Studied by 83 people
Propaganda
Powerful tool used by the government to control the way people think, usually from a biased point of view.
Govt. abused this so civilians would enlist, to buy war bonds and to depict their enemies as evil villains.
Appeasement 1936-1939
The allied forces would use this to avoid conflict.
When Adolf Hitler began to violate the Treaty of Versailles, the western powers decided that it would be better for Hitler to get his way than risk another war.
Counterproductive; very useless
Totalitarianism
Used to describe a dictatorship
A single leader controlling every aspect of life within the country.
Modern technology gave dictators leverage
one leader with absolute power
only one ideology
extreme use of secret police
no dissent allowed
no human rights
use of censorship and propaganda
Totalitarian Regimes during WW2
Nazi Germany
Fascist Italy
Soviet Union
Benito Mussolini
1883 - 1945
The creator of Fascism
By 1922, he got frustrated from not winning any elections and threatened to overthrow the Italian govt.
gathered 26,000 “Blackshirts” on the outskirts of Rome in an attempt to overthrow
the government.
King Emmanuel, rather than risk a civil war, simply handed
… the government.
His ultimate goal for his fascist govt. was to lead the war on an Imperial conquest.
He wanted to fulfill his goal, so in Oct. 3, 1935 he conquered Abyssinia (Ethiopia)
Weimar Republic
A democratic govt. that took over Germany after WW1.
Since Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated the throne in Nov. 9, 1918, The democratic govt. was formed on the exact day.
They hoped that forming a democratic govt. would please the Americans.
Caused hyper-inflation in Germany in 1923.
The Germans hated this; they believed that this caused Germany to fall.
What did the Germans think of the Weimar Republic?
Most Germans hated the TOV and the Weimar Republic signed the TOV.
These same people also hated democracy as a form of govt.
Highly suspicious of its ability to run Germany.
Inflation
an economic condition in which a country’s currency becomes less valuable.
Adolf Hitler
1889 - 1945
Was a WWI Veteran
VERY Anti-Semitic.
Became Chancellor on January 30, 1933.
led the Nazi party, and began to rule Germany in 1933 as a fascist dictator.
He supervised the murder of six million Jews and other supposed enemies of the Reich
… began World War II by invading Poland in Sept. 1, 1939.
Nazi
Under Hitler’s Rule, this party stood for the following
Extreme Nationalism; Hitler convinced many Germans that a citizens sole existence was to serve the state.
Anti-Democratic Ideology; Hitler never lied to the German people — He will destroy democracy and turn Germany into a dictatorship.
Anti-Semitism; Hitler used the Jews as a scapegoat. No matter what, he always found a way to blame the Jews.
Restoration of (Military) Power; Germany was a militaristic country, and the TOV tore it to shreds. Hitler promised to restore it.
Anti-Semitism
To dislike or even hate Jewish people.
Scapegoat
Someone blamed or punished for the errors of others.
When did Hitler become Chancellor?
January 30, 1933
Reichstag
German parliament building.
Burnt down on February 27, 1933
Enabling Act of 1933
This granted Hitler the power to enact laws w/o without the Reichstag
This brought an end to democracy in Germany, and the beginning of totalitarianism
Night of the Long Knives
June 30, 1934
Hitler had about 1,000 people murdered.
killed Storm Detachment members in order to gain support from the German army.
killed people who were opposed to the Nazi Ideology
Nuremberg Laws
Between 1933-1939
Hitler enacted draconian (harsh and unjust) measures against the Jews
Jews lost their property and careers
Jews lost their citizenship
segregation; Germans and Jews.
Kristallnacht
November 9, 1938
The German people were encouraged to attack Jews and their property.
Jewish shops were attacked, Jews were beaten in public, and many were imprisoned for no reason at all.
Gestapo
The secret police of Germany.
Could do anything they liked as long as Hitler believed they were serving the state.
Schutzstaffel (The SS)
a major paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany.
made up of party volunteers to provide security for party meetings in Munich
Joseph Stalin
1878 - 1953
Dictator
Wanted to Modernize the economy of the Soviet Union
Fearful of another invasion by a foreign country
Introduced the 5 Year Plans
5 Year Plans
Stalin’s attempt to completely take control of all aspects of the Soviet Union’s economy. Under these plans:
Stalin ended all private ownership of land
Former peasants became paid workers
Constructed heavy industry (Steel, coal, etc…)
Great Terror
To achieve Stalins goals, he created this.
