1. Unit 8: World War II
4.3.19

2. Remembrance Read “Two Historical Narratives”
Narrative: a story
Answer the questions in your notebook

3. End of WWII

4. Germany Creates 2 Fronts
June, 1941: Germany invades the Soviet Union
Violation of the Non-Agression Pact with Stalin
Creates 2 fronts for Germany
Allies in the West (GB, France, …US)
Soviet Union in the East
Invasion is an abysmal failure
At first, able to push to Moscow
But then, WINTER

5. The Allies Liberate Paris
Allies in Paris by August 1944
By September, Allies liberate France, Belgium, Luxembourg, & much of the Netherlands

6. The Battle of the Bulge Hitler’s last offensive
December 1944
Allied airpower provided support & Germans eventually retreat
Allies rolled into Germany as the Soviets approached from the East

7. The Battle of Dresden February 1945 Allied air attack on Dresden
4,000 tons of explosives
Example of total war

8. Hitler commits suicide
April 30, 1945: Hitler & his wife, Eva Braun, commit suicide as the Allies close in on Berlin
Joseph Goebbels also commits suicide later that day

9. Soviet & American Soldiers meet at the Elbe

10. V-E Day
Victory in Europe Day: The Allies accept Germany’s unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945
US President Roosevelt died a month before and Truman took his place.

11. Europe in Ruins
40 million dead (2/3 civilians)— more deaths than any conflict in history.
Hundreds of cities destroyed
No water, no electricity, little food
Factories destroyed so no jobs to earn $

12. Pacific Front Timeline
February: Yalta Conference: Stalin promises to declare war on Japan within 3 months of Germany’s surrender
May: Japan reaches out to the Soviet Union to negotiate a peace agreement
May 7/8: Germany surrenders (V-E Day)
July 24: President Truman approves the use of atomic bombs on Japan
July 26: Potsdam Declaration calls for Japan’s complete surrender
July 28: Japan rejects the Potsdam Declaration
August 6: “Little Boy” is dropped on Hiroshima
August 8: The Soviet Union declares war on Japan
August 9: “Fat Man” is dropped on Nagasaki
August 10: Japan Surrenders on condition of keeping the emperor
August 14: Tokyo is bombed
August 14: Japan surrenders

13. Atomic Bombs Bombing of Hiroshima: Aug. 6, 1945
Bombing of Nagasaki: Aug. 9, 1945
5 days after Nagasaki, Japan announced their surrender

14. Arguments for dropping it
Dropping the Atomic Bomb
Arguments for dropping it
Arguments against
Necessity of ending the war – this accomplished that
Concerns that Japanese wouldn’t surrender
Sending in troops on the ground would lead to many more American deaths
Ended the war quickly
Possibly fewer deaths than the other options
Importance of giving other countries a fair chance to surrender
Should have warned Japan of new weapon
Brutality & terrorism of this weapon

15. V-J Day
August 15, 1945
Emperor Hirohito urged his people to accept the surrender
blames the “new and most cruel bomb” for the country’s defeat
Official end of WWII

16. Unit 8: World War II
4.4.19

17. Nuremberg Trials Series of 13 trials of Nazi officials 1945-1949
Never been done before
France, GB, US, Soviet Union all working together
Created new procedure & 3 categories of crimes:
crimes against peace
war crimes
crimes against humanity

18. Nuremberg Trials 209 people on trial 118 found guilty
Sentences ranged from prison to death penalty
Highly controversial, but step toward creating international law

19. Nuremberg Trials
NPR interview with last surviving attorney from the trial

20. Questions for the future
What should happen to Germany after WWII?
How will countries recover from yet another war? What type of governments will they choose?
Can communism and capitalism exist in the same world?