Unit 6- World War II

Treaty of Versailles

  • Caused WWII by taking away German territory, causing increased nationalism and a tendency towards violence to restore it

    • Significantly shrunk German land and military

    • Germans living in new territories would have to change citizenship

      • re-creates issue of nationalism

    • Hitler encouraged military action to restore territory

  • Led to WWII by taking away much of the German military, causing Germans to feel threatened by surrounding powers

    • Much of the German army was taken

      • Exsisting army was used for border security/domestic purposes

    • France had control over Germany’s neighbors, all of which had more military power

  • Pushed Germany to pay impossible amounts of money, (reparations), causing them to rebel and stop paying under Hitler

    • Purpose of German reparations was to pay for damages to civilian life/property done during WWII

    • Germany struggled to pay only a fraction during the next decade

  • Caused WWII by humiliating Germans, causing them to be angry with the allies and their unfair peace terms, and led them to seek a new sense of pride and nationalism.

    • Article 231 says that Germany is responsible for all harm done during the war

    • The German people felt victimized and humiliated, causing them to follow Hitler in the name of German pride

    • Germans valued pride and self respect within Germany, encouraged by Hitler

U.S. Neutrality

  • American First Committee

    • Voice for isolationism

    • Supported caution with global affairs

  • Neutrality acts

    • Insulated from conflict abroad

    • Embargo on arms sales, restriction on transactions with warring nations

  • Appeasement

    • Attempt to curb war

    • Munich pact allowed German occupation of Austria

    • Not successful in preventing war

  • Battle of Britain

    • 1940-41

    • Aerial assaults from Nazis

    • Drew U.S. Attention to WWII

  • Cash and Carry

    • Introduced in 1939

    • Allowed belligerent nations to purchase non-military goods as long as they paid cash and provided transportation

    • Aided allies without direct involvement

  • Lend-lease

    • Introduced in 1941

    • Allowed U.S. to provide military aid to countries deemed crucial to its security

    • U.S. became “arsenal democracy” according to FDR

Wartime agencies

  • Office of War Information

    • 1942

    • Distributed war info to the public

    • shaped public opinion with creative propaganda

  • Office of Scientific Research and Development

    • Wartime scientific advancements

    • supported military with new technology

  • Office of Price Administration

    • Controlled inflation and prices

    • Introduced rationing

    • Ensured fair distribution of goods

  • War Production Board

    • Oversaw production and distribution of military resources

    • Was responsible for surge in war industry/military equipment

Diverse contributions

  • African Americans

    • Tuskegee airmen were an all-Black fighter pilot squadron

      • Led by first African American general, Colonel Benjamin O. Davis Jr.

    • Fair Employment Practices Committee ensured African American participation in war industries

  • Mexican Americans

    • Guy Gabaldon was a famous soldier who earned a navy cross

    • Bracero program brought Mexican Americans into the country to provide wartime labor

  • Japanese Americans

    • 442nd regimental combat team was highest decorated and mostly Japanese

    • Japanese Americans were relocated and face discrimination due to anti-Japanese sentiment

  • Women

    • Took jobs and war industry positions while men fought overseas

    • Women’s Airforce Service Pilots flew airplanes from factories to bases

    • Women also served in the armed forces

  • Native Americans

    • Navajo code talkers used their language to communicate secretly for the military

    • Native Americans were very patriotic and many served in the armed forced or in defense industries

Fighting the War

  • European Theatre

    • Stalingrad (1942-1943)

      • brutal urban warfare between soviets and Germans,

      • pivotal soviet victory/turning point

    • Kursk (1943)

      • Largest tank battle

      • Soviets repel Germans
        Strategic turning point on Eastern front

    • Battle of the Bulge (1944)

      • Surprise German offensive in Ardennes

    • D-Day invasion (1944)

      • Allied forces launch largest amphibious invasion in Normandy, France

      • Pivotal point,

      • Led to liberation of Western Europe

  • Pacific Theatre

    • Midway (1942)

      • Decisive naval battle halting Japanese expansion in the pacific

    • Coral Sea (1942)

      • First carrier-based aircraft clash

      • prevented Japanese advance towards Australia

    • Iwo Jima

      • Brutal Island assault securing a vital airbase

      • Symbolized the high cost of capturing Pacific territory during WWII

Atomic Bomb

  • Decision

    • To prevent casualties in an invasion of Japan

    • Could have been other options, such as economic blockade or conventional bombing

    • Soldiers in pacific theater were grateful

    • Proved military strength to soviets

  • Opposition

    • Many civilian casualties

    • Devastation to cities and consequences of radiation

    • ½ or Hiroshima and 1/3 of Nagasaki were killed or injured