Unit 5: VA/US SOL Review

Unit 5: World War II

The War in Europe

• Began with Hitler’s invasion of Poland in 1939, followed shortly by the Soviet Union’s invasion of Poland from the East

• US officially neutral for 2yrs while Germany pounded Britain from the air (Battle of Britain)

• In mid-1941, Hitler turned on his ally, Soviet Union, by breaking their non-aggression pact

• Though neutral, we tried to help Britain through the Lend-Lease Act, which FDR said was, “Like lending a garden hose to a neighbor whose house is on fire.”

The War in Asia

• Japan invaded Manchuria & China; trying to take over the mainland

• US refused to recognize Japan’s new conquests, so we imposed an embargo on oil & steal. TENSION!!!! (could cut it with a knife)

• Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in retaliation for the embargo, even though we’d been negotiation for peace.

• FDR said it, “was a date that will live in infamy,” & he asked Congress to declare war on Japan.

• Hitler honored his pact with Japan & declared war on the US.

Axis Strategy

• Germany hoped to defeat the Soviet Union quickly to gain access to their oil fields.

• Germany hoped to force Britain out of the war by continually bombing them. (Battle of Britain)

• Following Pearl Harbor, Japan invaded the Philippines & Indonesia & was going to continue towards Hawaii. They wanted to make the US recognize their territorial gains.

Allied Strategy

• America & its allies, Britain & the Soviet Union, followed a “Defeat Hitler First” strategy in Europe.

• In the Pacific, we practiced island hopping; going from island to island on our way to Japan.

Minority Participation in WW2

• African-Americans served in segregated units & non-combat military roles. – Tuskegee Airmen

• Asian-American regiments (called Nisei) earned a high number of decorations.

• Communication codes of the Navajo were used; never broken/ deciphered by the enemy

• Mexican-Americans fought in non-segregated units• Minority units usually had high casualties, but won

LOTS of awards for bravery in action

Major European Battles in WW2

• Stalingrad– Germans died in the

thousands trying to take siege to a Russian city

– Prevented Germany from taking Soviet oil fields & turned the tide against Germany in the east

• Normandy Landings (D-Day)– American & Allied forces,

led by General Eisenhower, tried to take over Normandy beaches on June 6, 1944

– Despite intense German opposition & heavy causalities, we succeeded in liberating western Europe from Hitler.

Major Battles in the Pacific during WW2

• Midway (“Miracle at Midway”)– Americans defeated a much larger Japanese force– If we lost, the Japanese would’ve tried to invade Hawaii– Proved that “island hopping” strategy worked

• Iwo-Jima & Okinawa– Brought us closer than ever to Japan, but costs thousands of lives

(American & Japanese)– Had to deal with determined Japanese soldiers who often

committed suicide than surrender• Hiroshima & Nagasaki

– President Harry Truman ordered the a-bomb to be used– After the bombs, Japanese leaders surrendered!

Other WW2 Events

• Battle of El Alamein ( in N. Africa)– German forces tried to

take Egypt & the Suez canal, but the British stopped them

– This defeat stopped Hitler from getting Middle Eastern oil supplies & from attacking the Soviets from the South

• Geneva Convention– Tried to establish rules of

warfare; but, not followed by all nations.

– Savagery of fighting in Pacific:• Bataan Death March,

American & Filipino POWs were brutally treated after the surrender of the Philippines.

• Japanese soldiers committed suicide instead of surrender

• Treatment of POWs in Europe followed ideas of the Geneva Convention

Hitler, Hatred & the Holocaust

• Genocide = Systematic & purposeful destruction of a racial, political, religious or cultural group

• Final Solution = Hitler’s plan to exterminate all Jews

• Affected Groups (by the Holocaust)– Jews– Slavs (Slavic people)– Gypsies– “Undesirables”

• Homosexuals• Mentally ill• Politically dissidents• Physically & mentally

handicapped

Hitler, Hatred & the Holocaust…

• In the Nuremberg trials, Nazi leaders & others were convicted of war crimes.

• The Nuremberg trials emphasized individual responsibility for actions during warfare, regardless of orders received.

• The trials led to increased demand for a Jewish homeland. (Israel was created not too long after.)

