Mulcrone,+Mott,+Lis


 * I. The Great Depression **

After World War I, only the United States had a thriving economy. The rest of the world was relying on America's economy. If the economic prosperity in the USA ended, the whole world would experience economic disaster. As you will soon learn, that is exactly what happened.

Germany struggled to pay off its war debts. They decided to print more money to pay it off. This devalued their currency(the mark), and inflation skyrocketed. Something that cost one mark in 1918 would cost 200,000,000,000 marks in 1923. America eventually loaned the Germans money to help pay off their debts (1).
 * Economic Issues Around the World **

**Wealth Inequality in America** American factories were thriving and producing huge amounts of goods after WWI. However, that wealth was not evenly spread out. The richest 5% of Americans received 33% of the income. Due to a surplus of agricultural goods around the world, many farmers could not sell their crops. This led to many middle class farmers becoming poor (1).

The stock market was booming in America. Wanting to join in, middle class people began borrowing money from stockbrokers to buy stocks. This only worked when the prices were rising. If prices were not rising, borrowers couldn't pay off their loans (1).
 * The Stock Market Weakens **

In September of 1929, stock prices reached a record high. Everyone decided to sell their stocks. With everyone selling, prices dropped. On October 29, prices reached a new low. On that day, the market collapsed and the Depression began (1).
 * The Stock Market Crashes **



**The Depression Begins** The stock market crash marked the beginning of a long slump in business and manufacturing that is known as the Great Depression. Manufacturing was cut in half, and thousands of banks, businesses, and factories closed. In 1933, 25% of Americans were unemployed (1).

To try to rebuild the economy, the US government imposed high tariffs on imports to induce people to buy American goods. This hurt the economies of countries that relied on exporting things to America. Also, other economies imposed high tariffs that greatly reduced worldwide trade. Around the world unemployment skyrocketed due to the worldwide crash. All around the world, the same problems that had hurt America were hurting other countries (1).
 * The Global Impact **



President Roosevelt began a program called The New Deal. This repaired and expanded the country's infrastructure. It provided thousands of new jobs. He also gave financial help to businesses and put lots of money into relief programs. Roosevelt used government spending to fix the economy (1).
 * Recovery In America **



<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Countries such as Scandinavia, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway used Socialist governments to bring about an end to the financial crisis. They started public works projects, much like the United States did. Britain imposed high tariffs and high taxes. They also made sure that their currency would never devalue like Germany's (1).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 110%;">Recovery Oversea **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">This Depression greatly shaped the coming events of the era, especially WWII.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 130%;">II. Rise of Dictators in Europe **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">After WWI, many people lost faith in democracy. This opened the door for fascists to take power.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 14.3000001907349px;">Fascism was a political movement. It emphasized obedience and pride in the country. It didn't have a clear program to help the country. It was more of a collection of ideals. Fascists believed that countries must have a strong, authoritarian leader. They believed that countries who were peaceful would be easily conquered. It was mainly similar to Communism in that they both emphasized one party rule and a strong dictator (1).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 14.3000001907349px;">Fascism **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">After WWI, most Italians were very upset with the way recent years had gone. Many people wanted a new leader. Benito Mussolini was a politician and editor of a newspaper. He was also the founder of the Fascist Party in Italy. Fascism began to gain steam in Italy. Groups of Fascists often attacked Communists and Socialists on the street. The tension boiled over when 30,000 Fascists marched on Rome and demanded that the current King place Mussolini in charge. Mussolini was placed in charge after a bit of rioting and threats of even more violence (1).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 110%;">The Rise of Mussolini **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">When Mussolini took office, he abolished all other political parties. His secret police locked up his opponents and newspapers were censored. News outlets were forced to print or broadcast Fascist ideals (1).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 110%;">Mussolini in Power **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">In 1919, the Nationalist Socialist German Workers Party was formed with the goal of abolishing the Treaty of Versailles and ending Communism. Adolf Hitler soon became a member. The party soon had a private militia. Hitler was soon put in charge. The party attempted to seize control of Munich. Many Nazis were arrested. Hitler went to prison (1).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 110%;">Nazism **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">While in prison, Hitler wrote a book called Mein Kampf. It outlined his goals for Germany and what he planned to do if he could seize power. He planned to gain back land lost in the Treaty of Versailles and exterminate the Jews. This book was mostly ignored by the public. When he got out of prison in 1924, he restarted the Nazi Party. He was ignored by the public until the German economy collapsed. Then, the German people were desperate for a leader. They began to listen to Hitler, and his charisma and speaking ability won them over. He was named Chancellor in 1933 (1).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 110%;">The Rise of Hitler **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Once Hitler gained power, he held an election to bring a Nazi majority into Parliament. When a fire destroyed a government building, Hitler blamed the Communists to discourage voters from choosing them. It worked, and the Nazis won. Hitler used this new power to give himself more and more power. Germany became a totalitarian state. Other political parties were banned, and his opponents were arrested. He also gave millions of Germans new jobs by rebuilding the country's infrastructure. He put out propaganda praising him and the Nazis. He also began to spread Anti-Semitism in Germany, laying the groundwork for his plan to exterminate the Jews (1).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 110%;">Hitler in Power **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Other countries experienced these changes in leadership. Miklós Horthy seized power in Hungary. Josef Pilsudski rose to power in Poland. In Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Albania, and Romania kings became dictators. The only Eastern European country that was a democracy Czechoslovakia (1).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 110%;">Other New Dictators **


