1. WORLD WAR II DROPPING OF THE ATOMIC BOMB THE HOLOCAUST

2. Dropping of the Atomic Bomb The Manhattan Project – Scientists create the atomic bomb Many of the scientists are European Jews who escaped – The principal motivation for this project was the fear that the Germans would develop the bomb first – Tested the bomb successfully in New Mexico in July 1945

3. President Roosevelt dies, his Vice-President Truman takes over and orders the dropping of the bomb Reasons for dropping the bomb – “An Okinawa from one end of Japan to the other” – Save American lives – est. it would cost 1 million killed soldiers – Save Japanese lives – Save time and money – People tired of the war The Allies issue a demand for Japan’s surrender on July 26 – Japan doesn’t respond

4. Little Boy falls on Hiroshima – Aug. 6 th, the Enola Gay drops the atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima 80,000 die instantly, 35,000 injured 2/3 of the buildings are destroyed Over the years it is believed that up to 200,00 died – At ground zero 7,000 degrees fahrenheit Wind 980 m.p.h. – The Japanese still do not surrender

6. Fat Man dropped on Nagasaki – August 9 th – Between 40,000 to 75,000 die The Japanese agree to unconditional surrender on August 14 th – August 15 th is known as V-J Day = Victory Over Japan Day – Huge number of casualties inflicted by just two planes dropping only two bombs

8. The Internment Removal of Japanese from the American west coast to internment camps – Fear of sabotage and spies – 110,000 interned, 2/3 are American born – They had to leave their homes and businesses, most lose everything Most of the camps are located in the desert – Harsh climate, surrounded by fences and guards – Crowded conditions, poor health care

9. The Holocaust Holocaust = the mass murder of the Jews by Germany Why were the Jews hated? – Hitler and many German people blamed the Jews for Germany’s problems The Jewish people were blamed for Germany’s loss in World War I – Racial superiority of the German master race Hitler is obsessed – diverts the war effort to destroy the Jews – He is fighting two wars: one in Europe and one against the Jews

10. First isolate and dehumanize – Boycott of businesses, some violence, property and rights taken away Laws aimed at excluding Jews from mainstream German life – Nuremberg Racial Laws (1935) Created a separate legal status for German Jews Took away their citizenship and many civil and property rights – Night of Broken Glass (Nov. 1938) Known as Kristallnacht – refers to anti-Jewish riots across Germany and Austria Jews were attacked and windows and store fronts shattered

11. Thousands of Jewish buildings and businesses destroyed and about 100 Jews were killed – Hitler issues the “Night and Fog” decree Authorized the arrest of anyone endangering German security Those who were seized were to “vanish without a trace into the night and fog” The Final Solution – Hitler and his advisors come up with the final solution to the Jewish question = kill the Jews – First removed the Jews into ghettos = confined areas within a city Starved, disease spreads, thousands die

12. Guards shot Jews trying to escape – From the ghettos Jews were sent to concentration camps Long, crowded train ride in cattle cars – many die Concentration Camps – At first special Nazi squads went from village to village carrying out mass executions of Jews These mobile killing units were too slow, so Hitler established the concentration camps as a more efficient way of getting rid of the Jews – The Jews arrive, families are separated, and then the selection process begins Separated into strong and weak, slave labor or “shower”

14. – Gas chambers killed thousands every day and furnaces were used to get rid of the dead bodies – The ones who escaped the gas chambers worked as slave laborers and endured much hunger – Some were subjected to cruel medical experiments Victims – 6 million Jewish people perish in the Holocaust 2 out of every 3 in Europe – there were 9 million Jews in Europe when Hitler took power – Other groups at the concentration camps that the Nazis viewed as inferior: Gypsies, homosexuals, Slavs, Poles, people with disabilities, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and other political enemies Another 6 million from these groups died

17. Post War Six years of fighting led to millions of lives lost, millions more injured, horrific property damage, and economies were on the verge of collapse Peace treaty – The Allies wanted no territorial or financial gains, just peace – Germany was divided into four occupation zones – The Soviet Union received 1/3, the French, British, and U.S. divided up the rest – Berlin, which was in Soviet-held territory, was also divided – Nuremberg trials – couple hundred Nazi officials put on trial, some were executed

18. – Japan was also placed under Allied occupation for several years Had to adopt a new constitution that forbid it to wage wars The United States and the Soviet Union emerge as world powers and leaders – Britain won the war, but at great cost Economy nearly destroyed, will begin to dismantle their empire because they can no longer afford to keep it – France makes a successful recovery, but will never again regain its status as a major world power Two months after the war in Europe ends, a new conflict called the Cold War begins, once again dividing Europe