c. Hiroshima/Nagasaki

"In August of 1945, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These bombs were intended to cause Japan to surrender to the allied forces and to bring about the end of WWII."

b.Iwo Jima/Okinawa

"It is believed that Iwo Jima and Okinawa were of great importance to the victory in the Pacific War. They were said to be the areas in which they could use as landing strips for the atomic bombs that would later destroy the Japanese homeland. 1 John Pike."Battle of Okinawa.""

Blitzkrieg

"Lighting war", typed of fast-moving warfare used by German forces against Poland in 1939. Germany's newest military strategy including intial strikes by luftwaffe followed by invasion of fast tanks and infantry in order to quickly destroy another nation.

a. Battle of Midway

"The Battle of Midway was a sea-based battle between the United States and Japan which occurred between June 4th and June 7th, 1942. Named for its location near the Midway island in the Pacific Ocean, the Battle of Midway was important because it was the first decisive victory for Allied Forces in the Pacific during World War II. The United States sunk four Japanese carriers (the only four that Japan brought to the fight) and one heavy cruiser, significantly damaged two destroyers and second heavy cruiser, and destroyed 248 aircraft. In comparison, the United States lost only one carrier, one destroyer, and 150 aircraft."

2. How were the countries of Germany and Japan treated by the Allies as a result of WWII?

"The three principal Axis countries were Germany, Italy, and Japan. These three countries and the Soviet Union, were the countries primarily responsible for launching World War II. Each was treated very differently by the Allies. Germany was divided and subjected to a thorough process od De-Nazification including De-Nazification courts. The Italians were largely allowed to deal with the Fascist on their own. While Japan was forced to accept unconditional surrender like Germany, in fact the Japanese were allowed to keep the Emperor and the the Government was not dismanteled like the NAZI Government. The United states also refused to permit the Soviet Union to participate in the occupation. There were war crimes and the United States imposed wide-spread reforms. Several Eastern European countries also joined the Axis with various degrees of compulsion by the NAZIs. Some like Slovakia were puppet states. Other like Romania and Bularia were forced into the Axis, both by the Soviets and Germans. Hungary was more of a willing participant. Each of these countries was occupied by the Soviet Union which proceeded to install Soviet-style regimes. There were also areas from neighboring countries that the NAZIs annexed to the Reich. War Crimes Trials The primary warcrime trials were the International Military Tribunals in Germany and Japan. There were no international tribunals in Italy. There were also national trials in the occupied countries that focused more on local collaborators. The International War Crimes Trials introduced a new concept in international law, making the planning, preparing, initiating, or waging of war of aggression a crime. After World War II, the International Military Tribunal at Nurnberg (composed of a judge from Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States) tried NAZI leaders. The International Military Tribunal for the Far East, at Tokyo (composed of a judge from Australia, Britain, Canada, (Nationalist) China, France, India, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, the Soviet Union, and the United States) tried Japanese leaders. Both tribunals stressed in their proceedings that laubching a war of aggression "is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime". The two tribunals established the principle that only high government officials actually formulating or influencing governmental policy can be charged with "crimes against peace. Thus soldiers in an army who have a legal obligation to follow the orders of their government can not be procecuted for crimes against peace while the political leaders and ranking generals could. Low ranking individual could, however, be procecuted for individual acts of atroicities such as the murder of civilians. All of the occupied countries tried local collaborators. The Soviets controlled the trials in Eastern Europe. The trials in Western Europe wee conducted like the International Tribunals as real trials with judicial safeguards. Trials in Asia were ,ore varied. "

Douglas MacArthur

(1880-1964), U.S. general. Commander of U.S. (later Allied) forces in the southwestern Pacific during World War II, he accepted Japan's surrender in 1945 and administered the ensuing Allied occupation. He was in charge of UN forces in Korea 1950-51, before being forced to relinquish command by President Truman.

Benito Mussolini

(1883-1945) Italian leader. He founded the Italian Fascist Party, and sided with Hitler and Germany in World War II. In 1945 he was overthrown and assassinated by the Italian Resistance. Fascist dictator of Italy (1922-1943). He led Italy to conquer Ethiopia (1935), joined Germany in the Axis pact (1936), and allied Italy with Germany in World War II. He was overthrown in 1943 when the Allies invaded Italy. Fascist leader of Italy after WWI, country was in a mess economically & ppl were angry that Italy didn't get anything out of WWI. Muss turned his pwr to dictatorship & was considered a totalitarian, used "Black Shirts" to strike fear in ppl, he censored the press, rigged elections in his party's favor, relied on propaganda to get ppl to believe his tactics.