**Skip to Pg. 44, we’ll come back to the next activity on Pg. 43 when we’re done!**

WW2 on the Homefront

• Economic Resources– Rationing was used on supplies– War bonds & income tax were used to finance the

war effort– Businesses were retooled for wartime production• Example: Car manufacturing to tank manufacturing

WW2 on the Homefront…

• Human Resources– More women &

minorities entered the work force

– Citizens volunteered in support of the war

• Military Resources:– The draft (selective

service) was used to provide soldiers for the army.

Women & Minorities in the War effort

• Rosie the Riveter represented the new role of women in the workforce. Women typically participated in non-combat military roles.

• African-Americans migrated to cities in search of jobs in war plants, while campaigning for victory in war & equality at home.

• Treatment of Japanese-Americans:– Fear & prejudice allowed the US

government to take away their civil liberties

– There was strong Anti-Japanese prejudice on the West coast. False belief that Japanese-Americans were aiding the enemy

– Relocated to internment camps. The Supreme Court upheld the government’s actions. A public apology was eventually issued.

Media in WW2

• During WW2, the media & entertainment industries saw their role as supporting the war effort by promoting nationalism (patriotism).

• The US government maintained strict censorship of reporting of the war.

• Public morale & ad campaigns kept Americans focused on the war effort.

• The entertainment industry produced movies, plays & shows that boosted morale & patriotic support for the war effort as well as portrayed the enemy in stereotypical ways. – Captain America

Chronological Order Activity-Fill in the events that are missing

• Sherman Anti-Trust Act• ________________• Spanish-American War• Teddy Roosevelt’s Square Deal• _________________• 17th Amendment• Archduke Franz Ferdinand

assassinated- WWI begins in Europe

• Treaty of Versailles signed• ____________________• Immigration Restriction Act of 1921• Smoot-Hawley Act (1930)

• _____________________• New Deal• ________________________• ________________________• Bombing of Pearl Harbor• _____________________• El Alamein• Stalingrad• _________________• Iwo-Jima & Okinawa• ___________________• ________________________

Pullman strike occurs (1894)

NAACP founded (1909)

Women get to vote (19th amendment)

Great Depression (1930s)

World War II begins (1939)

Hitler invades Soviet Union (mid 1941)

Bataan Death March begins (1942)

D-Day (June 6, 1944)

Bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki

Nuremberg Trials begin (1945)

Question time!!!

Show me what you know

1. During World War II, the purpose of posters such as this was to ---

A. Motivate American women to enter the work force in defense factories

B. Encourage civilians to become members of the armed forces

C. Show how Americans on the homefront could contribute to the war effort

D. Pressure industries to dedicate their resources to war manufacturing

Bushido: a feudal-military Japanese code of behavior valuing honor above life

-Merriam-Webster dictionary

2. During World War II, which action was an example of this code of behavior?A. Japanese civilians welcoming Allied troopsB. Japanese captors treating American POWs humanelyC. Japanese emperor accepting the terms of

unconditional surrenderD. Japanese troops committing suicide rather than

surrendering

3. The members of the World War II Nisei regiment were primarily---A. Mexican AmericansB. Japanese AmericansC. German AmericansD. Italian Americans

4. The Lend-Lease Act was passed by the United States Congress in response to increased---A. Concern about German aggression in EuropeB. Anger over the Japanese invasion of ChinaC. Concern about Italian demands in North

AfricaD. Fear over the German pact with the Soviet

Union

5. During World War II, the role of the Selective Service System in the United States was to ---A. Draft military personnelB. Ration manufactured goodsC. Increase industrial productivityD. Replace factory workers

6. Which effect did United States participation in World War II have on the home front?A. An increase in volunteers for the war effortB. The end of racial segregation in the SouthC. A decline in farm income due to war

rationingD. The growth of isolationism in the Midwest

7. The United States interned many Japanese Americans during World War II because of---A. Their refusal to be deportedB. A fear they would aid the enemyC. A concern over violent protest from themD. Their refusal to be drafted into the military

8. Which New Deal program attempted to protect Americans from the instability of banks during the Great Depression?A. Works Progress AdministrationB. Tennessee Valley AuthorityC. Federal Deposit Insurance CorporationD. Agricultural Adjustment Administration