 * <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 130%;">III. The Beginning of WWII **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">In the years before WWII, Japan seized Manchuria and invaded China. Italy attacked Ethiopia. Hitler defied the Treaty of Versailles and began mobilizing troops and preparing for invasion. They also annexed Austria. Civil war broke out in Spain (1).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 110%;">Countries Seize Other Countries **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Germany signed a nonaggression pact with the Soviets. Soon after, he moved to attack Poland. The German strategy was called a blitzkrieg. It used a combination of surprise and overwhelming force to quickly destroy weaker countries. Planes and tanks would be followed by huge infantry forces. Poland quickly fell, and France and Britain declared war on Germany. France and Britain mobilized on the border of France and Germany. The Germans were close by. The armies could see each other, but nobody attacked. Instead, Germany quickly conquered Denmark and Norway using their blitzkrieg tactics (1).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 110%;">Blitzkrieg **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">After the Germans conquered Poland, the Soviets quickly invaded Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland. Finland was the only one to put up any fight. The Finns fought to the end, but were overwhelmed by the Soviets (1).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 110%;">The Soviets Get Involved **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">As the Germans moved closer to attacking France, they conquered Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. The Germans reached the coast of the English Channel in ten days. The Allied Forces retreated back to Dunkirk, where British ships rescued them and brought them back to Britain. France had fallen (1).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 110%;">France Falls **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Hitler planned to eventually invade Great Britain. His plan was to eliminate the British Royal Air Force. He began a massive bombing campaign of Britain. He first bombed airfields and aircraft factories. Next, he focused on the cities. He hoped to break the morale of the British. He never did. The RAF hit back hard. They had the advantage of radar and a machine that could break the code of the Germans. In May 1941, Hitler called off the bombing raids (1).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 110%;">The Battle of Britain **



<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Mussolini and Italy attacked Egypt, which was under British control. The British retreated. When the British finally struck back, they took back the lost land and took thousands of prisoners. Hitler sent in some of Germany's best troops. They were commanded by Erwin Rommel. They drove the British back and seized Tobruk (1).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 110%;">Axis Invades North Africa **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Hitler planned to attack the Soviets. To do so, he conquered the Balkans. This gave him more positioning to attack the Soviets. In June 1941, the Germans rolled into the USSR. They were met with fierce resistance, even though the Soviets were not very well trained. The Germans put Leningrad under siege and cut it off from all supplies. Thousands starved, but the city didn't fall. The Germans also attacked Moscow, but never gained much ground and were unprepared for the Russian winter. The German attack of Russia gained nothing for the Germans (1).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 110%;">Hitler Turns on the Soviets **


 * <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 130%;">IV. Major Battles of WWII **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Not long after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku formulated a plan to destroy the final American aircraft carriers that survived the attack. The plan was for Japanese ships to attack an area near Pearl Harbor, which would draw American ships out to defend. However, Isoroku would have his own ships ready to ambush (2).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">Battle of Midway **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">However, American intelligence found a method to crack Japanese codes. U.S. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz knew exactly what Isoroku was doing, and put ships in place to surprise attack the Japanese as they moved up to attack (2).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">The battle began in the morning of June 4th. American planes stationed at Midway Island attacked the Japanese ships, but failed. But, American planes from the aircraft carriers helped divert Japanese attention to them while American dive-bombers swooped in. The bombers caught the Japanese ships refueling and reloading, and dealt critical damage. The bombers sank four fleet carriers, which was the strength of the entire fleet. The Japanese lost the carriers Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu, and Mikuma, along with over 300 aircraft and 5,000 soldiers. The U.S. lost about 150 aircraft and 300+ sailors (2).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">The Japanese losses at Midway wiped out much of their mechanics and aircraft ground crews (2), which depleted much of Japan's naval air forces. The Battle of Midway was certainly a turning point in the United States' campaign in the Pacific.

