❤️❤️ CH 24 WWII Notes

Introduction

The 1930s and 1940s were difficult periods with a global economic crisis leading to WWII.
WWII was the deadliest and most destructive war in human history, with approximately eighty million deaths.
The war included industrialized genocide and the use of fearsome technology.
The United States emerged as the world’s greatest superpower with the strongest economy.
The war raised questions and unleashed social forces that would challenge future generations of Americans.

The Origins of the Pacific War

The path to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor began before 1941.
Japan's war started in 1931 with the Manchurian Incident.
On September 18, 1931, an explosion damaged the Japanese-owned South Manchuria Railway near Shenyang (Mukden).
The railway company blamed Chinese dissidents, but evidence suggests the Japanese orchestrated the incident to justify invasion.
The Japanese Guandong Army shelled the Shenyang garrison, initiating a full-scale invasion of Manchuria.
By February 1932, Japan controlled all of Manchuria and established the nation of Manchukuo.
The September 18 Incident, or Manchurian Incident, led to a war that lasted thirteen years and caused over thirty-five million deaths.
Understanding Japan’s motivations in China is crucial for understanding the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941, and the U.S. involvement in WWII.
Japan faced internal political factionalism due to its stagnating economy.
Leaders debated modernization and resource acquisition through unilateral expansion vs. international cooperation.
Pro-war elements in the Japanese military gained power, committing Japan to aggressive expansion.
Chinese leaders Chiang Kai-shek and Zhang Xueliang sought help from the League of Nations against Japan.
The U.S. supported China by proclaiming the Stimson Doctrine in January 1932, refusing to recognize states established through Japanese aggression.
The League of Nations sent Victor Bulwer-Lytton to investigate the September 18 Incident.
Bulwer-Lytton found Japan guilty and demanded Manchuria's return to China.
Japan withdrew from the League of Nations in March 1933, isolating itself and empowering radical military leaders.
The military aimed to conquer China for industrial resources and establish Japanese supremacy in East Asia.
Japan invaded China on July 7, 1937, attacking the Marco Polo Bridge and routing Chiang Kai-shek’s forces.
The Japanese captured Beiping (Beijing), Shanghai, and Nanjing (Nanking).
The Rape of Nanjing involved the killing of 250,000–300,000 people and the rape of tens of thousands of women.
Chiang Kai-shek used a scorched-earth strategy, trading space for time, and moved the capital to Chongqing.
The scorched-earth policy alienated Chinese civilians and benefited the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The U.S. lacked the will and military power to oppose Japan, maintaining a policy of isolationism after WWI.
The Japanese army was a technologically advanced force, and the navy was the third-largest and among the most advanced by 1940.
Chinese Nationalists, led by Madame Chiang Kai-shek, lobbied Washington for aid, leveraging American culture and values.
The U.S. denounced Japanese aggression but took no action during the 1930s.
The Communist Party, under Mao Zedong, grew in Shaanxi Province by recruiting peasants.
The Chinese civil war paused as Nationalists and Communists focused on stalling the Japanese advance, resulting in a stalemate.

The Origins of the European War

In Europe, major powers struggled with WWI's aftereffects as a global economic crisis caused chaos.
Germany’s Weimar Republic collapsed, leading to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.
Hitler advocated for German racial supremacy, fascism, and military expansionism, becoming chancellor in 1933.
The Nazis dismantled democratic traditions and purged leftist groups.
Hitler repudiated the Treaty of Versailles, rebuilt the military, and remilitarized the Rhineland.
Hitler and Mussolini intervened for the Spanish fascists during the Spanish Civil War.
Britain and France warily rebuilt their militaries, hoping to avoid another major European war.
Hitler’s manifesto, Mein Kampf, called for unifying German peoples and acquiring Lebensraum (living space), especially in Eastern Europe.
In 1938, Germany annexed Austria and targeted the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia.
Britain and France agreed to Germany's annexation of the Sudetenland, hoping to appease Hitler.
In March 1939, Hitler seized the rest of Czechoslovakia and made demands on Poland, prompting Britain and France to pledge war.
Hitler signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact with the Soviet Union, coordinating the split of Poland and promising nonaggression.
The European war began on September 1, 1939, with Germany's invasion of Poland.
Britain and France declared war two days later but Poland fell in three weeks.
The German army employed Blitzkrieg tactics, using tanks, planes, and motorized infantry for rapid advances.
After Poland's fall, France and Britain braced for a German attack.
In May 1940, Germany attacked Western Europe through the Netherlands and Belgium, bypassing French defenses.
France fell in a few weeks and was split into German-occupied north and Vichy-ruled south.
Hitler then turned to Britain, planning Operation Sea Lion, requiring air superiority over the English Channel.
The German Luftwaffe fought the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the Battle of Britain, which the British won, saving the islands from invasion.
Hitler began the Blitz, a bombing campaign against British cities, including London, Liverpool, and Manchester.
In June 1941, Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, breaking the 1939 nonaggression pact.
The German military initially made rapid gains, but the Soviet Union was too large and its people were willing to sacrifice millions to stop the fascist advance.
Stalin relocated factories east of the Urals and ordered a