WWII

P. 708-721

Old and New Causes of a Second World War MI -
 * gradual militarization of Japan develops regional diplomats
 * nationalistic leaders in China 1920 got upper hand over regional warlords and dominated Chinese politics
 * General Chiang Kai-shek won support of many classes of people (students, business, etc.) and unified China under strong central gov't
 * Japan feared Guomindang b/c reunited China will be able to resist Japanese control over Manchuria after Russo-Japanese War
 * change of regimes in Germany more abrupt and radical since parliamentary gov't under siege from civilian leaders
 * recovered from civil wars and hyperinflation but suffered during Great Depression -> Hitler and **National Socialists** capture seats
 * Nazis promised to make Germany better and to make other races slaves to the "Aryan master race"
 * dismantled political system set up by Versailles settlement, rearmament from 1935, militarization and forced union with Austria = made post WWI agreements useless
 * Hitler and Mussolini aided Franco in Spanish Civil War, only the Soviets aided Spain's politicians
 * after Franco gained control, he refused to join in the world war = dictator rule for decades

Unchecked Aggression and the Coming of War in Europe and the Pacific MI -
 * WWII egged on by aggressive Nazi Germans and a militarized and imperialist Japan
 * axis powers formed as a result of Western democracies and Soviet Union failing to respond
 * Britain/France/US willing to sacrifice small states as attempt to satisfy Nazi to avert war
 * **Winston Churchill** warned that major war cannot be avoided
 * Japan invaded China and had campaign to try and conquer all of China
 * Americans and British respond but are silenced by threats of assassinations
 * as the Japs began to occupy most of coastal cities, they began to resort to draconian reprisals
 * for example their actions on the city of Nanjing where thousands of Chinese were killed/tortured
 * Hitler signs non-aggressive pact with Stalin in 1939 where the two dictators negotiated dividing up smaller states

The Conduct of a Second Global War MI -
 * rearming and reacting decisively of both Western democracies and Soviet Union = crushing victories vs. Axis powers
 * Anglo-American and Soviet alliance more powerful after the Axis war machine was slowed
 * pop. size, potential industrial production, technological innovations and military capacity

Nazi Blitzkrieg, Stalemate, and the Long Retreat MI -
 * Nazis captured France/Low Countries, forced British back to island and drove deep into Soviet Union -> Nazis seemed unstoppable
 * German strategy was to use **blitzkrieg** to penetrate the enemy quickly
 * Germans willing to punish adversaries + civilians = huge toll death and destruction
 * rapid fall of France shows divided and weak leadership of republic
 * quarrels left and right and stalemates over rearming => citizenry of France demoralized and defenses outdated
 * Britain was alone as a western democracy => under Churchill British air force withstood Nazi air offensive
 * victory in **Battle of Britain** showed strong leadership in Churchill and his cabinet -> radar was created
 * Nazi abandon plans to capture Britain and captured most of Europe and Mediterranean
 * pushed Soviets out of many small countries which gave Hitler's forces access to cheap labor and oil
 * as Nazis pushed to capture Soviet Union, they are slowed by the winter and eventually lead to destroying themselves in Stalingrad in 1942-1943

From the Persecution to Genocide: Hitler's War Against the Jews MI -
 * after being slowed down in Soviet Union, Nazis went against Gypsies, leftist politicians, homosexuals, and Jews
 * destruction of Jews was number one priority for the Reich
 * the more the war pressed against Hitler, the more the Nazis pressed against the genocide of the Jews
 * **Holocaust** - 12 million people were killed
 * 6 million were Jews, rest were Slavic people
 * Western Allies refuse to accept Jews as immigrants fueled Zionist leaders for the want of a Holy Land

Anglo-American Offensives, Encirclement, and the End of the 12-Year Reich MI - The Rise and Fall of the Japanese Empire in the Pacific War MI -
 * British unable to provide relief to Soviets who were hard-pressed by the Nazis
 * American forces enter war to counter German U-boats from attacking cargo ships in the Atlantic
 * American tank division and infantry joined the British in North Africa and slowly made their way to Italy
 * Allies est. beachheads at Normandy launching liberation campaigns for Low Countries and rest of France
 * Hitler's last-ditch effort in repelling the armies was known as **Battle of the Bulge** where Allies attacked from the West and the Reds attacked from West
 * before Jap attack on **Pearl Harbor**, they were in major war on Chinese mainland
 * after American Pacific fleet paralyzed, Japs capture many colonial territories
 * Australia and New Zealand gave important support and the US was major counterforce to Japan's expanding empire
 * Southeast Asian guerrilla forces sabotaged occupying forces and harassed Jap armies
 * Japs had attacked the US naval force when major American aircrafts were out at sea => 6months later = **Battle of the Coral Sea**
 * less than a month later the US won a decisive victory at **Midway Island** over Admiral Yamamoto
 * Allied forced kept eyes on vital islands and in 1944 were striking distance away from Japan
 * dense Jap pop. and use of paper/wood structures = easy targets for bombers to create destruction
 * early 1945, Jap leaders send out peace feelers while the army promised to fight to the death
 * atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and August 9 => end of the war

War's End and the Emergence of the Superpower Standoff MI -
 * no sweeping peace settlements and leaders met to build framework for a more lasting peace
 * agreement on creating the **United Nations** and the US decided to join this one
 * members of the Axis power eventually allowed to join
 * UN's primary mission was to provide forum for negotiating international disputes
 * concerns of human rights, labor organizations, famine concerns

From the Hot War to Cold War MI -
 * cold war lasts until 1980s
 * began after WWII as a result of Soviets wanting more land but US/British wanting to limit these gains
 * tensions surfaced at **Tehran Conference** where allies agreed on invasion of Nazi-occupied France
 * this gave Soviets chance of capturing small territories while others focused on France
 * at the **Yalta Conference** in Soviet Crimea in 1945, Roosevelt pressed for the Soviets to assist vs. Japan
 * US promised the Soviets some territorial gain
 * powers divided up Germany into 4 parts which was to be disarmed and purged of Nazis
 * final conference occurred in Berlin suburb of **Potsdam** in July 1945, -> Soviets occupied most of Eastern Europe and eastern Germany
 * US and Soviets begin to aid certain countries depending on type of gov't