The Second World War

1939-1945

The Path to the War

• The war in Europe began in September 1939, when Germany, under Chancellor Adolf Hitler, invaded Poland.

• Britain and France responded by declaring war on Germany .

• In 1940, Germany attacked Denmark and Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, and France.

• As Hitler plotted his next steps, Italy, an ally of Germany, expanded the war and invaded Greece and North Africa.

Adapted from “The Second World War, Sparknotes.

Check this website!! http://www.ducksters.com/history/world_war_ii/ww2_timeline.php

The countries involved

Allied Powers

• Britain, France, the United States, and the Soviet Union were the most prominent members.

Axis Powers• Germany, Italy,

and Japan’s military alliance.

Look at this

map! http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-maps/world-war-ii-map-of-europe.html

The Leaders

Winston ChurchillFranklin D. Roosevelt

Joseph Stalin

American soldiers in Iwo Shima. https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~knigh20c/classweb/grable.html

Winston Churchill

• The prime minister of Britain during most of World War II. Churchill was among the most active leaders in resisting German aggression and played a major role in assembling the Allied Powers, including the United States and the USSR.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

• The 32nd U.S. president, who led the country through World War II until his death from a cerebral hemorrhage in April1945. Roosevelt played a decisive role in holding together the Allied coalition that defeated Nazi Germany.

Joseph Stalin

• General secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1922 until his death in 1953. Stalin’s regime in the USSR was as brutal as the Nazi regime in many ways, and the alliance between Stalin and the Allies always remained tenuous because of mutual distrust.

The Axis Leaders

Adolf HitlerHirohito

Benito Mussolini

Adolf Hitler

• Chancellor or Führer (“leader”)of Germany (1933 -1945.)

• During his rule, he took a very active role in the government of Germany, making military decisions and implementing edicts regarding the treatment of Jews and other minorities, such as the “final solution” that condemned Jews to death at concentration camps . Before Germany surrendered in1945, Hitler committed suicide together with his wife, Eva Braun, in Berlin.

What were Hitler´s ideas?

• For information about Nazism and Hitler´s ideas, visit: www.theholocaustexplained.com

Hirohito

Emperor of Japan from 1926 until his death in 1989. After Japan’s defeat, he continued to hold his position as emperor but Japan was under U.S. occupation. Hirohito was never tried for war crimes.

Benito Mussolini

• Fascist prime minister who came to power in 1922 and ruled Italy as an absolute dictator.

• Mussolini served as an inspiration to Adolf Hitler.

• In 1943, Mussolini was overthrown, and in 1945 he was executed.

Important Events

Pearl Harbor• The war in the

Pacific began on December 7, 1941, when warplanes from Japan launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. After the Pearl Harbor attack, Japan began a massive campaign of expansion throughout the Southeast Asia–Pacific region.

The Normandy Invasion or D-Day invasion.

• In June 1944, British and American forces landed in German-occupied France via the coast of Normandy. 

• Soon, the German army was forced into retreat. By early 1945, the Soviets were the first to reach the German capital of Berlin, and Germany surrendered in May 1945.

The Atomic Bombs• In August, 1945, the United States

dropped two atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

• Stunned by the unexpected devastation, Japan surrendered a few days later.

Consequences of the Second World War

The formation of the United Nations (UN):

• After the first world war, the Allies had created the League of Nations to keep peace and stability in Europe.

• This was the first global organization in history, but it had several problems, which led to World War II.

• The League was replaced by the United Nations, created in 1945.

• Initially, it was composed of five major countries (United Kingdom, France, United States, China, and USSR).

New Superpowers:• There were only two countries

that were economically powerful after World War II.

• These countries had previously dominated the world's trade market, -- the Soviet Union (USSR) and the United States–

The COLD WAR had started….

Women´s Rights:• During the war,

the government of every country sent men to serve in the army.

• Men left a vacuum in factories, offices, and farms.

• This vacuum was filled by women.

• As the war progressed, these women gained a strong sense of independence.

War Crimes:• When the concentration camps

throughout Europe were liberated, the world was shocked to see its horrors.

• Around twelve million people had been murdered in total (half of them Jews).

• But since genocide had never been publicly recognized before, there were no formal laws.

• During the Nuremberg Trials (1945), Hitler's officials were declared guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

References

• Adolf Hitler: http://www.marioescobar.es/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/adolf-hitler.jpg. Slide 9.

• Aftermath of World War II: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/Destroyed_Warsaw,_capital_of_Poland,_January_1945.jpg/300px-Destroyed_Warsaw,_capital_of_Poland,_January_1945.jpg . Slide 16.

• Call of duty 5: World at War: http://www.hdwallpaperscool.com/call-of-duty-5-world-at-war-wallpapers/. Slide 1.

• Franklin D. Roosevelt: http://www.historiasiglo20.org/IMAG/images/iigmpernajes13.gif . Slide 6.

• Frases de Benito Mussolini: http://cache2.allpostersimages.com/p/LRG/36/3650/T93CF00Z/posters/villani-a-benito-mussolini.jpg . Slide 12.

• Hiroshima and Nagasaki: http://www.sritweets.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Hiroshima-and-Nagasaki.jpg. Slide 15.

• http://www.kidport.com/reflib/WorldHistory/WorldWarII/WorldWarIIEffects.htm

• Pearl Harbor Images: http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/g10000/g19930.jpg . Slide 13.

• Pictures of Joseph Stalin: http://cdn1.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/images/joseph-stalin-1.jpg. Slide 7.

• Rendición de Japón Guerra Mundial: http://www.portalplanetasedna.com.ar/archivos_varios1/hirohito.jpg . Slide 11.

• Rosie the Riveter (1944). Poster. Retrieved from: http://www.vintagefineartprints.com/print-2152-988779/rosie-riveter-1944-print/. Slide 19.

• SparkNotes Editors. (2005). SparkNote on World War II (1939–1945). Retrieved December 31, 2013, from http://www.sparknotes.com/history/european/ww2/. Slide 2.

• The Consequences of the Second World War: http://www.memo.fr/Media/Cimetiere_americain.jpg. Slide 16

• The UN Lesotho Organization: http://www.undp.org.ls/home/UN-LOGO%20copy.jpg. Slide 17.

• Winston Churchill: http://static.bbc.co.uk/history/img/ic/640/images/resources/people/winston_churchill.jpg. Slide 5.

• Woman´s Place in War. Retrieved from: http://womenshistory.about.com/od/worldwariiposterart/ig/World-War-II-Posters--Military/WAC-Modelmaker.htm. Slide 20.