<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 110%;">**The Battle for Berlin** <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">The Battle for Berlin was significant in the end of WWII in Europe. Hitler's German Army was suffering from a downfall after major defeats in Europe. The battle was fought in April and May of 1945. The Russian forces, called the Red Army, moved east through Poland towards Germany. The Russians gained momentum and confidence- they outnumbered the Germans tremendously in the amount of soldiers, artillery, tanks, and aircraft (2).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">The Germans were terrified of the Russians. Propaganda caused the Germans to despise and hate the Russian forces. The German Army was very desperate, desperate enough to put children and old pensioners on the front lines. The Battle of Berlin was perceived to be a fight to the death in the eyes of the Germans (2).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Joseph Stalin assigned his two best generals- Zhukov and Konev- to quickly advance towards Berlin. Getting to the German capital was easy for the Red Army, since they had an enormous amount of soldiers and forces, and the Germans kept retreating. However, Zhukov and Konev knew their advancement would end in a standoff in Berlin.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Hitler knew he was outnumbered, but had hope in what remained of his army that had retreated from the western front.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">In the first three weeks of bombardment, the Russians fired over two million rounds of artillery and another million soldiers moved to infiltrate Berlin (2).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Although Russia had a dominant tank force, the Germans had portable anti-tank rockets that they used to destroy tanks with hit and run methods (2).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">The city was not easily taken. The Russians had to take Berlin block by block, building by building. In fact, there are accounts that the Russians would simply blow up an entire building if any gunfire came from it. Both the Germans and the Russians lost a substantial amount of troops during this battle, but the Russians finally overwhelmed the Germans, officially seizing Berlin on May 2nd, 1945 (2).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">The Russians had approximately 350,000 troops dead or wounded, and 2,000 tanks destroyed. The Germans lost 150,000 soldiers (2).

<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 110%;">**The Battle for Iwo Jima** <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">After thorough and careful planning for a naval and air attack on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. The U.S. Was hopeful that this victory would secure a base near Japan's coast.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">In February of 1945, three divisions of Marines landed at Iwo Jima. Japan stationed approximately 23,000 troops to fight the Americans. The Japanese soldiers dug themselves a vast and sophisticated network of caves, tunnels, and underground barracks (2).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Previously in the war, U.S. amphibious raids had come in conflict with troops right on the beaches. However, at Iwo Jima, the Japanese fought from their tunnels, which were inland. As a result, the Americans had successful advancements on the beach with the help of naval bombing, but had trouble once they reached the inland tunnels. These caves were hard for the Marines to locate, which made them hard to destroy and made Marines more susceptible to sneak attacks (2).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Despite the American troubles, the Marines finally prevailed. Only 1,083 Japanese soldiers were taken as prisoners of war, since it was considered betrayal not to fight to the death. In fact, two Japanese soldiers did not admit defeat at Iwo Jima until 1951, six years after the invasion. The rest of the Japanese were either killed or missing. On the other side, the U.S. lost just under 6,000 soldiers, and 17,400 more were wounded (2).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">The victory at Iwo Jima gave the Americans a huge opportunity to expand their air campaign in the Pacific. Bombers, like B-29s for example, could easily fly about 600 miles to the Japanese coast and return to Iwo Jima. Iwo Jima was much closer from the Marianas (2), which is where bombers had previously been stationed.

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 * <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 130%;">V. Japan's Role in WWII **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Hirohito, the Japanese emperor, signed the Tripartite Pact with Nazi Germany and Italy, joining the Axis Powers. Hirohito had been emperor since 1926 and had overseen Japan's invasion of Manchuria and China in the 1930s. Fueled by their thirst for power and successful expansion into Manchuria and China, Japan decided to join World War II. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Japan had sent troops to French Indochina, which the U.S. responded to with sanctions on oil and steel. A year later, on December 7th, 1941, Hirohito allowed his generals to go forth with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The next day, the U.S. declared war (2).



