In the late 1920s, American economic prosperity greatly supported the world economy. In 1929, there was uneven distribution of wealth, overproduction of business and agriculture, many Americans were buying less. The richest people which made up 5% of the population received 33% of the wealth. A lot of families were too poor to buy the goods produced, so companies cut back in orders, which made factories lay people off due to less work needed. There was a surplus in agricultural production, so prices and profit went down. The farmers were then unable to pay banks which weakened them. New York City’s Wall Street became the financial capital of the world. There were many investment places and banks and stock prices rose. Many middle class people started buying stock on margin. This system worked well with rising prices, in September 1929 the stocks were really high. People sold their stocks because they though prices would go down, and eventually stock prices took a nose dive. On Tuesday October 29 stock prices dropped again and the market collapsed(1).
Unemployment rates rose due to people not able to pay money owed and the decline of industrial production, prices, and wages began. The U.S. was in a Great Depression that effected the whole world. The stock market crash made it difficult with businesses failing, banks closing and factory production being cut in half. People lost their money, their land, and their jobs. The Americans tried making their money back by collecting it from overseas. The U.S government tried to keep money in the U.S with high tariffs, but this backfired and conditions worsened for the United States. These tariffs set off a chain reaction for other countries to try making back their money and selling goods with their own tariffs and policies. World trade dropped by 65%, and unemployment rates soared worldwide. Germany and Austria were greatly effected due to their loss in the previous war, and other countries as well due to the lack of trade(1).
Many countries tried to combat the depression by changing their economic and political systems with new ideas and projects. Britain tried changing their government, putting heavy taxes and tariffs on items, and lowering interest rates. All these methods helped bring them cut unemployment and increase production. France had a more self- sufficient economy, but was still effected. So in 1936, moderates, Socialists, and Communists formed a coalition to fight antidemocratic forces. It was called the Popular Front and they tried helping workers and preserving the government. The Socialist governments in the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway also met the challenge of economic crisis successfully(1).
In 1932, the first presidential election after the Depression occurred and people elected Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt began a program to reform the government that he called the New Deal. There were large public works projects gave jobs for unemployed, government agencies gave financial help to businesses and farms. Roosevelt government spending could create jobs recover the nation. The New Deal eventually reformed, and Roosevelt’s leadership preserved the country’s faith in its democratic political system(1).
People looking for jobs during the Great Depression
Rise of Dictators in Europe:
Fascism was a militant, new political movement that emphasized loyalty to state and obedience to the leader. Unlike communism, fascism had no clear theory or program. Nevertheless, most Fascists shared a few ideas. They believed an extreme type of nationalism. Fascists believed that nations have to struggle, peaceful states were only going to be conquered. They pledged loyalty to an authoritative leader who guided and brought order to the state. In each nation, Fascists wore uniforms of a specific color, used special salutes, and held massive rallies. (1)
In some ways, fascism was alike to communism. Both systems were ruled by dictators who permitted only their own political party. Both did not allow individual rights. In both, the state was above all. Neither practiced any sort of democracy. However, unlike Communists, Fascists didn't go for a classless society. Rather, they thought that each class had its place and job. In most cases, Fascist parties were made of aristocrats and industrialists, war veterans, and the lower middle class. Also, Fascists were nationalists, and Communists were internationalists, wanting to "unite workers worldwide.” In Germany, a form of Facism called Nazism rose. It consisted of the superiority of the German people. In Italy, it was lead by Benito Mussolini. Fascism’s growing in Italy was fueled by disappointment over the failure to win large land gains at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference. Growing inflation and unemployment also contributed to social unrest. To increasing numbers of Italians, their current democratic government seemed unable to deal with the country’s problems. They wanted a leader who would make action. (1)
A politician and newspaper editor named Benito Mussolini audaciously vowed to rescue Italy by reviving its economy and recreating its armed forces. He promised to give Italy strong leadership. Mussolini founded the Fascist Party in 1919. As economic conditions grew worse, his popularity quickly increased. Lastly, Mussolini criticized Italy’s government publicly. Groups of Fascists wearing black shirts assaulted Communists and Socialists on the streets. Because Mussolini played with the fear of a worker revolt, he began to win support from the aristocracy, middle class, and industrial workers. In October 1922, about 30,000 Fascists marched into Rome. They ordered that King Victor Emmanuel III put Mussolini as leader of the government. The king decided that Mussolini was the best chance for his dynasty to survive. After a threatened uprising and widespread violence, Mussolini took power “legally.” (1)
Mussolini became Il Duce, or the leader. He abolished democracy and outlawed all non-facist political parties . Secret police put his opponents into jail. Government censors made publications or radio stations publish and broadcast only Fascist doctrines. Mussolini outlawed strikes, and he sought to control the economy by allying the Fascists with the industrialists and large landowners. However, Mussolini never had the full control achieved by Hitler in Germany and Stalin in the Soviet Union. When Mussolini became dictator of Italy in the 1920s, Adolf Hitler was a little-known political leader in Germany whose young life had been hit by disappointment. When World War I broke out, Hitler discovered a new beginning. He volunteered for the army and was awarded the Iron Cross twice, a medal for bravery. (1)
At the end of the war, Hitler settled down in Munich. In 1919, he joined a puny right-wing political group. This group agreed his belief that Germany had to overturn the Treaty of Versailles and fight communism. The group later called itself the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, or Nazi for short. It's ideals formed the German form of fascism known as Nazism. It adopted the swastika, or hooked cross, as its symbol. The Nazis also set up a private militia, known as the storm troopers, or Brown Shirts. Inside a short time, Hitler’s successful roll as an organizer and speaker led him to be chosen for the leader of the Nazi party. He was inspired by Mussolini’s march on Rome, so Hitler and the Nazis plotted to seize power in Munich in 1923. The seizure failed, and Hitler was arrested. He was tried for treason but was given only five years in prison. He actually served less than nine months. (1)
While in jail, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf, or My Struggle. This book spoke of his beliefs and his goals with Germany. Hitler asserted that the Germans, whom he incorrectly named “Aryans,” were a “master race.” He decided that non-Aryan “races,” such Slavs, Jews, and Gypsies, were not as good. He called the Versailles Treaty an outrage and vowed to gain back German lands. Hitler also declared that Germany was overcrowded and needed more or living space. He promised to get that space by conquering Russia and Eastern Europe. After leaving Jail in 1924, Hitler revived the Nazi Party. Most Germans ignored them and their angry message until the Great Depression finished the nation’s brief postwar recovery. When American loans stopped, Germany's economy collapsed. Civil unrest broke out. Frightened and confused, Germans now came Hitler, hoping for firm leadership and security.(1)
The Nazis had become the biggest political party by 1932. Conservative leaders incorrectly believed they could control Hitler and use him for their needs. In January 1933, they advised President Paul von Hindenburg to make Hitler the chancellor. Thus Hitler came to power legally. Once in office, Hitler called for elections, wishing to win a parliamentary majority. Six days before the election, a fire burnt down the Reichstag building, where the parliament meets. The Nazis blamed it on the Communists. By stirring up a fear of the Communists, the Nazis and their allies won by a slight majority. Hitler used his new found power to turn Germany into a totalitarian state. He banned all other political parties and had their opponents arrested. Meanwhile, an elite group with black uniforms called the SS (Schutzstaffel, or protection squad) was created. It was loyal to Hitler alone. In 1934, the SS arrested and assassinated hundreds of Hitler’s enemies. This brutal action and the terror applied by the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police, scared most Germans into total obedience. (1)
During the Fascist take over in Italy and Germany, the nations formed in eastern Europe after World War I also were falling to dictatorship. In Hungary in 1919, after a brief Communist regime, military forces and wealthy landowners joined to make Admiral Miklós Horthy the first European postwar dictator. In Poland, Marshal Jozef Pilsudski took power in 1926. In Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Albania, and Romania, monarchs turned to strong-man rule. They suspended constitutions and silenced enemies. In 1935, the only democracy that remained was Czechoslovakia. (1)
The Beginning of WWII:
In the early 1920s, the Japanese Government became democratic, and agreed to respect China's borders. They also signed the Kellogg Brand Pact which made them unable to declare war. Their government was weak and they had limits to their power. The prime minister and cabinet member had limited abilities. The military leaders of Japan reported to the emperor only. Many Japanese people blamed their government for the Great Depression and they were angered by it. They wanted change and eventually various military leaders came to power. They tried restoring traditional government power to the people of Japan. The leader made the emperor more of a figure head, or symbol of power. Emperor Hirohito stayed in power because of the people who supported him and worked with him(1).