In the 1930s, anyone who was opposing Stalin’s goals, were brutally executed.
Many Soviet citizens lost their lives.
Causes of WW2
1) Treaty of Versailles
2) The Great Depression
3) The rise of Hitler and the Nazi’s
4) The failure of the League of Nationalism
5) Extreme Nationalism
6) Democratic govts. not taking responsibility.
What happened on March, 1936?
Hitler Re-Militarized the Rhineland.
What happened on March, 1938?
Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany
What happened in March 15, 1939?
Hitler’s troops invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia.
Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
Signed on August 23, 1939
Germany and the Soviet Union agreed to NOT attack each other, and to divide Poland between them.
Hitler wanted to avoid a war on two-fronts.
Munich Agreement, 1938
On September 30, 1938.
Neville Chamberlain and Albert Lebrun asked Hitler what he wanted in exchange for not going to war.
Hitler wanted the Sudetenland, an area of Czechoslovakia with a lot of Ethnic Germans.
The Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia, Edvard Benes was not allowed in the conference.
Hitler did not keep his promise, and invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia on March 15, 1939 — 6 months after the conference.
When did the war start?
September 1, 1939. The same day Nazi Germany invaded Poland.
The Invasion of Poland
September 1, 1939
The Germans and Soviets swept through … with little to no resistance.
Took Germany and the Soviets ~35 days to fully annex …
The trigger for WW2.
Blitzkreig
“Lightning War”
This tactic was introduced by Hitler and led to the invasion of France, Norway, Sweden, and Poland.
Airplanes led attacks designed to pummel the key enemy positions, which were followed by tanks and motorized infantry attacks.
The attack would envelope the enemy from behind and squeeze in from all sides.
The key to this was the aspect of shock and surprise.
Conscription
Compulsory military service
The issue of conscription
By 1942, there was a need for more troops overseas. PM King held a plebiscite, asking Canadians to release him from his promise to not introduce conscription.
Majority of the French-Canadians did not like the idea of conscription, but the majority of the Canadians did support conscription.
Despite many peoples dissatisfaction with PM King’s decision, he managed to avoid causing the same tensions as the conscription crisis back in 1917.
French-English relationships were strained, but not broken.
Phony War
October 1939 - April 1940
A long period of time where not much happened.
Gave Hitler time to Militarize
Caused by bad weather
War still happened in Czechoslovakia, Poland and Finland (Winter War)
The French did launch a Saar Offensive, but maintained defensive positions. After a few days they decided that they were done.
The Evacuation of Dunkirk
May 26, 1940
With the collapse of Belgium, British and French Troops retreated to the French Beaches of … near the English Channel
Aprox. 900 ships sailed from England and they rescued 340,000 soldiers.
Moral victory for the allies and saved the best British forces
Battle of Britain, 1940
July 10, 1940
“Operation Sealion”
Hitler needed control over the air to destroy the Royal Navy, which patrolled the English Channel and protected ….
The RAF and Luftwaffe fought in the airspace over ….
British used the RADAR, and was able to detect German bomber and fighter squadrons while they were far away from the English Channel.
The British had the enigma code of the Germans (Thanks to Alan Turing and his team of code breakers) and was able to decode the German messages.
RAF
British Royal Air Force
Luftwaffe
German Air Force
Radar
uses a method called “Echolocation” something bats use to locate things with greater accuracy.
This uses the radio waves to detect the location of things.
The Blitz
August 1940
German Bombers got lost and accidentally bombed civilian targets in London.
In retaliation, Winston Churchill bombed the German city of Berlin.
Consequently, Hitler abandoned assault on the RAF airfields and ordered daylight bombing raids on London.
Dieppe Raid 1942
August 1942
5,000 Canadians landed in …
The Canadian’s objective was to take the beach from the Germans.
Soldiers were mowed down the beach by German fire.
900 Canadian soldiers were dead and dying, 1,000 were wounded and 1,900 were taken prisoner.
Taught the Allies that heavy air and sea support would be required for any future invasion of France. (Thats some good foreshadowing)
POW (Prisoner of War)
members of the armed forces who have fallen into enemy hands
Mackenzie King
The dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920-1940s
He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada.
Operation Barbarossa
June 1941
Hitler wanted “Lebensraum” (Living space)
The Soviets had resources the Nazi’s wanted.
