OR: WORLD WAR 1 PART 3; THE COURSE OF MILITARIZED WARFARE, ECONOMIC WARFARE AND RETALIATION

The intentional destruction of another group for the benefit of one’s own group This can take on several aspects: Politics (Violence on Paper) Economics (Violence within the Market) Religion (Violence of Faith) Intellectual (Violence against Ideas) Cultural (Violence against Lifestyles) Military (Violence and murder in Battle) How did “The Great War” in Europe turn into what we now call “World War 2”?

The Great War began as Cultural Warfare Germanic people vs. Slavic people Political Warfare was also used Imperialism vs. Nationalism It quickly turned into Military Warfare in August 1914 Ignited by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand After the Allies had defeated the Germans in Military Warfare…Extreme forms of Economic Warfare began Reparations, Tariffs during the 20s and 30s, Hyperinflation was the response of both Germany and Austria This destroyed their own economies, but was a form of retaliation against the Allies crushing demands

Within Germany, the hyperinflation led to an internal, Political War between Communists and National Socialists Both required a nearly “Totalitarian” government to meet their objectives Adolf Hitler was named Chancellor of Germany on January 30 th 1933 at the height of the Great Depression, and the Communist Party was the closest political competition. To defeat the Communists in the Political War, The Nazis committed arson against their own “Reichstag” building and blamed it on the Communists.

As a result of the fire on February 24 th 1933, the Nazi Party voted to outlaw the Communist Party in Germany This was a LEGAL or Political act of warfare against any party that could oppose Hitler’s policies Since there was no longer any Political opposition, the Nazis could pass any law that they wanted to, because they had effectively banned any opposing voices After calling for a new election just weeks later, Hitler’s Nazis then controlled 44% of all seats in the Reichstag! This is an incredible majority in a Parliamentary System

On March 23, 1933 the Nazis pass the “Enabling Act” that allows Hitler to pass any law without the Reichstag’s permission for 4 years. The excuse was to rebuild the German economy On July 14, 1933 Hitler banned ALL OTHER POLITICAL PARTIES This meant that they were completely unopposed in anything the Nazis wanted to do In February 1935, Hitler ordered Hermann Goering to establish the Luftwaffe, German air force, in defiance of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles In September 1935, The Nuremburg Laws defined German citizenship. Relationships between Jews and Aryans were banned

7th March 1936: Re-occupation of the Rhineland. In violation of the Versailles Treaty, Hitler sent German troops to re-occupy the Rhineland. 25th October 1936: Axis alliance concluded between Germany and Italy, and the Anti-Comintern Pact was signed between Germany and Japan 14th March 1938: Anschluss with Austria. Hitler made a triumphant entry into Vienna 30th September 1938: Munich Agreement - Allies agreed that Germany could have the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia in return for peace November 1938: Kristallnacht - Jewish shops and synagogues were destroyed. Following the event the Jewish population was fined for the destruction

15th March 1939: Hitler invaded and occupied Czechoslovakia in violation of the Munich Agreement 23rd August 1939: Nazi-Soviet Pact - Alliance between Hitler and Stalin which agreed to divide Poland between the two countries. 1st September 1939: Hitler invaded Poland using Blitzkrieg (lightning war) tactics. 3rd September 1939: Britain and France declared war on Germany 9th April 1940: Denmark and Norway invaded and occupied

10th May 1940: Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France invaded and occupied 10th July 1940: The Battle of Britain began - German Luftwaffe attempted to gain control of British airspace through defeat of the Royal Air Force. 6th April 1941: Yugoslavia and Greece invaded and occupied 22nd June 1941: Operation Barbarossa - 3 million German troops invaded Russia 5th December 1941: German advance in Russia halted by Russian winter and Russian counterattacks. 11th December 1941: Hitler declared war on the United States. Following Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December the United States had declared war on Japan.

20th January 1942: Wannsee Conference approved plans for the 'Final Solution'. 5th November 1942: German troops defeated at the Second Battle of El Alamein in North Africa 2nd February 1943: German 6th Army defeated at Stalingrad. THIS IS THE ‘TURNING POINT’ IN THE EUROPEAN WAR! 4th March 1943: First allied bombing raid on German cities 6th June 1944: Operation Overlord, D-Day. Allied invasion of Normandy

August 1, 1944: The Soviets fight back and reach Warsaw, Poland August 20, 1944: Allied troops reach Paris, and reach the German border by September. December 1944: France, Belgium and southern Netherlands are liberated by the allies December 16, 1944: Germans launch a final counter- offensive which leads to the ‘Battle of the Bulge’ in an attempt to re-conquer Belgium and split the Allies near the German border. January 12, 1945: The Soviets liberate Warsaw and Budapest one month later March 7, 1945: Allies cross the Rhine River into Germany

April 16, 1945: The Soviets launch their final offensive vs. the Germans at Berlin April 30, 1945: Hitler commits suicide May 7, 1945: Germany surrenders to the Allies

ATLANTIC CHARTER (1941) FDR & Churchill decided the following: No territorial expansion Self-determination Free Trade Cooperation for improving other nations Disarming all aggressors CASABLANCA CONFERENCE (1943) FDR & Churchill decided: Demand Unconditional surrender by the Axis Powers CAIRO CONFERENCE (1943) FDR, Churchill & Chiang Kai-Shek decided: Korea would be independent Taiwan to be returned to China from Japan

TEHRAN CONFERENCE (1943) FDR, Churchill & Stalin (The Big 3) Open 2 nd front against Germany Soviets will fight Japan after Germany is defeated Uncertainty about disarming & occupying Germany YALTA CONFERENCE (1945) FDR, Churchill & Stalin Germany disarmed and divided into 4 occupation zones Veto power given to UN Security Council USSR gets 3 seats in the UN General Assembly USSR gets Sakhalin Island, Central Kuril Island and ports in Manchuria Eastern Poland divided for USSR’s advantage USSR to hold free elections in Eastern Europe War Crimes Trial (Nuremburg) to be held after the war

POTSDAM (1945) Truman, Stalin & Churchill (Clement Atlee finished) Unconditional surrender of Japan Create council to run Germany Create council to create peace treaties Transfer of German people out of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland Stalin announced he would NOT hold free elections in Eastern Europe