The Japanese leaders were nationalist and tried to make Japan strong through different methods of foreign expansion. Japanese invaded and took control of Manchuria in 1931 for its resources of iron, coal, and other valuable resources. The land space could also help with their growing population. Due to opposition of their invasion, Japan withdrew from the League of Nations in 1933. An all out war followed four years later due to a border dispute between China and Japan. Japanese forces, although outnumbered, were better equipped and had good training. Many major cites including the capital of China, Nanjing, fell to Japan. The Chinese set up a new capital at Chongqing, and Chinese Guerilla fighters continued to fight the Japanese at various locations(1).
Back in Europe, some fascist groups began their own plans. Mussolini planned to make a colonial empire in Africa and invaded Ethiopia in 1935. The Italians easily with their advanced weaponry. The Ethiopian Emperor, Haile Selassie, asked the League for help, but the League did nothing. They tried to keep peace in Europe by staying neutral. Germany declared not to follow the restrictions of the Versailles treaty, and Hitler, the Führer, took greater risks then when the League again did nothing. On March 7, 1936, German troops moved into the Rhineland and the League did not react out of fear for starting a war. Moving into Rhineland strengthened Hitlers power and prestige and gave Germany the upper hand. From where the German troops were positioned they could easily invade France and Belgium. Hitler then took even more aggressive and forceful movements to expand his empire. In 1936, Mussolini and Hitler made an agreement to be allies in what was called the Axis. Later Germany made an agreement with Japan giving them the new name the Axis Powers(1).
During the Spanish Civil war, Italy and Germany sent supplies and weapons to Francisco Franco the fascist Nationalists. They tried to stop the Republicans from gaining power and wanted to change the government. Franco became the fascist dictator after the Republican side fell with Italy and Germany's help. Instead of fighting again Britain and France tried to keep peace by not getting involved in battle. Both of these nations were dealing with economic problems as a result of the Great Depression. The horrors that occurred during WWI made people want to avoid war. Some Americans supported isolationism and thought entry into WWI was a bad decision. The U.S. Government made neutrality acts and did not sells arms to countries at war. Hitler soon made plans to absorb Austria and Czechoslovakia into Germany also called the Third Reich. The Austrians supported this and it was annexed when German troops entered Austria. As always, the League did nothing and let Hitlers empire grow stronger and stronger(1),
Hitler then wanted a part of northern Czechoslovakia (or Sudetenland) under his power, since there were many Germans there. The Czechs refused and asked France for assistance. On September 29, 1938 the countries of Germany, France, Italy, and Britain held a meeting. It was held in Munich, Germany and was called the Munich Conference. Czechoslovakia was not at this meeting. Britain and France gave into Hitler's demands and let him have the Sudetenland. Hitler gladly accepted and said he would respect Czechoslovakia's borders, but didn't. In less than six months he took Czechoslovakia, while Mussolini also took Albania. Germany also demanded that Poland return the port of Danzig to them but the poles refused and asked France and Britain for help. France and Britain did nothing again. Hitler and Stalin spoke with each other and made an agreement never to declare war on each other. This agreement was called a nonaggression pact and was signed August 23, 1939. The Axis Powers then moved on practically unchallenged and war seemed inevitable(1).
Hitler's Army
Japan's Role in WWII:
The Japanese emperor from 1901 to 1989 was Hirohito. Japan was left crippled from the Great Depression which had effected the world and its trade. Japan turned to new ideas which lead to extreme nationalism and militarism. They wanted help protecting their country so they joined the Tripartite Pact with Italy and Germany. These three nations promised to defend each other in war. The Japanese empire was looking for expansion, but the U.S. intercepted a message and responded with and oil embargo. This angered them and Isoroku Yamamoto came up with the idea of crippling the U.S. fleet in the pacific. (2)
On December 7, 1941 they bombed Pearl Harbor and started the war with the U.S. With no time for the U.S. to attack, Japan began taking over British colonies in the Dutch East Indies. They were cruel to the prisoners and orchestrated the Bataan death march in the Philippines. They kept advancing until the air battle of the Coral Sea. The Battle of Midway was a tuning point for the war. Their attack was discovered by the U.S. and decoys were sent. They Japanese weren't expecting this and were devastated by the defeat. It took many months to recover and their army was never the same. (2)
The U.S. told Japan to surrender or there would be consequences. Japan ignored and were hit by two atomic bombs. They dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Millions died and the Japanese could not believed what had happened. They surrendered because the results were devastating and they didn't want to lose any more of their people. (1)
Unit 731:
During WW2, it is known that Germany did experiments on human guinea pigs, but they weren't alone in this. Japan was much more secretive about their tests, they denied and hid it for 40 years. They had a special unit devoted to inhumane tests, often times going against the geneva convention. They were known as Unit 731. They used enemy soldiers and civilians as test subjects. (4)
These experiments included infecting subjects with: anthrax (a deadly spore), cholera, plague, and other diseases or pathogens. It was for testing experimental germ weapons. They would often It is estimated that 3000 test subjects were used, but because of their secretive nature we aren't entirely sure. They would often test the limits of the human body. They put people out in freezing weather with no protection till their limbs fell off, so the doctors could learn how to better treat frostbite. They even put someone into a pressure chamber to see how much pressure someone could take before their eyes popped out. One of the worst experiments was a full vivisection, or an opening of the stomach down the middle, with no anesthesia.(4)
To help the conscience of those involved in the tests, the subjects weren't referred to as people, but as "maruta," or wooden logs. Before the Japanese surrender, the sites of experiments were destroyed. All the prisoners were shot, and the employees of the unit had to swear to secrecy, or risk being killed. The mice in the lab were released, but they were carrying the bubonic plague. This could have caused the lives of 30,000 people, because the mice spread the plague. Not many of the unit admitted any guilt. Many were caught, but only a few were tried for their crimes.(4)
U.S. Involvement:
The United States saw the Axis powers and was against them. We chose to stay out of the war to protect our people and our country. Japan angered the U.S. by taking lands and disobeying treaties. Eventually the peace came to an end. A message was intercepted from Japan saying that they planned to attack us. Pearl Harbor was attacked and the war began. All troops were mobilized and war was declared. The U.S. stopped the Japanese and held them to the pacific. We were also sending troops to help the Allies in Europe and Africa. Eventually the Atomic bombs were dropped and ended war with Japan. Hitler and Russia still had to be defeated. (2)
All supplies were being rationed and men were drafted into the army. We needed all troops and supplies to stop the Axis Powers. In the beginning on 1942 the U.S. sent troops to Britain to help defeat the germans in the Mediterranean. The U.S. was also involved in war in North Africa in the proximity of casablanca. Our troops were on most fronts of the war and we gave support to all the Allies. This gave way to many battles and eventually the Allied Victory. (2)
