CHAPTER 24 : World War 2

Origins of the Pacific War

1930s and 1940s

• Marked by global economic crisis followed by a global war

World War II

• Identified as the deadliest and most destructive war in human history

Fatalities in World War II

• About 80 million individuals lost their lives

Technology impact in World War II

• The war used the most powerful and scary weapons ever seen.

Status of the United States after World War II

• The U.S found itself as the worlds greatest superpower and held the world’s greatest economy

US Economy After WWII

• The US expected a strong economy where people had jobs and spent money on goods.

Long-Term consequences of World War

• The war caused big changes and raised important questions in the U.S. and around the world.

September 18th Incident

• Small explosion near Japanese -owned South Manchuria Railway (Near Shenyang)

• Japan used this as excuse to invade Manchuria

• Chinese : September 18 incident

• Japanese: Manchurian Incident

• This started a war that lasted 13 years

What were Japanese leaders debating after the September 18th incident?

• Problems with economy ➡ 2 ways to get resources

  1. Conquering areas like Manchuria by themselves

  2. Working with other asian countries against Western powers

Japanese invasion of Manchuria (1931)

• After Shenyang Explosion ➡ Japanese army attacked the Chinese troops there nearby

• Japanese army ordered full invasion of Manchuria to protect their people and businesses

• Japan quickly defeated the Chinese forces

• 1932 ➡ Japan controlled Manchuria

Who took control of the Japanese policy after 1931?

• Military took control of the Japanese policy and decided Japan would expand aggressively

Manchukuo

• New country Japan Created from the area of Manchuria after they invaded it

Stimson Doctrine

• A statement by the United States in January 1932 saying it would NOT recognize any new country that was created because of Japan’s forceful actions

Japanese Withdrawal From The League Of Nations ( March 1933)

• Occurred after the League of Nations investigated the September 18th incident and found Japan guilty

• Japan leaves ➡ Became Diplomatically isolated

Marco Polo Bridge Incident (1937)

• An incident on July 7,1937 ➡ launched a full war against China

Rape of Nanjing

• Western news called it this

• Japan captured city on December 13, 1937

• 250K— 300K People were killed

• Thousands of women were raped during this attack

“Trading Space for Time” Strategy

• Chiang Kai— Shek ➡ Chinese National Revolutionary Army leader

• Slowing down Japanese invasion ➡Moved army inland, burning villages & destroying dams

• This was to slow down the Japanese

• Then established a new capital far from the coast

Chinese Communist Party —During the Sino—Japanese War

• This group was fighting a civil war against the Nationalists (Political Party) when Japan invaded

• Pushed out the coast ➡ gathered in Shanxi Province

• Pushed the fight off with the Nationalists to focus on fighting with the Japanese

U.S Isolation ( Pre—WWII)

• Lost many soldiers in WWI➡ Americans wanted the U.S to stay put of conflicts in Europe and Asia

• U.S spoke out against Japan’s actions but didn’t take any military action in the 1930s

Why is knowing about Japan’s war with China important for understanding U.S involvement in WWII?

• Helps explain Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor

• The attack on Pearl Harbor brought the U.S into World War II

Who was Madame Chiang (Soong May—ling) , what was her role during this time?

• Chiang Kai—Shek’s wife (Chinese army leader)

• She used what she knew about American culture and beliefs to ask the U.S. government for help and to get support for her husband and his leadership.

Mao Zedong

• Young commander within the Chinese communist party

• Recognized the power of the Chinese peasant population

• He recruited from the local peasantry, growing his force significantly after the Long March

What was the Long March in 1935?

• In 1935, the Nationalists kicked the Communists out of the rich farming areas along China’s coast.

• Mao Zedong and his followers retreated ➡Long March

• Walked over a year ➡ only 7,00 of the soldiers were alive

Origins Of European War

Aftermath of World War I and Economic Crisis

• Europe was still dealing with problems from the previous war

• major global economic crisis made things much worse ➡ causing chaos across the continent

Collapse of the Weimar Republic and Rise of Nazis

• Weimar Republic fell apart because of the economic crisis.

