WORLD WAR II: Threats to World Peace

• 1928 Kellogg-Briand Pact– International peace– Made war “illegal”

• Japan i/t Pacific• Italy in Ethiopia• Civil War in Spain• 1936 Axis Powers formed

– Anti-Comintern Treaty

• 1938 Austria annexed

The Road to War

• 1938 Munich Conference• APPEASEMENT

– Sudetenland annexed by Germany

• UK’s Chamberlain “peace in our time”

– Czechoslovakia: German protectorate

– Seized Slovakia

• Which countries were represented?

The NAZI-SOVIET Pact (1939)• Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression

Pact• E. Europe spheres of

influence– W. Poland to Germany

• Polish Corridor

• Polish access to Danzig

– Baltics & E. Poland to USSR

• Sept., 1, 1939: Nazi invasion of Poland– World War II begins

• BLITZKRIEG: “lightning war”

Hitler’s NEW ORDER

• Jun ’41: breaks the Nazi-USSR non-aggression pact

• Hitler calls for:– 1 European political &

economic system• FASCISM

– “Aryan race”– supply food & resources

• Slavs: racially inferior

Hitler’s FINAL SOLUTION

• Answer t/t “Jewish Question”• The HOLOCAUST• The annihilation of all European

Jews– zeal o/t minority of Germans– passivity o/t majority

• Concentration Camps– “protective custody”– Germany: Dachau & Buchenwald– Poland: Auschwitz & Treblinka

(extermination camps)• Slavs, Gypsies and

homosexuals were also victims• No less than 6 million Jews were

killed

Atlantic Charter

• August 1941: FDR & Churchill publicly announce their national policies– 8 Provisions:– pg. 725

• Meeting in Wash., DC Jan 42

– 26 nations attended– Total War– Not to sign separate peace

treaties– Abide by Atlantic Charter

Battle for the Seas• Atlantic Ocean

– Spring ’43: Allies control the Atlantic

• Convoys• Sonar detects subs

– Most German cities bombed

• Pacific Ocean– Battle of Coral Sea

• saves Australia

– Battle of Midway– Island Hopping– Aug. ’42: Guadalcanal

• First invasion of Japanese held territory

– Battle of Okinawa• 12,500 Americans KIA• 110,000 Japanese KIA

– Hiroshima & Nagasaki

Battle of Iwo Jima

Important Battles

• January 1943: German’s surrender at Stalingrad

• May 1943: German’s surrender in N. Africa

• “soft belly o/t Axis”– Italy (July ’43) Sicily– Mussolini resigns

• Badoglio new premier• Dissolved Fascist gov’t• Cease fire

Mussolini shot & hung by own people

Victory in Europe• OPERATION OVERLORD• 6 June ’44: D-DAY

– invasion of NORMANDY– largest amphibious assault in history

• “second front” for USSR– US v. USSR

• Who would get to Berlin first?• drive from the east• drive from the west

• Battle of the Bulge (Dec. ’44)– 50 ml wedge into Allied lines– 10 day battle– 600,000 Americans involved

• 80,000 American KIA• 100,000 Germans KIA

– Nazi’s recognized defeat• V-E Day (May 8, 1945)• V-J Day (Sept. 2, 1945)

– Aug 6, 1945: Hiroshima– Aug 9, 1945: Nagasaki

YALTA (Feb. ’45)

• The Big Three– FDR, Churchill and Stalin

meet– Germany will be divided– Liberated Europe will be able

to have elections– USSR would enter war

against Japan• receive Japanese territory

• POTSDAM (July ’45)– Truman now US pres– Clement Attlee now PM of

UK• Ultimatum to Japan

Costs of WWII

• 22 million soldiers KIA• 34 million soldiers WIA• USSR: 7-11 million dead• Germany: 3.5 mil KIA soldiers

• Japan: 2 million KIA total

• Europe: 16 mil civilians KIA• Millionsssssss of Refugees• Bombing and killing of

civilians simply became a war strategy

Post-World War II

• Nuremberg Trials (1945-49)– De-Nazification

• Nazi party illegal

– Nazi leaders being held accountable for horrors o/t war

• Crimes Against Humanity• 22 charges

– 12 death sentences– 7 life imprisonments– 3 acquittals

• Allied Control Council– Allied occupation of Germany– demilitarize Germany– reparations– future borders

• East German refugees flood West Germany

– East & West Germany

Origins of the COLD WAR

• The Berlin Blockade led to the Berlin Airlift– Germany is divided– Beginning of the COLD WAR

• Truman Doctrine ‘47– spread of communism is a threat

to democracy– US policy to stop

• Containment policy

• Marshall Plan ’48-’52– Euro. Recovery Program– $13 billion for rebuilding

• COMINFORM– Comm. Information Bureau– opposed Truman & Marshall

plans– threat to communism

COLD WAR Divisions