Major Battles in WWII:
Midway was the turning point of the war in the Pacific. Most of the Japanese navy was destroyed and this stopped their progress. Four of the aircraft carriers were destroyed. The U.S. had time and a large troop advantage over them after this battle. (3)
Iwo-Jima was a small island with a tactical advantage for whoever held it in the war. The Japanese had two airfields on the island. The U.S. attacked it wanting to have the airfields for their bombers. Upon landing on the beaches, the Americans were killed easily but after many days of fighting, they took over.(3)
Okinawa is an island off the coast of Japan. It is a part of the Ryukyus islands. The island had 4 airbases and needed intelligence on the Japanese. Kamikazes bombed U.S. ships and the Japanese had a strong fortified line. They held the United States off but eventually the mass of troops overwhelmed the Japanese. The U.S. held the strategic bombing island. (3)
Stalingrad is considered on of the major turning points of World War II and one of the bloodiest Russian battles. The Germans fought against the Soviet Union forces in the city of Stalingrad. This city was Russia's major communications and manufacturing centre in the south. Hitler's hate for Stalin was so great that he attacked this city because it was named after Stalin. Stalin ordered his troops to defend the city for the same reason. The harsh winter and the Soviet Union's strategy made it hard for the Germans to gain advantages. Some streets were fought over in hand to hand combat, and any ground the Germans had was quickly taken away by the Soviet Union within the next few battles. The Germans fought to the last bullet but lost. (3)
The Battle of Moscow was fought in Moscow, the capital of Russia, in 1941. Hitler attacked this city because he believed that if the heart of Russia (Moscow) was cut out then the whole empire would soon fall. This victory was vital to the Germans Campaign to take over Russia for strategy, power, and resources . The initial attack of the Germans worked well because the weather conditions were good and they had sufficient troops and supplies. Their strategy worked and they caught the Soviets by surprise crushing them. Hitler then decided that he wanted all people within the city killed and it must be completely destroyed. After their first attack the Germans fell back to fight the Soviet Armies that were gathered behind them and gather more support troops. This gave the people in Moscow a chance to reorganize themselves and strengthen their defenses. The second attack wasn't successful and they Germans were forced to retreat. The General of the Soviets Georgy Zhukov became known as the man who never lost a battle. (3)
Operation Overlord or D-Day was when the Allies freed Europe from Nazi control. About 160,000 troops landed on the beaches and it was the largest amphibious assault in history. It left the Germans confused and hiding in the bunkers. Because of this, the Allies had time to group up on the beaches and slowly push the Germans back. After many deaths, The Germans fell back and were not able to regroup. This lead to the Nazi surrender and ended the war. (2)
The Holocaust:
To gain support for his racist ideas, Hitler tapped into a despising of Jews that had deep ties in European history. For years many Germans, along with other Europeans, had named the Jews a scapegoat. Some Germans even blamed Jews for their country’s loss in the first World War and their problems after that war. Over time, the Nazis targeting Jews a government law. The Nuremberg Laws, passed in 1935, took away from Jews their rights to German citizenship and stopped marriages between Jews and non-Jews. Laws passed later also limited the professions that Jews could have.
The worst had yet. In Early November 1938, 17-year-old Herschel Grynszpan , a Jewish boy from Germany, was visiting an relative in Paris. While Grynszpan was there, he got a postcard. It said that after being in Germany for 27 years, his father had been deported to Poland. On November 7, in an act to avenge his father’s deportation, Grynszpan shot a German diplomat living in Paris. When Nazi leaders received the news, they used this event to launch a violent assault on the Jewish community. On November 9, Nazi troopers attacked Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues across Austria and Germany. They murdered close to 100 Jews. They gathered up 30,000 Jews and them to concentration camps, where many died. An American in Leipzig wrote, “Jewish shop windows by the hundreds were systematically . . . smashed. . . . The main streets of the city were a positive litter of shattered plate glass.” The night of November 9 was known as Kristallnacht, or “Night of Broken Glass. Kristallnacht marked a major step-up in the Nazi policy of Jewish persecution. The future for Jews in Germany looked dismal. After Kristallnacht, some Jews realized that violence was only to increase. By the end of 1939, a large number of German Jews had fled to other countries. Many however, stayed in Germany. In the future, Hitler captured territories in which millions more Jews were living.
In the beginning, Hitler preferred emigration as a solution to what he called “the Jewish problem.” Getting other countries to continue allowing in Germany’s Jews became a problem, however. After admitting tens of thousands of Jewish refugees, countries such as Britain, the United States, and France abruptly blocked their doors to further immigration. Germany’s foreign minister said, “We all want to get rid of our Jews. The difficulty is that no country wishes to receive them.”
When Hitler realized he could not remove Jews through emigration, he put another idea into action. He forced Jews in all countries under his control to be moved to certain cities. In these cities, the Nazis collected the Jews into overcrowded, dismal ghettos, or segregated Jewish areas. The Nazis then closed off the ghettos with stone walls and barbed wire. They hoped that the Jews inside would die from starvation or disease. Even under these awful conditions, the Jews hung on. Some, especially the Jews in Warsaw, Poland, formed resistance groups inside the ghettos. They also worked hard to keep their traditions. Ghetto theaters produced concerts and plays. Teachers taught lessons in secret. Scholars recorded so that one day people would find out the truth. Hitler soon grew tired of this and decided to do more. His strategy was called the “Final Solution.” It was actually a meticulous plan of genocide, the systematic murder of an entire group of people. Hitler believed that his idea of conquest depended on the purity of the Aryan race. To protect racial purity, the Nazis had to destroy any nationalities, race or groups they viewed as not as perfect, some not even as humans. This included Poles, Russians, Gypsies, the insane, the homosexual, the disabled, and the terminally ill. The primary focus was on the Jews. Nazi troops marched across Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, the murders began. Units from the SS were on a Jew hunt from town to town. The SS and their collaborators gathered men, women, children, and even babies and took them to isolated places. They then shot their prisoners in holes that became their graves.
Jews in places not reached by the killing groups were gathered and taken to concentration camps, or slave-labor prisons. These camps were in mostly in Germany and Poland. Hitler hoped that the horrible conditions in the camps would hurry the total destruction of the Jews. The prisoners worked the whole week as slaves for the SS or for German businesses. Guards severely injured or killed their prisoners for not working quick enough. With food of thin soup, a scrap of bread, and potato peelings, most prisoners lost around 50 pounds in the first few months. "Hunger was so intense", recalled one survivor, “that if a bit of soup spilled over, prisoners would . . . dig their spoons into the mud and stuff the mess in their mouths."
