1. World War II
World History

2. European Theater of War
I. Italy invades independent Ethiopia (1935)
A. Ethiopian emperor appeals to League
of Nations for help – nothing happens
II. Spanish Civil War
A. Hitler & Mussolini send troops, tanks, and
airplanes to help Francisco Franco
1. Western democracies remain neutral
– Franco becomes fascist dictator of
Spain

3. III. Germany & Adolf Hitler
A. Occupied the Rhineland in 1936
1. Violated the Versailles Treaty
2. Was a gamble by Hitler that worked
B. Seizes Austria (1938) (A.K.A. Anschluss)
1. Sent troops in to unite the two German speaking countries
2. Chancellor appeals for help – no response from Great Britain or France
C. Desires the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia
1. Munich Conference (September 1938) & Appeasement
a. Neville Chamberlain (British P.M.) meets with Hitler
1. Gives in to Hitler’s demands to maintain “peace in our time”

4. b. Hitler promises not to take any. more territory and respect
b. Hitler promises not to take any more territory and respect Czechoslovakia’s sovereignty
– Hitler sent troops in takes over the eastern half & makes a puppet state of the western half
2. European countries prepare for war
D. Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact (1939) – secret agreement
1. Pledged never to attack one another
2. Divided Poland between them
E. Germany invades Poland – September 1, 1939
1. Defeated in a few weeks with blitzkrieg warfare

5. F. Attacks & defeats France in May of 1940
1. Came through the Low Countries of Belgium, Netherlands, & Luxembourg
2. Evacuation at Dunkirk – 300,000 Allied soldiers saved
G. Battle of Britain (1940) – Britain led by Winston Churchill
1. Germany plans to invade & needs air supremacy
2. Attacks with the Luftwaffe, but loses – invasion stopped
H. Operation Barbarossa (1941) – invades Soviet Union (turning pt.) – know this for the test!!!
1. Surprised Stalin
2. Laid siege to Leningrad & Moscow, but never taken
3. German Army captured at Stalingrad

6. I. North Africa (1942-43) – Allies defeat German
armies
J. Invasion of Italy (1943) – Germans retreat
from Italy
K. Operation Overlord/D-Day – June 6, 1944
1. Second front opened with invasion of northern
France, (Normandy)
2. Forces from U.S., Britain, and France
push east
3. Forces from Soviet Union push west
L. Battle of the Bulge (1944)
1. Surprise German offensive by Hitler that ultimately fails
M. May 7, 1945 – Germany surrenders after Allies
enter Germany on both sides and capture Berlin

7. Pacific Theater of War Japanese Militarism
A. Japanese army seizes Manchuria (1931)
1. Rich in iron ore, coal, & farmland
B. Japan Invades China (1937) – led by military
1. Strained U.S.-Japanese relations because of
war
2. U.S. places embargo on oil/scrap metal &
freezes Japanese assets
3. War is inevitable
4. Rape of Nanking – Japanese atrocities
committed on captured Chinese soldiers and
civilians

8. C. Pearl Harbor – December 7, 1941 (date)
1. Surprise attack on American Pacific Fleet
led by Admiral Yamamoto
a. misses aircraft carriers, dry docks, &
oil refineries
2. Japan declares war after attack
a. Germany & Italy declare war as
members of the Axis
D. Allies are formed
1. Big Three – Churchill (Britain), Roosevelt
(U.S.) & Stalin (U.S.S.R.)

9. 2. Priority was winning the war in Europe
E. Battle of Midway (June 1942) – turning point of the war – know this for the test!!
1. Ended Japanese Naval superiority (4
carriers sunk)
F. Island Hopping Campaign ( )
1. Series of island battles as U.S. forces leapfrogged to Japan
a. Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Guam, Saipan, Iwo Jima & Okinawa
G. Japan is desperate: loss of naval & air superiority leads to kamikaze attacks
H. Costly invasion of Japan and a desire to bring a
quick end to the war leads to dropping of the
first two atom bombs on Hiroshima & Nagasaki
1. August 14, Japan surrenders

10. Conferences
A. Tehran, Iran (November 1943) – Commitment to open a 2nd front by Western Allies B. Yalta, Ukraine (February 1945) - Big Three discuss United Nations, division of Germany and Berlin, Poland, free elections, & declaration of war C. Potsdam, Germany (August 1945) - Big Three (Truman instead of Roosevelt) discuss occupation of Germany & ultimatum to Japan (tensions)