<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Over the next several months, Japan occupied much of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, such as Dutch East Indies, British Singapore, New Guinea, and the Philippines. However, the U.S. celebrated several victories in this region, such as the Battle of Midway. Although Japanese generals realized that they probably weren't going to defeat the Allies by 1944, they continued to fight. However, Japan finally admitted defeat following the dropping and devastation of the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Hirohito surrendered via radio broadcast on August 15, 1945 (2).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">All in all, Japan joined the war in driven by their want for power and an empire. Japan's role in WWII was significant, especially to the U.S., as they pulled the last straw that caused the U.S. to enter the war. With Japan's defeat, the country plunged into an era of devastation and defeat. The effects of the atomic bombs were horrendous, as much of Japan's population was starving and desperate. Also, Japan lost almost all of its land in Southeastern Asia and the Pacific. The military, politics, and economy went into unstable turmoil that hurt the rebuilding process. Even today, Japan is feeling the effects of World War II.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 130%;">VI. U.S. Involvement **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">When war in Europe erupted in the late 1930s and early 40s, the United States wanted to help Britain as much as they could without getting involved directly in the war. However, as the Nazi Germany empire continued to expand, the U.S. slowly became more and more involved with the war. By 1941, the U.S. was lending weapons to Britain and American aircraft was "escorting" British planes. Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister, begged Franklin Roosevelt to join the war. Roosevelt continually declined (2).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">However, that all changed on December 7th, 1941. With the attack on Pearl Harbor, Congress voted whether to join the war or not, and all but one congressman agreed. The U.S. declared war on Japan and Germany, and Hitler returned the favor four days later. FDR set his sights on Germany. (2).

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<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">With Germany as his top priority, Roosevelt and the Allies planned Operation Torch, the joint British-American invasion of German occupation in North Africa. Pushed back into North Africa, the Germans eventually surrendered in Tunisia in May of 1943. This victory helped improve the opinion of war in the United States (2).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Next, after a series of debates, Churchill and Roosevelt agreed to organize an assault through Italy, called Operation Husky. The Allies invaded Sicily in July of 1943, and finally captured Rome nine months later (2).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">The United States was the prominent force in the Pacific, battling the Japanese. The U.S. forces (air, naval, and land), cut down almost all of Japan's occupation in the Pacific. American naval officers mobilized warships in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Among these vessels were many aircraft carriers, which housed aircraft such as fighter jets and bombers. Marines carried out amphibious assaults on islands and territories occupied by Japan with the assistance of air support and naval artillery. With key victories at the battles of Midway and Iwo Jima, mainland Japan was exposed to attacks such as bombings and much of their military power was wiped out. These successful raids also opened up bases and airfields throughout the Pacific islands, widening American tactical abilities and gaining the advantage of position. The U.S. ultimately ended Japan's campaign and the war in the Pacific with the dropping of atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">In Europe, the United States helped Britain and the rest of the Allies stop the spread of fascism, especially in Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The U.S. organized a large air campaign in Europe, which put thousands of fleets of bombers over the skies of the war. The U.S. Air Force worked with the Royal Air Force of Britain. Many brigades of Marines and other ground troops raided the beaches of the Atlantic, including the successful storming of the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, which ended warfare in Europe.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Although Churchill and Roosevelt shared different views in when it came to strategy and opinions, there is no doubt that the two were fond of each other and made great companions (2). Much of the success of the Allies in the Second World War is a result of the fantastic cooperation and joint efforts of Great Britain and the United States.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 130%;">VII. The Holocaust **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">As part of Germany's vision for Europe, Germanic people created a new racial order, the Aryans. They proclaimed that they themselves were the "master race". They claimed that all non-aryans were, especially Jews, were inferior to society. These racial messages against Jews eventually led to the Holocaust (1).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Hitler gained support for his racist ideas by joining in on the hatred of Jews. Hitler and his fellow Germans blamed the Jews for all their failures, such as their defeat in WWI and their economic problems after. Eventually the targeting of Jews was made a government policy and the Nuremberg Laws, passed in 1935, forbid the Jews of gaining citizenship and did not allow them to marry non-Jews (1).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Violence of Jews started shortly after the Laws have passed. In November, 1938, and 17-year old, Herschel Grynszpan left Germany for a visit to Paris. He later got a postcard saying that his father, after 27 years of residence in Germany, was deported to Poland. Out of anger, Grynszpan shot a German diplomat. Nazis heard news of this and it gave them an opportunity to launch a violent attack on the Jews. Nazi Storm Troopers later attacked Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues throughout Germany and Austria. They killed over 100 Jews and sent 30,000 more to concentration camps where most died. This night of November 9th became known as "Kristallnacht", or "Night of Broken Glass". Kristallnacht sparked up the policy in Germany for Jewish prosecution (1).



