World War II: Strategies and Mobilization

World War II Strategies and Technologies

Total War

• World War II, like World War I, was a total war.
• Total war requires the mobilization of a country's population, both military and civilian.
• Civilians are considered legitimate targets.
• World War II was larger and more devastating than World War I.

Causes of the War

• The most immediate cause was Hitler's invasion of Poland.
• Hitler wanted Lebensraum (living space) for the German people.
• Britain and France initially followed a policy of appeasement.
• On 09/01/1939, Hitler invaded Poland, prompting Britain and France to declare war.

Alliances

• The Axis powers: Germany, Italy, and Japan.
• The Allied powers: Britain, France, The Soviet Union, and The United States.
• The Soviets initially had a non-aggression pact with Germany, but Hitler later invaded the Soviet Union.
• The United States initially maintained an isolationist stance but provided aid to Britain.
• The Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in late 1941 brought the United States into the war on the side of the Allies.

Mobilization Strategies

• Governments used tactics to mobilize populations and colonial troops.

Propaganda

• Used to provoke nationalism and demonize enemies.
• Aimed to instill fear to assemble armies and maintain civilian sacrifices.

Ideologies

• Fascism: Glorification of the state and militaristic means.
  • Japan, Germany, and Italy were fascist states.
  • Fascist states organized politically and economically to serve the state, not the people.
  • They efficiently mobilized economies and populations for war.
  • Hitler used conquered people in labor camps to support the war effort.
• Communism:
  • Stalin had already organized the Soviet economy for rapid industrialization through five-year plans.
  • During the war, Stalin increased demands for collectivization and industrialization.
  • Munitions factories and farmers were required to increase output.
• Democracy:
  • Great Britain, led by Winston Churchill, aimed to resist Hitler.
  • Churchill relied on persuasion and cooperation, as Britain was not a totalitarian state.
  • Propaganda campaigns framed the war as a people's war.
  • The government promised to expand the welfare state in exchange for wartime sacrifices.

Repression of Freedoms

• Occurred in varying degrees across fascist, communist, and democratic nations.
• In The United States, Japanese Americans were forced into internment camps after Pearl Harbor.
• In Germany, Jews were forced into ghettos and concentration camps.

New Strategies and Technologies

• Made World War II the deadliest war in history.

Blitzkrieg

• Pioneered by Germany.
• A "shock and awe" strategy aimed to eliminate the enemy quickly.
• Combined air assault with rapid infantry movement using tanks and armored vehicles.
• Made trench warfare obsolete.

Firebombing

• Small clusters of explosive devices designed to start fires in urban areas.
• Allied forces firebombed Dresden in Germany and Tokyo in Japan.
• Caused massive fires and killed hundreds of thousands of civilians.

Atomic Bomb

• Developed by The US.
• Destabilized particles at the atomic level to destroy entire cities.
• The US dropped bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan.
• Led to Japan's surrender and the end of the war in the Pacific.

Conclusion

• The Allied Powers prevailed in Europe and The Pacific.
• The war caused unthinkable destruction and death.