WWII 5-4.4 What are the principal events related to the involvement of the United States in World War II, including campaigns in North Africa and the Mediterranean; major battles of the European theater such as the Battle of Britain, the invasion of the Soviet Union, and the Normandy invasion; and events in the Pacific theater such as Pearl Harbor, the strategy of island-hopping, and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Let’s Remember… The Roaring 20s: USA became known as world power. Economic boom time in American with many new inventions. The Stock Market Crash of 1929: Marked the end the economic boom of the 1920s . The 1930s/Great Depression: Exposes the economic weakness of the United States. The New Deal/1940s: Programs proposed by FDR which focused on 3 goals: Relief, Recovery and Reform to get the USA out f the Great Depression.

What is a DICTATOR?? Dictator: a person exercising absolute power, especially a ruler who has absolute, unrestricted control in a government.

Principal events related to USA’s involvement in WWII Rise of European dictators: Benito Mussolini of Italy Adolf Hitler of Germany Mussolini and Hitler were dictators and used military aggression against the rest of Europe to secure their goals.

European Dictators Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini

Principal events related to USA’s involvement in WWII Japan also had a militaristic government that was seeking to expand its nation’s power. Joseph Stalin of USSR (Russia) was also a dictator, but opposed Hitler.

European Dictators Joseph Stalin Tajo Hideki

Axis Powers Germany (Hitler), Japan (Tajo), and Italy (Mussolini) All seeking to expand their nations power by using military aggression.

WWII 2nd Session

Leaders of the World Country Leader Type United States Franklin D. Roosevelt Democracy Great Britain Winston Churchill Parliament France Charles de Gaulle Russia Joseph Stalin Communist Italy Benito Mussolini Japan Tajo Germany Adolf Hitler Fascism

How it all started…. First, Hitler started using military aggression against the rest of Europe to secure his goals of ruling the world. European leaders tried to avoid war and responded to the aggression of Hitler’s Germany with a policy of appeasement, giving in to his demands. Appeasement: to bring to a state of peace, quiet, ease, calm, or contentment

WWII However, when Germany invaded Poland, allied Britain and France declared war on Germany. Soon Germany had defeated France and was constantly bombing Great Britain in an effort to beat the spirit of the last undefeated European country. These continuous-feeling air raid were know as the Battle of Britain and they were significant because they were the first instance in which Hitler’s plan of conquest were foiled.

Battle of Britain German air raids on Britain.

WWII Germany also invaded the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.). The Congress of the United States had passed laws that required President Roosevelt to maintain an official policy of neutrality. (Neutrality: the policy or status of a nation that does not participate in a war between other nations) However, President Roosevelt tried to help the British leader Winston Churchill; the leader of the Free French, Charles de Gaulle, and the leader of the Soviet Union, Josef Stalin with supplies.

Germany invading U.S.S.R.

Adolf Hitler Hitler believed that the German people were superior race. Superior: higher in station, rank, degree, and importance He and many of the German people thought that the Treaty of Versailles: treaty that ended WWI was unfair and the economic sanctions placed on Germany after WWI were unrealistic and extremely punitive. Hitler’s goal was for Germany to avenge itself by taking over the rest of Europe, if not the world. With the establishment of extreme nationalism, Hitler was able to use his influence to successfully invade other areas of Europe (Poland and France).

WWII

Goal of the Japanese Japan wanted to establish control of the Far East in order to assure the economic prosperity of the Japanese people. After the Japanese bombing of the U. S. Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, President Roosevelt asked the United States Congress to declare war on Japan

Japan

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

WWII Germany (Hitler) and Italy (Mussolini) declared war on the USA to help out their ally Japan forming the Axis Powers. USA (FDR), Great Britain (Churchill), and the Soviet Union (Stalin) became know as the Allied Powers. Allied Powers Axis Powers USA, Britain, and Soviet Union Germany, Italy, and Japan

Allied Powers Allied Powers United States (FDR), England (Churchill), and Russia (Stalin) Allied Powers wanted to stop the Axis and defeat them unconditionally so that they could not invade other countries again.

WWII 3rd Session

European Theater

Strategies used by the Allied Powers Heavy bombing raids on Germany. Ground troops land on the German occupied lands. Operation Torch: to free the Mediterranean Sea from German control, protect oil fields of the Middle East. Take pressure off the USSR who was taking heavy losses as it was being invaded by Germany.

Operation Torch

Defeating the Axis Powers The USSR was able to hold off the German advance and then began defeating them on the eastern front. Allied landings in Italy brought the surrender of the Italians, but German forces continued the bitter fight on the Italian peninsula. The invasion of Normandy on D-Day provided a second front against the Germans in the west and provided some relief for the Russian troops.

The invasion of Normandy on D-Day

Defeating the Axis Powers The invasion of Normandy led to the eventual surrender of the Axis Powers in Europe, but the Allied powers continued to struggle against the Japanese army that was determined to fight until all was lost. USA utilized the island-hopping strategy in the Pacific theater to take only strategic Japanese- held islands in order to move within range of the gasoline tank capacity of American planes so they could bomb Japan in preparation for an invasion of the Japanese home islands.

Island-Hopping

WWII The Americans had heavy casualties as they fought to take Japanese-occupied islands because of the Japanese unwillingness to accept defeat. The Death of a Great: FDR dies and Vice President Harry S. Truman was sworn in as President of the United States of America. Allied Powers kept preparing to invade Japan while scientist successfully tested the worlds first atomic bomb.

Atomic Bomb

WWII The decision of whether to risk many more American lives with another invasion of Japan or to use the atomic bomb fell to Truman. The United States dropped two bombs, one on Hiroshima and a second on Nagasaki, which led to the surrender of the Japanese and brought an end to World War II

Hiroshima

Nagasaki