1	Western Civilization II Chapter Twenty-Eight “World War II”
2	Hitler’s Goals Hitler’s racial theories and goals were at the center of activities during his reign in power. Hitler also wanted to establish the old idea of “Grossdeutsch”, meaning greater Germany which would include all German speaking people. To provide room for this growing country, Hitler promoted “Lebensraum,” which would involve taking all lands from the Slavic peoples. Hitler believed the Slavs were an inferior race. His main targets of expansion were in Poland and the Ukraine. By removing the Jews from his country he would further purify Germany.
3	Rearming Germany When Hitler became head of Germany his first goal was to rebuild the German military machine. Oct. 1933, Germany withdrew from the League of Nations and the international disarmament conference. In March, 1935, Germany denounced the disarmament provisions of the Treaty of Versailles. Began building a new German air force (Luftwaffe) Reinstated conscription (the draft).
4	The League of Nations Fails Throughout the 1930’s the League of Nations proved time and time again it was incapable of keeping the peace throughout the world. Sep. 1931, Japan invaded Manchuria. China appealed to the League The League issued the Lytton Report calling for sanctions against Japan but the nations did not support them. Japan eventually withdrew from the League and kept Manchuria. When Hitler announced the expansion of the German army the League did nothing about it. In 1935, Britain, France, and Italy formed the “Stressa Front,” to help maintain the status quo in Europe. This alliance fell apart quickly. Britain signed an agreement with Germany allowing them to rebuild its navy to 35% the size of the British fleet.
5	Italy Attacks Ethiopia In Oct. 1935, Italy attacked Ethiopia. Instigated as revenge for the defeat of the Italians by the Ethiopians in 1896 and to distract public opinion from domestic problems. The League of Nations condemned Italy's invasion and imposed economic sanctions. Britain and France agreed to the sanctions but allowed the importing of oil to Italy. Oil was one product that actually could have hampered Ethiopia’s invasion plans. The inability of the League to stop Italy showed its overall weakness and alienated Italy from the League. Mussolini turned to Germany as a new ally and on Nov. 1, 1936, the Rome-Berlin Axis was formed.
6	The Rhine Remilitarized Because of the inability to stop Mussolini in Ethiopia, Hitler took another step in violating the Treaty of Versailles. March 7, 1936 Germany troops marched into the Rhineland in violation of the treaty. Britain and France protested to the League but no action was taken against Germany. This was a major mistake by France and Britain since the French army could have easily defeated the German troops and might have lead to the overthrow of Hitler. In reaction to the growing German military, Britain and France began to follow a policy of appeasement. Believed Hitler’s plans were limited and would eventually end. They hoped that negotiations would overt war. Britain was hesitant to rearm. France felt protected by its newly built Maginot Line.
7	The Spanish Civil War After the collapse of the monarchy of Spain in 1931, a democratic republic was established. Promoted moderate reforms with little beneficial effects. Elections in early 1936 brought the leftist republicans into power. Fascists, called the Falangists would not accept their defeat at the polls. Civil War broke out in Spain in July of 1936, when General Francisco Franco led an army against the new republican government. The Spanish Civil War lasted three years and was a training ground for World War II. Germany and Italy supported Franco and the fascists. This civil war helped to bring Germany and Italy closer together. The Soviet Union supported the republican government. Britain, France and the U.S supported neither side in the conflict. In early 1939, Barcelona fell and Franco became the new leader of Spain.
