World War II Notes: Dual Enrollment World Civilization

Between the Wars:

The Versailles Treaty created problems that led directly to World War II

The financial demands on Germany caused by the treaty (reparations) caused the German economy to plummet. The new government, the Weimar Republic, was weak, inept, and lacked strong leadership. Combined with worldwide depression and depletion of workers after the war, Germany found itself in a no-win situation. In an effort to pay reparations, Germany flooded the economy with printed money, causing hyperinflation and devaluing savings and wages.

Italy was dissatisfied with the terms of the treaty because it did not gain desired land after the war (recall from World War I that Italy joined the Allies because it was promised land in northern Italy controlled by the Austrians.) Italians became bitter against their former allies.

Dissatisfaction with the treaty and economic disaster made the climate ripe for authoritarian leaders to take control of Italy and Germany.

Fascism:

Fascism is an authoritarian government that stresses ultranationalism--everything is done for the state (Example: Parents have children not to have a family, but to provide workers for the state.). It is NOT communism - in fact, the fascists viewed communism as a threat. Private property was allowed in fascism, but profits went to the state (no private property in communism). Fascism glorified a particular state; communism had an international focus. Fascism allowed a state religion; communism did not. Fascism and communism were alike in that harsh, authoritarian rule was necessary to achieve the goals of the state (both had dictatorships, secret police, brutality). Fascism began in Italy. (“Fasces” - Italian word for bundle of sticks tied together to make a sort of sceptre, indicating power, in ancient Rome).

Benito Mussolini - fascist dictator of Italy, who desired to regain Italian prominence and territory it had lost to Austria years before. “Il Duce” - leader. After Mussolini and his Black Shirts threatened to march on Rome if they were not given power, King Victor Emmanuel III capitulated and made Mussolini prime minister. By 1926, Mussolini was firmly in control and established a fascist dictatorship.

Adolf Hitler - fascist dictator of Germany. Austrian-born, World War I veteran, former socialist. Hitler attempted to overthrow the German government in Munich in the 1920s (the Beer Hall Putsch); arrested and jailed. While imprisoned, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf (My Struggle), outlining his beliefs and goals for Germany. Too bad more people didn’t read it until it was too late; Hitler was very clear about his intentions.

Francisco Franco - Fascist dictator in Spain. His fascism caused a civil war in Spain from 1936-1939. His fascist group, The Nationalists, were aided by Germany and Italy, and proved to be a training ground for the recreated Germany army. The Nationalists defeated the Republicans, and Franco remained a dictator over Spain until 1975.

What did Hitler want?

Restore the German Empire to the glories of its past (First Reich - Charlemagne; Second Reich - Bismarck; Hitler wanted to create a “Third Reich” that would last 1000 years)

Gather all German-speaking people into a homeland that would require taking land from other countries to gain lebensraum - “living space.”

Purify the Aryan race by expelling those of other races and the undesirables (Jews, the physically weak, atheists, etc. - effects of Social Darwinism and eugenics can be seen here)

How did the Church respond to Fascism?

In Germany, the Lutheran Church became a tool for Nazism. Some Lutherans, led by Dietrich Bonhoeffer (The Cost of Discipleship), formed an underground church and worked to remove Hitler from power. The Pope and the Roman Catholic Church supported Mussolini after he recognized the independence of the Vatican. Bonhoeffer was arrested and hanged just a few months before the end of the war for his involvement in a plan to assassinate Hitler.

How did Hitler gain power?

The Weimar Republic (the new government of Germany) was ineffective and could not fix the economic problems Germany was experiencing.

Hitler and the Nazis came to power legally by winning elections that gave the Nazis control of the Reichstag (German Parliament).

The Enabling Act was part of the German constitution that gave the Prime Minister the ability to name a member of the Reichstag as a sort of temporary dictator in times of crisis. Hitler created a crisis (the Reichstag fire); Hitler became dictator of Germany, and formed a loose alliance with Mussolini.

