WW II - Social Studies 8

Theory of Communism

• In practice, a type of totalitarianism gov’t that glorifies (but does not always follow) the ideas of Karl Marx and the theory that all workers of the world should unite

• The rise of the proletariat and the end of class struggles

• People collectively sharing the means of production(raw materials, factories, land)

• No mention of how to govern society

Karl Marx

• philosopher and socialist who developed the theory of communism

• he co-authored the communist manifesto

• he focused on class struggle and critiqued capitalism

Friedrich Engels

• social scientist and theory who provided observations for the Marxist theory

• he worked with Karl Marx on the Communist Manifesto

Proletariat

• this term refers to the wage earners- the farmers and industrial workers in a capitalist society

• they have little money and almost no land

• their only power is their ability to work

Bourgeoisie

• the capitalist class who control most of society’s wealth and means of production

• they enjoy wealth without actually “working”

Totalitarianism

 Total authority or rule.  A government that rules over all aspects of a society, limiting people's freedoms, demanding total loyalty, controlling the media, generally harsh, oppressive, and controlling

Communism under Joseph Stalin

• dictatorship with no civil liberties

• mass famine due to poor gov’t management of the economy

• prison labor camps

• 1.2 million people are slaughtered by Stalin because of mismanagement, gulags, and famine in 2 years

Joseph Stalin

• the dictator of the USSR as of 1924

Fascism

• a political system created by Benito Mussolini

• powerful dictatorship

• extreme nationalism and militarism

• socialist economy

• Fascists hate communists

Nazism

• fascism plus a belief in Aryan superiority and racial purity

• national socialism

• National Socialist German Workers Party

Japan under Military Dictatorship

• military controlled gov’t(generals and admirals started making big decisions)

• worship of the Emperor

• wanted to take over territories to get resources

• nationalism in schools

• silencing critics

Rape of Nanjing

• An invasion of Manchuria, a region of China

• Japanese soldiers murdered tens of thousands of civilians

• Set entire neighborhoods on fire

• Committed shocking acts of violence(1937)

Mein Kampf

(my struggle)

• A book written by Hitler in prison which became popular

IDEAS:

• racial purity of Aryanism

• Jews are a threat to racial purity

• Jews will destroy the world and are a communist threat to the economy

• teach racial purity in schools

The Nuremberg Laws

The first steps to weeding out any undesirable people that the Nazis found. It placed severe restrictions on Jews from Aryan Germans.

• anyone who suffers from an inheritable disease may be surgically sterilized

• marriages between Jews and citizens of German are forbidden

• Jews cannot display the national flag or anthem

• Jews cannot be citizens of Reich therefore no voting in political affairs and holding office

Kristallnacht(the night of broken glass)

Riots of anti-Semitic violence throughout Germany, Austria

• killed many Jews

• sent many to concentration camps

• set fire to hundreds of synagogues and businesses

• caused a lot of destruction within the Jewish society

Aryanism

Nazis thought

• pure German blood

• superior race to all other races

• Aryans were at the top of natural human hierarchy

The Holocaust

The Nazi’s plan to completely exterminate the Jewish population in Europe. There were concentration camps and dehumanization centers to carry this out. Millions of Jewish people were murdered as well as Roma people. This was led by the German gov’t , the Nazis and Hitler. (1933-1945)

Genocide

This is the mass killing and serious harm of a group of people because of who they are.

Rhineland’s part in WW II

• Germany militarizes the Rhineland (1936) violating the Treaty of Versailles

• The Allies did not do anything to stop Hitler

Anschluss

• The union between Germany and Austria(1938)

-Germany uses the threat of force and propaganda to annex Austria

-Germany invades Czechoslovakia

Sudetenland’s part in WW II

• western Czechoslovakia

• got invaded in 1938

• Germany gained control of defenses

• Neville Chamberlain allowed for Hitler to “take” Sudetenland if he didn’t take anything else

Munich Agreement

Conference to deliberate about Germany invading countries between Great Britian, Germany, Italy, and France(1938).

• Hitler(Germany)

• Neville Chamberlain(Great Britian)

The agreement: Germany “promises” to stop invasion

Britain and France choose appeasement

Invasion of Poland

• Germany invades Poland in a blitzkrieg (lightning quick) attack to overwhelm polish army (1939)

• Led to the start of war on Germany

Axis Powers

• Nazi Germany

• Italy

• Japan

Allied Powers

• Great Britain

• United States

• U.S.S.R

• China

• France

• Poland

Invasion of France

• Germany invades France(1940)

• France is divided into the occupied zone(under control of Germany Military) and the free zone(Vichy France)

Battle of Britain

Germany invades Britain with an amphibious invasion(sea to land)(1940)

• air war instead of a land with a lot of bombings

• Germany loses battle against Britain

• Britain has the “home field advantage”

Invasion of the U.S.S.R

Germany invades the U.S.S.R(1941)

• Hitler wanted to destroy communism

• The Nazis used blitkrieg and were able to capture many Soviet soldiers

• The Soviets retreated causing the Germans to go deeper into Russia, which lead to food shortages, and lack of resources with the brutal winter

• Invasion failed after Battles of Stalingrad, Leningrad, Moscow

War of Attrition

• battles of hardship and suffering

• one side tries to wear the other down through continuous losses in people, equipment, and supplies

Amphibious Assault

• a military attack where soldiers land on a beach from the sea

• it’s a sea of land mission

Milligram Obedience Experiment

(1961)Question: Would “good”, “normal” people obey instructions from an authority figure to harm another person?

