Beginning of World War II. “Nature is cruel, so we may be cruel, too… I have the right to remove millions of an inferior race that breeds like vermin”

Beginning of World War II

“Nature is cruel, so we may be cruel, too… I have the right to remove millions of an inferior race that breeds like vermin”

-Hitler

Immediate Causes of WW II

• In Germany Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933 as a fascist dictator.

• Hitler hated the Treaty of Versailles and violated it. First he built up the German military, then he sent troops into the Rhineland in direct violation of the Treaty of Versailles, which said in 1919 that it was a demilitarized zone.

AAppeasement1935-1938, Germany annexed or invaded

Rhineland, Austria, Sudetenland, and Czechoslovakia.

Britain and France felt that if they allowed Hitler what he wanted, he would be satisfied and war would be avoided.

Appeasement is a policy of giving concessions in exchange for peace.


• Hitler wanted to conquer whoever he felt was inferior to the Germans or Aryans. He wanted to unite German-speaking people and provide “living space” for Germans in Eastern Europe.

• On September 1, 1939 Germany invaded Poland without a declaration of war. This starts World War II.


• Britain and France declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939.

• Italy declared war on France and Britain on June 10, 1940.

“Blitzkrieg”

• In German blitzkrieg means “lightning war”.

• Hitler used blitzkrieg during his invasion of Poland.

• Blitzkrieg included surprise attacks, rapid advances into enemy territory, and massive air attacks that struck and shocked the enemy.

• Germany achieved most of its victories in World War II with the Blitzkrieg tactic.

Blitzkrieg

“Phony War”• Britain sent troops to wait with the French

down behind the Maginot Line.

• The Maginot Line, established after World War I, was a defensive for France against an invasion by Germany.

• Reporters called this quiet time of not much action the “phony war”

Maginot Line

“Blitzkrieg: German soldiers being parachuted into Holland - May 10, 1940”

Early Axis Triumphs• In April 1940 the quiet time of the war

exploded into action.

• Hitler launched a series of blitzkrieg.

• Norway and Denmark both fell.

• Germany overran the Netherlands and Belgium.

• Germany, along with Italy, forced France to surrender.

World War II in 1939/1942

Germans invaded France in May 1940.

Hitler’s Major Blunder • Retreating Allied forces made it to Dunkirk and

found themselves trapped between the advancing Nazis and the English Channel.

• The British sent every boat they could get across the English Channel to pick up troops off the beaches of Dunkirk.

Miracle at Dunkirk

• The event at Dunkirk is called a miracle because the retreating allies had lost hope and then the British pulled through for them and rescued 338,000 men.

June 22, 1940

• On June 22, 1940 France signs an armistice with Germany in occupied France.

• An armistice is a cease fire or a truce.

• The Franco-German Armistice divided France into two zones. One zone was under German military occupation and the other was under French control.

• By 1942 Germans occupied all of France

June 22, 1940

Questions• What was the immediate cause of World War II?

• Describe the German concept of the “blitzkrieg”.

• Where were the early Axis triumphs, and what was the “phony war”?

• What was the miracle at Dunkirk?

• What was the significance of June 22, 1940?

Credits

• World War II: causes and outbreaksShows each phase of the war, tells the causes of WW IIhttp://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0862008.htmlAccessed 5/29/03

• Western Europe Timelinehttp://www.usd230.k12.ks.us/PICTT/timelines/westerneurope.htmlAccessed 5/29/03

• Blitzkrieg-the successful German World War II tacticGood description of Blitzkrieghttp://www.2worldwar2.com/blitzkrieg.htmAccessed 5/29/03

Credits• The Miracle at DunkirkGood detail and a map of The Miracle at Dunkirkhttp://www.smhs.net/history/14.htmlAccessed 5/29/03

• June 22, 1940Good Timeline of the events of World War IIhttp://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/jun40/f22jun40.htmAccessed 5/30/03

• BlitzkriegGood picture of German paratroopershttp://isd.usc.edu/~anthonya/frank1/parabig.htmAccessed 5/30/03

Documents

Beginning of World War II. “Nature is cruel, so we may be cruel, too… I have the right to remove millions of an inferior race that breeds like vermin”