WWII and the Holocaust

NAI What was the significance of the Treaty of Versailles, and how did it relate to WWII?

Treaty of Versailles: The peace agreement between Germany and the Alliest that ended WWI, signed June 28th 1919

• Three main effects on Germany: Lost territory and colonies, limits on military size and power, and reparations (132 billion marks) owed to the Allied powers

• Harsh terms caused resentment, economic hardship, and national humiliation in Germany

• Hitler exploited this resentment, using the treaty as a rallying point in his rise to power, promising to reverse its terms

• His later violations of the treaty (rearming Germany, reoccupying the Rhineland, siezing Austria and the Sudetenland) directly led to WWII

NAI How was the Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution used and manipulated?

• Article 48: Allowed the President to bypass the Reichstag and rule by emergency decree during a crisis

• After the Reichstag Fire in February 1933, Hitler convinced Hindenburg to invoke it, issuing the Reichstag Fire Decree

• Suspended civil rights and let the Nazis arrest political opponents (particularly communists)

• Hitler used the resulting fear and suppressed opposition to push through the Enabling Act, letting him pass laws without Reichstag approval

• The emergency measure was manipulated into a tool for developing his dictatorship

NAI Why did German’s resent the Treaty of Versailles?

Article 231

• Germans resented being given sole blame for starting the war

• Many believed it was a defensive war, fought against Allied aggression

Military restrictions

• Germans feared that with such a small army, they would be defenceless against future enemies

Reparations

• Germans believed that by signing the treaty, they were condemning future generations to pay off the 132 billion marks in reparations

Betrayal

• Millions of Germans found themselves under Polish or Czechoslovak rule instead of the having the self-determination promised by the Fourteen Points

NAI What is a dictatorship and therefore what did Hitler control under Nazi Germany?

A form of goverment where one individual/group has absolute power over politics, law and people with no limitations

NAI How did the Nazis use propaganda to control public opinion in Germany?

Propaganda: Information (often biased or exaggerated) used to persuade people to adopt a particular viewpoint

• Joseph Goebbels controlled all media to spread only pro-Nazi messaging

• Promoted Hitler as a strong, near god-like leader to build loyalty

• Spread antisemitic messaging to help justify persecution of Jews

• Used youth groups and schools to indoctrinate children with Nazi ideology

NAI What was the formal name of Hitler’s Nazi Party and when and how was it formed?

Nazi: An abbreviation of the full German name of Hitler's party, which translates to the National Socialist German Workers' Party

• Originally founded by Anton Drexler in 1919 as the German Workers' Party (DAP), which Hitler joined that same year

• Throughout 1920–21, Hitler came to dominate the party, renaming it the Nazi’s and designing its distinctive swastika emblem

• Replaced Anton Drexler as party leader in July 1921

NAI When and how did Hitler become Chancellor? Under what considerations was he appointed?

• Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in January 1933

• President Hindenburg disliked Hitler, initially refusing to appoint him, yet no other party had enough votes to form an effective government

• Politician persuaded Hindenburg that Hitler could be controlled, saying "Within two months we shall have pushed Hitler far into the corner that he'll squeak”

NAI What did Hitler becoming chancellor enable him to do?

• Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in January 1933

• Becoming Chancellor gave Hitler legal government power, which he used to consolidate control (including using the Reichstag Fire Decree and the Enabling Act to establish a dictatorship)

• From January 1933 (his appointment) to August 1934, Hitler used the powers of the Weimar Constitution to convert Germany into a dictatorship

NAI What was the significance of Kristallnacht in the lead-up to the Holocaust?

• Kristallnacht (the night of broken glass): A nation-wide Nazi attack on the Jewish community on the night of 9 November 1938

• Nazi SA and SS men attacked Jewish businesses, synagogues, and homes across Germany

• German police and fire brigade ordered not to intervene

• Marked a shift from legal discrimination to open, tolerated violence against Jews

• Showed that the Nazi Goverment would not protect Jews, paving the way for the larger-scale persecution and genocide of the Holocaust

R What were Hitler’s main foreign policy goals?

