WW2 and Holocaust

Start of WWII in Europe and America

• Began on September 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland.

• Britain and France declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939.

• The U.S. remained neutral until December 7, 1941, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.

Axis Powers (WWII)

• Germany (led by Adolf Hitler)

• Italy (led by Benito Mussolini)

• Japan (led by Emperor Hirohito, but military controlled by Hideki Tojo)

Allied Powers (WWII)

• United States (joined in 1941, led by Franklin D. Roosevelt, then Harry Truman)

• United Kingdom (led by Winston Churchill)

• Soviet Union (joined Allies after Germany invaded in 1941, led by Joseph Stalin)

• France (defeated in 1940, but Free French forces fought under Charles de Gaulle)

Pearl Harbor

• December 7, 1941 – Japan launched a surprise attack on the U.S. naval base in Hawaii.

• Over 2,400 Americans killed.

• Led the U.S. to enter WWII on December 8, 1941.

Adolf Hitler

• Leader of Nazi Germany from 1933-1945.

• Started WWII by invading Poland.

• Responsible for the Holocaust and the deaths of millions.

• Died by suicide on April 30, 1945.

Benito Mussolini

• Fascist leader of Italy from 1922-1943.

• Allied with Hitler in WWII.

• Overthrown and executed in April 1945.

Winston Churchill

• Prime Minister of Britain during most of WWII.

• Famous for inspirational speeches and leadership during the war.

Joseph Stalin

• Leader of the Soviet Union from the 1920s until his death in 1953.

• Signed a non-aggression pact with Hitler in 1939 but later joined the Allies after Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941.

• Led the USSR to victory against Germany.

Appeasement

• Policy of giving in to Hitler’s demands to avoid war.

• Practiced by Britain and France before WWII.

• Example: Munich Agreement (1938), where Britain and France let Hitler take Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland.

Anti-Semitism

• Hatred and discrimination against Jewish people.

• Fueled Nazi ideology and led to the Holocaust.

D-Day

• June 6, 1944 – Allied invasion of Normandy, France.

• Largest amphibious invasion in history.

• Helped liberate France from Nazi control.

Island Hopping

• U.S. military strategy in the Pacific.

• Captured strategic islands to get closer to Japan.

• Major battles: Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, Okinawa.

Nuremberg Laws

• 1935 Nazi laws that stripped Jewish people of rights.

• Banned marriage between Jews and non-Jews.

• Defined who was considered Jewish.

Japanese Internment

• Forced relocation of Japanese Americans into camps after Pearl Harbor.

• Executive Order 9066 (1942) authorized internment.

• Over 120,000 Japanese Americans imprisoned.

Invasion of Poland

• September 1, 1939 – Germany invaded Poland.

• Used Blitzkrieg (lightning war) tactics.

• Marked the official start of WWII.

Atomic Bombs

• Dropped on Hiroshima (August 6, 1945) and Nagasaki (August 9, 1945).

• Caused Japan to surrender on August 15, 1945 (V-J Day).

Harry Truman

• Became U.S. President after FDR’s death (April 1945).

• Made the decision to drop the atomic bombs on Japan.

Holocaust

• Systematic genocide of 6 million Jews by Nazi Germany.

• Also targeted Gypsies, disabled people, Slavs, LGBTQ individuals, and political opponents.

Concentration Camps

• Prison camps where Nazis imprisoned and killed millions.

• Examples: Auschwitz, Treblinka, Dachau.

Final Solution

• Nazi plan to exterminate all Jewish people.

• Led to mass shootings, gas chambers, and forced labor.

SS (Schutzstaffel)

• Elite Nazi military unit responsible for carrying out the Holocaust.

• Led by Heinrich Himmler.

WWII Home Front

• Rationing, war bonds, victory gardens, women working in factories.

• U.S. economy shifted to war production.

Rationing

• Limiting consumer goods like sugar, meat, and gasoline.

• Ensured enough supplies for the war effort.