Essential Question: What similarities and diferences were there in the methods governments used to conduct war? During World War II, governments rallied all their resources in the war effort. The call to intense nationalism, as illustrated in Winston Churchill’s speech in the British House of Commons, was part of concerted policies that used all forms of communication to mobilize the population. Appeal to ideological beliefs, including fascism and communism, dominated daily life during the confict and minimized resistance to militarism. Governments also used new military technology and tactics, including the atomic bomb and “total war,” disregarding previously accepted laws of war. These policies increased the level of wartime casualties. Japan and Imperialist Policies With the military in control of the government, Japan harbored imperialist ambitions that would lead to a world war in the Pacifc. The Mukden Incident and the takeover of land in Manchuria in a state called Manchukuo see Topic 7.5) were early efforts in this drive. New Order in East Asia The occupation of parts of China was but one step in Japan’s overall strategy, which was to create a “New Order in East Asia.” The Japanese had looked to expand into Soviet Siberia, but when Germany and the Soviets signed the Nonaggression Pact of 1939, Japan had to look elsewhere for new territory. Nearby Southeast Asia, which had been under the control of imperial powers in Western Europe and the United States, was the most obvious target. However, Japan faced obstacles. Its occupation of China led to economic sanctions by the United States. Because Japan’s economy relied on oil and scrap iron from the United States, sanctions threatened to strangle 512 WORLD HISTORY MODERN: AP® EDITION its economy and undercut its military expansion. Therefore, Japan began to plan to retaliate against the United States with military force in the hope that by doing so, the Western powers would submit to Japan’s imperial ambitions. Germany’s Early Victories and Challenges Once war broke out in Europe, Hitler moved swiftly to acquire territory. He embarked on a strategy called Elit]NrieJ, or lightning war, to quickly subdue Poland. Germany used rapidly moving tank divisions supported by the air force in its four-week campaign. At the end of September 1, Germany and the Soviets divided the country as they had planned when they signed the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact. Germany’s rapid success in Poland encouraged Hitler to attack and conquer Denmark and Norway in April 10 and the Netherlands, Belgium, and France in the following month. Germany then proceeded to bring the government and resources of the conquered nations under its control. As the Germans approached Paris, the French government fed to Bordeaux, in southern France. Germany took direct control of the northern two-thirds of the country. The French set up a new pro-Nazi regime based in Vichy under Marshal Henri-Philippe Pptain, an aged World War I hero. Connect: Create a table comparing the conquests of Hitler and Genghis .han. See Topic 2.2. PACIFIC OCEAN INDIAN OCEAN CHINA JAPAN USSR INDIA THAILAND MALAYA PHILIPPINES FRENCH INDOCHINA NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES KOREA POLAND GERMANY GREAT BRITAIN FINLAND ITALY FRANCE ALGERIA EGYPT EUROPE ASIA AFRICA AUSTRALIA M e d i ter r a n e a n S e a OCEAN ATLANTIC B a l t i c S e a Leningrad El Alamein Stalingrad Coral Sea Midway Island D-Day (Normandy) Battle of the Bulge Kursk Iwo-Jima Guatacanal Anzio Pearl Harbor Hiroshima Nagasaki PACIFIC THEATER EUROPEAN THEATER 1,000 Kilometers Parallel scale at 30 N, 0 E 1,000 Miles 0 0 Theater Battle Major Battles of World War II British-American Relations Fearing that it would be the next victim in Germany’s relentless and rapid campaign, Britain asked the United States for support. Despite a long history of isolationism from European troubles, President Roosevelt believed the United States should help the British. In 1940, the two powers signed the Destroyers-for-Bases Agreement, in which the United States promised delivery of 50 destroyers in exchange for eight British air and naval bases in the Western Hemisphere. In the 11 CONDUCTING WORLD WAR II 513 Lend-Lease Act, the United States gave up all pretensions of neutrality by lending war materials to Britain. Also in 11, Britain and the United States forged a policy statement known as the Atlantic Charter, which set down basic goals for the post-war world. The charter included such provisions as the restoration of self-government to those deprived of it, the abandonment of the use of force, and the disarmament of aggressor nations. The Battle of Britain In Europe, Britain was the last major holdout against Nazi power. In July 10, Hitler ordered a large campaign against the small island nation by the Luftwaffe, the German air force. He believed that bombardment from the air would suffciently weaken the country so that German sea and land forces could