1. Restore Germany’s honour

2. Create a Greater Germany

3. Secure Lebensraum

Restore Germany’s honour​	Reclaim what German lost in the Treaty of Versailles: its territory, army, and pride​
Create a ‘Greater Germany’​	Expand the borders of Germany to encompassed all Germans in Europe​
Secure lebensraum​	Colonise Eastern Europe to provide living space for the German nation.​

R What was the foreign policy goal of Hitler’s Restore Germany’s Honour? (1 of 3)

• Involved reclaiming losses from the treaty of versailles

• Included territory (13% lost), army (rearmament) and pride

R What was the foreign policy goal of Hitler’s Create A Greater Germany? (1 of 3)

• Involved expaning boarders to encompass all Germans in Europe

 

R What was the foreign policy goal of Hitler’s Secure Lebensraum? Why was this a goal of his? (1 of 3)

Lebensraum: Living space

• Lebensraum describes the idea of Germany colonising Eastern Europe to provide ‘living space’ for Germany families

• Due to Hitler’s belief that Germany poverty was largely caused by overcrowding and lack of resources

NAI What and when was the Munich conference? How did this influence the following actions of Britain and France?

• September 1938: A conference of European leaders from France, Britain, Germany and Italy

• Held to address Germany's aggressive expansion under Hitler

• The outcome shaped what Britain and France considered as their next actions

NAI What were the possible options Britain and France considered as a result of the Munich Conference? What response was chosen and why?

1. Do nothing: Stay neutral to avoid war, Germany’s choice to threaten other governments

1. Diplomacy: Compromise (accept some demands), may reduce risks of war

2. Threaten sanctions: All European countries cease trade with Germany until its aggression stops

3. Prepare for war: Form an alliance and increase military spending to intimidate Germany

• Option 2: Diplomacy chosen as UK +France were desperate to avoid another global war

R Why did the UK and France engage in appeasement up to 1939? How did they appease Hitler?

Appeasement: Accepting an opponent’s demands to avoid conflict

• Appeased Hitler to avoid military escalation at all costs

1935: Britain negotiated the Anglo- German Naval Treaty

• Allowed Germany to build more warships whilst still ensuring Britain’s navy was larger

1938: French and British governments agreed on the Austrian referendum as a non- violent way to resolve disagreements

1938: French and British governments agreed that Germany seize Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia

• In exchange for Hitler promising to halt further demands for territory

NAI What was the Sudetenland and why did Hitler gain it? How did he validate his claiming of it?

Sudetenland: A region of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by German speakers

• Gained due to appeasement of Allied leaders in September 1938

• Formed part of Hitler's foreign policy goal to "create a Greater Germany" by uniting Germans outside its borders

• Nazis fabricated stories that the Czechs were oppressing the German population, which justified his threat to invade

• Framed invasion as restoring law and order and protecting the Germans, rather than as territorial expansion

NAI What was the Anschluss? Why did it occur?

Anschluss: Meaning union, refering to the peaceful joining of Austria and Germany in 1938

• Caused by Hitler's aggressive expansionism combined with the Allied powers' appeasement

• Austrian chancellor + UK + France agreeded to the referendum

• However Nazi officials controlled it resulting in 99.75% voting ‘Yes’ in April 1938

NAI What were the key events of German expansion leading to WWII (1935–1939)?

• 1935: Germany reclaims Saarland from France following a referendum

• 1936: German soldiers enter the Rhineland, forcing the French to leave

• March 1938: Germany merges with Austria in a peaceful Anschluss (union)

• September 1938: Germany gains the Sudetenland by France and Britain appeasement

• September 1939: Germany invades Poland September 1st, 1939, UK and France declare war on Germany September 3rd

R What is appeasement? Who used it and why?

Appeasement: Accepting an opponent’s demands to avoid conflict

• Used by UK and France to avoid military escalation at all costs

• Involved negotiating and agreeing to some of Hitler’s demands whilst placing constraints on them

R Why did the UK declare war on Germany in 1939?

• September 3, 1939: UK (and France) declared war on Germany

• UK obliged by treaty with Poland to defend it (also wanted to halt Hitler)

• Due to Germany’s invasion of Poland on September 1st

• British (+ French) appeasement byBritish Prime Minister Nevillehad failed

R What began the outbreak of war in Europe?

