WORLD WAR II & THE DIVISION OF EUROPE

The Rise of Nazism Adolf Hitler Elected in 1933 Led the National Socialist German Workers Party (NAZIS) Who to Blame for Germany’s Problems? Germany’s enemies in WWI 2. Previous German government 3. Jewish people

Hitler’s government passed many laws discriminating against Jews. Treatment of Jews Hitler’s government passed many laws discriminating against Jews. Nazis persecuted Jews. Denied them their rights as German citizens.

World War II They are at it again… WWII began when Hitler invaded Poland, France, the Soviet Union, and several other European nations. The United States eventually joined the war. They sided with Great Britain, Soviet Union, and several others. The Allies were once again victorious and Germany was defeated.

The Holocaust How were Jews treated? Hitler tried to kill all the Jews living in Nazi areas. The Nazis removed millions of people from their homes and sent them to prison camps. Jews were used as forced labor and died from starvation and abuse. Nearly 6 million Jews were killed.

What did they find? When Allied troops marched on Germany they discovered concentration camps throughout Germany filled with Jews. They also found mass graves where Nazis had dumped bodies.

What Happened Next? A special court tried and hanged a number of Nazi leaders for their crimes after the war. Hitler killed himself in the final days of the war before he could be captured.

Helping the JewisH People People around the world were horrified by the treatment of Jews and were very supportive. A new organization is formed…the United Nations. The UN granted part of Palestine in Southwest Asia to the Jewish people. This area became the Jewish state of Israel.

A Divided Europe After the war, the Soviet Union and the United States did not trust each other. UNITED STATES DEMOCRACY GOVERNMENT SOVIET UNION COMMUNISM GOVERNMENT The U.S. was concerned because they believed that the Soviets wanted to spread communism all through Europe.

Germany Divided WEST GERMANY EAST GERMANY Controlled by Great Britain, France, and the United States EAST GERMANY Controlled by the Soviet Union

THE ALLIES ALSO DIVIDED UP THE GERMAN CAPITAL OF BERLIN. Dividing up Berlin THE ALLIES ALSO DIVIDED UP THE GERMAN CAPITAL OF BERLIN.

EUROPE DIVIDED WESTERN EUROPE EASTERN EUROPE Remained or became free democracies. West Germany became a free democracy and sided with the U.S. and other Western European nations. EASTERN EUROPE Became Communist East Germany became a Communist nation allied with the USSR.

IRON CURTAIN An Iron Curtain has descended on Europe – Winston Churchill Iron Curtain came to symbolize the dividing line that separated Western Europe and Eastern Europe.