1. How WW2 Begins ... and Worsens

2. Pre-WW2 Europe

3. The New Alliances Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Soviet Union
The Allies:
Britain, France, Canada, and eventually...
The US

4. More Steps to War
After Hitler made this non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union, he made yet another alliance (though this one is less surprising)
August 1939: Hitler made a deal with ... Italy
Hitler’s next target: Poland
Sept. 1, 1939: Hitler launches a blitzkrieg attack against Poland
This is the German word for “lightning warfare”
What is this?

5. Sept. 3, 1939: Britain and France realize that appeasement has failed; they declare war on Germany
Sept. 10, 1939: Canada joins its allies, Britain and France, and also declares war on Germany

6. Canada Took Its Time... Why?
This was the FIRST TIME that Canada declared war as an independent nation
Canada wanted to prove that they weren’t going to go to war just because Britain went to war
They were an independent ally who had proved themselves in the last war and would prove themselves again!

7. WW
: “the phoney war”
during this time, nothing really happened
both sides wanted/needed time to build up their military forces: army, navy, air force, etc.

8. Spring 1940: Germany takes a number of countries quite quickly by way of the blitzkrieg attack
Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium
(Keep in mind: Hitler has already gained back the land that was lost in the Treaty of Versailles; he keeps on going because he wants more than what he had before.)

9. THE FALL OF FRANCE
Spring 1940: France falls to Germany rather quickly
It takes only 6 weeks for one of the world’s superpowers to fall to Hilter!
Britain had tried to help France by launching a battle at Dunkirk, but the French and British forces were trapped on 3 sides by Germans

10. The British and remaining French were forced to flee by whatever ships were available (mainly shipping boats), abandoning any weaponry that they had brought with them for the attack in France
This weaponry was now in the hands of the Nazis
Britain now stands alone (with reinforcements from Canada)