mount a successful invasion. Initially targeting military bases in this Battle of Britain, the Germans turned to bombing British cities after the British Royal Air Force conducted a raid on Berlin. Winston Churchill termed this Britain’s “fnest hour” as the civilian population in London and other cities withstood months of relentless bombing. The targeting of cities did provide one advantage for Britain: the British military was able to rebuild after the earlier raids on its bases. Ultimately, Britain’s superior planes and radar system allowed it to destroy German planes faster than they could be replaced. By May 11, Hitler was forced to postpone indefnitely any attempted invasion of Britain. War on the Soviet Union After failing to invade Britain, Hitler turned east. He attacked the Soviet Union to eliminate Bolshevism and to create /eEensraum—land for settlement and development²for the German people. Germany’s turning its focus to the east took pressure off Britain. Germany began its invasion of the Soviet Union in June 11. Initially the Nazis experienced rapid success as they had in Western Europe, capturing large amounts of territory and two million Soviet troops. However, the German forces soon found themselves at the mercy of the harsh Russian winter. The Soviets defended the city of Leningrad in the Siege of Leningrad, which lasted three years and led to the deaths of a million Soviet men, women, and children. Japan Overreaches Japan experienced rapid victories in the Pacifc. It launched a surprise air attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December , 11, destroying much of the U.S. Pacifc feet. Japan then seized the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies, British Malaya, Burma, and numerous Pacifc islands. Japan believed that the surprise attack and the damage to the U.S. Pacifc Fleet would prompt the United States to negotiate a settlement favorable to Japan immediately. Instead, U.S. isolationism disappeared overnight public opinion demanded retaliation against Japan. Great Britain and China joined the United States in the fght against Japanese aggression. The war truly became global when, within days, Hitler responded to the U.S. declaration of war against Japan with his own declaration of war against the United States. 514 WORLD HISTORY MODERN: AP® EDITION Colonial Armies As the Axis powers expanded into new territory, Western colonies began to join the Allies in the war effort. For example, the Indian Army, which had started the war with only 200,000 men, ended the war as the largest volunteer army in history with more than 2.5 million men. Although the Indian Army sent troops to North Africa, the bulk of its troops fought against the Japanese in Southeast Asia. Home Fronts Like World War I, World War II was a total war. Most countries mobilized all their resources, including the civilian population, to achieve victory. The United States started with the strongest industrial sector of any country in the world and it added stringent government planning to provide factories what they needed. In addition, unlike anywhere in Europe, U.S. industry operated without threat of military attack. The United States ramped up production of the resources required for war, including ships, tanks, planes, landing craft, radar equipment, guns, and ammunition. With the enlistment of large numbers of men in the armed forces, women found far more opportunities to work in factories and offces. The U.S. government promoted art of “Rosie the Riveter” to encourage women to succeed at jobs that were once thought to be for men. Instead of mobilizing all available citizens in the war effort, German leaders relied on forced labor, some of it in concentration camps. At its peak, 20 percent of the wartime workforce was forced labor, with 600,000 French citizens working in German war plants and 1.5 million French soldiers working in prisoner-of-war (POW) camps. The solution was counterproductive, however. The workers were treated so poorly that productivity was low. In Japan, efforts on the home front were confused. The government presented an optimistic view of the war instead of trying to mobilize resources. The government took pride in not using women in the war effort, claiming that the enemy is “drafting women but in Japan, out of consideration for the family system, we will not.” The government was able to systematically remove children from cities to the countryside when bombing of cities started late in the war. It was also successful in rationing food throughout the war. Connect: Write a paragraph comparing and contrasting warfare during World War I with the warfare before and during World War II. See Topic .. The Tide Turns in the European Theater With its entry into the war in December 11, the United States joined the other Allied powers, Great Britain and the Soviet Union. In spite of political differences, the three nations were united in their determination to achieve a military victory and agreed that