Bell Ringer #5 – 10/20/2009 What country did Adolf Hitler rule? What did his book Mein Kampf address? Describe his “Master Aryan” race
Hitler’s Book His book Mein Kampf (My Struggle) explained his dream of racial “purification”: Blue-eyed, blond-haired Germans would rule the World “Aryans” as “master race” He deemed Jews, Slavs, and non-whites fit only to serve Aryans
The Soviet Union (Russia today)
Joseph Stalin ► ► Became Soviet Union leader in 1924 and decided to make it a model communist state ► ► Communism - the government controls jobs, property, & economy to benefit all people ► ► Wanted to change a farming country to a great industrial power
Stalin’s Purges ► ► Stalin purged, or eliminated, anyone who threatened his power ► ► It is estimated that he was responsible for the deaths of 8 million to 13 million people
Grave May Hold 30,000 of Stalin's Victims A human rights group says it has discovered the secret burial site of about 30,000 St. Petersburgers killed during Josef Stalin's Great Terror of After a month of digging, scientists have found 20 sets of bones in a Russian forest 30 km north of St. Petersburg. They believe thousands more are buried in a mass grave covering 2 square kilometers.
Hitler Benito Mussolini controlled lives in Italy as Hitler did in Germany
Blitzkrieg – Hitler’s Plan ► German troops used Nazi blitzkrieg to roar over Poland and gain land. ► Blitzkrieg - lightening war; overwhelming military force using tanks and aircrafts
The Holocaust ► Hitler’s systematic murder of 11 million Europeans; 6 million were Jews ► In 1933 he ordered all “non- Aryans” removed from government jobs ► Kristallnacht – 1938 “night of broken glass” – Nazis attacked Jewish homes & businesses ► Synagogues were destroyed
American Isolationism ► ► As war began to rage in Europe, Americans were determined to “stay isolated”. ► ► Books in the 1920s said U.S. was dragged into WWI by greedy bankers and arms dealers. ► ► Roosevelt was nervous about the World viewing him poorly as an “isolationist”
Kristallnacht
Jewish Refugees ► Jews tried to flee Germany, but other countries didn’t have room ► Albert Einstein was allowed to come to the U.S. (exceptional) ► Hitler’s final step was genocide – the deliberate killing of an entire population