<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Jews realized that their death and capture was bound to happen soon. In 1939, many Jews fled to other countries and some stayed within Germany. Later on, Hitler would have conquered many more countries that Jews were residing in. At first, Hitler looked at emigration for the Jewish problem. He would send them out to countries like Britain, France, and The U.S. After admitting so many Jews to their countries, most of them shut its doors to immigration. Hitler's plan B was to force all Jews to move to designated cites where Nazis herded them all together in overcrowded segregated Jewish areas called Ghettos. They then sealed the ghettos off with barbed wire and stone walls and hoped that the Jews would starve to death or die from disease. Some Jewish communities hung on to these horrible condition, like the ones in Warsaw, Poland. They created resistance organizations, produced plays and concerts within ghetto theaters, taught in secret schools, and even kept records so that one day people would find out the truth (1).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">After all of the Jews' resistance, Hitler went to his final plan of action, "The Final Solution". It was a program of genocide, or the murder of an entire people. To protect the Aryan race, Hitler planned on eliminating all other "inferior" races, nationalities, or groups, such as gypsies, Poles, Russians, Homosexuals, the insane, the disabled, and the incurable ill, but especially...the Jews (1).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">The mass killings began when Nazi troops swept through Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. The SS, Hitler's elite security force, swept from town to town hunting Jews: Men, Women, Children, and even babies. They would gather and shoot them into pits that became their graves. The Jews not reached by the squads, were taken to concentration camps mainly in Germany and Poland that Hitler believed would speed up the elimination of Jews. These prisoners worked non stop for the SS or German business and were beaten for not working fast enough. Most prisoners ate only thin soup, a scrap of bread, and pats to peelings (1).



<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">The Final Solution ended with Hitler building many extermination camps with huge gas chambers that would kill up to 6,000 Jews every day. At Auschwitz, one of the most famous extermination camps, Jews went to a committee of doctors where they separated them from the weak and the strong, usually the men from the women. The ones labeled as weak died that very day. They would be sent to undress and go into a room with fake shower heads, then cyanide would spill out of the shower heads, killing all inside the chamber. The Nazis created crematoriums where they would burn the bodies (1).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">About 6 million Jews died in these death camps and in massacres by the Nazis, and only 4 million survived. Some escaped from the horrors with the help of non-Jews, who hid them in their homes and helped them escape to neutral countries. Survivors' lives were scarred forever (1).


 * <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 130%;">VIII. The Allied Victory **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">On December 22, 1941, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill met to discuss a joint war operation against Germany. Stalin wanted to relieve German allies of the most fighting on their East side and wanted them to open a second front on their West side. This strategy was agreed by Churchill and Roosevelt and eventually weakened Germany before they gave their final blow (1).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Churchill, along with the U.S., wanted to start by attacking North Africa and Southern Europe, but Stalin disagreed. He wanted them to start attacking Germany on its Eastern fronts. But with Britain and America fighting in other areas forced Russia to hold out on its own, waiting for the others to join. Britain and the U.S. only offered supplies as help until they joined in the war near the Mediterranean and the eastern front in late 1942 (1).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">There were many battles in North Africa that gave victory to both the Allies and the Axis Powers. The battle of El Alamein began on October 23, 1942 when London sent General Bernard Montgomery to take control of British forces in North Africa. By the time he arrived, the Germans had already advanced towards the Egyptian village of El Alamein, just west of Alexandria. Montgomery sent a massive frontal attack by roaring 1,000 British guns at the Germans. Eventually by November, the Germans failed and their forces retreated. As they retreated, the Allies launched Operation Torch which was when more than 100,000 American troops, led by Dwight D. Eisenhower, landed in Morocco and Algeria. These actions forced the German Afrika Korps to fall in 1943 (1).