Hitler unleashed his hatred towards all the ethnic people there.
Hitler broke the Nazi-Soviet Pact
Once and for all, Hitler was trying to destroy his ideological archenemy — Communism.
Lebensraum
Living space; world domination.
Scorched Earth Policy
As Operation Barbarossa progressed, Stalin used …
The Red Army (soviet army) retreated and destroyed anything the Nazi’s could live off of.
Livestock, supplies, machinery, farms, bridges, roads, communication lines, etc…
Battle of El Alamein, 1942
October 1942
When Mussolini attacked Egypt, British forces resisted the attack.
Defensive victory for the British Army.
Turning point not only in North Africa, but in the whole war.
It was the first time the Allies had defeated the forces of the Totalitarian regimes.
By defeating the Germans at … The allies prevented the Germans from seizing the Suez Canal
Denied Hitler the important Oil resources of the Middle east.
Battle of the Atlantic, 1939 – 1945
1939 – 1945
Longest campaign of the Second World War
Fought for the control of shipping lanes between North America and Britain.
British and Canadian (Later, the Americans) navies became committed to putting an end to the German U-boat threat.
Allied Victory
Canada’s most decisive contribution to the war effort.
U-boats
German Submarines
Active in Canadian waters
St. Lawrence River — they sank 21 ships
Corvettes
Royal Canadian Navy provided these.
a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper warship.
Convoy
merchant ships surrounded by destroyers for protection.
Wolfpacks
German submarines operated in groups.
Became less of a threat as they suffered heavy damages from the depth charges (explosives)
Sonar
Played a major role in reversing the flow of the Battle of the Atlantic.
Works in water as much as radar works in air, instead of radio waves, … uses sound.
Sound waves would travel through the water and bounce off the enemy u-boats, alerting the Allies.
Royal Canadian Navy
Consisted of 13 ships and about 3,000 sailors.
By the end of the war, it had 370 ships and almost 100,000 personnel.
2,000 members of the … lost their lives in combat in the Atlantic
WRENS
Women's Royal Naval Service personnel
Over 8,000 … trained here during World War II with roles including Radio Operators, Meteorologists and Bomb Markers.
In 1944, at the service's height, 74,000 women were involved in over 200 different jobs.
Type of ship operated by the Royal Canadian Navy
HMCS (Her Majesty's Canadian ship)
Corvettes
Frigates
Battle of Stalingrad, 1942
August 1942 - February 1943
One of the bloodiest battles in the war.
The location of … would be a great place for the Nazi’s to attack because not only would they get into the Caucusus oil fields, Hitler could damage the morale of the Soviets, and boost the morale for the Nazi’s.
By January 1943, the Soviets had an astounding victory, either killing or capturing all troops in the German army in the region.
Second turning-point battle of the second world war.
Landing at Sicily
July 1943
Designated to take pressure off the Soviet Allies and divert the Nazi’s attention to North-Western Europe.
Allied forces, including Canadian soldiers landed in … using an amphibious attack.
Allies captured … in one month.
Vandoos
French Canadian Unit
Pushed back the Germans in Italy.
Succeeded in breaking through the last line of German defenses before Rome.
Continued to free northern Italy in the fall of 1944.
OPERATION OVERLORD (D-Day)
6th of June, 1944!
Largest amphibious attack in history.
Largest Canadian military operation of the second World War
The great Allied invasion of German-held Europe.
Allies planned to use Naval and Aerial combat to knock out the German defenses.
One of the most complex military operations ever attempted.
Juno Beach
On D-Day, Canadian forces were assigned this beach.
Liberation of Netherlands, 1945
May 5, 1945
Canadian forces forced the Nazis out of … and told them to surrender.
Important Canadian victory, allowed Allied troops to continue forward to Germany.
Canadians get a warm welcome from the Dutch people.
More than 7,600 Canadian soldiers died in the … during WW2
V-E Day
May 8, 1945
Victory in Europe !
Attack on Pearl Harbor
December 7, 1941
The Japanese launched a surprise attack on the American base in …
The attack was intended for the Japanese to get navy control in the Pacific in preparation for future attacks.
President Roosevelt gave a “Speech of Infamy”
USA & Britain declared war on Japan,
Hitler declared war on the USA in support of Japan
USA declared war on Germany , giving the British some leverage.