Experiment:

Three Individuals: Leader, Teacher, Learner(actor)

• Teacher is told by the leader to shock the learner when they get answer wrong

• The Leader keeps persuading the teacher to deliver shocks

People will act against their own judgement and values it obey and perceived authority figure because of a fear to cooperate.

The Bystander Effect

-Darley and Latané (1970)

Question: Does the presence of other people decrease an individual’s likelihood of helping in an emergency situation?

• diffusion of responsibility (decreasing)

• apprehension(fear of being publicly judged)

• pluralistic ignorance(relying on others actions)

People alone in an emergency situation are likely to intervene because they feel a sense of personal responsibility. As the number of people present in an emergency situation decrease the likelihood of you helping decreases.

Ash Conformity Experiment

Question: Will people follow a group even when they know the group is wrong?(1951)

• People are prone to conformity

People conform because they want to fit in with the group and they believe the group is more informed than they are.

GroupThink

• The tendency of a group to make poor decisions because individuals in the group feel pressure to withhold any alternative opinions

Stanford Prison Experiment

Question: Can individuals’ environment cause “good”, “normal” people it act in inhuman ways? (1971)

• A group of boys were divided into two groups, half were assigned to guards and others to prisoners

• at Stanford University

• Philip Zimbardo

The situation and environment has a tremendous influence on people’s behavior. People will readily and quickly conform to the roles that are expected of them.

Pearl Harbor Attack

1. United States established a military base at Pearl Harbor

2. Attack took place Sunday, December 7, 1941, at 7;48 am.

3. December 7, 1941, marks the United States entry into WW II

4. It crippled U.S pacific fleet, bombing many ships, and killing thousands

4 Reason why Japan sees war against the U.S as unavoidable

1. Japan Imperialism collides with American imperialism in the Pacific

2. The U.S is allies with China - The Rape of Nanjing

3. The U.S has declared “Neutrality” but is aiding Great Britain with war supplies

4. O-Grab-Me - US refuses to sell scrap metal and oil

Island Hopping

a military strategy employed by the Allied forces during World War II in the Pacific theater. Instead of focusing on more strong Japanese islands, they skipped over those and captured smaller islands to serve as airfields or naval bases. This helped the U.S get closer to the Japanese home islands too.

D-Day

The first day of a massive, secret military operation during World War II. The Allied nations launched a surprise attack to win back Europe from Nazi Germany. The Allies were able to invade France on Normandy, the place Germany least expected. Germany expected Dover to Calais but instead to was Wight to Normandy. Omaha beach was one of the most famous battles. The code name is Operation Overlord. It was one of the best amphibious invasions in history. (1944)

D-Day Plan

• The Trap: Germany knew an attack was coming and the Allies built a fake army (FUSAG + George S. Patton) to trick Germany into thinking it was somewhere else. Germany believed it was coming from Dover to Calais.

• The Surprise: The plan worked and the Allies were able to attack the beaches of Normandy, France where Germans least expected from Wight to Normandy.

• There was air and sea armies to mess with the Germans.

• The Allied Nations won, helping them towards the victory path

Operation Glimmer

-Allies dropped strips of metal over Dover, so German planes can pick up the metal and believe invasion was coming from there.

Indifference

People are prone to INDIFFERENCE

• Indifference means not caring and taking action

• Choosing to ignore something instead of helping out because it’s easier

Potsdam Declaration

• this was an ultimatum trying to be agreed upon, targeting Japan

• Japan armed forces would surrender

• Demilitarization

• Punishment for Japanese war crimes

• If Japan did not agree to this, there would be utter destruction of Japan

(1945)

The Big Three Leaders at the Potsdam Conference

• Harry S. Truman(U.S)

• Joseph Stalin(U.S.S.R)

• Winston Churchill(Great Britain) (1945)

Attacks against Hiroshima and Nagasaki Description

• Bombings using nuclear weapons against two cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan(1945)

• Forced Japanese to surrender

• Directly led to end of WW II

Gulag

a system of forced labor camps in the U.S.S.R

Conformity

The act of aligning one’s beliefs with group norms in order to fit in and gain approval

Appeasement

Britain and France choose appeasement which means giving into the demands of an aggressor in order to avoid conflict

The Atlantic Wall

An impenetrable wall built to prevent Great Britain from invading along the coast of France

What is a Preemptive Strike?