8	Austria and Czechoslovakia In Hitler’s first attempt to seize Austria, in 1934, his plans were thwarted by Mussolini who was still suspicious of Hitler. In 1938, with his new association with Italy tried to gain Austria again. Austrian chancellor, Kurt von Schuschnigg refused to be intimidated by Hitler and called for a plebiscite, allowing the people of Austria to decide their fate. To delay the vote, Hitler sent his troops into Austria on March 12^th, and this time Mussolini did not interfere. The plebiscite never occurred and Hitler rode triumphantly into Vienna. The “Anschluss,” or union of Germany and Austria was a violation of the Versailles Treaty. Britain and France along with the League did nothing. Hitler’s next step was Czechoslovakia which was now surrounded by Germany and Austria. The Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia contained 3.5 million Germans and under the leadership of Konrad Henein demanded autonomy. Fearing a German attack in May of 1938, The Czech army began to mobilize. Had support from Russia, Britain, and France. Hitler denied any such plans but secretly began to plan an attack on Czecholsovakia. Hitler gave a speech in Nuremberg in September of 1938, which sparked rioting in the Sudetenland. The Czechs declared martial law in the area. Neville Chamberlain, the prime minister of Britain wanting to overt war made three trips to Germany to meet with Hitler.. Chamberlain accepted the separation of the Sudetenland but a week later Hitler raised his demands further.
9	Munich Due to Hitler’s increased demands Britain and France prepared for war. On Sep. 29^th, a conference promoted by Mussolini met at Munich. Hitler received the Sudetenland. Hitler promised to spare the rest of Czechoslovakia. “I have no more territorial demands to make in Europe.” Chamberlain returned to Britain claiming: “peace with honor, I believe it is peace for out time.” Czechoslovakia soon faced more perils. It soon fell prey to Poland and Hungary, both annexing territory from it. The Slovaks within the country wanted independence. Eventually, Hitler will invade and overrun Czechoslovakia on March 15, 1939. Because of the failure of appeasement the majority of people in Britain felt war was necessary. Because of his victory in gaining Czechoslovakia Hitler now turned his sites on Poland. Wanted to gain control of the Polish Corridor rejoining East Prussia with the rest of Germany. On March 31, 1939 Chamberlain announced a Franco-British guarantee of Polish independence. Hitler did not take this threat seriously and continued with his plans for Poland.
10	The Nazi-Soviet Pact The USSR felt alone since the Western Powers had not included them in the Munich Conference and feared they would be alone in fighting the Germans in Poland was invaded. Because of this fear, negotiations were begun with Germany and on August 23, 1939, a non-aggression pact was signed between the two nations. The agreement called for the two powers to split Poland between them as well as allowing Russia to occupy the Baltic States as well as Bessarabia and Romania. The non-aggression pact sealed the fate of Poland and on Sep. 1, 1939 Germany invaded Poland. On Sep. 3^rd, Britain and France declared war on Germany.
11	The German Conquest of Europe On Sep. 1^st, 1939 Germany invaded Poland. The German invasion was called “blitzkrieg,” or “lightening warfare.” On Sep. 3^rd, Britain and France declared war on Germany. On Sep. 17^th, Russia invaded Poland from the east. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania became puppet countries of the Soviet Union by July of 1940. Later in 1940, Russia gained Bessarabia from Romania and territories from Finland. Throughout the spring of 1940, Western Europe was quiet. Britain and France were preparing for war, while others called it a “Sitzkrieg” or “phony war.” The quiet came to an end in April when Germany invaded Denmark and Norway. In May, Germany attacked Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The British and French armies aiding Belgium were forced to escape at the beaches of Dunkirk. 200,000 British and 100,000 French soldiers were evacuated. German troops soon invaded France and by the end of the summer had forced an armistice.
12	The Battle of Britain With France defeated, Britain was now alone. Britain would not accept Hitler’s desire to control the continent, especially when Winston Churchill became Prime Minister. Early on, Churchill had been a critic of Hitler. Churchill was inspiring to the British people in their fight against Nazi aggression. Churchill was also able to develop a close relationship with Franklin Roosevelt. In 1940 and 1941, the Roosevelt sent supplies to Britain amid pressure not to help. With Britain standing firm, Hitler put into motion his plans to invade. First directed attacks against British airfields. In Sep. German bombers began to hit London. The “Blitz” Retaliation to British bombers hitting German cities. Hitler was unable to break the British people’s spirit. Eventually due to the invention of radar, the Royal Air Force (RAF) was able to inflict great losses on the German Luftwaffe. Hitler was forced to abandon his plans for invasion.
