World War II

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World War II

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The Road to War

• By the end of 1941, 29 countries had already
  declared their support for the Allies the
  United Stated, Great Britain, France, and the
  Soviet Union.
• The Axis Powers Germany, Italy, and Japan
  were supported by seven other countries.
• The events leading to World War II began in the
  1920s.
• Several dictators seized power by playing on the
  fear and anger people felt after WWI and the
  depression.

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The Road to War

• The first dictator to take power was Benito
  Mussolini in Italy.
• In Germany, many people rallied around Adolf
  Hitler leader of the National Socialist
  Workers Party, or Nazi Party.
• The Depression also brought military leaders to
  power in Japan.
• In September of 1939, Hitler invaded Poland. 2
  days later, Britain and France declared war on
  Germany.

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Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor

• President Roosevelt promised to remain neutral,
  but provided Britain and the Soviet Union with
  weapons.
• Japanese troops seized Frances colony of
  Indochina. The U.S. tried to stop Japan by
  applying economic pressure.
• Desperate for resources, the Japanese government
  began planning an attack on the United States.
• On December 7, 1941, Japanese warplanes attacked
  the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
• 3 days later, Germany and Italy declared war on
  the U.S. who joined the Allies.

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On the Home Front

• Out of the war came new technology, a new
  prosperity, and a new sense of power and
  strength.
• During the war, industry expanded rapidly.
• Incomes rose and unemployment fell.
• Far more women than ever before entered the work
  force.
• The war also created new opportunities for
  African Americans.
• Japanese Americans experienced discrimination
  after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Worried about
  their loyalty, the government forced Japanese
  Americans on the West Coast to relocate to
  internment camps.

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D-Day

• The Allies were planning a massive invasion of
  France from the West, known as Operation
  Overlord.
• On June 6, 1944 D-Day Allied ships landed
  thousands of troops on the coast of Normandy.
• After wading ashore the troops faced land mines
  and fierce fire from the Germans.
• From Normandy, the Allies pushed across France.
• On August 25, French and American soldiers
  marched through joyful crowds and liberated Paris.

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Victory in Europe

• In December 1944, the Germans mounted a last
  desperate offensive.
• In the Battle of the Bulge the Germans at first
  drove troops and artillery deep into a bulge in
  the Allied lines.
• After several weeks the Allies pushed the Germans
  back.
• The battle marked the end of serious German
  resistance.
• On April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler committed
  suicide.
• One week later, Germany surrendered.
• 3 weeks earlier, President Roosevelt had died.

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The Holocaust

• As the Allies liberated Germany they found
  horrifying evidence of Nazi brutality.
• The Nazis hated Jews and committed genocide the
  killing of an entire group of people.
• The built death camps where they killed thousands
  of Jews everyday in gas chambers.
• As many as 6 million Jews died in what became
  known as the Holocaust.

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War in the Pacific

• The U.S. adopted a strategy known as island
  hopping seizing an island and using it as a
  base to attack the next island.
• In March 1945 they seized the island of Iwo Jima
  and in June the island of Okinawa, the last stop
  before invading Japan itself.
• Before the invasion, the U.S. decided to use a
  new weapon the atomic bomb.
• President Truman demanded that Japan surrender.
  He ordered the use of the bomb when Japan refused.

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War in the Pacific

• The U.S. dropped two atomic bombs in August 1945.
• The first destroyed the city of Hiroshima.
• The second destroyed the city of Nagasaki.
• After the bombings, Japan agreed to surrender.
• August 15 V-J Day, for Victory over Japan
  marked the end of World War II.