Hitler’s extermination of the Jews turned toward the “Final Solution” in 1942. The Nazis built extermination camps with large gas chambers that could kill as many as 6,000 people in a day. When prisoners got to Auschwitz, the largest of the extermination camps, they paraded before a committee of SS doctors. With a gesture, these doctors separated the strong, mainly men, from the weak, mainly women, children, the elderly, and the sick. Those labeled as weak would die in under a day. They were told to get ready for a shower and then taken into a chamber with fake shower heads. After the doors were shut, cyanide gas was dumped from the shower heads or holes in the ceiling. All inside were dead in minutes. Later, the Nazis installed crematoriums to burn the bodies.
Even in the camps, Jews fought back against the Nazis. At the camps Treblinka in August 1943, and at Sobibor in October 1943, small groups of Jews rebelled. They took out guards, stormed the armories and stole guns and grenades, and then broke out. In both uprisings, around 300 prisoners escaped. Most were killed soon after, but of the survivors, many joined up with partisan groups and continued to fight until the war ended. n late 1944, prisoners at Auschwitz revolted as well. Like the escapees at Treblinka and Sobibor, most were captured and killed. Young women like Roza Robota and Ella Gartner made the Auschwitz uprising possible. Gartner smuggled gunpowder into the camp from the munitions factory where she worked. Robota helped put together resistance in the camp. They were executed on January 6, 1945. Less than a month later, Auschwitz was liberated.
The Allied Victory:
Winston Churchill wanted Britain and the US to strike first at southern Europe and North Africa, which angered stalin. He wanted allies to open second front in France. In late 1942, Britain and US were able to turn the Tide of war in the Mediterranean and Eastern front. Britain sent General Montgomery to take control of British forces in north Africa. Germans had made it into Egypt, and were dug in so deep that Britain couldn't go around. The Allies lead a massive attack on Germany, surprising them. They were able to hold out for a few days, but Britain finally pushed out Germany. A mostly American force landed in morocco and Algeria.This put German Armies in between Britain and America, which ended in them slowly being crushed. Germany advanced to the Soviet Union in the north It stalled at Moscow and Leningrad in late 1941. The harsh winter made it worse.When summer arrived, Hitler sent his army commanded by Fredrich Paulus to seize the old fields in the Caucasus mountains. The army was to capture Stalingrad. They lead nightly bombing raids, setting the city on fire and destroying it. Stalin made sure that his soldiers held it with their lives. Soviet troops surrounded the city, cutting them off from supplies and trapping German Soldiers inside. Paulus pleaded Hitler to call a retreat, but he demanded that they held the city. On February 2nd, 1943, around 90'000 freezing and starving german soldiers surrendered. This was a major turning point in the war, and it lead the beginning of Germany's defensive. (1)
As the Battle in Stalingrad was being fought, America and Britain decide to invade Italy. On July 10, 1943, Ally forces landed in Sicily and captured it about a month after. This put Mussolini from power, and he was arrested.Germany seized northern Italy, and put Mussolini back in power. Allies continued fighting north into Italy and pushed out Germany. A group of Italian resistance fighters ambushed german trucks and found mussolini, who was disguised as a soldier. They killed him and hung his body in downtown Milan.(1)
While the Allies were dealing with issues on the at home, they also were getting ready to push for victory in Europe. In 1943, the Allies began to secretly build an invasion force in Great Britain. Their plan was to launch a large attack on German-occupied France across the English Channel. By May 1944, the invasion force was ready. Thousands of ships, tanks, planes, and landing craft with more than three million troops waiting for the attack order. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the commander of this gigantic force, planned to attack the coast of Normandy, in northwestern France. The Germans were aware of an attack, but they did not know where it was going to be launched. To keep Hitler guessing, the Allies created a large false army with its own equipment and headquarters. This dummy army seemed to be preparing to attack the French seaport of Calais. Code-named Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy was the largest sea and land assault in history. It began on June 6, 1944—known as D-Day. At sunrise on that day, French, British, American, and Canadian troops fought their way onto a 60-mile piece of beach in Normandy. The Germans had dug in with and canons, machine guns, and rocket launchers. They bunkered behind concrete walls three feet thick. The Allies held heavy casualties. Among the American forces alone, more than 2,700 men died in combat that day.(1)
Even with the heavy losses, Allies held the beachheads. Within a month of the attack, more than one million extra troops had landed. Then, on July 25, the Allies made a hole in the German defense near Saint-Lô, and the United States Third Army, led by General George Patton, came out. A month later, the Allies marched victoriously into Paris. By September, they had freed Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. After, they looked to the East into Germany. As Allied forces advanced to Germany, the Soviet army was moving toward Germany from the east. Hitler now had to fight a war on two fronts. In a desperate risk, he chose to counter-attack in the west. Hitler was hoping a win would split British and American forces and break up Ally supply lines. Explaining his ideas behind his plan, Hitler said, “This battle is to decide whether we shall live or die. . . . All resistance must be broken in a wave of terror.” On December 16, German tanks punched through weak American defenses along a 75-mile front in the Ardennes. The fight through Allied lines gave the campaign its name, the Battle of the Bulge. Although caught by surprise, the Allies did push the Germans back out. The Germans had no choice but to retreat, since there were no available reinforcements. (1)
Germany’s Unconditional Surrender After the Battle of the Bulge, European war quickly came to an end. In late March 1945, the Allies made their way across the Rhine River into Germany. By the middle of April, armies were closing in on Berlin. About three million Allied soldiers approached Berlin. Another six million Soviet troops came in from the east. By April 25, 1945, the Soviets had surrounded the capital and were nailing the city with fire from artillery. While Soviet guns fired into Berlin, Hitler prepared to end it in his bunker under the city. On April 29, he was married his long-time companion, Eva Braun. The next day, Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide. Their bodies were then brought and burned. On May 7, 1945, Eisenhower accepted the unconditional surrender of the Third Reich from Germany's military. President Roosevelt, although, did not live to witness the long hoped for victory. He had passed away unexpectedly on April 12, as Allied armies were making their way toward Berlin. Roosevelt’s successor, Harry Truman, received the big news of the Nazi surrender. On May 9, the surrender was officially signed in Berlin. The allied powers celebrated V-E Day—Victory in Europe Day. After almost six years of fighting, the war in Europe had finished. (1)
By the fall of 1944, the Allies were advancing in on Japan. In October, Allied forces landed at the island of Leyte, in the Philippines. General Douglas MacArthur, who had been ordered to leave the islands before their surrender in May 1942, waded ashore at Leyte with his troops. On arriving at the beach, he declared, “People of the Philippines, I have returned." Actually, the takeover wouldn't that easy. The Japanese had devised a audacious plan to stop the Allied advance. They would obliterate the American fleet, preventing the Allies from refilling their ground troops. This plan, however, required risking the loss of almost the entire Japanese fleet. They took this risk on October 23, in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Within four days, the Japanese navy had lost awfully, removing it as a usable fighter in the war. Now, only the kamikazes and the Japanese army stood between the Allies and Japan. The kamikazes were Japanese suicide pilots. They would wreck Ally ships by crash diving their bomb filled planes into them.(1)
In March 1945, after a month of rough fighting and bitter losses, American Marines took Iwo Jima, an island 760 miles from Tokyo. On April 1, U.S. troops pushed onto the island of Okinawa, only about 350 miles from southern Japan. The Japanese put up a hard fight. However, on June 21, one of the most bloodiest land battles of the war had finished. The Japanese lost more than 100,000 troops, and the Americans lost around 12,000. After Okinawa, the next target for the Allies had to be Japan. President Truman’s advisers had informed him that an all out invasion of the Japanese homeland might cause the lost of half a million Allied lives. Truman had to make a decision whether to use a devastating new weapon called the atomic bomb, or A-bomb. Most of his advisers agreed that using it would bring the war to the quickest end. The bomb had been developed by the top-secret Manhattan Project, lead by General Leslie Groves and Jewish scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer. Truman found out of the new bomb’s existence when he became president.