Germany’s invasion of Poland on September 1st, 1939

• Led to UK + France declaring war on Germany on September 3rd (2 days later)

• UK declaration due to treaty with Poland to defend it and desire to halt Hitler

R Who were the Axis and Allied powers?

Axis powers: Germany, Japan, Italy (all forms of dictatorship at the time, working seperately against the allies)

Allied powers: UK (Canada + Australia), US, USSR, China and France (briefly)

R Define blitzkrieg. Who used it and what was it’s aim?

Bliztkrieg: Strategy of lightning fast war

• Germany’s strategy for conquereing Britain during WWII

• Also strategy to break enemy lines of other European countries

• Involved planes, terror bombing, tanks, and trucks to carry large numbers of soldiers

R What is terror bombing? What was it intended to do and who used it?

Terror bombing: Bombing non-military targets such as innocent people’s homes to create fear

• Strategy used by Germany as part of the Blitz and Britain against Germany

R What was the Blitz? What was the aim of the strategy, how long did it last and how many died?

The Blitz: A strategic terror bombing campaign by Nazi Germany against the UK during WWII

• Also used by the UK who mainly targeted Dresden and Hamburg resulting in 75,000 deaths (more than the Blitz)

• Strategy adoptedto provoke fear and break morale, force surrender due to casualties and destroy industrial factories

• Nightly from September 7th 1940 to May 21st 1941, German military terror bombed(bombing non-military targets such as innocent people’s homes to create fear) English cities

• 40,000 killed, 1 million houses destroyed

R Define genocide. How does genocide relate to the Holocaust?

Genocide: The deliberate attempt to murder an entire ethnic or racial group

Holocaust: The Nazi goverment’s program of systematic murder of 6 million European Jews from 1941-1945

• The Holocaust was the genocide of European Jews

R What were the purpose of Ghettos? Why were they established in Poland?

Ghettos: A part of Nazi occupied city in which Jews were imprisoned and controlled

• Germany invaded Poland 1939, gaining control of 3 million Polish Jews

• Nazi’s decided to segregate the Jews as they hadn’t decided how to get rid of them

• All Jews in Poland forced to move into Ghetto where Nazi withheld food and medicine deliberately

• 82,000 Polish Jews died of starvation and disease from 1940-1942

R What was the purpose of the SS Einsatzgruppen? Why were they created?

Einsatzgruppen: Nazi death squads who murdered Jews, Communists adn other undesirables’ in Eastern Europe between 1941-1945

• Created when Nazi Germany invaded the USSR

• These special units composed of strongest, most devoted Schutzstaffel (SS)

• Followed German army, murduring anyone who posed a ‘threat’

• Within 12 months, they killed 2 million people including 1.3 million Jews across Europe

NAI What were the Schutzstaffel (SS), and how did they evolve?

Schutzstaffel (SS): meaning "Protection Squadron," originally Hitler's personal bodyguard unit under the SA (Sturmabteilung)

• More disciplined, and reliable than the SA

• Leader Heinrich Himmler convinced Hitler the SS could spread Nazi ideology throughout Germany

• 1934, the SS helped purge the SA's leadership (Night of the Long Knives), becoming an independent, more powerful organisation

• Later formed the Einsatzgruppen - Nazi death squads that carried out mass killings after the 1941 invasion of the USSR

R What was the significance of the Wannsee conference?

• 1941: Marked the stage where Nazi leadership formally coordinated the genocide across the entire German state

Final Solution: Term used by the Nazi leadership to describe their plan to murder European Jews

• Confirmed that the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question" was genocide (the deliberate attempt to destroy a particular ethnic or racial group)

• Discussed shifting the primary method of killing to extermination camps in indirect, coded language

R What was the ‘Final Solution’ established by Nazi leaders in the Wannsee conference? How did the Nazis plan to carry out and conceal the Final Solution?