13	The German Attack on Russia The conquest of Russia was part of Hitler’s Lebenstraum. The code name for the invasion of Russia was “Operation Barbarossa.” Italian aggression if North Africa and Greece hurt Hitler’s planned invasion of Russia. Had to send troops to these regions to help bolster the Italian army. The Italian army had been pushed back in both regions. Hitler sent General Erwin Rommel, “Desert Fox,” to Africa and he quickly pushed the British forces back. German troops quickly defeated Greek troops in the Balkans. The events in Greece and Africa delayed Hitler’s invasion of Russia by six weeks. The invasion was to have begun on May 15^th, but would not happen until June 22^nd. Of 1941. The Soviets had not prepared for a German invasion and in the first two days, 2,000 Russian planes were destroyed. By December German troops were preparing to invade Leningrad, Stalingrad, and Moscow. Russia had lost 2.5 million men and 14,300 tanks. In the previous August however, Hitler had made a crucial mistake by diverting trrops from the Moscow invasion force to take oil fields further south. The German offensive stalled once the Russian winter hit.
14	Hitler’s Plan for Europe Hitler’s plans for his Third Reich (Empire) involved terror and genocide against the various inferior races of Europe. In newly conquered territories, Hitler sent groups of Germans to take over the lands and made the original inhabitants virtual slaves. This was all part of Hitler's policy of Lebensraum. Hitler’s long range plans not only included the colonization of these lands but also its germanization. People of the Scandinavian countries would be absorbed since they were of Germanic descent. It was planned for half a million Ukrainian women to be brought to Germany as servants and eventual wives for German men. Overall, Germany and Hitler saw the conquered lands as sources of plunder which were to be used for the benefit of the German people.
15	Japan and the United States Enter the War Even though the U.S. was aiding the British, Hitler held back on declaring war. In regards to Japan, U.S. foreign relations had been shaky ever since their invasion of Manchuria in 1931. When the war broke out in Europe, Japan aligned itself with Germany and Italy and began its attempt to dominate the western Pacific. With France, Britain, and the Netherlands being victimized by Germany, their colonies in the Pacific would become easy prey. The only obstacle Japan had in the Pacific was the United States. Prior to the Japanese invasion of Southeast Asia and the East Indies, the U.S. had hesitated on cutting off supplies of oil and steel fearing it would provoke an attack on these regions. When the U.S., as well as Britain and the Dutch cut-off the oil supplies, Japan set its sights on the oil fields of Indonesia. In October of 1941, General Hideki Tojo took control of the government in Japan and began preparations for war with the United States. On Dec. 7^th, 1941, Japanese naval and air forces attacked Pearl Harbor. This attack destroyed much of the American Pacific fleet though luckily U.S> aircraft carriers were not at Pearl during the attack. On Dec. 8^th, the United States and Britain declared war on Japan. On Dec. 11^th, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States.
16	Axis Gains As in World War I, the United States was not prepared for war. By the spring of 1942, Japan had captured Guam, Wake Island, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Malaya, Burma and the Dutch East Indies. Japan’s next step involved the invasion of Australia. By 1942, German troops were moving further into Russia. Rommel had pushed the British back into Egypt but his forces were eventually stopped at the battle of El Alamein. German submarines were devastating allied shipping. Allied troops were being pushed back in all regions of fighting. The situation looked bleak.
17	The Tide Turns in the Pacific Japan’s plans for the invasion of Australia were stopped when their fleet was defeated at the Battle of the Coral Sea. In June, 1942 the Japanese navy was again defeated at the Battle of Midway. American troops soon landed on Guadalcanal on the Solomon Islands and tide was turning against the Japanese.
18	Suspicious Allies Of the over twenty countries that made up the Allied forces in World War II, the brunt of the fighting was done by Britain, the U.S., and U.S.S.R. Though the British and Americans worked well together, there was suspicion on both sides regarding the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union kept asking for a second front in Europe since they were taking the brunt of the fighting there, but due to the success of German U-boats, plans for a second front were put on hold.