The first atomic bomb was exploded in a test run in a desert in New Mexico on July 16, 1945. President Truman then gave an ultimatum to the Japanese. He told them that unless they surrendered, they should "expect rain of ruin from the air.” The Japanese did not answer. So, on August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, a Japanese city of nearly 350,000 people. Between 70,000 and 80,000 people died in the blast. Three days later, on August 9, another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, a city of 270,000. More than 70,000 perished in the explosion. The radiation from the explosions spread and even more were killed by it. The Japanese surrendered to Douglas MacArthur on September 2. The ceremony took place on the United States battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay. With the Japanese surrender, the war was over. Now, countries faced the task of rebuilding a war-torn world.
Europe and Japan in Ruins:
In Europe about 40 Million people had died 2/3 of which were civilians. The constant shell bombings left most of the major cities destroyed. Some cities though, were practically untouched like Paris, Rome, and Brussels. Cites like London, Warsaw, and Berlin were almost completely destroyed. Some civilians stayed where they were and tried to continue on with their lives. The people lived in their bombed houses and apartments, had little food, no electricity, and no water. Many people left the areas where they used to live and moved on. There were many displaced people who were trying to find a safe place to live and reunite with their families. After the war there were many refugees, prisoners of war concentration camp prisoners. Their were many border changes to some countries that confused them and made it difficult to return home. There was a dread and misery that continued many years after war. The agriculture of different countries crumbled, being that there were few people left to farm or transport goods. Many people died of famine and disease. No one had the sufficient food, clothing, shelter, or support to survive the harsh winter after the war. Many left to fight in war or had to produce war goods(1).
People blamed leaders for the war and its aftermath. Some countries returned to their old governments, but others like Germany, Italy, and France did not. Communists parties promised change and many people listened at first while Communism gained power. After a violent strike out of anxiety they lost popularity and the economies of France and Italy recovered. Many countries tried helping or repairing economically, politically but also the war crimes. The International Military Tribunal came together which represented 23 nations. Many Nazi leaders were charged with war of aggression and crime against humanity. Many high ranking leaders including Hitler committed suicide before they could be put on trial. Those that remained were either sentenced life in prison or execution. Only one of these leader expressed regret and people who were executed were cremated in a camp(1).
Japan was also in ruins with about 2 million dead. Many major cities were destroyed including Tokyo the capital. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were completely annihilated due to the atomic bomb. Japan no longer had a colonial empire. General Douglas McArthur, the one who accepted Japanese surrender, took control of occupation. He started demilitarized zones in Japan, where Japanese military forces were not allowed, and wanted to keep fairness and peace to stop future war. He also put war criminals on trial and a few of them were killed. He tried democratization, where a government was elected by its people, and he set up a constitutional monarchy. They accepted this and it went into effect on May 3, 1947(1).
He did not revive economy, but expanded land ownership and increase participation of workers and farmers. They made a new constitution for Japan. The emperor was no longer divine, his power was greatly reduced, and gave the power to the people. They had a two house parliament called Diet and let everyone above 20 vote including women. The government was led by a prime minister chosen by major party in parliament. Basic rights and freedoms of people were protected in a bill of rights. Japan could also no longer make war they could only fight if attacked. In 1951 the U.S. And 47 other countries signed a peace treaty with Japan which officially ended the war. U.S. occupation was stopped but some military stayed to support Japan's weakened defense. Japan and the U.S were allies now. The U.S. and the Soviet Union were two major powers but had different views(1).
The Great Depression:
In the late 1920s, American economic prosperity greatly supported the world economy. In 1929, there was uneven distribution of wealth, overproduction of business and agriculture, many Americans were buying less. The richest people which made up 5% of the population received 33% of the wealth. A lot of families were too poor to buy the goods produced, so companies cut back in orders, which made factories lay people off due to less work needed. There was a surplus in agricultural production, so prices and profit went down. The farmers were then unable to pay banks which weakened them. New York City’s Wall Street became the financial capital of the world. There were many investment places and banks and stock prices rose. Many middle class people started buying stock on margin. This system worked well with rising prices, in September 1929 the stocks were really high. People sold their stocks because they though prices would go down, and eventually stock prices took a nose dive. On Tuesday October 29 stock prices dropped again and the market collapsed(1).
Unemployment rates rose due to people not able to pay money owed and the decline of industrial production, prices, and wages began. The U.S. was in a Great Depression that effected the whole world. The stock market crash made it difficult with businesses failing, banks closing and factory production being cut in half. People lost their money, their land, and their jobs. The Americans tried making their money back by collecting it from overseas. The U.S government tried to keep money in the U.S with high tariffs, but this backfired and conditions worsened for the United States. These tariffs set off a chain reaction for other countries to try making back their money and selling goods with their own tariffs and policies. World trade dropped by 65%, and unemployment rates soared worldwide. Germany and Austria were greatly effected due to their loss in the previous war, and other countries as well due to the lack of trade(1).
Many countries tried to combat the depression by changing their economic and political systems with new ideas and projects. Britain tried changing their government, putting heavy taxes and tariffs on items, and lowering interest rates. All these methods helped bring them cut unemployment and increase production. France had a more self- sufficient economy, but was still effected. So in 1936, moderates, Socialists, and Communists formed a coalition to fight antidemocratic forces. It was called the Popular Front and they tried helping workers and preserving the government. The Socialist governments in the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway also met the challenge of economic crisis successfully(1).
In 1932, the first presidential election after the Depression occurred and people elected Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt began a program to reform the government that he called the New Deal. There were large public works projects gave jobs for unemployed, government agencies gave financial help to businesses and farms. Roosevelt government spending could create jobs recover the nation. The New Deal eventually reformed, and Roosevelt’s leadership preserved the country’s faith in its democratic political system(1).
