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Benito Mussolini's fascist government in Italy
unemp’t&inflation produced strikes->middle+upper classes demand better leadership. M.played on the fears of economic collapse&communism.‘21-est’d Fascist Party. Fascism stressed nationalism&put interests of state over those of ppl cuz power must be w/1 leader&small group of devoted party members(black shirts)to strengthen it. gov officials, army&police sided w/them->king appoint M. head of gov. Il Duce(the leader)extended Fascist control to Italian life. achieved this by crushing all opposition -
Mein Kampf
A third element of Nazism was national expansion. Hitler believed that for Germany to thrive, it needed more lebensraum, or living space. One of the Nazis’ aims, as Hitler wrote in Mein Kampf, was “to secure for the German people the land and soil to which they are entitled on this earth,” even if this could be accomplished only by “the might of a victorious sword.” -
Joseph Stalin's totalitarian government in the Soviet Union
agricultural&industrial growth=economic goals;abolished privately owned farms&replaced it w/ collectives—large gov-owned farms, each worked by families;1928-outlined 1st of several 5-yr plans, to direct industrialization;economic activity-placed under state manag’t;‘37-SU=world’s 2nd largest industrial power;killed anyone who threatened his power;responsible for abt 8-13 mill;‘39-est’d a tot gov tht tried to exert complete control over its ppl(had no rights & gov suppressed all opposition) -
Adolf HItler's rise to power in Germany
joined Nazi&became its leader-the National Socialist German Workers’ Party. had no ties to socialism. Der Führer (the Leader) he promised to bring Ger’y out of chaos. In his book My Struggle, H. set forth the basic beliefs of Nazism. Nazism, German kind of fascism-based on extreme nationalism. Germans—esp blue-eyed&blond-haired “Aryans” were destined to rule the world. Inferior races fit only to serve them -
Japanese invasion of Manchuria
1931-Ignoring the protests of Jap officials, militarists made a surprise attack & seized control of Chinese province of Manchuria. Within several months, Jap troops controlled the entire province tht was rich in natural resources. The League of Nations had been est’d after WW1 to prevent such aggressive acts. Representatives were sent to Manchuria to investigate. Their report condemned Jap, who simply quit. the success of the Manchurian invasion put the militarists firmly in control of Jap’s gov -
Storm Troopers
The Great Depression helped the Nazis come to power. Because of war debts and dependence on American loans and investments, Germany’s economy was hit hard. By 1932, some 6 million Germans were unemployed. Many men who were out of work joined Hitler’s private army, the storm troopers (or Brown Shirts). The German people were desperate and turned to Hitler as their last hope. -
Third Reich
By mid 1932, the Nazis had become the strongest political party in Germany. In January 1933, Hitler was appointed chancellor (prime minister). Once in power, Hitler quickly dismantled Germany’s democratic Weimar Republic. In its place he established the Third Reich, or Third German Empire. According to Hitler, the Third Reich would be a “Thousand-Year Reich”—it would last for a thousand years. -
Hitler's military build up in Germany
1933, Hitler pulled Germany out of the League. In 1935, he began a military buildup in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. -
HItler invades the Rhineland
A year later, he sent troops into the Rhineland, a German region bordering France and Belgium that was demilitarized as a result of the Treaty of Versailles. The League did nothing to stop Hitler. -
Mussolini's invasion of Ethiopia
first target-Ethiopia, 1 of Africa’s few remaining independent countries. By fall of 1935, 10s of 1000s of Italian soldiers stood to advance on Ethiopia. The League of Nations reacted w/ brave talk of “collective resistance to all acts of unprovoked aggression.” When the invasion began, the League’s response was an ineffective economic boycott. By May 1936, Ethiopia had fallen. In desperation, Haile Selassie, the ousted Ethiopian emperor, appealed to the League for assistance. Nothing was done. -
Francisco Franco
1936, a group of Spanish army officers led by General Francisco Franco, rebelled against the Spanish republic. Revolts broke out in Spain&the Spanish Civil War began. Abt 3k Amer’ns formed the Abraham Lincoln Battalion&went there. Western democracies remained neutral. Soviet Union sent equip’t&advisers, Hitler&Mussolini backed Franco’s forces w/ troops, weapons, tanks&fighter planes. 1939-lost abt 500k lives, Franco’s victory est’d him as Spain’s fascist dictator. -
Rome-Berlin Axis
The war forged a close relationship between the German and Italian dictators, who signed a formal alliance known as the Rome-Berlin Axis -
Munich Agreement
H accused Czechs of abusing Sudeten Germans&began massing troops on the Czech border. France&Great Britain had promised to protect Czechoslovakia. wen war seemed certain, H invited French premier Édouard Daladier&British prime minister Neville Chamberlain to meet w/ him in Munich. Wen they came, H declared tht this would be his last territorial demand. Eager to avoid war, both believed him. 9/30/’38, they signed the Munich Agreement, which turned Sudetenland over to Ger’y w/o a shot being fired -
HItler's Anschluss