19	Allied Landings in Africa, Sicily and Italy In the latter part of 1942, Allied forces landed in French North Africa. British troops led by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery (Monte) were pushing the German troops from the east while American troops attacked from the west. In Tunisia, the German army was defeated and Rommel fled to the continent. Having control of Africa, the Allies next landed on Sicily in Aug. of 1943. Mussolini was overthrown as leader of Italy and its new leader Pietro Badoglio declared war on Germany. Churchill had called Italy the “Soft underbelly” of Europe but with German troops protecting the peninsula it would take fierce fighting to take it back. The benefit of Mussolini’s demise was that German troops being sent to protect Italy, weakened them elsewhere in Europe.
20	The Battle of Stalingrad During the summer of 1942, Germany resumed its offensive campaign in Russia. Hitler’s two primary objectives were the oil fields along the Caspian Sea and the capture of the city of Stalingrad. The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the most brutal of the war. The Soviet Army lost more men in this battle then what the entire U.S. army lost in the entire war. Eventually, the entire German army was surrounded and forced to surrender. The Battle of Stalingrad was the turning point in the East. The Russians mounted their own offensive and started to push the Germans back, out of Russia.
21	Strategic Bombing By 1943, the United States industrial might was being felt in the war. The American and British air forces began day and night bombings of key German military installations and factories. The U.S. bombers flew day missions using the strategy of “precision bombing,” to hit targets more accurately. The British flew the night missions using “area bombing” similar to what the Germans did on London. As the resources of the German Luftwaffe diminished, the Allies could bomb at will, by 1945.
22	The Defeat of Nazi Germany On June 6, 1944, D-Day, a “second front” was finally opened with the Normandy Invasion. U.S., British and Canadian forces landed on the various beaches there, attacking Hitler’s Atlantic Wall. German defenses were strong, but the soldiers established a beach head and eventually broke though the German defenses there. The Allies were aided with the fact that Hitler would not commit his reserve Panzer divisions because he believed this was a feint and that the real attack would come at Calais. By mid-September, France had been liberated.
23	The Battle of the Bulge In December of 1944, Germany launched a counter-offensive in the Ardennes Forest of Belgium. The offensive made a bulge in the Allied Lines giving the battle its name. Eventually, the German advance was stopped though the Allies suffered heavy casualties. In March, 1945 Allied troops crossed the Rhine River and German resistance began to dwindle.
24	The Capture of Berlin On the Eastern Front, the Russians continued to push back the Germans. By March, 1945 they were nearing Berlin. The Allies demanded unconditional surrender and so fighting continued on into May. On April 30^th, Hitler had committed suicide. Russian troops took the city of Berlin and the “Thousand Year Reich” of Hitler lasted only 12 years. The war in Europe ended on May 8^th, 1945 V-E Day
25	Americans Recapture the Pacific Islands Japan’s attack on the United States was a calculated risk. The longer the war endured the more the industrial might of the U.S. would prevail. Beginning in 1943, the U.S. military began a campaign called “Island Hopping.” Instead of capturing every Japanese held island only capture those of strategic purpose, bypassing the other islands cutting them off from supplies. Starting at the Solomon Islands, by 1944 the U.S. military had reached the Mariana Islands. From here they could bomb Japanese strongholds in the Philippines, China and Japan itself. By Oct. of 1944, American forces had recaptured most of the Philippines. In 1945, despite fierce Japanese resistance, Iwo Jima and Okinawa fell. During this campaign, Japan starting using Kamikaze planes. From these new bases American bombers attacked Japanese cities relentlessly. America was now faced with the possible invasion of Japan itself.
26	The Atomic Bomb During the early stages of the war, a secret program known as the “Manhattan Project” was at work developing an atomic bomb. On Aug. 6^th, 1945 the Enola Gay dropped at atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. Killed 70,000 of its 200,000 inhabitants. On Aug. 8^th, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and invaded Manchuria. On Aug. 9^th, a second bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. On Aug. 14^th, the Japanese government sued for peace and on Sep. 2^nd, the surrender was formally signed on the USS Missouri. The surrender was to have occurred on the USS Iowa, but was changed since Truman was a native of Missouri. Controversy over the use of the bomb is still discussed today, but it was estimated that the United States would have suffered over 1 million casualties if we had invaded mainland Japan.
