1. WWII Background
March 2017

2. When did the world experience its most dramatic change in recent history?
AFTER WORLD WAR II!

3. Germany, Italy, & Japan: The “Axis Powers”
All three adopted forms of dictatorship (such as National Socialism (NAZI) in Ger. & fascism in Italy) that:
(1) said nation > individual
(2) called for expansion
(3) were anti-communist
Q: Where was this time?
Only Russia & Mongolia were Communist countries going into WWII

5. Axis Powers

6. Axis Powers “gain power” pre- WWII
How?
Belief that WWI really would “end all wars”
Non-Axis democracies reduced own militaries
League of Nations could not promote disarmament
APPEASEMENT
Examples:
Japan taking Manchuria ( )
Italy taking Ethiopia ( )
Germany taking Czechoslovakia (1938)

7. Appeasement ***important idea***
Associated most w/ Neville Chamberlain of Great Britain prior to WWII

9. Mukden Incident, 1931

13. WWII: The most ‘Just War?’

14. General WWII Overview I
Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, & Japan
Allied Powers: Almost everyone else!

15. Dark Green: Allies before Pearl Harbor (Dec. 7 1941)
Light Green: Allies After Pearl Harbor
Orange: Axis Powers
Gray: Neutral Countries

16. General WWII Overview II
Major “Theaters” of WWII
Pacific (Ocean)
Est. July 7, 1937 or Dec. 7, 1941
European
Est. Sep 1, 1939
Mediterranean
Est. 1940
Who is doing the majority of the fighting in each theater?
MAJOR POWERS - Pacific: US, China v. Japan; European: Russia, Britain v. Germany; Mediterranean: Italy (& Germany) v. Britain (& US)

17. Axis Powers
This is the height of Axis Power. Before this, Axis winning. After this, Allies winning.

18. 2 Key Turning Points Axis Powers quite successful until…
(1) Pacific: Battle of Midway (June 1942)
(2) Europe: Battle of Stalingrad (Aug Feb 1943)

19. http://www. maps101. com/Application/Cat alog/Product. aspx
alog/Product.aspx?cid=352&pid=750
European Theater
alog/Product.aspx?cid=352&pid=741
Pacific Theater

20. European Theater

21. 2 Endings V-E Day (Victory in Europe): May 8, 1945
Germany surrenders less than two weeks after Hitler commits suicide.
V-J Day (Victory in Japan): Aug. 14, 1945
Japan surrenders after atomic bombs drop on Hiroshima (Aug. 6) & Nagasaki (Aug. 9).

22. World War II: A Costly War
Fatalities* (not casualties)
Russia: 25+ million
China: 11 million
Germany: 7.1 million
Poland: 6.8 million
Japan: 1.8 million
Yugoslavia, Romania, France, Hungary, Austria, Greece, Italy, Czechoslovakia, Great Britain: 1.7 million to 388,000
United States: 295,000

23. War in the 20th Century

25. Post-War Optimism in the USA
Other countries…not so much

26. OTHER IMPORTANT IDEAS TOTAL WAR THE HOLOCAUST
TECHNOLOGICAL, MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
THE POWER OF PERSONAL STORIES

27. WWII in a Nutshell
h?v=1e_AZ3j2LbY - 7 min.