Rise of Dictators in Europe:
Fascism was a militant, new political movement that emphasized loyalty to state and obedience to the leader. Unlike communism, fascism had no clear theory or program. Nevertheless, most Fascists shared a few ideas. They believed an extreme type of nationalism. Fascists believed that nations have to struggle, peaceful states were only going to be conquered. They pledged loyalty to an authoritative leader who guided and brought order to the state. In each nation, Fascists wore uniforms of a specific color, used special salutes, and held massive rallies. (1)
In some ways, fascism was alike to communism. Both systems were ruled by dictators who permitted only their own political party. Both did not allow individual rights. In both, the state was above all. Neither practiced any sort of democracy. However, unlike Communists, Fascists didn't go for a classless society. Rather, they thought that each class had its place and job. In most cases, Fascist parties were made of aristocrats and industrialists, war veterans, and the lower middle class. Also, Fascists were nationalists, and Communists were internationalists, wanting to "unite workers worldwide.” In Germany, a form of Facism called Nazism rose. It consisted of the superiority of the German people. In Italy, it was lead by Benito Mussolini. Fascism’s growing in Italy was fueled by disappointment over the failure to win large land gains at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference. Growing inflation and unemployment also contributed to social unrest. To increasing numbers of Italians, their current democratic government seemed unable to deal with the country’s problems. They wanted a leader who would make action. (1)
A politician and newspaper editor named Benito Mussolini audaciously vowed to rescue Italy by reviving its economy and recreating its armed forces. He promised to give Italy strong leadership. Mussolini founded the Fascist Party in 1919. As economic conditions grew worse, his popularity quickly increased. Lastly, Mussolini criticized Italy’s government publicly. Groups of Fascists wearing black shirts assaulted Communists and Socialists on the streets. Because Mussolini played with the fear of a worker revolt, he began to win support from the aristocracy, middle class, and industrial workers. In October 1922, about 30,000 Fascists marched into Rome. They ordered that King Victor Emmanuel III put Mussolini as leader of the government. The king decided that Mussolini was the best chance for his dynasty to survive. After a threatened uprising and widespread violence, Mussolini took power “legally.” (1)
Mussolini became Il Duce, or the leader. He abolished democracy and outlawed all non-facist political parties . Secret police put his opponents into jail. Government censors made publications or radio stations publish and broadcast only Fascist doctrines. Mussolini outlawed strikes, and he sought to control the economy by allying the Fascists with the industrialists and large landowners. However, Mussolini never had the full control achieved by Hitler in Germany and Stalin in the Soviet Union. When Mussolini became dictator of Italy in the 1920s, Adolf Hitler was a little-known political leader in Germany whose young life had been hit by disappointment. When World War I broke out, Hitler discovered a new beginning. He volunteered for the army and was awarded the Iron Cross twice, a medal for bravery. (1)
At the end of the war, Hitler settled down in Munich. In 1919, he joined a puny right-wing political group. This group agreed his belief that Germany had to overturn the Treaty of Versailles and fight communism. The group later called itself the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, or Nazi for short. It's ideals formed the German form of fascism known as Nazism. It adopted the swastika, or hooked cross, as its symbol. The Nazis also set up a private militia, known as the storm troopers, or Brown Shirts. Inside a short time, Hitler’s successful roll as an organizer and speaker led him to be chosen for the leader of the Nazi party. He was inspired by Mussolini’s march on Rome, so Hitler and the Nazis plotted to seize power in Munich in 1923. The seizure failed, and Hitler was arrested. He was tried for treason but was given only five years in prison. He actually served less than nine months. (1)
While in jail, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf, or My Struggle. This book spoke of his beliefs and his goals with Germany. Hitler asserted that the Germans, whom he incorrectly named “Aryans,” were a “master race.” He decided that non-Aryan “races,” such Slavs, Jews, and Gypsies, were not as good. He called the Versailles Treaty an outrage and vowed to gain back German lands. Hitler also declared that Germany was overcrowded and needed more or living space. He promised to get that space by conquering Russia and Eastern Europe. After leaving Jail in 1924, Hitler revived the Nazi Party. Most Germans ignored them and their angry message until the Great Depression finished the nation’s brief postwar recovery. When American loans stopped, Germany's economy collapsed. Civil unrest broke out. Frightened and confused, Germans now came Hitler, hoping for firm leadership and security.(1)
The Nazis had become the biggest political party by 1932. Conservative leaders incorrectly believed they could control Hitler and use him for their needs. In January 1933, they advised President Paul von Hindenburg to make Hitler the chancellor. Thus Hitler came to power legally. Once in office, Hitler called for elections, wishing to win a parliamentary majority. Six days before the election, a fire burnt down the Reichstag building, where the parliament meets. The Nazis blamed it on the Communists. By stirring up a fear of the Communists, the Nazis and their allies won by a slight majority. Hitler used his new found power to turn Germany into a totalitarian state. He banned all other political parties and had their opponents arrested. Meanwhile, an elite group with black uniforms called the SS (Schutzstaffel, or protection squad) was created. It was loyal to Hitler alone. In 1934, the SS arrested and assassinated hundreds of Hitler’s enemies. This brutal action and the terror applied by the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police, scared most Germans into total obedience. (1)
During the Fascist take over in Italy and Germany, the nations formed in eastern Europe after World War I also were falling to dictatorship. In Hungary in 1919, after a brief Communist regime, military forces and wealthy landowners joined to make Admiral Miklós Horthy the first European postwar dictator. In Poland, Marshal Jozef Pilsudski took power in 1926. In Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Albania, and Romania, monarchs turned to strong-man rule. They suspended constitutions and silenced enemies. In 1935, the only democracy that remained was Czechoslovakia. (1)
The Beginning of WWII:
In the early 1920s, the Japanese Government became democratic, and agreed to respect China's borders. They also signed the Kellogg Brand Pact which made them unable to declare war. Their government was weak and they had limits to their power. The prime minister and cabinet member had limited abilities. The military leaders of Japan reported to the emperor only. Many Japanese people blamed their government for the Great Depression and they were angered by it. They wanted change and eventually various military leaders came to power. They tried restoring traditional government power to the people of Japan. The leader made the emperor more of a figure head, or symbol of power. Emperor Hirohito stayed in power because of the people who supported him and worked with him(1).
The Japanese leaders were nationalist and tried to make Japan strong through different methods of foreign expansion. Japanese invaded and took control of Manchuria in 1931 for its resources of iron, coal, and other valuable resources. The land space could also help with their growing population. Due to opposition of their invasion, Japan withdrew from the League of Nations in 1933. An all out war followed four years later due to a border dispute between China and Japan. Japanese forces, although outnumbered, were better equipped and had good training. Many major cites including the capital of China, Nanjing, fell to Japan. The Chinese set up a new capital at Chongqing, and Chinese Guerilla fighters continued to fight the Japanese at various locations(1).
Back in Europe, some fascist groups began their own plans. Mussolini planned to make a colonial empire in Africa and invaded Ethiopia in 1935. The Italians easily with their advanced weaponry. The Ethiopian Emperor, Haile Selassie, asked the League for help, but the League did nothing. They tried to keep peace in Europe by staying neutral. Germany declared not to follow the restrictions of the Versailles treaty, and Hitler, the Führer, took greater risks then when the League again did nothing. On March 7, 1936, German troops moved into the Rhineland and the League did not react out of fear for starting a war. Moving into Rhineland strengthened Hitlers power and prestige and gave Germany the upper hand. From where the German troops were positioned they could easily invade France and Belgium. Hitler then took even more aggressive and forceful movements to expand his empire. In 1936, Mussolini and Hitler made an agreement to be allies in what was called the Axis. Later Germany made an agreement with Japan giving them the new name the Axis Powers(1).