27	The Cost of the War It is estimated that about 40 million people died during World War II. Much of Europe and parts of Asia were devastated by the war. During the war, Britain and the U.S. had a fragile peace with the Soviet Union and now it seemed that the conflict between East and West would continue to start a new war, a “Cold War.”
28	Racism and the Holocaust Untermenschen, which means sub-human is the term Hitler used to describe the Slavic people. In the parts of eastern controlled by the Nazis, such as Poland, people were jailed deported, or killed. During the Russian campaign, Hitler spoke of a war of extermination. It was planned to send in special SS units to go in and kill 30 million Russians. Hitler had special plans for the Jews. Wanted to completely free Europe of a Jewish presence The “Judenrein” Originally, he considered exiling all the Jew of Europe to Madagascar. Eventually, his “Final Solution” involved the complete extermination of the Jewish population in Europe. The Holocaust is estimated to have killed 6 million Jews, primarily in eastern Europe and Russia. Only about 1 million Jews remained in Europe at the end of the war.
29	Destruction of the Polish Jews In Poland, where anti-Semitism had been common for years, Jews living there had often lived in segregated neighborhoods. They were easily identifiable because of their dress and language. The common everyday language was “Yiddish.” Most of the Jews also lived in urban centers rather then on farms. They owned small businesses, craftsmen, or worked in factories.
30	Polish Anti-Semitism Between the Wars Poland had been restored following W.W. I. Some Polish leaders like Jozef Pilsudski favored including Jews in the new Polish political system. Upon the death of Pilsudski, the treatment of Jews in Poland began to decline. The Polish Roman Catholic Church supported policies of anti-Semitism. Jewish discrimination began to increase during this period. Shops had to be closed two days a week. One for the Jewish Sabbath and one for the Catholic Sabbath. Hiring discrimination occurred. Since educated Jews couldn’t serve in government positions, they turned to law and medicine. Caused further resentment by the Polish people. Conflict among the Jewish population itself occurred because some Jews clung to their faith while other tried to assimilate to the Polish culture.
31	Nazi Assault on the Polish Jews Soon after their invasion of Poland, the Nazis began to move against the Jews. In early 1940, the Jews of Poland were forced to move into ghettoes. The largest ghettoes were in Lodz and Warsaw. Jews from all over Poland were forced into these ghettoes. The ghettoes were overcrowded and poor sanitation facilities and food supplies. In 1941, 20% of the population in the ghettoes died of disease and malnutrition. Beginning in 1941, the Germans began the extermination of the Jews of Europe. Death camps in Poland included Kulmbof, Belzen, Sobibor, Treblinka, Birkenau, and Auschwitz. By 1945, 90% of the Polish Jews had been exterminated. Following the war, many of the surviving Jews either migrated to Israel or the United States.
32	Explanations of the Holocaust The Holocaust is only one example of the various genocides that have occurred throughout the world during the 20^th century. Beginning with the Armenian genocide in Turkey. Including the purges of Stalin in the USSR and Mao of China. Some will argue the distinction however, between the holocaust and these other genocides was that the holocaust involved the extinction of a group of people based upon culture rather than political affiliation. Another question is how such an event could occur at all. One reason could involve the long term hatred towards Jews throughout Europe for the past several centuries. Another possible reason the in German people are raised to obey authority and thus the soldiers, even though they may have disapproved of what was happening did so anyway because of their training to follow orders.
33	The Domestic Front World War II saw the greatest use of human and natural resources used by the belligerent countries in history. The civilian populations of these warring countries were also mobilized as never seen before. The war impacted people in the various countries differently but all were influenced by various shortages, propaganda, and new political developments.