<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Along with their defeat in North Africa, the Germans also met their match in the Soviet Union. German advance had stalled in Leningrad and Moscow in late 1941. Hitler then sent his Sixth Army, led by General Friedrich Paulus, to seize the oil fields off the Caucasus Mts. They were to capture Stalingrad, a major industrial center on the Volga River. The Battle of Stalingrad began on August 23, 1942. The Luftwaffe had already bombed the city, reducing much rubble, and Stalin commanded his army to defend the city with their life. By November, the Germans had controlled 90% of the city, until winter came. The Soviets surrounded the city, trapping the Germans and cutting off their supplies. Paulus begged Hitler for a retreat, but he refused. 90,000 Germans were left to surrender to the Soviets, who lost over 1 million troops to the defense. The city was 99% destroyed, and Germans were getting pushed back West (1).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">During the Battle of Stalingrad, Stalin urged the British and U.S. to invade France. Refusing this proposal, Roosevelt and Churchill began by taking Italy. On July 10, 1943, the Allies captured Sicily and rid it from German and Italian control. This controlling of Sicily resulted in the fall of Mussolini. King Victor Emanuel III had Mussolini arrested. By September, Italy surrendered, but Germans maintained control of Northern Italy and put Mussolini to power. Fighting in Rome, as well as most of Italy, didn't stop until the end of the war in 1945. Italian resistance groups ambushed trucks, which they found Mussolini disguised as a German soldier. They shot him and hung his body in Milan for all to see (1).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">War at the Allies' home fronts was influencing the war. Though the Soviet Union and Britain faced many hardships by getting bombed or invaded, the U.S., except for Hawaii, was invasion and bomb. People in America were helping the war effort by producing weapons and equipment that would help win the war. The Allies realized that winning the war meant for the mobilizing for total war. In the U.S., factories converted to wartime production from machine guns to boots. Automobile factories produced tanks and a typewriter company made armor piercing shells. Men and women of over 18 million had jobs in the war industry. With the efforts for wartime production, consumer goods were short in the U.S. The government started to ration out scarce supplies. Rationing was even more drastic in most European countries (1).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Although propaganda had many positive effects on the Allied powers, it also had many negative effects. Prejudice in the U.S. against Japanese Americans started after Pearl Harbor, who mostly lived in Hawaii and the West coast. The bombing had caused great fear in citizens, which eventually turned against Japanese Americans. In February of 1942, Roosevelt issued an executive order for the internment of Japanese Americans because they were "a threat to our country". By March, the military had rounded Japanese Americans and put them in military camps far from the coast. This was said to prevent an enemy invasion of Japan. Most of the people taken were native-born Americans whose parents were Japanese. They served in the countries military while their family was in camps (1).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">The Allies were seeking various ways of winning the war against the Germans. By 1943, the allies began to secretly build an invasion force in Great Britain. They planned on attacking the German controlled France across the English Channel. All the planning for the invasion was ready by May 1944. Thousands of planes, ships, tanks, landing craft, and more than 3 million troops waited for the order to attack. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the commander of the force, planned to strike on the coast of Normandy, in northwestern France, to trick the Germans. The Germans knew of an attack but did not know where it would happen. The Allies had made a fake military camp preparing to invade the port of Calais. The operation was code-named Operation Overlord and was the largest land and sea attack in history. It began on June 6, 1944, known as D-Day. British, French, American, French, and Canadian troops stormed a 60 mile stretch of beach in Normandy. The Germans attacked with machine guns, rocket launchers, and canons. The Allies lost 2,700 troops that day on the beach. D-Day went on for a month with 1 million additional troops. On July 25, the Allies got past German defenses near Saint-Lô, which resulted in the liberation of France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Now they set their views on Germany (1).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Germany now had to battle on two fronts: the Allied forces in the West and the Soviet Union in the East. Hitler decided to try to counterattack the Allies on the West side which he hoped to split British and American forces and break up the Allies' supply line. On December 16, The Battle of the Bulge broke when German tanks broke through American defenses in the Ardennes. The Allies were caught off guard, but they managed to push back the Germans, which they leader retreated (1).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">The Battle of the Bulge brought the war in Europe to a close. In March, 1945, the Allies crossed the Rhine River into Berlin, Germany, and as well as other Allied forces throughout Europe. Berlin was described as a noose, with the Allies closing in on all sides with over 9 million troops. The Soviet Union surrendered Berlin and started to bomb the city with artillery. While the bombing was going on, Hitler hid in an underground headquarters, married his wife, and he and his wife committed suicide the next day. Their bodies were burned. May 7, 1945, General Eisenhower accepted the surrender of the Third Reich from the German military. Roosevelt died on April 12, not able to live through to the Nazi surrender, but his successor, Harry Truman, accepted the victory. This day became known as V-E Day, or Victory in Europe Day (1).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Although the war in Europe was over, the war in the pacific had still to be dealt with by the Allies. The Allies had defeated the Japanese at Guadalcanal, which resulted in the Japanese retreat. In the Fall of 1944, the Allies had landed on the island of Leyte in the Philippines, being led by General Douglas McArthur, in hopes to take over Japan. But the Japanese had a plan to halt the Allies. They would destroy the American fleet, which would restrict the ground troops from being re supplied. This would require rucking the entire Japanese fleet. The Battle of Leyte Gulf began with the naval battle between the American and Japanese fleets. Within four days, the Japanese fleet was wiped out and wasn't a threat to war anymore. Now the Allies had to deal with the Japanese army and the Kamikaze, which were suicide pilots that crashed their planes into ships (1).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">In March, 1945, American marines took Iwo Jima, an island near Tokyo. Then they advanced to Okinawa and fought one of the bloodiest battles of the war. Japanese lost 100,000 troops, while the Americans, 12,000. After Okinawa, the Allies next went after Japan. President Truman had to make a difficult choice: risking half a million American lives, or dropping an atomic bomb, or A-Bomb. The A-Bomb was created by the secret Manhattan Project by General Leslie Groves and Robert Oppenheimer. The first A-Bomb in 1943, in a desert in New Mexico. Truman wrote to the Japanese, warning them that if they don't surrender, we would drop an atomic bomb on Japan. They didn't answer so America dropped the first bomb on Hiroshima where about 75,000 people died. Two days later, America dropped another bomb on Nagasaki, killing about 80,000 people. Japanese finally surrendered to McArthur on September 2. The War was over, now countries all around the world had to deal with rebuilding a war torn world (1).


