Causes of World War II

1
Causes of World War II

• The European Theatre Heats Up

2
Overview of Causes of WWII

• Treaty of Versailles-Timebomb- Germany blamed
  and had to pay 33 Billion, both Italy and
  Germany lost land, Russia snubbed-not invited
• Worldwide Depression caused poverty and despair-
  no positive future helped the rise of dictators
• Rise to Power of Totalitarian leaders in Soviet
  Union, Italy, Germany and Spain
• Military aggression by Soviet Union, Italy,
  Germany and Spain

3
Rise to Power of Joseph Stalin in Soviet Union
1924

• Communism replaces monarchy
• Joseph Stalin is new leader
• State Economic Planning
• Forced Industrialization
• Collective Farming
• Mass relocations
• Purged 8 -13 million Russians
• Totalitarian Leadership Complete

4
Russian Dictatorship Complete
Soviet
5
Rise to Power of Benito Mussolini in Italy 1922

• AKA Il Duce
• Black Shirts intimidated
• Middle class worried
• Army, police, government all backed him
• Started Fascism
• Rise of Roman Empire
• Strong anticommunist

6
Italian Dictatorship Complete
7
Rise to Power of Adolph Hitler 1933

• AKA Der Fuhrer
• Brown shirts (SS) intimidated
• Poverty ubiquitous
• German pride impacted
• Rise to power in Nazi Party
• Extreme nationalism
• National expansion
• Racial purification

8
German Dictatorship Complete
9
Rise to Power of Francisco Franco 1936

• Discontent with conditions in Spain
• Led army officers against stable govt.
• Started Spanish Civil War
• Fascist leader
• Hitler/Mussolini sent arms and troops to support
  Franco
• In Power until 1975

10
Spanish Dictatorship Complete
11
Germany Invades Austria 1938

• Hitlers vision to re-unite the German-speaking
  world
• Germans need more living spacelebensraum
• Hitler was Austrian
• NO REACTION FROM REST OF WORLD!!!

12
Sudetenland won in Munich Agreement 1938- An
Appeasement

• England-Neville Chamberlain
• France-Edouard Daladier
• Germany-Adolph Hitler
• Hitler promises this is his last expansion

13
Germany Invades Czechoslovakia 1939

• Hitler is a liar
• Britain and Frances reaction NONE!
• US Reaction-NONE!
• US enacting Isolationism
• All of Czechoslovakia taken

14
Germany/Soviet Pact 1939

• Non-aggression agreement signed
• Allows Germany to eliminate 1 Fighting Front
• Secret pact splits Poland between the two
  countries

15
Soviets Annex the Baltics/Finland 1939

• Soviets reclaim lost territory from WWI
• Reclaim natural resources
• Reclaim ports

16
Germany Blitzkreigs Poland 1939

• Lightening War
• Use of air/land forces
• Poland falls within 1 month
• England/France Declare war against Germany

17
Germany Invades Denmark/Norway/Benelux/France 1940

• Germany wants land to build bases
• Germany wants access to waterways
• Germany wants to block the coast against an
  attack by Britain
• Benelux invaded on way to France
• Paris falls

18
Totalitarian Takeover of Europe Completed
19
Battle of Britain

• German airforce, the Luftwaffe, conduct air
  attacks on Great Britain for months
• On 1 day 1000 bombers flew over Britain
• RAF fought back

20
Axis Powers Unite
21
U.S. Remains Neutral

• 1939 Cash and Carry plan
• Increase in Defense spending
• Peacetime draft
• Lend-Lease act-pay back if and when you can
• Help to Soviets after Hitler lied and invaded
  Russia anyway
• Permission for US warships to attack subs on
  sight
• Atlantic Charter (an agreement to help) between
  Brits and Yanks

22
Hideki Tojo a Rising Star

• Already control Manchuria
• Expand to other East Asia territories like
  Indochina
• US cuts off oil
• Fakes Agreeing w/Emperor Hirohito for peace
  w/US
• Launches an attack

23
Pearl Harbor Attacked! A Day that will live in
infamy . . . Dec 7, 1941
24
Hitler Creates Eastern Front

• Hitler lies to Stalin and invades Russia
• Freezing winter stalls plans for Moscow
• Real targets are oil fields in Caucasus Mtns and
  Stalingrad mfg center
• House-to-House combat for Stalingrad
• Winter is Russians friend Germans surrounded,
  frozen and starving
• Soviets loss of 1.1M men staggering

25
European Theatre - Russia
26
Germans Surrender 43 Turning Point
27
Allies Gain Strength

• Allied troops led by Dwight Eisenhower chase the
  Desert Fox Rommels Afrika Corps out of Egypt
  protecting mid-east oil fields
• Allied troops land in Casablanca and chase Afrika
  Corps to Tunis
• Germans surrender Tunisia 1943
• Allied victory in Sicily force Mussolini to
  resign but Germans hang on- Battle of Anzio-not
  freed until 1945

28
European Theatre North Africa
29
D-Day or Operation Overlord

• Plan is for Allies to invade and reconquer France
• Use misinformation regarding Calais
• Real target NormandyBrits, Yanks, Canucks
• 3 divisions of parachuters behind enemy lines
• Thousands of sea-borne soldiers land on beach
• Within a month, Allies gain 80 mile strip of
  France
• Massive airstrike opens German line for advance
  of US troops led by Gen Patton
• With French Resistance fighters, Paris is
  liberated

30
Invasion of Normandy
31
Death Camps are Liberated
32
Pacific Theatre

• Some Good News the attack on Pearl Harbor
  missed subs and aircraft carriers
• Japanese controlled almost all of Pacific Rim
• Brutal fighting in Philippines Bataan Gen
  MacArthur forced to leave swears, I shall
  return
• Doolittles Raid on Tokyo

33
Japan Rules . . . For Now
34
Battles Have Devastating Losses for US

• Battle of Iwo Jima
• Important base to launch attack on Japan
• Lava rock in middle of nowhere-tunnels and
  caves-6000 US dead
• Okinawa 7600 US dead

35
The Manhattan Project

• FDR mourned but Truman rises to the occasion
• Fear of tremendous casualties when Japan attacked
• Japan given chance to surrender
• Truman orders 2 bombs to be dropped
• Enola Gay drops little boy on Hiroshima-a
  military center
• When Japan wont surrender, fat man dropped on
  Nagasaki

36
Cities leveled, death instant yet lingering
37
WWII Concludes

• Big Three Allies meet at Yalta to decide fate of
  Germany, imminent defeat certain
• US FDR, Russia Stalin, Britain-Churchill
• Stalin wants to divide Germany into occupation
  zones to prevent future threats
• US/Britain compromise for help in Pacific and
  United Nations support
• Stalin agrees to free elections in Soviet
  occupied Eastern European countries like Poland
• MacArthur in charge of Occupation of Japan