Canadians in Hong Kong
First time Canadians saw active battle in the Second World War
Canadian soldiers faced an impossible task in ... They were forced to surrender after 17 days of fighting, when ammunition and supplies ran out.
500 Canadian soldiers were wounded
290 Canadian soldiers died
267 Canadian soldiers that were POW died in Japanese camps
Battle of Midway, 1942
June 1942
Turning point in the Pacific theatre
The string of Japanese victory has now been over.
The American fleet sank the best Japanese carriers, which allowed the Americans to control the waters of …
As the Japanese prepared to conquer these islands, the Americans intercepted with the Japanese fleet and defeated them.
Japanese became defensive after this battle.
Island hopping
Instead of taking every island from Japan, The Americans chose key islands about 400 miles apart, instead of taking every island.
By taking key islands, they were able to progressively move their base for attack much closer to Japan itself.
Manhattan Project
March 1943
USA funded an extremely secret and expensive project to determine if it was possible to create an atomic bomb.
was taken in Los Alamos, New Mexico.
was successful.
To end war in the pacific, they now had an option — an atomic bomb.
Hiroshima
August 6, 1945
“Little boy” was dropped on the industrial city of 340,000 people.
~138,000 deaths. ~78,000 died instantly and ~60,000 died later of atomic bomb related injuries.
First Atomic bomb attack in history.
Nagasaki
August 9, 1945
“Fat man” was dropped on the city of 250,000
~35,000 deaths.
Brought a rapid end to the war.
V-J Day
August 14, 1945
After 5 days, the Japanese govt. sued for peace.
Second World War was over.
War Supply Board
Created and managed by C.D Howe.
The goal was to organize Canadian industry towards a singular purpose of supplying the front.
Govt. paid for this increased spending on the war effort through taxes, war bonds, and gold payment from Britain
Hyde Park Declaration
Canadian govt. was worried that the Allied forces would not buy from them anymore.
PM King and Pres. Roosevelt issued this, which stated that the USA would buy more raw materials from Canada and would supply Canada with American parts for weapons production.
British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
created facilities in Canada to train pilots and other crew members from the … countries.
by 1942, there was a huge demand for pilots as allied countries began the systematic bombing of German countries.
By the end of the world, more than 130,000 air personnel were trained at over 230 sites in Canada.
Camp X
Special spy training facility outside of Oshawa, Ontario.
Canadian, British, American spies were trained at this top secret school.
Most Canadian govt. and military leaders didn’t know this existed.
trained 500 agents to work around the world.
Natural Resource Mobilization Act
In 1939 PM King made an election that he would not introduce conscription for overseas duty.
by 1940, King implemented the … which required all men to help with the war effort, but to not help overseas.
Plebiscite
a vote on a single issue.
Enemy Aliens
groups of Canadians whose ancestry was one of the enemy countries.
over 100,000 Canadians were forced to register and about 650 were interned in camps.
Indigenous Canadians
Voluntary Service:
Volunteered all over Canada to serve in WW2
Volunteered because of the economic hardship they faced, and thought the military would give them opportunities.
these soldiers fought in every major Canadian battle.
Compulsory Service:
was not exempt from conscription
many had little choice but to join in the war effort.
protested against conscription
After the war:
over 3,000 served, 200 died in the effort.
These people still faced discrimination by the government and Canadian society.
commemorating the sacrifice and service they made did not happen until 1992
… Veterans did not receive the same amount of assistance as other veterans.
Black Canadians
Served in WW1 and WW2.
Faced resistance when they tried to enlist, similar to the one in WW1
Many joined the war effort and were integrated into regular, unsegregated battalions.
Served in factories and other capacities to support the Canadian war effort.
First time they were working side by side with White Canadians and having their work being acknowledged.
After the war, their marginalized status decreased after the war, and increased employment in society.
Unlike Indigenous veterans, they got benefits.
racism still persisted in Canadian society.
The Canadian Legion refused to associate with … Canadians.
Chinese Canadians
Initially they were not allowed to serve in the military.
did not have full enfranchisement.
Not allowed to vote
After Japan got involved in the war, Canada thought they would be good to use for undercover work.
Aprox. 600 served in WW2
After the war, … Canadians were able to integrate into Canadian society:
1947, Repeal of … Exclusion act; … immigrants increased
1947: … Canadians were permitted to become Canadian Citizens
1949: … Canadians were allowed to vote
Enfranchisement
is a legal process for terminating a person's “Indian status” and conferring full Canadian citizenship.