• Established 1941

• Extermination camps would be built, capable of gassing hundreds of people to death each hour

• Nazis avoided explicit terms like "killing" or "murder'“

• Instead using covert language such as "Natural Reduction" or "relocation" to disguise the planned genocide

NAI Who were the minority groups considered ‘undesirables’ and ‘enemies of the state’ by Hitler who were targeted by the SS Einsatzgruppen and Gestapo?

• Homosexuals

• Roma and Sinti

• Political opponents: Communist and socialists

• The disabled: Targeted under the 1939-1941 T4 Program

• Jehovah's Witnesses: Targeted for refusing to swear allegiance to Hitler or serve in the military

• Slavic peoples: Especially Poles and Soviet POWs who were considered racially inferior

NAI What were the total deaths of the Holocaust?

• Overall: Approximately 6 million Jewish people and 5 million+ others were killed

• Approximately 2.7 million Jewish people were murdered across all killing centres (extermination and labour camps) combined

• Auschwitz camp complex: approximately 1,000,000 killed

NAI Who were the key non-Jewish groups targeted by the Nazi regime, and how many were killed during the Holocaust?

• Soviet POW's: around 3.3 million

• Non-Jewish (ethnic) Poles: Around 1.8 million

• People with disabilities: 250,000–300,000, including at least 10,000 children

• Serb civilians: More than 310,000

• Romani: At least 250,000 but possibly up to 500,000

R What were extermination camps, and why did the Nazis shift to gassing?

Extermination camps: Camps specifically designed by the Nazis to kill Jews and other "undesirables"

• Six major extermination camps were built in Poland, with two smaller ones in Croatia and Belarus

• Over 44,000 camps in total existed (including labour and extermination camps)

• 3.5 million Jews from every country under Nazi control were deported to these camps by train

• Himmler transitioned from mass shootings to gassing (using Zyklon B) to relieve the psychological trauma of SS executioners

R What were the purposes of Extermination camps?

• Industrialised genocide, enabling faster, larger-scale killing than earlier methods like mass shootings

• Also to relieve to relieve the psychological trauma of SS executioners by shifting to gassing (using Zyklon B)

• Centralised the killing process, allowing the Final Solution to be carried out efficiently across occupied territory

R Why did Japan invade China and Indochina?

• Japan’s population growth exceeded it’s resources as the country modernised

• Military leaders argued for the creation of an empire, with the army pushing to colonise Korea and China, and the navy for South-East Asia

• 1931, Japan blew up part of its own railway near Mukden, falsely blamed China, and used it as an excuse to occupy Manchuria (occupied whole time)

• In July 1937, Japan invaded China more broadly; China resisted until 1945, at a cost of ~21 million Chinese and 500,000 Japanese lives

• World governments were outraged but offered no help, fearing war with Germany - UK + US stayed neutral

• September 1940, Japan invaded French Indochina (modern-day Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia)

R Why and when did the US declare war on Japan? How was this reflected by the change in public opinion?

• Officially decalred December 8th 1941 due to the bombing of Pearl Harbour

• Japan hoped a surprise attack would intimidate weaken the US, clearing the way for Japan to expand its empire across the Pacific

• America was still communicating with Japan at the time of the bombing, labelling the attack a surprise rather than expected

• Public opinion in the US shifted dramatically as a result: May 1940, only 7% of Americans agreed with declaring war on Germany, but by December 1941 this rose to 91%

R What happened during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and what was its significance?

• Pearl Harbor was the base of the United States Pacific Fleet (located in Hawaii), many ships were anchored and thereby defenceless

• 414 Japanese aircraft bombed Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941

• Attack killed 2,400 Americans and sank 18 warships, destroying the US Navy its largest battleships (USS West Virginia, USS Tennessee)

• No US aircraft damaged as they were at sea at the time

• US public were outraged, viewing the attack as unprovoked aggression

• Shift in public opinion led US to declare war on Japan on Dec 8th (the next day) nd formally enter WWII

• Germany and Italy shortly after declared war on the US, bringing it into the global conflict on both fronts

R What was total war, and how did John Curtin mobilise Australia for it?

