1. World War II Overview

2. What was World War II? Who was involved?
Major war from
Fought between the Allies and Axis, primarily in Europe, North Africa, and Asia/the Pacific

3. Where did fighting occur?
Primarily in
Europe
Asia
North Africa
Pacific Ocean

4. How & why was Asia involved?
Military leaders took control of Japan in 1937
Invaded China
Committed horrible atrocities (crimes) in the Rape of Nanjing
“Kill all, burn all, loot all” policy
Trading competition with USA
Japan had an alliance with Germany; China had an alliance with the Soviet Union

5. What caused World War II?
Rise of dictators (totalitarianism)
Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Tojo (Japan)
Militarism
Japan, Germany & Italy increased their militaries to help solve their economic problems & show strength
Policy of appeasement
Appeasement: a policy of compromising in order to keep the peace & avoid conflict
League of Nations lacked power to aggressively respond to Germany
As Germany slowly invaded other places, the Allies made threats but never took action

6. Who were the Nazis? What were their beliefs?
One former soldier, Adolf Hitler, was extremely angered by the Treaty of Versailles & the depression
He created a small political party called the National Socialists (Nazis for short) that quickly grew powerful
Nazi beliefs & goals:
Restore German pride
Fix the Germany economy
Autarky: make Germany self-sufficient so they didn’t need to rely on others
Germans (Aryans) were superior to other ethnic groups, especially Jews

7. How did the Nazis gain popularity & control?
Promised the people what they wanted
Hope for the future!
Effective use of propaganda
Provided jobs & improved economy
Offered Jews as a scapegoat
Scapegoat: a person or group who is blamed for a problem
Discrimination against Jews = anti-Semitism
Later in the 1930s, they used fear & intimidation

8. How did Hitler get control of Germany?
Hitler & Nazis were elected to gov. positions
The president, Paul von Hindenburg, appointed Hitler chancellor of Germany in 1933
Hindenburg thought he could control Hitler
Instead, Hitler took total control
Fear & intimidation used to convince people to elect Hitler
He was now fuehrer of Germany with total control

9. How did the Nazis spread Anti-Semitism?
In school, to reach the youth
Taught that Jews were scientifically inferior
Hitler Youth groups
Slowly added anti-Semitic laws
Jewish children = separate schools, no parks, no cinema
No Jewish professors, only shop 3-5pm, star on clothing…
Media & propaganda
List of Jewish crimes, anti-Semitic movies & news
Nazis also discriminated against many other groups of people, like the disabled, Roma, homosexuals, & Communists

10. What started the war? When?
September 1, 1939: Germany invaded Poland
Great Britain declared war on Germany

11. What was the Holocaust?
The Nazis “Final Solution”: plan to exterminate all the Jews in Europe
System of work & death camps where Jews & other “offenders” against the Nazis were imprisoned
Jews were arrested for no crime at all & sent across Europe as prisoners
Horrible conditions- disease, torture, starvation common
Certain extermination camps included gas chambers to more “efficiently” kill people

12. Forcibly transported to the camps in cattle car trains
Separated by gender & age upon arrival
All belongings taken
Young, old, & ill typically killed right away
Used as slave labor until death 12