1. World War II
AP World History

2. Road to War: Europe

3. 1. Treaty of Versailles
“MORE than fourteen years have passed since the unhappy day when the German people, blinded by promises from foes at home and abroad, lost touch with honor and freedom, thereby losing all. Since that day of treachery, the Almighty has withheld his blessing from our people.”
Adolf Hitler, February 1, 1933

4. 2. The Great Depression

5. 3. Rise of Nazi Germany

6. Rise of Nazi Germany

7. 4. German Expansion
1936 – German troops move into the Rhine river valley
Breaks Treaty of Versailles
1938 – Germany annexes Austria & the Sudetenland
Munich Conference- England’s Appeasement
1939 – Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact
September 1, 1939 – Germany invades Poland

8. Road to War: Japan

9. 1. Treaty of Versailles

10. 2. Washington Conference

11. 3. Japanese Imperialism 1910 – Annex Korea 1931 – Attack Manchuria
Mukden Incident
1936 – Battle near Beijing
Used as an excuse to invade mainland China
1937: Rape of Nanking
Massacre, rape of thousands
1940 – French Indo-China
“Comfort Women”- women forced into sexual slavery in Japanese occupied territory, numbers range from 20,000 (Japan) to 400,000 (China) – most likely around 200,000

12. Comfort Women Memorial
Glendale, CA

13. 4. Japanese Aggression

14. Document Analysis:
The Invasion of Nanking

15. Context: Japan, 1930 Japan suffered from economic problems.
Japan was geographically small.
Goals of Japan’s military leaders
expand Japan’s empire to gain more raw materials
restore Japan’s power in Asia and the world
Image from:
World View of Japan

16. Japanese soldiers in Manchuria
Invasion of China
Japan invaded China’s northern region of Manchuria in 1931.
This area was rich with iron and coal.
Source:
Japanese soldiers in Manchuria

17. Japanese Soldiers entering Nanking
Invasion of Nanking
Nanking was China’s capital.
Japan invaded Nanking in December 1937.
Japanese Soldiers entering Nanking

18. Central Historical Question
What happened during the invasion of Nanking?

19. Rise to Power: Italy
Benito Mussolini ( )

20. What is fascism?
A system of government with centralized authority under a dictator. Power is kept by extensive military control.
Usually involves terror, censorship, nationalism, and racism.

21. Benito Mussolini

22. Fasces- Symbol of power for Fascism

23. Mussolini gains power
Mussolini set up a Fascist Party and promised to solve Italy’s problems
Promised to rebuild Italy and recreate the Roman Empire
Organized armed gangs called the “Blackshirts”
Came to power in 1922 and was appointed Prime Minister by King Victor Emmanuel II to prevent a Communist Revolution in Italy

24. March on Rome, 1922

25. Mussolini and Hitler Hitler and Mussolini had a close relationship.
May Mussolini signed a full defensive alliance with Nazi Germany in the Pact of Steel.
Mussolini and Hitler

26. Anti-Semitism About 50,000 Jews lived in Italy in the 1930s.
Mussolini did NOT implement an extermination program in Italy.
75% of Italian Jews survived World War II.
8,000 died in German extermination camps.
1938 anti-Semitic laws passed
Manifesto degli Scienziati Razzisti [The Manifesto of the Racist Scientists].
Excluded foreign Jews [most of them were sent to German death camps].
Forbade all Jews from teaching.
Excluded Jews from serving in the government or in the military.

27. Cult of Personality: Mussolini

30. Mussolini’s Execution
Allied invasion of Western Europe quickly weakened Italy
Mussolini and his mistress Clara Petacci were taken prisoner by the Allied forces. A few days later they were shot to death by Italian partisan forces.
In April of 1945, their bodies were hung along with the bodies of other fascist leaders.

31. Axis Powers

32. Quick Note on Japan… Emperor Hirohito Technical leader from 1926-1989
AKA Emperor Showa
Never put on trial for war crimes
Hideki Tojo
Head of military 1935
Named Prime Minister in 1941
Quickly names himself:
Minister of Education
Minister of Commerce and Industry
Home Minister
Foreign Minister
Captured in 1944, put on trial for war crimes and executed

33. Fighting World War II

34. Blitzkrieg- Lighting War

35. Video Clip
Hitler Unleases the Blitzkrieg

36. New Technology
Other technological advancements: radar, synthetic rubber, antibiotics, etc.

37. Dec. 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor

38. Video clip "A date which will live in infamy...."
Was it really a surprise?
US claims neutrality, but definitely not neutral.
Four months earlier, the US had imposed an oil embargo, knowing full well that Japan was dependent on US oil.
The US Pacific Fleet had been moved to Pearl Harbor, which was not the home port for the ships.
US plan of attack against the Japanese fleet that had been unearthed and published in the Chicago Tribune
Japan warned that they would attack Pearl Harbor

39. 1942: Highpoint of Axis Power

40. Winning the War

41. European Theater Notable Battles 1 – Blitzkrieg of Poland
5 – Surrender of Paris
6 – Battle of Britain
9 – Germany invades USSR
21 – Battle of Stalingrad *Turning Point of WWII
22 – Battle of El Alamein *Monty defeats Rommel
26 – Allies invade Sicily *U.S. troops led by Patton
29 – Battle of Normandy *Largest amphibious assault in world history
32 – Battle of the Bulge *Last German offensive
35 – Soviets enter Berlin

42. July ’42- Feb ’43: Battle of Stalingrad

43. Video Clip A turning point in the war
Stops Nazi invasion of Soviet Union
Over 2 million died in this battle alone- one of the bloodiest of all time.

44. Battle of Stalingrad

45. Amphibious Assaults

46. June 6, 1944: Battle of Normandy (D-day)

47. Liberates Western Europe from Nazi control
D-Day Invasion
From June to August 1944
Largest amphibious military assault in history
Liberates Western Europe from Nazi control

48. 1945: Firebombing of Dresden

49. Hitler commits suicide April 30, 1945
Hitler commits suicide April 30, 1945
VE Day (Victory in Europe Day)- May 8, 1945
Unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany

50. Allied Victory in the Pacific

51. Island-Hopping

52. 1944-45: Firebombing of Tokyo

53. Island Hopping in the Pacific
Firebombing of Tokyo

54. Atomic Bomb

55. Effects of the Atomic Bomb

56.
Aug 6, 1945: US drops bomb on Hiroshima
Aug 9, 1945: US drops bomb on Nagasaki
Aug 14, 1945: Japan surrenders unconditionally, officially ending World War II

57. DBQ Essay (due Tuesday)
“Was President Truman’s decision to use atomic weapons against Japan justified?”
Things to consider:
Was it a military necessity?
Was it justifiable for a reason other than military strategy?
How did this decision impact the people of Japan?
How did this decision impact foreign relations?