chapter 13- the second world war

primo levi (1919-1987)

An Italian writer known for his work Survival in Auschwitz (1947), where he explained why he felt compelled to relive the agony of his year in the most notorious Nazi concentration camp, where he decided to use his gift of prose "not to live and to tell, but to live in order to tell"

mahatma gandhi (1869-1948)

Britain found itself on the defensive in the face of a powerful, pro-independence campaign of civil disobedience organized by Gandhi, who was a gifted spiritual and political leader whose immense popularity and charisma gave him the upper hand

leon blum (1872-1950)

The Popular Front's new prime minister. A socialist who found himself overwhelmed by a wave of strikes triggered by France's difficult economic circumstances and the hopes aroused by his election

fransisco franco (1892-1975)

The rebellion began in Spain's Morocco colony and spread to the mainland under the leadership of General Franco.

pablo picasso (1881-1973)

Was inspired to create the painting Guernica which portrayed the devastating bestiality of the German bombing campaign. Hitler's squadron of bombers in Guernica killed or wounded more than ⅓ of the town's population of 7,000

george orwell and ernest hemingway

Both disappointed by Britain and France's failure to intervene in the conflict between Germany and Spain, the writers traveled to Spain to fight for the republican side. Orwell's Homage to Catalonia (1938) and Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940) were inspired by this conflict

nevile chamberlain (1869-1940)

British Prime Minister who was particularly unwilling to intervene in Eastern Europe, and was eager to avoid a new European war. Chamberlain forced the Czechs to give Hitler whatever he wanted

anne frank

Young Jewish girl who kept a diary of her experiences during the Holocaust in World War II

the spanish civil war (july 17 1936)

- Highlighted France and British weakness.
- When the rebels failed to capture Spain's major cities or industrial heartland, a civil war ensued, pitting Franco's nationalists against a shaky republican coalition that included communists and anarchists
- The Spanish Civil War was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republicans and the Nationalists.

the munich pact

- A meeting between Hitler, Mussolini, Chamberlain, and Daladier to allow Germany to occupy the Sudetenland in exchange for Hitler to promise to leave the rest of Czechoslovakia in tact
- The pact prevented the outbreak of war, Chamberlain claimed he secured "peace in our time."
- Just 6 months after the pact, Hitler violated it by sending the German army into Prague, seizing Czechoslovakia

nazi-soviet pact

On August 23, 1939, Hitler and Stalin stunned the world with their announcement of a pact, where they agreed to divide Poland between themselves, and they both readied their forces to attack Poland. It was a 10-year non-aggression pact between Germany and the Soviet Union

the battle of britain (aug-nov 1940)

Enraged by Britain's refusal to concede defeat, Hitler directed his powerful airforce to attack. The Britain won the major defense, but given the German occupation of much of the European continent, their offensive options were very limited

operation barbarossa

- Codename for Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II.
- 3 German Army Groups poured into the Soviet Union
4 million were killed, 4 million were made to be war prisoners

phoney war

- Period from September 3, 1939 where Britain and France declare war on Germany, however they do not go to war until May 20, 1940.
- Britain and France have a 1939 treaty with Poland to protect Poland from Germany.
- However in August of 1939, the Nazi-Soviet pact gave Germany a way to divide Poland.
- Despite the treaty with Poland, Britain and France do nothing to protect them. Britain and France think they can avoid fighting with Germany if they don't stand against Germany. Hitler now has no reason to fear them, which allows World War 2 to grow out of control

battle of the atlantic

- Germany's naval attempt to cut off British supply ships by using u-boats.
- Caused Britain and the US to officially join the war after their ships were sunk.
- After this battle, the Allies won control of the seas, allowing them to control supply transfer, which ultimately determined the war. 1939-1945
- this battle was a huge mistake made by hitler; he did not defeat britain before the soviet invasion

leningrad

Siege in September 1941, Hitler decides he will take territory and move on. Lasts until 1944. The German forces surrounded the city, cutting off supply routes and preventing food, fuel, and other essential resources from reaching the population. There was a lot of ruthlessness and police arrest and it was symbolic of a war for the motherland

stalingrad

Not as deadly; turning point for war. 50,000 Germans were killed, and Germany was running out of both strategic reserve and incentive to fight. It marked the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany on the Eastern Front, January 1943. The defeat shattered the German army's strength,

national self-determination

- The process by which a group of people establish their own government and political institutions based on a shared identity, values, and interests.
- Since there were a large number of weak and vulnerable states throughout central, eastern and southern Europe, national and ethnic conflicts exacerbated by the First World War made many of these states hostile toward one another and fueled internal tensions. These quickly became objects of Hitler and Stalin's expansionist aims and needed, but failed, to find defenders in the West

maginot line

- A string of border fortifications to protect France from any German attack
- Hitler sent troops to Rhineland, which destroyed what was left of the Treaty of Versailles

anschluss

Annexation - Hitler abolished Austria's independence and attached it to Germany, subjecting Austria's Jews to severe repression in the process

lebensraum

Living Space - In order for Hitler to obtain that "living space," Hitler hoped to take Poland piece by piece, as he had done to Czechoslovakia, but when the Polish government refused to cede Danzig and parts of the corridor to Germany, Hitler plotted to conquer all at once

blitzkrieg

Lightning War - A military tactic used by Nazi Germany in World War II to quickly defeat enemies in a series of short campaigns