World War 2 (1 сент 1939 г. – 8 май 1945 г.)

Описание:

Axis v.s. Allies


Causes:
○Treaty of versailles, and the subsequent economic pressure on Germany
○Growth of fascism
○Great Depression
○Claims that military could pull countries out of economic hardships (Japan+Germany)
○Growing anti-semitism
○Propaganda, thanks to new tech
○The ignoring of Germany and appeasement
○Systems of allies
○The efficiency of blitzkrieg


Background:
○Ottoman Empire--> Turkey, led by Ataturk who westernized, making Turkey part of Europe instead of Middle East
○In Russia, Joseph Stalin imposed the 5 year plan calling for collectivization, ultimately ending in famine. He relied on assassination and terror (peaking 1936-1938, the great purge), but economy improves. Establishes labour camps to punish opposition
○The Great Depression. ww1=costly--> European countries (especially France and by extension Germany) rely on U.S., so when the market crashes this leads to problems (instability--> fascism)

Fascism's growth:
○Fascism=rooted in nationalism+racial identity
○Benito Mussolini (fascist party in Italy) becomes prime minister, and Italy becomes a totalitarian fascist regime, expands into North Africa

The rise of Hitler:
○Economic crisis+Mussolini's success--> Nationalist Socialist Party (Nazis), with Hitler at its head
○Hitler calls Aryans most evolved race and blames all problems on Jewish people
○In 1933, Hitler becomes chancellor, seizing control of govt. and began rebuilding his army in violation of Treaty of Versailles
○Withdrew from league of nations

Appeasement:
○Germany supports nationalist rebellion in Spain
○Hitler takes the Rhineland
○Fearing another war, the other countries give Hitler the Sudetenland if he promises to stop expanding
○Hitler violates this too by taking Czechoslovakian territories in 1939
○When Italy takes Albania, Britain, France, Greece, Poland, Turkey, Romania sign non-aggression pact stating that if any of them get attacked they will all go to war
○Germans sign Nazi-Soviet pact, agreeing not to invade+divvying up Poland amongst themselves
○Germany attacks Poland--> non-aggression pact triggered. Britain+France go to war.

Japan V.S. China:
○After WW1, Japans economy+military thrive
○During great depression, military gains much momentum (promises it can fix things). Japan withdraws from league of nations
○In 1937, Japan invades China and commits many atrocities
○Japans war with China merged into WW2

The war:
○Hitler's war tactic=Blitzkrieg, destroyed everything+very fast moving
○Divides Poland up with Russia in 10 days and takes Holland and Belgium in 1940, and France 2 days later
○Winston Churchill replaces Chamberlain as Britains PM, refuses to cut deal with Germany--> battle of Britain (1940)
○Britains smaller numbers beat Germany thanks to new radar system
○Italy and Germany invade Greece and Germany helps in 1941, violating the Nazi-Soviet Pact. So Germany invades Russia, easing on GB
○Japan invades Vietnam--> U.S. on alert. Enters Japan enters Tripartite Pact with Rome and Berlin, and declares war against U.S. if they don't lift trade sanctions
○U.S. refuses--> bombs pearl harbor. The U.S. declares war, and Germany declares war on U.S
○In 1944, US+English+Canadian forces land on French beaches (D-day, June 6th), and France is liberated
○Meanwhile, in the East the Red Army (soviet) defeats Germany at Stalingrad in 1942, and advance for the next 3 years
○By may, 1945, Allied forces close in on Berlin, and on May 7th Hitler commits suicide. Germany surrenders, and the war is over.

Japan:
○War in Pacific continues, Japan refuses to give up
○President Truman drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima, August 6th, but Japan does not surrender. Another bomb is dropped in Nagasaki on August 9th, and Japan surrendered. 100,000 killed per bomb and infrastructure destroyed


Effects:
○The holocaust: millions of jews, homosexuals, and disabled killed
○Peace settlement: Japan forced to demilitarize and built a democracy
○New tech: radar tech, atomic bomb, MEDICINE advancements, aviation advancements
○Loss of life
○Cultural divides
○Infrastructure and communities devastated
○US Marshall plan 1947: offers billions to reconstruction of Europe, Western Europe accepts and recovers in less than a decade, but Eastern Europe declines
○Many women filled in for men, and kept their jobs/sought higher education
○UN established in 1945, given more power than league of nations (allies believed countries connected economically would be less likely to invade each other)
○US+Soviet Union now superpowers
○The Cold War

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