A military action launched to neutralize an immediate threat from an enemy before they can attack.

Rule of Soviet Union

Joseph Stalin

Form of Totalitarianism in Soviet Union

Communism

Aspects of Society in Soviet Union

• Glorifying the Leader: Cult of Personality

• Gov’t Surveillance

• Secret police

• Gulags

Ruler of Italy

Benito Mussolini

Form of Totalitarianism in Italy

Facism

Aspects of Society in Italy

• Glorifying the Leader: Cult of Personality

• Police state

• Secret prisons

• Imperialism

• silence all opposition

Rulers of Japan

Prime Minister Hideki Tojo (political leader + military leader)

Emperor Hirohito(spiritual leader)

Form of Totalitarianism in Japan

Military Dictatorship

Aspects of Society in Japan

• Glorifying the Leader: Cult of Personality

• Cult of Bushido - way of the samurai

Holocaust Timeline

• The first concentration camp opens in Germany and the Nazi establish a secret police force, Gestapo (1933)

• Hitler names himself Emperor of Germany(1934)

• The Nuremberg Laws(1935)

• Kristallnacht(1938)

• Ghettos are established in Poland and other countries(1939)

• Auschwitz concentration camp opens(1940)

• “Final Solution” plan (1941)

• Hitler commits suicide(1945)

Expansion of Nazi Germany(includes invasions)

• Germany militarized the Rhineland(1936)

• Anschluss occurs and Germany invades Czechoslovakia (1938)

• Munich Conference(1938)

• Germany invades Poland(1939)

• Start of WW II(1939)

• Germany has invaded Austria, Denmark, Poland, France, Czechoslovakia, etc.(France is divided) (1940)

• Germany invades U.S.S.R and Battles of Leningrad, Moscow, Stalingrad(1941)

How did the Treaty of Versailles affect both Germany and Italy leading up to WW II?

• Germany: Forced to take the blame for the war, lost some territory, had to paid massive war reparations, and lead to economic collapse and hitler’s rise to power

• Italy: Won the war, but was denied territories, felt betrayed by the Allies, and national outrage by Mussolini and the rest of Italy

Describe the system of fascism. In describing what fascism is, reference at least one leader and post-WWI society that implemented fascism as its form of government.

Definition: It is a form of a totalitarian system favoring strict state control, extreme nationalism, and violence towards opposing people

Example: Benito Mussolini used his military in Italy to crush rivals

How might some confuse fascism with the system of communism in the Soviet Union?

Similarities: Both are one-party police states using heavy propaganda, labor camps, and cults of personality to rule and are dictatorships

Why did fascists like Mussolini and Hitler despise communists?

• Property: Fascists were allowed to keep private property, but communists abolished private property

• Focus: Fascism was about national/racial supremacy, while communism was a classless revolution

Hitler and Mussolini blamed communists for WW I

Who attended the Munich Conference in 1938? What was the outcome of this Conference?

• Attendees: Neville Chamberlain(Britain), Adolf Hitler(Germany, Édouard Daladier(France, Benito Mussolini(Italy)

• Outcome: Munich Agreement- Britain and France permitted Germany to annex Sudetenland in trade for Hitler promising for no more invading other countries. Britain and France choose appeasement

What was the U.S.S.R.’s strategy when fighting Germany during late 1941 and early 1942?

• Strategic Retreat: The Soviet army retreated deeper into Russia, so Germany was further away from homeland

• Germany lost a lot of resources , food, water, clothing, because the Soviets purposely destroyed infrastructure to trouble the Germans

• War of Attrition

Why did Japan attack the United States in 1941?

1. Japanese  Imperialism collides with American Imperialism in the Pacific 

2. The U.S. is an ally of China - The Rape of Nanjing 1937

3. The U.S. has declared “Neutrality” - U.S. has aided Great Britain with war supplies

4. O-Grab-Me - Embargo - US refuses to sell scrap metal and oil

Describe the U.S. strategy in fighting the war in the Pacific.

• Island Hopping

• Each capture island was used as an airbase for the U.S forces to get closer to Japan mainland

• Naval and Air Forces

• Amphibious ground forces

How did the U.S. justify using atomic weapons against Japan. Use evidence and be as specific as possible.

• Prevented invasion casualties for the Allies if there was a mainland invasion

• Force Immediate Surrender

• Stopped Soviet Expansion in Asia

During World War II, the U.S. sided with the U.S.S.R. However, after the war, both countries quickly developed tensions with one another due to fundamental differences between them. What underlying causes led to extreme friction between America and the Soviet Union? Mention both political and economic factors. Support your answer with specific historical evidence.

• Politics: U.S believed in democracy, while the U.S.S.R wanted an authoritarian, single-party regime

• Economy: U.S wanted global capitalism, while the Soviets enforced state ownership

• Tensions boiled over the post-war split of Germany and the Soviet takeover of Eastern Europe

• There started to be a Nuclear Arms Race