WW2

Treaty of Versailles (Italy)

Italy did not receive any territory after WWI, causing high unemployment and inflation

Fascism

Extreme nationalism where the individual has no rights and the nation comes first

Dictatorship

A system of government where one person makes all rules and decisions

Benito Mussolini

Fascist leader of Italy who took power in 1922 and wanted to restore Italy to its former empire

Il Duce

Mussolini’s nickname meaning “The Leader”

Mussolini’s Influence on Hitler

Mussolini’s fascist leadership inspired Hitler and Nazi ideology

Treaty of Versailles (Germany)

Germany lost land, faced high unemployment, high inflation, and was banned from having a military

Great Depression (Germany)

Worsened Germany’s economic problems after the Treaty of Versailles

Nazism

A form of fascism that blamed Germany’s problems on Jews, Slavic people, and non

Anti

Semitism

Lebensraum

The belief that Germany needed more living space in Europe, justifying invasion

Aryan Race

Nazi belief in a superior “pure” German race

Third Reich

Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler’s rule

Adolf Hitler

Appointed Chancellor of Germany in 1932

Joseph Stalin

Dictator of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1953

Stalin Death Toll

Stalin was responsible for approximately 20–50 million deaths

Great Terror

Stalin’s 1930s campaign where the government seized private property, farms, and factories

Japan as a Superpower

Japan became a global power in the 1920s–1930s through military and industrial expansion

Emperor Hirohito

Ruler of Japan and its military during WWII

Japanese Expansion

Japan invaded Pacific nations to gain oil and resources

Rape of Nanjing

A brutal Japanese attack on China involving mass killings and violence

German Expansion

Germany took over Austria and Czechoslovakia before WWII

Justification for Invasions

Germany claimed ethnic Germans lived in Austria and Czechoslovakia

Italian Colonies

Italy gained colonies in Africa including Libya, Ethiopia, Somalia, and East Africa

Appeasement

Allowing Germany to take land to avoid a larger war

Munich Agreement

Agreement that allowed Germany to take land as part of appeasement

Neville Chamberlain

British Prime Minister who supported appeasement

Isolationism

Policy of remaining neutral and avoiding foreign conflicts

Allied Powers

Britain, France, Soviet Union, and the United States

Axis Powers

Germany, Japan, and Italy

Lend

Lease Act

Atlantic Charter

Agreement between the U.S. and Britain outlining war goals

Winston Churchill

Prime Minister of Britain during WWII

Pearl Harbor

Japanese surprise attack on the U.S. naval base in Hawaii on December 7, 1941

A Day That Will Live in Infamy

Phrase used by FDR to describe the Pearl Harbor attack

Draft

The selection of citizens for military service

Women in WWII

Women worked in factories producing war materials

War Production Board (WPB)

Government agency that managed resources needed for the war

Rationing

Limiting consumption of goods to support the war effort

Start of WWII

Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939

Blitzkrieg

“Lightning war,” a fast and powerful military attack

Invasion of France

In 1940, Germany invaded France by bypassing the Maginot Line

Maginot Line

France’s defensive system that Germany avoided

German Occupation of France

Germany controlled France after its defeat

Battle of Britain

In 1940, Britain’s Royal Air Force defended against German air attacks

Luftwaffe

The German air force

Bombing of London

Germany bombed London for 50 days in a row during the Battle of Britain

Non

Aggression Pact

Operation Barbarossa

Germany’s 1940 invasion of the Soviet Union

Europe First Strategy

Allied plan to defeat Germany and Italy before Japan

Operation Torch

Allied invasion of North Africa

Operation Husky

Allied invasion of Sicily and Italy

Fall of Mussolini

Mussolini was overthrown and removed from power

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe

D

Day

Operation Overlord

Codename for the D

Normandy Invasion

Allied troops landed in France to retake land from Nazi Germany

Paris Liberated

Paris was freed from German control in August 1944

Battle of the Bulge

Germany’s last major offensive in the Ardennes Forest

Hitler’s Death

Hitler committed suicide in a bunker to avoid capture

V.E. Day

May 8, 1945, marking the end of the war in Europe

Yalta Conference

Meeting where Stalin, FDR, and Churchill agreed to divide Germany into four zones