 * <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 130%;">IX. Europe and Japan in Ruin **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">After 6 long years of war across the world, the Allies were victorious. WWII had caused more destruction and death than any other conflict in history, with 60 million dead, and 1/3 of them within the Soviet Union. Also 50 million were left homeless because of the destruction. Billions of U.S. Dollars were lost in property damage (1).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Europe now laid in ruins. About 40 million Europeans died, 2/3 civilians, people were homeless, hundreds of cities were in rubble because of the constant bombing, and ground war had torn up most of the countries' countryside. Some great cities in Europe such as Paris, Rome, and Brussels were untouched, but others were severely devastated. The Battle of Britain left areas of London black with ruins, the central area of Berlin was 95% demolished by Allied bombings, and the capital of Poland, Warsaw, was nearly completely demolished. Warsaw had about 1.3 million people, but when Soviets came in 1945, only 153,000 were there. Bombings left citizens in peril with no homes, no water, no electricity, and very little food. Even though some people stayed in the rubble, there were also those that did not stay where they were. These people were survivors of concentration camps, prisoners of war, or refugees that found themselves in the wrong country at the wrong time (1).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Misery in Europe continued years after the war by destroying Europe's countrysides and disrupted agriculture. With most men serving in the military and most women in war production, there were few to plant fields. Also, transportation was destroyed so harvest never reached the cities. Thousands began dying by famine and diseases that reached the cities (1).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Most Europeans blamed their government leaders for the terrible aftermath of the war. Some countries like Belgium, Holland, Denmark, and Norway quickly returned to their prewar governments, but some like Italy, Germany, and France, people did not want to return to their former governments because, like Italy, their leaders caused their fall in the war. After the war, the communists promised change to their people, so many people were ready to listen. Communists had huge gains at the first postwar elections, but later on, they started to do violent strikes to get their way which later resulted in people voting for anticommunist parties (1).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">During the time of government and political recovery, countries also had to deal with war criminals. During 1944 and 1945, an International Military War Tribunal put Nazi criminals on trial in Nuremberg, Germany. These numerous trials were known as The Nuremberg Trials. The first of which were against 22 Nazi leaders who were charged for waging a war of aggression, others were charged of crimes against humanity which was the murder of 11 million people. Escaping these trials, Hitler, SS Chief Heinrich Himmler, and Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels had committed suicide after the war. Enduring the trials still stood the Herman Göring, commander of the Luftwaffe, and Rudolf Hess, Hitler's former deputy. Hess was found guilty and sentenced life in prison. Göring committed suicide just after he received the death sentence. Ten other Nazi leaders were hung and then burned and cremated in the same ovens that Jews were cremated in (1).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">The country of Japan was left to ruins after WWII. Two million lives were lost, major cities, like Tokyo, were destroyed by bombings, and Nagasaki and Hiroshima were merely just a blackened wasteland. General Douglas McArthur took charge of the U.S. Occupation of Japan and he planned to be fair and not start another war. He ensured peace by a process called demilitarization, which disbanded the Japanese armed forces, and left it with just a small police force. He then turned to democratization, which was the process of beginning a government elected by the people. With his advisors, he drew up a new constitution that stated Japan would now be under a constitutional monarchy like that of Great Britain (1).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">The new constitution brought many changes to the Japanese society. It changed the whole system of having an emperor. The emperor now had to tell the people that he wasn't divine and was just a figurehead for the government like the monarch in Britain. It guaranteed that all power rested within the people and all men and women over the age of 20 had the right to vote. They created two house parliaments called the Diet, who chose a prime minister to lead the government. A key part of their constitution said that Japan couldn't start a war, they could only attack if attacked first. The U.S., along with 47 other nations, signed peace treaties with Japan, and later U.S. occupation disappeared. The once bitter enemies of Japan and the U.S. had become to friendly allies (1).