Hitler maintained control by using SS troops (“Brown Shirts”) to terrorize and arrest citizens suspected of resisting Hitler’s policies. They also carried out the “Night of Broken Glass” - Kristallnacht - that terrorized Jews living within Germany.

ROAD TO WAR:

Hitler refused to comply with the Versailles Treaty and began to rearm Germany. Hitler also re-occupied the Rhineland, which also was forbidden by the treaty.

Hitler’s passionate speeches revitalized the German people and restored pride in the country. (just like Scar in Lion King - “Be Prepared” song! If you watch this on youTube, you will notice the hyenas are goose-stepping, just like the Nazis. Those Disney imagineers are pretty smart)

Hitler’s secret police (the SS - “Brown Shirts”) rounded up and executed those opposed to the new regime. Censorship of reading materials and the press “encouraged” agreement with the Nazi plan.

Nuremberg Laws - Jews could not hold professional positions and had to identify their businesses as Jewish-owned; Star of David on clothing; Kristallnacht (October 9-10, 1938)

Hitler Youth and other programs were created to indoctrinate the young. Physical fitness programs for women were believed to encourage the birth of strong German youth. (Sparta! - Hitler was a fan)

1936 Olympics - Jesse Owens of the U.S. embarrassed Hitler at the Berlin Olympics (Owens was a mixed-race athlete who won several gold medals over his German competitors in front of Hitler).

Munich Pact - Neville Chamberlain of England declared “we have achieved peace in our time” after allowing Hitler to take the Sudetenland, a part of Czechoslovakia that contained German-speaking people. Hitler promised that he had no more “territorial ambitions.” (appeasement). Winston Churchill was livid that Chamberlain had made this deal; Chamberlain later committed suicide after Hitler invaded Poland.

Anschluss - Hitler annexed Austria (remember - for most of its history, Austria was a German state. The people spoke German, and Hitler was born in Austria). The Anschluss is depicted in the movie classic, The Sound of Music.

September 1, 1939: Hitler invaded Poland. (Hitler and Stalin from the USSR had made a “nonaggression pact;” they agreed to attack Poland from their respective sides. Hitler promised not to attack the USSR. Ha!). World War II officially began on this date. (Stalin had been busy trying to modernize and industrialize the USSR. Collectivization of farms resulted in the starvation of 2.9 million people in Ukraine. In total, 10 million Russian peasants died in the collectivization process.)

The League of Nations, set up after World War I to, uh, prevent World War II, completely failed during this time to control Hitler or Japanese aggression. The Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928, which outlawed war (!) was also not successful.

U.S. Isolation:

Once again, the United States refused to get involved. Technically, the U.S. declared itself as a neutral country. There was a great movement for isolation in the country. Unfortunately, after the quick fall of France, the U.S. desired to help England since, at the time, it was trying to defeat Germany on its own. The U.S. agreed to “lend” outdated battleships and weaponry to England by “leasing” them on a “cash and carry” basis. (The Lend-Lease Act; England paid cash to use these armaments but they had to come get them and take them across the Atlantic.)

World War II:

Blitzkrieg - lightning war. Same German plan as World War I (going through Belgium, taking France, then attacking the Soviet Union). This time, the plan worked (air power had made trench warfare obsolete).

Battle of Britain (“the blitz” in England) - London was bombed for over 100 straight nights. People hid in subway tunnels. The Royal family earned great respect for staying in London. Queen Elizabeth II was a truck mechanic. (The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis -the children are in the countryside to keep them safe from the war; many families sent their children away from London). Keep calm and carry on!

Throughout the war, civilians would come under attack from bombing raids in Glasgow, Scotland, Dresden, Germany (fire-bombing), and of course, Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The U.S., again, remained neutral, although it supplied the Allies with ships, weapons, and loans.

Hitler attacked the Soviet Union (surprise!) and the USSR joined the Allies. (Stalin later said he “knew all along that Hitler was lying; he was just stalling for time to prepare his army.” No one believed him.)