With the loss of special rights available to Indigenous people, some returning veterans found it difficult to integrate into their previous life within their communities.
Operation Oblivion
Top secret infiltration on Japanese soil.
Chinese Canadians were enlisted in order to conduct maneuvers such as sabotage, ambush, and unarmed combat.
they were expected to die in the mission; given a cyanide pill if they got compromised.
for unknown reasons, the mission was cancelled last minute and the soldiers were sent to Borneo, alive.
Internment camps
Japanese Canadians were forced to choose between being deported to Japan or relocation to the west coast.
In total, there were 22,000 Japanese Canadians sent to ...
14,000 of whom were born in Canada
Mistreatment of the Japanese
Began on 1942
Japanese Canadians were stripped of their rights.
Men, women and children were fingerprinted, photographed and given an identification number.
Internment camps.
Custodian of Aliens Act.
Canadian Govt. only gave them $21,000 for compensation.
Custodian of Aliens Act
1943
allowed possessions of the Japanese-Canadians to be sold without permission.
Canadian Women in the workforce during WW2
by 1944, there were over 1,000,000 Canadian women serving.
Conditions facing women working men’s jobs during WW2.
Paid less for the same work.
Canadian Govt. provided daycare and tax breaks to women during the war.
but after that happened, these provisions were removed.
Worked 7 days a week, 12 hours a day.
Holocaust
used to describe Hitler's massive attempt to exterminate all of the Jewish people in Europe.
St. Louis incident.
Ship full of Jewish refugees that were refused entry in Cuba, the United States, and Canada,
were forced to return to Europe where many of them perished under Hitler's rule.
Ghettos
Around 1939
Designated areas in the city where Jews were compelled to live.
Common for Jews
80,000 Jews were forced in here.
Final Solution
1941
Hitlers obsession with the complete extermination of all Jews caused this
Hitler ordered that all Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe be rounded up and sent to extermination camps to be killed as a group in gas chambers.
Genocide.
Jews were either killed by
Starvation
Exhaustion
Disease
Torture
Execution
Genocide
systematic extermination of a religious or racial group
Auschwitz
Infamous death camp located in modern-day Poland
Over 1,000,000 Jews were killed by the Nazis
Executed for their beliefs, sexual orientation, and race.
Nuremburg Trials
1946
Allies set up a war crimes court at ...
Exactly 177 Nazi’s were indicated for crimes related to starting the war, and more importantly, for crimes related to the Holocaust.
Several of the guilty were hanged, but only 3 were released from criminal charges.
Tehran Conference
Nov-Dec 1943
Held in Iran’s capital city
The big 3 (Winston Churchill, Franklen D. Roosevelt, Joseph Stalin met for the first time.
Did not accomplish a lot, but cordial relations were established between the two democratic leaders and the dictator, Stalin.
Yalta Conference
February 1945
On the Crimean Peninsula (the south of the soviet union)
Germany was divided into zones after the war was over.
War crimes court established in Nuremburg.
Stalin promised to hold free elections in the countries he was liberating from the Nazis (HE LIED AND MADE THEM COMMUNIST !!!)
Potsdam Conference
July 1945
Held near Berlin.
Former war allies were making decisions regarding the future of Germany and Europe.
Now that communist and democratic leaders no longer needed to work together to win the war, whatever trust they had in each other had now disappeared.
Set the stage for the Cold War.
Effect of the Second World War in Canada immediately after the war
POLITICALLY
Canada gained an international reputation to all of its contributions and established it as a middle power.
Canadian troops were recognized for their battles
Dieppe
Normandy
Netherlands
Hong Kong
PM King was able to avert a conscription crisis (Unlike 1917) Fr-Can. relationships were not completely broken.
Social safety-nets were strengthened because the government decided to take action.
ECONOMICALLY
By 1945, the economy in Canada was booming, even though their debt for the war was over 10 billion.
Industrial and manufacturing production grew to overtake agriculture as the most important economics in Canada.
SOCIALLY
Women, achieved greater recognition for the war effort.
Canada became a more tolerant nation, and it accepted refugees in Europe.
Canadians experienced a “Baby boom” and a significant wave of immigration.
Canada lost over 42,000 people to the war.
Note
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