 * <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 130%;">X. Saving Private Ryan **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Saving Private Ryan is one of the greatest film adaptations that actually visualize World War II in a vivid motion picture. The movie was made in 1998 (4), and it took a lot of money and many years to produce. For about 3 years, Steven Spielberg, the director of the film, spent a lot of time writing out the movie and screenplay. He made sure that every scene was historically accurate and that most of them proved to be true. The critically acclaimed movie first played in 1998 and immediately grossed of $30.5 million. This film also brought America's interest in World War II at its peak. Following the release of the film, many old and new movies, books, and video games about the War received more popularity. The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and three Golden Globes. People's interest and views of the war dramatically changed because of this film (3).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">The film followed the story of Captain John H. Millers (Tom Hanks) as he and his troops stormed Omaha Beach in Normandy. They endured the horror of the ambush but kept on pushing through. As they got to their checkpoint, they acquired a new mission: to find and save Private First Class James Francis Ryan. Private Ryan was the fourth child in his family that served in World War II. A couple days earlier, Ryan's mother got three telegrams in the same day saying that three of his sons were dead. So General George Marshall, of the U.S. Military, ordered that the missing in action paratrooper, James Ryan, was found and returned home safely. Now it was a mission for Captain Miller to accomplish (3).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">One of the most historically accurate and critically acclaimed part of the movie was the first 27 minutes. This scene depicted the famous storming of the beach in Normandy when the Allies invaded Normandy and defeating the Germans. It clearly showed to the audience exactly how it felt to actually be there. Watching the scene, anyone would immediately feel as if they were there and fighting the war. Spielberg made sure that this scene was the most important throughout the entire movie. He spent a lot of time and money into shooting this one scene. The scene was known as "the best battle scene of all time" be Empire magazine. You really got to see the horror of death, but also success, on that lonely beach in Normandy in 1944 (3).

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 * <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 130%;">XI. Victory Over Japan Day **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Japan officially surrendered on August 14, 1945. This ended WWII. Ever since, August 14 and August 15 have been known as VJ (Victory Over Japan) Day. Harry Truman announced that the victory was official on August 14. He said "This is the day we have been waiting for since Pearl Harbor. This is the day when Fascism finally dies, as we always knew it would." (2)

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">As soon President Truman said this, the country and the world erupted in jubilation. All around the world, people went into the streets and celebrated. It was part relief and part exhilaration. It turned into one big worldwide party. People celebrated deep into the night (2).

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">This photo of a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square is recognized as arguably the most iconic photograph of the 20th century (5).




 * <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 130%;"> Works Cited **


 * (1)** World History: Patterns of Interaction
 * (2)** History.com
 * (3)** Wikipedia.com
 * (4)** discoveryuk.com
 * (5)** Time.com