During the Spanish Civil war, Italy and Germany sent supplies and weapons to Francisco Franco the fascist Nationalists. They tried to stop the Republicans from gaining power and wanted to change the government. Franco became the fascist dictator after the Republican side fell with Italy and Germany's help. Instead of fighting again Britain and France tried to keep peace by not getting involved in battle. Both of these nations were dealing with economic problems as a result of the Great Depression. The horrors that occurred during WWI made people want to avoid war. Some Americans supported isolationism and thought entry into WWI was a bad decision. The U.S. Government made neutrality acts and did not sells arms to countries at war. Hitler soon made plans to absorb Austria and Czechoslovakia into Germany also called the Third Reich. The Austrians supported this and it was annexed when German troops entered Austria. As always, the League did nothing and let Hitlers empire grow stronger and stronger(1),
Hitler then wanted a part of northern Czechoslovakia (or Sudetenland) under his power, since there were many Germans there. The Czechs refused and asked France for assistance. On September 29, 1938 the countries of Germany, France, Italy, and Britain held a meeting. It was held in Munich, Germany and was called the Munich Conference. Czechoslovakia was not at this meeting. Britain and France gave into Hitler's demands and let him have the Sudetenland. Hitler gladly accepted and said he would respect Czechoslovakia's borders, but didn't. In less than six months he took Czechoslovakia, while Mussolini also took Albania. Germany also demanded that Poland return the port of Danzig to them but the poles refused and asked France and Britain for help. France and Britain did nothing again. Hitler and Stalin spoke with each other and made an agreement never to declare war on each other. This agreement was called a nonaggression pact and was signed August 23, 1939. The Axis Powers then moved on practically unchallenged and war seemed inevitable(1).
Japan's Role in WWII:
The Japanese emperor from 1901 to 1989 was Hirohito. Japan was left crippled from the Great Depression which had effected the world and its trade. Japan turned to new ideas which lead to extreme nationalism and militarism. They wanted help protecting their country so they joined the Tripartite Pact with Italy and Germany. These three nations promised to defend each other in war. The Japanese empire was looking for expansion, but the U.S. intercepted a message and responded with and oil embargo. This angered them and Isoroku Yamamoto came up with the idea of crippling the U.S. fleet in the pacific. (2)
On December 7, 1941 they bombed Pearl Harbor and started the war with the U.S. With no time for the U.S. to attack, Japan began taking over British colonies in the Dutch East Indies. They were cruel to the prisoners and orchestrated the Bataan death march in the Philippines. They kept advancing until the air battle of the Coral Sea. The Battle of Midway was a tuning point for the war. Their attack was discovered by the U.S. and decoys were sent. They Japanese weren't expecting this and were devastated by the defeat. It took many months to recover and their army was never the same. (2)
The U.S. told Japan to surrender or there would be consequences. Japan ignored and were hit by two atomic bombs. They dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Millions died and the Japanese could not believed what had happened. They surrendered because the results were devastating and they didn't want to lose any more of their people. (1)
Unit 731:
During WW2, it is known that Germany did experiments on human guinea pigs, but they weren't alone in this. Japan was much more secretive about their tests, they denied and hid it for 40 years. They had a special unit devoted to inhumane tests, often times going against the geneva convention. They were known as Unit 731. They used enemy soldiers and civilians as test subjects. (4)
These experiments included infecting subjects with: anthrax (a deadly spore), cholera, plague, and other diseases or pathogens. It was for testing experimental germ weapons. They would often It is estimated that 3000 test subjects were used, but because of their secretive nature we aren't entirely sure. They would often test the limits of the human body. They put people out in freezing weather with no protection till their limbs fell off, so the doctors could learn how to better treat frostbite. They even put someone into a pressure chamber to see how much pressure someone could take before their eyes popped out. One of the worst experiments was a full vivisection, or an opening of the stomach down the middle, with no anesthesia.(4)
To help the conscience of those involved in the tests, the subjects weren't referred to as people, but as "maruta," or wooden logs. Before the Japanese surrender, the sites of experiments were destroyed. All the prisoners were shot, and the employees of the unit had to swear to secrecy, or risk being killed. The mice in the lab were released, but they were carrying the bubonic plague. This could have caused the lives of 30,000 people, because the mice spread the plague. Not many of the unit admitted any guilt. Many were caught, but only a few were tried for their crimes.(4)
U.S. Involvement:
The United States saw the Axis powers and was against them. We chose to stay out of the war to protect our people and our country. Japan angered the U.S. by taking lands and disobeying treaties. Eventually the peace came to an end. A message was intercepted from Japan saying that they planned to attack us. Pearl Harbor was attacked and the war began. All troops were mobilized and war was declared. The U.S. stopped the Japanese and held them to the pacific. We were also sending troops to help the Allies in Europe and Africa. Eventually the Atomic bombs were dropped and ended war with Japan. Hitler and Russia still had to be defeated. (2)
All supplies were being rationed and men were drafted into the army. We needed all troops and supplies to stop the Axis Powers. In the beginning on 1942 the U.S. sent troops to Britain to help defeat the germans in the Mediterranean. The U.S. was also involved in war in North Africa in the proximity of casablanca. Our troops were on most fronts of the war and we gave support to all the Allies. This gave way to many battles and eventually the Allied Victory. (2)
Major Battles in WWII:
Midway was the turning point of the war in the Pacific. Most of the Japanese navy was destroyed and this stopped their progress. Four of the aircraft carriers were destroyed. The U.S. had time and a large troop advantage over them after this battle. (3)
Iwo-Jima was a small island with a tactical advantage for whoever held it in the war. The Japanese had two airfields on the island. The U.S. attacked it wanting to have the airfields for their bombers. Upon landing on the beaches, the Americans were killed easily but after many days of fighting, they took over.(3)
Okinawa is an island off the coast of Japan. It is a part of the Ryukyus islands. The island had 4 airbases and needed intelligence on the Japanese. Kamikazes bombed U.S. ships and the Japanese had a strong fortified line. They held the United States off but eventually the mass of troops overwhelmed the Japanese. The U.S. held the strategic bombing island. (3)
Stalingrad is considered on of the major turning points of World War II and one of the bloodiest Russian battles. The Germans fought against the Soviet Union forces in the city of Stalingrad. This city was Russia's major communications and manufacturing centre in the south. Hitler's hate for Stalin was so great that he attacked this city because it was named after Stalin. Stalin ordered his troops to defend the city for the same reason. The harsh winter and the Soviet Union's strategy made it hard for the Germans to gain advantages. Some streets were fought over in hand to hand combat, and any ground the Germans had was quickly taken away by the Soviet Union within the next few battles. The Germans fought to the last bullet but lost. (3)
The Battle of Moscow was fought in Moscow, the capital of Russia, in 1941. Hitler attacked this city because he believed that if the heart of Russia (Moscow) was cut out then the whole empire would soon fall. This victory was vital to the Germans Campaign to take over Russia for strategy, power, and resources . The initial attack of the Germans worked well because the weather conditions were good and they had sufficient troops and supplies. Their strategy worked and they caught the Soviets by surprise crushing them. Hitler then decided that he wanted all people within the city killed and it must be completely destroyed. After their first attack the Germans fell back to fight the Soviet Armies that were gathered behind them and gather more support troops. This gave the people in Moscow a chance to reorganize themselves and strengthen their defenses. The second attack wasn't successful and they Germans were forced to retreat. The General of the Soviets Georgy Zhukov became known as the man who never lost a battle. (3)
Operation Overlord or D-Day was when the Allies freed Europe from Nazi control. About 160,000 troops landed on the beaches and it was the largest amphibious assault in history. It left the Germans confused and hiding in the bunkers. Because of this, the Allies had time to group up on the beaches and slowly push the Germans back. After many deaths, The Germans fell back and were not able to regroup. This lead to the Nazi surrender and ended the war. (2)
The Holocaust:
To gain support for his racist ideas, Hitler tapped into a despising of Jews that had deep ties in European history. For years many Germans, along with other Europeans, had named the Jews a scapegoat. Some Germans even blamed Jews for their country’s loss in the first World War and their problems after that war. Over time, the Nazis targeting Jews a government law. The Nuremberg Laws, passed in 1935, took away from Jews their rights to German citizenship and stopped marriages between Jews and non-Jews. Laws passed later also limited the professions that Jews could have.
