PRELUDE TO WAR

What angered Adolf Hitler: there were more Slavs than Germans in Germany.
He was a firm believer of Lebensraum (a nations power depends on the number
& kind of land it has/conquers).
To Hitler, Jews were the reason why Russia is weak & vulnerable.
He wanted to have a war between Germany & Soviet Union enabling him to have
racial supremacy & an empire.
Mein Kampf- a book he wrote containing all his aims.
Hitler became a chancellor of Germany (Jan 30 1933)
He was very well aware that Great Britain & France did not want any war at the
time because of the fact that they lost in WW1.
Hitler did not want the Treat of Versailles concerning Germany because he want
Germany to have its rightful place. When he started rearming Germany, France
threatened Germany.
Hitler was trying to convince others to be on his side by saying that he was A
Man of Peace but the more people who are convince, the greater the possibility
that there will be war.

GERMANY AS WORLD POWER

Since, Hitler was already disregarding the fact that Germany is under the Treaty
of Versailles & he started rearming, Great Brit & Italy declared war (or
threatened) Germany.
Hitler said that all this is for German honor.
He gained new allies, specifically, Benito Mussolini (due to his invasion of
Ethiopia= Fascist Italy to imperial expansion = anger of the French & British
towards him).
Invasion in Austria:
Munich Conference- where Hitler met his demands and had the freedom to
attack Austria
Invasion in Poland:
Hitler cannot just invade Poland because it is under the protection of the Treaty of
Versailles for Poland serves as a seaport.

WORLD WAR 2
France & Britains declaration of war
Maginot Line a border made by the French (made of concrete & armed with
heavy artillery).
Phony War = Blitzkrieg (Denmark & Norway) also called lightning war and the
unexpected attack of Germany in Belgium, Netherlands, and France.
France was not able to contain the attack, so Frances surrendered.
Germany is now in control of western & central Europe.

 Winston Churchill (guide to German victory), he said and I was sure I should not
fail. Churchill was not able to convince the Brits.
Hitler was forced to attack Britain.. Britain VS Hitler
Battle of Britain but Germany lost.

WAR IN ASIA
JAPAN
Massive increase in population growth rate
Western nations barriers (stopped sending oil, scraps, goods, etc. to Japan in order
for their own nation to live)
Invasion in northern China
Naval expansion = conflict with European imperial powers
Americas reaction (stopped sending oil, scraps, goods, supply to Japan)
= USA VS JAPAN
Hitler: Germany VS USA
3 Major Allies (Britain, USA, Soviet Union) USA sent trucks, planes, arms to SU
and Brit

LAST YEARS OF WAR

Unconditional surrender of the 3 Axis powers: Germany, Italy, Japan (there was
no reason for Germany to win the war)
Allied troops to Italy & Rome (led by Mussolini but was then shot) =Italian war
Hitler was advised by his generals to build an Eastwall but gambled on tanks
Battle of Kursk (the biggest tank war)
Adolf bunker (Adolf hid 55ft under Berlin in a bunker)
Adolf blamed the Jews as the cause of the war. Adolf committed suicide 2 days
after Mussolini was shot.
Hitlers death = End of war in Europe

The Nazi New Order

After the German victories

Hitler: Only the Germans can really organize Europe

1. The Nazi Empire

English Channel to Moscow
Organized in two ways:(1)became German provinces or (2)administered by
German officials
Forced labor created economic chaos because of disrupted industrial
production
2. Resistance Movements

 Free French movement

White Rose movement
Military officers and conservative politicians- Colonel Count Claus
3. The Holocaust

a)
b)

Systematic annihilation of millions

Germans belonged to the fictional Aryan race
Jews were parasites who were trying to destroy the Aryans
Madagascar PlanEmigration to East Africa before the war (Sep 1939)
Final Solution to the Jewish ProblemMass execution of European Jews
i. Einsatzgruppenspecial strike forces
ii. Death Camps

The Home Front

1.

WWII was more of a total war compared to WWI

Number of civilians killed was higher (20 million)
Bombing raids, mass extermination policies, invading armies
Mobilization of Peoples
Great Britain, Soviet Union, United States prepared themselves for war by
making weapons which caused crisis for domestic needs
Germany prolonged this shift from consumer goods to armaments which
caused their fall
Japans code of bushido promoted sacrifice for the nation
2. The Frontline Civilians: The Bombing of Cities

The Aftermath of the War: The Emergence of the Cold War

The Allies totally won World War II

Succeeded not by true peace but by a new conflict called the Cold War
Soviet Union vs. United States
Different visions for postwar Europe

1. The Conference at Tehran (Iran)

November 1943
The Grand Alliance- Stalin (Soviet), Roosevelt (United States), Churchill
(Britian)
About the final assault on Germany

2. The Conference at Yalta (Ukraine)

February 1945
Germany is defeated
Declaration on Liberated Europeassisted European nations on creating
democratic institutions of their choice
USA asked for help against Japanatomic bomb
Creation of United NationsAmerican concern
3. The Conference at Potsdam

July 1945
Roosevelt is replaced by Harry Truman
Truman (demanded free elections) vs. Stalin (free-elections is anti-Soviet)
Conflicting ideologies appeared

4. The Iron Curtain

Declared by Churchill in his speech to Americans in March 1946
Stalin: A call to war with the Soviet Union