World War II

  • 1939-1945

  • Adolf Hitler: up and coming politician in the late 1920s

  • Germany is politically and emotionally devastated because of reparations from the Great War

  • Adolf Hitler’s political party: National Socialist (NAZI)

  • Loyalty to your government, vague demands

  • Europe has Parliament instead of Congress

    • We vote separately for Congress and Senate
    • Europe ➝ you vote for the party for the entire legislative branch. You vote for parliament and the biggest political party will come together and choose the president/chancellor/whatever
    • Nazis got 38% vote - Hitler chancellor

  • 1932: big fire in Parliament building

    • Nazis used the fire to create panic
    • Undid the government and forced Hitler into power as Dictator as well as Chancellor

  • Hitler’s goal

    • Racial division ➝ wanted only white Germans and no Jews
    • 1935: Jews had to be identifiable with the Star of David

  • 1937: Hitler takes over Austria (Now Czech Republic and Czechoslovakia) 

    • Wanted to expand Germany
    • US doesn’t react because of isolationism

  • 1938: Hitler asks British and French leaders to Munich for a talk

    • British + French say “not cool didn’t laugh”
    • Says “if you take Poland we’ll go to war with you”
    • Appeasement: giving in to the bully

  • 1939: British have an election. New prime minister: Winston Churchill

    • Prime minister for the war
    • High willingness to fight Hitler

  • 1939: Germany invaded Poland and started WWII

  • 1939: FDR starts program called cash-n-carry

    • Wanted to get into the war but isolationism was still huge in Congress
    • Cash-n-carry: British can set weapons from US but they have to pick them up ➝ NO delivery

  • 1940: France Falls

    • Hitler’s big achievement
    • No one expected France to go down that easy
    • Germany takes over France by Summer 1940
    • France now run by a puppet government that supports Hitler
    • HUGE deal

  • August 1940: Hitler starts bombing Britain. Called Battle of Britain (v important)

    • Wanted to weaken their resources so Germany can invade
    • October: Nazi Germant realizes this won’t be successful and stops
    • First Nazi loss
    • Britain had strong air support

  • 1939: Germany and Soviet Union (Hitler and Stalin) sign a friendship pact ➝ called Non Aggression

    • Took advantage of this to prop up their militaries before fighting (so they’re stronger)

  • 1941: Hitler breaks non-aggression pact and invades Soviet Union

  • 1941: FDR passes lend-lease

    • Now US is giving Britain free weapons because they’re out of money
    • Offered lend-lease to Soviet Union as well
    • Hated them but hated Hitler more