• Total war: A war which involves not just the army, but also the civilian population

• February 1942, PM John Curtin mobilised Australian society for total war

• Recalled AUS forces defending UK colonies to help defend Australia (+ Papua New Guinea)

• Conscripted men into the army using propaganda

• Rationed food and other items in short supply

• Censored media and communication (maintain morale)

• Appealed for American help in defending Australia

NAI How did Australia's involvement in WWII begin? How did this compare to the end of the war?

• 1939: Aus Army had 80,000 men; PM Menzies sent force of 20,000 volunteers to support the UK Army in Europe

• By the end of the war, 730,000 men and women had enlisted in the forces - 10% of the total population

R What was the Battle of Kokokda?

• Kokoda Track campaign began on 21 July 1942 and ended on 16 November 1942

• 5-month battle fought in 1942 between Australian and Japanese forces along the narrow, 74km Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea

• Japanese forces captured North side of Papua New Guinea July 1942, aiming to capture Port Moresby on the island’s South

• Island defended by the Aus 39th Infantry Battalion and the Papuan Infantry Battalion, who were outnumbered and forced to tactically retreat

• Ended in Aus victory November 1942, after Australian forces regrouped, received reinforcements, and pushed the Japanese back across the trail

NAI What challenges did Australian soldiers face fighting in New Guinea?

• Inexperience in jungle warfare

• Tropical diseases, especially malaria

• Outdated maps

• Rough terrain cutting vehicle access, resulting in hand-carried equipment that led to shortages of ammunition, food, and medical equipment

R How did the Australians recover and eventually win at Kokoda?

• Set ambushes and used jungle terrain to their advantage

• Native Papuans ("fuzzy wuzzy angels") helped locate and carry supplies and the wounded

• Organised airdrops of food and supplies into the mountains

• Reinforced by Australian soldiers returning from the Middle East

• 5-month battle resulted in an Australian victory in November 1942

R What were the casualties of the Battle of Kokoda?

• 600 Australians killed, 1,000 wounded, and 4,000 afflicted witb tropical diseases Malaria and Beri beri

• Japanese losses far higher (6,500 killed) due to shortages of food, medicine and ammunition

• January 1943, Australian forces had destroyed or captured all Japanese forces in New Guinea

R Why was the battle of Kokoda significant?

• Marked Australia's first victory over Japanese forces

• Proved that Aus soldiers could fight independently of Britain and defend their homeland

• Proved the adaptability and persistence of Australian soldiers in challenging environments

R What were POWs, and what happened to Australian POWs in WWII?

• 22,000 out of the 30,000 Australian POW’s in WWII were captives of the Japanese Empire

• They were sent to camps or used as forced labour across the Asia-Pacific region

• By the end of WWII, almost a third of Australian POWs in the Pacific had died

• One soldier described conditions on the Kokoda Trail: "Most of the lads are now suffering... from malnutrition and lack of vitamins... I find it extremely hard to move one leg after the other these days"

NAI What was the Thai-Burma Railway?

• 22,000 Australian POWs joined other Allied prisoners and Burmese slave labourerrs in constructing the 415km Thai-Burma railway

• Designed to carry supplies for the Japanese army fighting in Burma

• 1/3 of these Australian prisoners died, due to starvation, illness and abuse

R What changes did PM John Curtin make to the homefront during WWII?

1. National Security Act: allowed the government to bypass constitutional limits to combat the war

2. Directorate of Manpower: Allowed the government to force people into particular jobs or industries (job conscription)

3. Rationing system: Formed in May 1942, using coupons to limit purchases, restricting non-essential travel, and encouraging people to grow their own food at home

4. Allied Works Council: Formed in 1942 to construct wartime infrastructure

R What roles did Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people take on in WWII?

• Around 3,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander soldiers officially served in the forces, though the number enlisted was much higher

• By 1944, almost all able-bodied Torres Strait Islander men had enlisted - initially paid 1/3 of regular soldiers' wages, rising to 2/3 by December 1943

• Served in special force units (trained for special operations), e.g. the Torres Strait Light Infantry (1941) and the NT Special Reconnaissance Unit

• Also worked in other roles: farmers, factory workers, road and airfield builders, and labourers

R What roles did Australian women take on in WII?