Austria was Hitler’s first target. The Paris Peace Conference following World War I had created the relatively small nation of Austria out of what was left of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The majority of Austria’s 6 million people were Germans who favored unification with Germany. On March 12, 1938, German troops marched into Austria unopposed. A day later, Germany announced that its Anschluss (union) w/ Austria was complete. The US & rest of the world did nothing -
Nonagression pact
an attack on Poland might bring Ger’y into conflict w/ the SU, Poland’s east neighbor. At the same time, such an attack would most likely provoke a declaration of war from France & Britain(both had promised military aid to Poland). As tensions rose, Stalin signed a nonaggression pact w/ H. 8/23/1939 fascist Germany and communist Russia now committed never to attack each other. Ger’y & SU also signed a 2nd, secret pact, agreeing to divide Poland bet’n them. -
Blitzkrieg
9/1/’39, the German Luftwaffe(German air force) rained bombs on military bases, airfields, railroads &cities. At same time, German tanks raced across the Polish countryside. This=1st test of Ger’y’s newest military strategy, the blitzkrieg(lightning war). Blitzkrieg made use of advances in military tech—such as fast tanks&more powerful aircraft—to take enemy by surprise&then crush all opposition w/overwhelming force. -
Britain and France declare war on Germany
9/3-Britain&France declared war on Ger’y. Major fighting was over in 3 weeks, before Allies could defend. last week-SU attacked Pol’d from east to get territory. The portion Germany annexed in west Pol’d=almost 2/3s of Pol’d’s population. By the end of the month, Pol’d had ceased to exist—& WW2 started. -
Phony war
French & British troops on the Maginot Line, a sys of fortifications built along France’s eastern border, sat staring into Ger’y, waiting for smthg to happen. On the Siegfried Line-few mi away-German troops stared back. The blitzkrieg had given way to wht the Germans called the sitting war&some newspapers called it the phony war. Stalin began annexing Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia&Lithuania. Late1939-Stalin sent his army into Finland. outnumbered&after 3 months of fighting, they surrendered. -
Hitler's invasion of the Netherlands
Next, Hitler turned against the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, which were overrun by the end of May. The phony war had ended. -
Hitler's invasion of Denmark and Norway
Suddenly, on April 9, 1940, Hitler launched a surprise invasion of Denmark and Norway in order “to protect [those countries’] freedom and independence.” But in truth, Hitler planned to build bases along the coasts to strike at Great Britain. -
Germany and Italy's invasion of France
France’s Maginot Line=ineffective; German army threatened to bypass the line during its invasion of Belgium. Hitler’s generals sent their tanks thru the Ardennes, a region of wooded ravines&cont’d to march to Paris. The German offensive trapped abt 400k British&French soldiers as they fled to the beaches of Dunkirk. less than a week-a makeshift fleet of fishing trawlers, tugboats, river barges, pleasure craft—more than 800 vessels—ferried abt 330k British, French&Belgian troops to safety. -
Marshal Philippe Petain
few days later-Italy entered the war & invaded France from the south as the Germans closed in on Paris from the north. On June 22, 1940, at Compiègne, H handed French officers his terms of surrender. Germans would occupy the north part of France, & a Nazi-controlled puppet gov’t, headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain, would be set up at Vichy, in southern France. After France fell, a French general named Charles de Gaulle fled to England, where he set up a gov’t-in-exile. -
The Battle of Britain Part One
summer ‘40-the Germans began to assemble an invasion fleet along the French coast. Because its naval power couldnt compete w/ that of Britain, Germany also launched an air war at the same time. The Luftwaffe began making bombing runs over Britain(goal was to gain total control of the skies by destroying Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF)). 8/15—abt 2k German planes ranged over Britain. nightly for 2 solid months, bombers pounded London. -
Battle of Britain Part 2
1st the Luftwaffe concentrated on airfields and aircraft&8then it targeted cities. W/ help of a new technological device-radar, British pilots accurately plotted the flight paths of German planes. 9/15/’40-the RAF shot down over 185 German planes while losing 26 aircraft. 6 weeks later, H called off the British invasion. but, German bombers cont’d to pound Britain’s cities to disrupt production&break civilian morale. British pilots did same to Ger’y. -
Pearl Harbor Attack Part 1
minister Hideki Tojo promised emperor Hirohito tht the Jap gov would try to preserve peace w/ Amer. But 11/5/1941 Tojo told Jap navy to prepare for an attack on US. The US military broke Japan’s secret communication codes & learned abt it but didnt know where. Roosevelt sent a “war warning” to military commanders in Hawaii, Guam & Philippines. If war couldnt be avoided, the warning said, “the US desires that Japan commit the first overt act.” peace talks cont’d. -
Pearl Harbor Attack Part 2
12/6/’41, Roos’t got a decoded message tht instructed Jap’s peace envoy to reject all Amer. peace proposals. next morning, a Jap dive-bomber swooped over Pearl Harbor—largest US naval base in the Pacific. It was followed by over 180 Jap warplanes launched from 6 aircraft carriers. a radio operator flashed: “Air raid on Pearl Harbor. This is not a drill.” Jap planes hardly disturbed by US antiaircraft guns. less 2 hrs-Jap had killed 2,403&wounded 1,178 amers, sunk/damaged 21 ships -