• Out of this collapse came Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist Party (Nazis)

Treaty of Versailles

• Treaty that ended World War 1

• It forced Germany to pay huge fines and limited its military

• When Adolf Hitler became leader of Germany ➡ he refused to accept the rules

Nazis (National Socialists)

• Political party that emerged in Germany from the collapse of the Weimar Republic ➡ Led by Adolf Hitler

  • They believed in German racial superiority, wanted a fascist government, and aimed for military expansionism

When did Hitler become Chancellor ?

• 1933

What did the Nazis do when Hitler became the leader in 1933?

• Took control of Germany

• Ended Democracy

• Attacked groups they did not like

• Ignored Treaty of Versailles

• Built up the Military

• Took back lost land

• Got involved in Spanish War

How did Hitler repudiate the Treaty of Versailles?

• He broke the treaty's rules by rebuilding Germany’s military, rearming the country, and taking back land that had been lost after World War I

German Rearmament and Expansion

• Hitler rebuilt Germany's military and navy.

• He also took back areas Germany had lost in World War I and remilitarized the Rhineland (an area along the French border)

Intervention in the Spanish Civil War

• n 1936, Hitler and the Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini helped the Spanish fascists win against the communist Spanish Republican Party.

What did Britain and France do in respond to this?

• Britain and France watched but didn't step in, wanting to avoid war.

What is Mein Kampf ?

• This was Hitler's book where he wrote down his ideas

• It called for uniting all German-speaking people in Europe under one nation and needing Lebensraum (living space) in Eastern Europe to provide land and resources for Germans

Lebensraum

• Means living space in German

• It was Hitler's idea that Germany needed to take land, especially in Eastern Europe, for its people

Untermenschen

• This German word means "lesser humans"

• According to Hitler's ideas, these people would have to be removed from the areas Germany wanted for Lebensraum

Nuremberg Rallies

• These were huge gatherings used by the Nazis to make people fiercely loyal to Hitler and the party

• or at least too afraid to speak against them

Annexation of Austria

• Germany took over Austria in 1938

Sudetenland

• This was a large area of Czechoslovakia with many ethnic Germans. After taking Austria, Germany wanted the Sudetenland

Appeasement Munich Agreement (1938)

• To avoid war, Britain and France agreed to let Germany take the Sudetenland.

• They did this without asking Czechoslovakia and thought it would satisfy Hitler

• Hitler's expansionist goals continued

Taking the Rest of Czechoslovakia

• March 1939,

• after getting the Sudetenland, Hitler took control of the rest of Czechoslovakia

Hitler’s Demands on Poland

• Hitler began making demands on Poland

• This led Britain and France to promise to go to war if Germany attacked Poland

What was the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact ?

• A secret agreement signed between Germany and the Soviet Union.

• They agreed to divide Poland between them and promised not to attack each other

German Invasion of Poland

• This event on September 1, 1939, marked the beginning of the European war.

• Poland fell very quickly, in just three weeks

When did Britain and France declare war?

• September 3, 1939, Britain and France declared war and prepared their armies

• Two days after Germany invaded Poland

What was Hitlers Military Strategy?

Blitzkrieg

What is Blitzkrieg ?

• German word meaning "lightning war"

• It was a new military strategy focused on speed and surprise

• It used tanks, planes, and motorized infantry (soldiers moved by trucks) working together to quickly break through enemy lines and cause disruption behind them

What is Sitzkrieg ?

• People called this period the "sitting war"

• After Poland fell (Winter 1939-1940), there wasn't much fighting in Western Europe, except for small battles in Norway

German Attack on Western Europe (1940)

• , Hitler launched his attacking May

• To get around French defenses, the German army went through the Netherlands and Belgium, similar to a plan used in 1914

Fall of France

• France fell quickly after the May 1940 attack,

• lasting only a few weeks longer than Poland.

• Germany took control of the northern part of France

• the south was ruled by a government that followed German orders (called a puppet government) in Vichy.

Operation Sea Lion

• This was Germany's plan to invade Britain.

• To do this, they first needed control of the air over the English Channel

Battle of Britain (1940)

•  From June to October,

• the German air force (Luftwaffe) fought the British air force (RAF) for control of the sky.

• The British RAF, despite having fewer planes, won this battle, preventing Germany from invading Britain right away

The Blitz ( Sept 1940—May 1941)

• Germany bombed cities in the UK

• Goal : Weaken British morale and force the UK to surrender.

• Impact : Children were sent away to countryside for safety. Civilian sheltered in London underground stations/bomb shelters

• People hid away in subway tunnels