Japanese aggression - Japan took over Korea and occupied parts of China.

Japan attacked the United States (Pearl Harbor) on December 7, 1941 after the U.S. cut off oil supplies to Japan. Thousands of American lives were lost. “A date which will live in infamy,” - FDR announced a declaration of war on December 8, 1941.

The war was fought on two fronts, the European theater and the Pacific Theater.

Americans focused on Europe first. Why? Japan attacked us, not Germany. (Reason: the Pacific fleet needed time to recover and Germany was a bigger threat to our allies, particularly the UK.)

Doolittle Raid - A daring raid by American pilots that resulted in the bombing of Tokyo - a moral victory against Japan after Pearl Harbor.

Italy pulled out of the war after Italians arrested and executed Mussolini.

D-Day - June 6, 1944. An amphibious landing at Normandy in France allowed the Allies to retake France and head to Berlin. German concentration camps were first liberated by Russia’s army.

Germany makes one last attempt by breaking the U.S. line (the Battle of the Bulge), but German forces are soon overwhelmed.

USSR reached Berlin first. Hitler committed suicide. He married his mistress, Eva Braun the day before. Eva consumed poison; Hitler shot his dog (a German shepherd) and then shot himself. They were not the only ones; many of Hitler’s leading officers killed themselves and their families in the bunker to avoid arrest and war crimes indictments.

After liberating the concentration camps, the full horrors of the Holocaust became known to the world. Six million Jews and other “undesirables” had been killed before and during the war. One of the first measures of the new United Nations was to create the state of Israel in 1948 after the genocide they experienced in Europe.

War continued in the Pacific. U.S. strategy of “island hopping” and naval battles allowed the U.S. to liberate Pacific Islands and approach the Japanese mainland. The Battle of Midway and the Battle of Coral Sea were significant U.S. victories against Japan.

Japan used kamikaze pilots towards the end of the Pacific war, with little effect on the outcome of the war.

Truman (successor to FDR, who had died in office) decided to use atomic bombs after being made aware of the program (“baby boy blue born today”). First bomb was dropped on Hiroshima; a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki a few days later after Japan refused to surrender. Japan surrendered after the second bomb in August, 1945. Truman made the decision after becoming convinced that a land invasion of Japan would result in extreme casualties of American soldiers.

***Note: There are many facets of this war that we don’t have time to cover: the miracle at Dunkirk, the German tank attacks through the Argonne Forest, Iwo Jima, the resistance movements, etc. If you love history, a full course on World War II would be fascinating for you as an elective in your college studies.

A recurring theme of this war: 61 million people died during World War II - almost 60% of them CIVILIANS. Both sides used widespread bombing that destroyed villages and towns. Of course, the Holocaust and the atomic bombing deliberately attacked civilians.

Aftermath of the War:

21 million soldiers died; 40 million civilians (28 million were Russian and Chinese). The Soviet Union experienced the greatest losses (10 million soldiers/19 million civilians).

Devastation was everywhere - most areas of Europe were demolished or in shambles. Economies were drained and on the verge of collapse.

The Holocaust - 6 million Jews were killed under Hitler’s FINAL SOLUTION. Death camps and work camps were designed to rid Germany of what Hitler described as the “Jewish problem.”

Although Stalin had promised free elections in eastern Europe, it became clear that Communist domination of these countries would be the only way Stalin would agree to the terms to ending the war. Democracy and Communism were totally opposite ideologies, and mistrust between Stalin and the Allies evaporated quickly. Almost immediately after the war, Stalin’s troops created Communist puppet governments across eastern Europe.

Germany was divided into four sections, which eventually became two: West Germany (the Democratic - capitalist side) and East Germany (the communist side). Winston Churchill said an “iron curtain” had descended across Europe - a metaphor for the separation of Europe into two distinct parts, democratic and communist.