Harry Truman

Became U.S. President after FDR’s death

Island Hopping

U.S. strategy of capturing islands one at a time toward Japan

Battle of Coral Sea

1942 battle that stopped Japanese expansion near Australia

Battle of Midway

Turning point of the Pacific War where Japan became defensive

Guadalcanal

First major Japanese defeat on land

Iwo Jima

Heavily defended island used as an air base for bombing Japan

Okinawa

Closest major island to Japan with heavy casualties

Manhattan Project

Secret U.S. program to build the atomic bomb

J. Robert Oppenheimer

Scientist who led the Manhattan Project

Tokyo Air Raids

U.S. bombing campaigns to weaken Japan’s economy

Hiroshima

Atomic bomb “Little Boy” dropped on August 6, 1945

Nagasaki

Atomic bomb “Fat Man” dropped on August 9, 1945

Japan Surrenders

Japan officially surrendered on September 2, 1945

Emperor Hirohito’s Surrender

Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender by radio and remained emperor with reduced powe

How the United States Joined WWII (Pearl Harbor)

we were isolationist before and only wanted to support the allies but no get involved

Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor

• Attacked the U.S. naval base in Hawaii

• Attack caused:

  • Destruction of U.S. ships and aircraft

  • Deaths of thousands of Americans

• President Franklin D. Roosevelt called it:

  • “A day that will live in infamy”

• December 8, 1941:

  • The United States officially declared war on Japan

  • This marks the U.S. entry into World War II

• Germany and Italy later declared war on the U.S.

• The U.S. joined the Allies and adopted the Europe First Strategy

How WWII Initially Started (Bullet Points) Long-Term Causes

Treaty of Versailles punished Germany:

• Lost land

• No military

• Economic hardship

• Great Depression worsened conditions

• Hitler rose to power using:

  • Nazism

  • Nationalism

  • Blaming Jews and minorities

Events Leading to War

• Hitler rebuilt Germany’s military

• Germany invaded:

  • Austria

  • Czechoslovakia

• Other countries used appeasement

• Munich Agreement allowed expansion

Official Start

• September 1, 1939 → Germany invaded Poland

• Britain and France declared war

• WWII officially began

Home Life in the United States During WWII (Bullet Points)

• Many men drafted → labor shortages

• Women entered workforce:

  • Factories

  • Military support jobs

• Symbol of women workers: Rosie the Riveter

• War Production Board (WPB):

  • Directed factories to make war supplies

• Rationing: food, materials

• Americans supported war by:

  • Buying war bonds

  • Saving materials

  • Recycling

• Propaganda encouraged - uncle sam, rosie the riveter we can do it

Japanese Internment Experience (Bullet Points)

Triggered by Pearl Harbor attack (1941)

• Americans feared Japanese Americans were spies

• Executive Order 9066 allowed forced relocation

• Mostly affected Japanese Americans on the West Coast

• Families forced to leave:

  • Homes

  • Businesses

  • Personal belongings

• Sent to internment camps in remote areas

• Camp conditions:

  • Small crowded barracks

  • Poor living conditions

  • Little privacy

• Many internees were U.S. citizens

• Rights were taken away because of racism and fear

• Seen today as a violation of civil liberties

Italy Leader-Benito Mussolini

Mussolini Government-Fascist dictatorship

Il Duce-Mussolini’s title meaning “The Leader”

Italian Empire Goal-Italy tried to build an empire in Africa

Germany After WWI Losses-Land, military power, money, and national pride

Treaty of Versailles Impact on Germany-Caused high unemployment and anger

Rise of Nazism-Nazism rose in Germany after WWI

Core Nazi Belief-Anti-Semitism

Lebensraum-Living space for Germans

Aryan Race-Nazis believed Aryans were the superior race

Soviet Leader-Joseph Stalin

Great Terror-Stalin’s campaign of fear, arrests, and executions

Japanese Emperor-Emperor Hirohito

Japanese Militarization-Military leaders controlled the government

Pre-WWII German Invasions-Austria and Czechoslovakia

Appeasement-Letting Hitler expand to avoid war

American Isolationism-Staying out of European conflicts

Start of WWII-Germany invaded Poland

Maginot Line-French defensive fortifications

Non-Aggression Pact-Agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union not to fight