Issues and Politics of the Second World War

Technology and Communications  WW2 caused a very quick improvement in technology used to fight the war  In Europe the plane and the tank were the main weapons  These two machines improved greatly during the war  Airplanes became faster, more maneuverable, and could carry more goods  Tanks also became larger, faster, and were more destructive

Technology and Communications  Not all technological improvements involved weapons  British developed radar – needed for the Battle of Britain  British and Americans developed sonar – needed for Battle of the Atlantic  As a result the Allies had a huge advantage over the Germans  German scientists developed the rocket and jet engine  But the war ended before they could use them

Technology and Communications  The radio was used by both sides to help keep the home front safe and aware of the events that were happening during the war  This was used to boost morale and also used to broadcast a lot of propaganda  The ultimate tool of war was the development of the nuclear bomb  This weapon brought the war to an end and also provided a warning to the possibilities involving any future wars

War Time Conferences  During the war, the Allied leaders met often to discuss war strategy and what would happen once the Allies won the war  There were 7 major conferences in all  Tehran, November-December 1943  Tehran conference was held in Iran  First time that Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met  Meeting did not accomplish a lot but friendly relations were made between the two democratic leaders and the dictator - Stalin

War Time Conferences  Yalta, February 1945  This conference was in the south of the Soviet Union and made many decisions about the future of Germany 1.Germany was to be divided into zones of occupation once the war was over 2.War crimes court was to be established at Nuremburg 3.Stalin promised to hold free elections in the countries he was liberating from the Nazis  (He did not keep his promise)

War Time Conferences  Postdam, July 1945  Was held in near Berlin  The Allies were to make a decision about the future of Germany and Europe  This was to be for planning the peace conference  But since democratic and communist leaders didn’t trust each other, now that the war was over, it was more like setting up the next war (the Cold War)

The Holocaust  Holocaust : from the Greek holos (whole) and kaustos (burnt)  A term used to describe Hitler’s attempt to exterminate all Jewish people in Europe during the Second World War  This resulted in the death of over 6 million Jewish people  Hitler was obsessed with the complete removal of the Jewish race

The Holocaust  Anti-Semitism  Before WW2 there were 600,000 German people who were of Jewish decent  Some Germans, who were envious of the success of Germany’s Jews, were easily convinced by Nazi propaganda again Jewish people  Anti-Semitism spread quickly throughout Germany  Adolf Hitler believed that this hate for Jewish people would bring all German people closer together, and also make them more loyal and obedient  As a result of persecution (being treated badly for religious, racial, or political reasons) the Jewish people fled to neighbouring countries  The countries that the Jews fled to were soon occupied by the Nazis  Many countries would not accept Jewish refugees because of anti-Semitic feelings among their own populations

The Holocaust  The St. Louis Incident  After Kristallnacht in 1938, many Jewish people tried to leave Germany  It had become more and more difficult and costly to obtain visas and the amount of money needed to enter another country  Immigration policies were much stricter now  The ocean liner: St. Louis provided an opportunity that seemed to be the last chance for Jews to escape  The ship was to take Jewish people from Germany and take them to Cuba  In Cuba the Jewish people would wait to enter the USA

The Holocaust  The St. Louis Incident  When they arrived in Cuba, the ship was told to anchor in the harbour, but was not allowed on land  Long negotiations began  Unknown to the captain of the St. Louis, Cuba had passed a new law mid-voyage, that cancelled landing permits that the Jewish people had purchased  Many people in Cuba blamed incoming refugees for the poor economic status  During negotiations to allow the St. Louis to land, Nazi Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, sent agents to Cuba  He wanted to promote anti-Semitism and to create fake criminal backgrounds for the passengers  The refugees were now seen as a threat

The Holocaust  The St. Louis Incident  After being turned away, the St. Loius attempted to land on Canada’s East Coast with 907 Jewish people  The Canadian government determined that Jewish refugees would not make good settlers  The St. Louis was forced to return to Europe and many of those passengers died in Nazi concentration camps

The Holocaust  Ghettos  By 1939, 80,000 Jewish people were forced into ghettos  These are designated areas in a city where Jews were forced to live

The Holocaust  Final Solution  By 1941, Hitler’s obsession with the eliminating the Jewish race became a horrible reality called the final solution  Hitler ordered all Jews in Nazi occupied Europe to be captured and sent to extermination camps  They were to be killed in mass in gas chambers  The was called genocide – the organized extermination of a religious or racial group  Jewish communities were herded into railcars and shipped to concentration camps across German occupied territories  Many Jewish people died on their way to the camps, due to lack of food, water and air on the trains

The Holocaust  Final Solution  Once they arrived at the camps, Jewish people were killed by starvation, exhaustion, disease, torture, or execution  The Nazis also performed inhumane medical experiments, which was a horrible method of torture  Prisoners were forced to ingest toxic and fatal substances to test their immunity (ex. Tetanus, malaria)  Powdered glass and wood splinters were mixed with water and injected into their veins  Jewish people were thrown into vats of boiling or freezing water  They were burned or denied medical treatment  Healthy prisoners were operated on without anesthesia to test the effects of shock on a person

The Holocaust  Final Solution  After facing gas chambers, the gold fillings in teeth were collected and given to Hitler  Skin was made into lampshades and gloves  Bones were used as fertilizer  Hair was shaved upon arrival and used to stuff mattresses  At Auschwitz Death camp alone, over one million people were killed by Nazis  Millions of others were executed at other sites because of their beliefs, race, or sexual orientation

The Holocaust  Final Solution  In total, it is estimated that 10 million people died in Nazi concentration camps during WW2  Of those 6 million were Jews, who remain the largest group ever to face genocide  It is estimated that one million children were also killed in the Holocaust

War Criminals and Crimes Against Humanity  The atrocities (murder, violence) committed by the Nazis were on a scale never seen before  As the war in Europe was ending, more and more death camps were found. Making it clear how cruel the Nazis were  A decision was made by the Allies that the Nazis would be punished  Never before has the victorious leaders legally charged the other leaders for their immoral actions during war

War Criminals and Crimes Against Humanity  In 1946, the Allies set up a war crimes court at Nuremberg  177 Nazis were indicted (charged) for crimes related to starting the war and during the Holocaust  Of the 177, only 3 were acquitted  Several of the guilty were hanged, while most were given lengthy prison sentences