34	From Apparent Victory to Defeat During the early years of the war, most German people were not influenced greatly by the war. Food was plentiful and spending continued on domestic projects. By 1942, Germany’s economy had to shift to a war footing due to the continued fighting against Russia and Britain. Albert Speer directed Germany’s economy during this period. Between 1942 and 1944, Germany’s military output tripled. As the war continued however, men were taken from the factories to be drafted into the army, hindering production. Food and consumer product shortages worsened as the war continued forcing rationing to occur. Propaganda during the war was headed by Josef Goebbels. Nazi used radio and film to promote their cause. Used the propaganda to blame Britain and France for the war. Later on as the war turned against the Germans, radio broadcasts gave false reports of German victories against the Allies. In 1944, the was attempt by German officers to assassinate Hitler but it failed. Erwin Rommel was one of the men involved in the coup.
35	France: Defeat, Collaboration, & Resistance When France surrendered in 1940 Germany was allowed to occupy over half of their country. To keep the French from continuing the fight from North Africa or turning over their fleet to the British allowed the southern part of France a new government was formed under the leadership of Marshal Petain. Known as the “Vichy” government. Some Frenchmen supported the new government. Most however, did not support the Germans but were demoralized by their defeat. The Vichy government followed many of the same policies of the German government. Anti-Semitism flourished. 60,000 Jews were sent from France to the extermination camps. Under the leadership of General Charles de Gaulle the French National Committee of Liberation was formed (Free French). Promoted underground resistance within France. Eventually, France will be freed from German control and on October 21, 1945, the Third Republic was ended and a new constitution was formed creating the Fourth Republic.
36	Great Britain: Organization for Victory In may of 1940 the British Parliament gave the government broad powers. Under the leadership of its new Prime Minister Winston Churchill, the British war cabinet moved to mobilize the country. In order to defeat the Germans in the Battle of Britain, the RAF had to be bolstered. Scrap metal drives brought in the necessary resources to build more armaments. By 1941, British war production outpaced German production. Achieved by increasing work hours and bringing women into the workforce. Britain survived the “Blitz” with 30,000 dead. The British had their own propaganda service within the BBC. Broadcast information to the continent supporting and informing those opposed to the Germans. Differing from most countries during the war, the standard of living improved in Britain.
37	“The Great Patriotic War” The Russians were not totally surprised when Germany invaded in 1941. The Soviet Union was the hardest hit of all of the countries during the war. Approximately 16 million dead. As the Germans marched east across Russia, Stalin called upon the Russian people to fight the “Great Patriotic War.” Propaganda was used to instill greater patriotism against the Germans. As the war progressed, the German army was defeated and pushed back west. At the end of the war, the USSR was second only to the United States as a world power.
38	Preparations for Peace Throughout the war, the allies of Britain and U.S. were leery of the Soviets, just as Stalin was suspicious of the West. Cooperation needed to occur however, to defeat the common enemy. Several meetings between leadership of the allies would occur during the war to determine how the war was to be fought and the surrender terms to be followed.
39	Tehran Agreement The first meeting of the “Big Three” was at Tehran, Iran in 1943. The western powers promised a second front to help relieve the Soviets. Stalin agreed to fight Japan once Germany was defeated. The three powers also agreed on what the terms of surrender would be for Germany. “Unconditional Surrender” One problem that arose during these early negotiations was that the Soviets were putting themselves into a situation to gain control over Eastern Europe.
40	Yalta Conference The next meeting between the “Big Three” came at the Yalta Conference in 1945. Roosevelt trying to follow the ideas of Woodrow Wilson tried to negotiate between the goals of the British and the Soviets. Like Wilson, Roosevelt proposed a united-nations organization. Various concessions were made however to the Soviets because Roosevelt wanted their aid against the Japanese once the Germans were defeated.
41	The Potsdam Conference The “Big Three’s” last meeting occurred in Potsdam, Germany after the defeat of the Germans. Harry Truman had replaced Roosevelt because of his death. Clement Attlee had replaced Churchill when his Labour Party defeated the conservatives in Parliament. The Allies hammered out details on the occupation of Germany, creating four zones of occupation.