• 35,000 women served in the armed forces (5% of the total force)

• By mid-1943, almost 200,000 women were employed in war-assisting efforts

• Took on new areas of work: drivers, war industries (manufacturing)

• Existing civilian occupations were often used to determine their new war-related role

• Women's Land Army: set up to distribute female labour to farms and orchards, keeping food production going — approximately 3,000 women involved

• Volunteers in other groups completed more traditional roles (e.g. knitting socks, raising money)

NAI How were nurse and women veterans treated after WWII?

• Nurses recognised as part of the military and recieved few medals

• Excluded from full participation in veterans' organisations and recognition for decades

• Women received less postwar support (pensions, veteran benefits)

• Societal attitudes viewed their wartime contribution as "women's work," rather than equal military service

• Faced long delays before being allowed to take part in Anzac Day marches

R What were the arguments in favour of dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

• Would force Japan's swift surrender, ending the war quickly and potentially saving more lives overall than a prolonged war would have cost

• Japan had shown a willingness to fight to the death, justifying the bombing

• Demonstrated US military power, potentially deterring future aggression from Japan or other nations (including the USSR)

R What were the arguments against the dropping of atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

• Caused massive civilian casualties, with majority of victims civilians rather than military targets

• Long-term suffering from radiation exposure affected survivors for decades after the bombings

• Japan may have already been close to surrender due to blockades and bombing, making the atomic bombs potentially unnecessary

• Raised serious ethical and legal questions about the use of destructive weapons against civilian populations

NAI What was the fall of Singapore? Why did the battle last only 1 week?

• UK government mistakebly assumed coastal fortress of Singapore would halt the Japanese

• Led to UK naval squadron being sunk by Japanese planes in December 1941

• In a 1-week battle (8–15 February 1942), Japanese forces overran the island

• 80,000 British, Indian and Australian soldiers were taken as POW’s — the biggest defeat in British history

NAI What was the bombing of Darwin?

• 19 February 1942, Japanese planes bombed city of Darwin

• 235 people were killed, 8 ships sunk, and 25 ships damaged

• Attack had an important psychological effect, creating fear of the Japanese and determination to resist in Australian society

• Throughout the rest of the war, 100 Japanese air raids targeted northern Australia, mostly airfields

NAI What was the summary of Japanese expansion in WWII?

• 1940: Japan seizes French Indochina; USA condemns Japan and embargoes trade

• Dec 1941: Japan launches surprise attacks on US and British bases throughout the Asia-Pacific; US, Britain and Australia declare war on Japan

• Jan 1942: Philippines captured by Japan

• Feb 1942: Singapore captured by Japan; Darwin bombed for the first time

• Mar 1942: Indonesia captured by Japan; Japanese forces enter New Guinea

NAI How was Japan defeated in WWII?

• Island-hopping: US forces recaptured Pacific islands one by one, closing in on mainland Japan

• Allied naval and air power destroyed Japan's navy and cut off supplies

• Firebombing of Japanese cities (e.g. Tokyo) devastated infrastructure and morale

• Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945

• USSR declared war and invaded Japanese-held Manchuria, ending hopes of a negotiated peace

• Japan formally surrendered September 2nd 1945, ending WWII

What was the embargo, and how did it link to the outbreak of WWII in Asia?

• Embargo: An official ban on trade with another country

• US, Britain and Netherlands placed an embargo on trade with Japan in an attempt to halt their aggression and advancements

• Stopped 75% of its imports

• Consequently Japan had limited oil sources so its army couldn't operate tanks, trucks and planes needed to fight in China

• Pushed Japan toward seizing oil-rich territories in South-East Asia by force, escalating tensions that led to war with the US and its allies

Why did Australia join the war against Japan, alongside America?

• Australia was already at war with Germany and Italy, but Japan's rapid expansion through the Pacific directly threatened Australia's own security

• After Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Australia declared war on Japan alongside the US and Britain

• PM Curtin recognised Britain was too stretched to defend Australia, so he shifted reliance toward the US

• Japan's bombing of Darwin and advance through New Guinea pushed Australia to fully mobilise alongside America to defend its own territory