Pearl Harbor Part 3
More than 300 aircraft were damaged/destroyed. 3 aircraft carriers at sea escaped. mood: outrage to panic. next day, Pres Roos’t told Congress: “Yesterday, Dec 7 1941, a date which will live in infamy,” he said, “[the Japanese launched] an unprovoked and dastardly attack.” Congress quickly approved Roosevelt’s request for a declaration of war against Japan. 3 days later, Germany & Italy declared war on the US. Many who were former isolationists now supported an all-out Amer effort. -
Battle of Atlantic
Hitler ordered submarine raids on ships along Amer’s east coast. Germany wanted to prevent food&war materials from reaching Great Britain(to make them starve) &Soviet Union. Unprotected Amer ships = easy targets. first 4 months of 1942, Germans sank 87 ships off the Atlantic shore. By 7 months Germans had destroyed a total of 681 Allied ships in the Atlantic. Allies responded by organizing their cargo ships into convoys. early 1943, Launchings began to outnumber sinkings. Tide turned -
Battle of Stalingrad (turning point of war)
8/’42-German army got to Stalingrad. The Luftwaffe(German air force)did nightly bombing raids on it. ppl suggested destroying&abandoning it but Stalin ordered them to defend. Germans conquered it house by house in brutal hand-to-hand combat. End of 9/’42-they controlled 9/10 of it.winter came. Soviet army closed around it w/ tanks to trap them&cut off supplies. Hitler ordered: stay&fight. 1/31/’43-German commander surrendered. 2 days later-his troops did too. Soviets lost 1.1 mil. soldiers -
Operation Torch
during Battle of Stalingrad, Stalin pressured Britain & Amer to open a “2nd front” in Western Europe to force Hitler to divert troops. Both thot the Allies didnt hav enough troops to attempt an invasion. so, they launched Operation Torch, an invasion of Axis-controlled North Africa commanded by Amer’n General Dwight D. Eisenhower. 11/’42-abt 107k Allied troops(most Amer’ns) landed in Casablanca, Oran & Algiers. they chased the Afrika Korps led by General Erwin Rommel. 5/’43-A.Korps surrendered -
Unconditional surrender
before the battle in North Africa was won, Roosevelt, Churchill & their commanders met in Casablanca. there, the 2 leaders agreed to accept only the unconditional surrender of the Axis powers. That is, enemy nations would have to accept whatever terms of peace the Allies dictated. -
US convoy system
Convoys were groups of ships traveling together for mutual protection, as they had done in the First World War. The convoys were escorted across the Atlantic by destroyers equipped with sonar for detecting submarines underwater. They were also accompanied by airplanes that used radar to spot U-boats on the ocean’s surface. With this improved tracking, the Allies were able to find and destroy German U-boats faster than the Germans could build them. 140 Liberty ships were produced each month -
BLoody Anzio
Hitler was determined to stop the Allies in Italy rather than fight on German soil. One of the hardest battles the Allies encountered in Europe was fought less than 40 miles from Rome. This battle, “Bloody Anzio,” lasted four months—until the end of May 1944—and left about 25,000 Allied and 30,000 Axis casualties. During the year after Anzio, German armies continued to put up strong resistance. The effort to free Italy did not succeed until 1945, when Germany itself was close to collapse -
D-Day
Eisenhower planned to attack Normandy w/ abt 3 mill. British, Amer’n&Canad’n troops. To keep it a secret, Allies set up a phantom army w/ its own headquarters. In radio messages Germans could read, Allied commanders told this army to attack Calais(150 mi away). So, Hitler ordered an army there. Operation Overlord(D-Day)—6/6/1944-1st day of invasion. 3 divisions parachuted behind German lines, followed by 1000s of seaborne soldiers. But, German retaliation was brutal, esp at Omaha Beach -
Battle of the Bulge
Hitler ordered troops to break Allied lines&recapture the Belgian port of Antwerp(hoped a victory would split Amer’n&British forces&breakup Allied supply lines) 12/16-German tank divisions broke through Amer’n defense lines&drove 60mi into Allied territory,making a bulge. Germans captured 120 Amer’n GIs near Malmédy. Elite German troops herded the prisoners onto a field&cut them down w/machine guns&pistols. battle cont for a month. When it ended-Germans had lost 120k troops,600 tanks&assault gun -
Death of Hitler
In his underground headquarters in Berlin, Hitler prepared for the end. 4/29-he married Eva Braun(longtime companion)&wrote out his last address to the German ppl. In it he blamed the Jews for starting the war & his generals for losing it. The next day Hitler shot himself; his wife swallowed poison. In accordance w/ Hitler’s orders, the 2 bodies were carried outside, soaked w/ gasoline &burned -
V-E Day
A week later, General Eisenhower accepted the unconditional surrender of the Third Reich. On May 8, 1945, the Allies celebrated V-E Day—Victory in Europe Day. The war in Europe was finally over -
Harry S. Truman
President Roosevelt did not live to see V-E Day. On April 12, 1945, while posing for a portrait in Warm Springs, Georgia, the president had a stroke and died. That night, Vice President Harry S. Truman became the nation’s 33rd president