The worst had yet. In Early November 1938, 17-year-old Herschel Grynszpan , a Jewish boy from Germany, was visiting an relative in Paris. While Grynszpan was there, he got a postcard. It said that after being in Germany for 27 years, his father had been deported to Poland. On November 7, in an act to avenge his father’s deportation, Grynszpan shot a German diplomat living in Paris. When Nazi leaders received the news, they used this event to launch a violent assault on the Jewish community. On November 9, Nazi troopers attacked Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues across Austria and Germany. They murdered close to 100 Jews. They gathered up 30,000 Jews and them to concentration camps, where many died. An American in Leipzig wrote, “Jewish shop windows by the hundreds were systematically . . . smashed. . . . The main streets of the city were a positive litter of shattered plate glass.” The night of November 9 was known as Kristallnacht, or “Night of Broken Glass. Kristallnacht marked a major step-up in the Nazi policy of Jewish persecution. The future for Jews in Germany looked dismal. After Kristallnacht, some Jews realized that violence was only to increase. By the end of 1939, a large number of German Jews had fled to other countries. Many however, stayed in Germany. In the future, Hitler captured territories in which millions more Jews were living.
In the beginning, Hitler preferred emigration as a solution to what he called “the Jewish problem.” Getting other countries to continue allowing in Germany’s Jews became a problem, however. After admitting tens of thousands of Jewish refugees, countries such as Britain, the United States, and France abruptly blocked their doors to further immigration. Germany’s foreign minister said, “We all want to get rid of our Jews. The difficulty is that no country wishes to receive them.”
When Hitler realized he could not remove Jews through emigration, he put another idea into action. He forced Jews in all countries under his control to be moved to certain cities. In these cities, the Nazis collected the Jews into overcrowded, dismal ghettos, or segregated Jewish areas. The Nazis then closed off the ghettos with stone walls and barbed wire. They hoped that the Jews inside would die from starvation or disease. Even under these awful conditions, the Jews hung on. Some, especially the Jews in Warsaw, Poland, formed resistance groups inside the ghettos. They also worked hard to keep their traditions. Ghetto theaters produced concerts and plays. Teachers taught lessons in secret. Scholars recorded so that one day people would find out the truth. Hitler soon grew tired of this and decided to do more. His strategy was called the “Final Solution.” It was actually a meticulous plan of genocide, the systematic murder of an entire group of people. Hitler believed that his idea of conquest depended on the purity of the Aryan race. To protect racial purity, the Nazis had to destroy any nationalities, race or groups they viewed as not as perfect, some not even as humans. This included Poles, Russians, Gypsies, the insane, the homosexual, the disabled, and the terminally ill. The primary focus was on the Jews. Nazi troops marched across Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, the murders began. Units from the SS were on a Jew hunt from town to town. The SS and their collaborators gathered men, women, children, and even babies and took them to isolated places. They then shot their prisoners in holes that became their graves.
Jews in places not reached by the killing groups were gathered and taken to concentration camps, or slave-labor prisons. These camps were in mostly in Germany and Poland. Hitler hoped that the horrible conditions in the camps would hurry the total destruction of the Jews. The prisoners worked the whole week as slaves for the SS or for German businesses. Guards severely injured or killed their prisoners for not working quick enough. With food of thin soup, a scrap of bread, and potato peelings, most prisoners lost around 50 pounds in the first few months. "Hunger was so intense", recalled one survivor, “that if a bit of soup spilled over, prisoners would . . . dig their spoons into the mud and stuff the mess in their mouths."
Hitler’s extermination of the Jews turned toward the “Final Solution” in 1942. The Nazis built extermination camps with large gas chambers that could kill as many as 6,000 people in a day. When prisoners got to Auschwitz, the largest of the extermination camps, they paraded before a committee of SS doctors. With a gesture, these doctors separated the strong, mainly men, from the weak, mainly women, children, the elderly, and the sick. Those labeled as weak would die in under a day. They were told to get ready for a shower and then taken into a chamber with fake shower heads. After the doors were shut, cyanide gas was dumped from the shower heads or holes in the ceiling. All inside were dead in minutes. Later, the Nazis installed crematoriums to burn the bodies.
Even in the camps, Jews fought back against the Nazis. At the camps Treblinka in August 1943, and at Sobibor in October 1943, small groups of Jews rebelled. They took out guards, stormed the armories and stole guns and grenades, and then broke out. In both uprisings, around 300 prisoners escaped. Most were killed soon after, but of the survivors, many joined up with partisan groups and continued to fight until the war ended. n late 1944, prisoners at Auschwitz revolted as well. Like the escapees at Treblinka and Sobibor, most were captured and killed. Young women like Roza Robota and Ella Gartner made the Auschwitz uprising possible. Gartner smuggled gunpowder into the camp from the munitions factory where she worked. Robota helped put together resistance in the camp. They were executed on January 6, 1945. Less than a month later, Auschwitz was liberated.
The Allied Victory:
Winston Churchill wanted Britain and the US to strike first at southern Europe and North Africa, which angered stalin. He wanted allies to open second front in France. In late 1942, Britain and US were able to turn the Tide of war in the Mediterranean and Eastern front. Britain sent General Montgomery to take control of British forces in north Africa. Germans had made it into Egypt, and were dug in so deep that Britain couldn't go around. The Allies lead a massive attack on Germany, surprising them. They were able to hold out for a few days, but Britain finally pushed out Germany. A mostly American force landed in morocco and Algeria.This put German Armies in between Britain and America, which ended in them slowly being crushed. Germany advanced to the Soviet Union in the north It stalled at Moscow and Leningrad in late 1941. The harsh winter made it worse.When summer arrived, Hitler sent his army commanded by Fredrich Paulus to seize the old fields in the Caucasus mountains. The army was to capture Stalingrad. They lead nightly bombing raids, setting the city on fire and destroying it. Stalin made sure that his soldiers held it with their lives. Soviet troops surrounded the city, cutting them off from supplies and trapping German Soldiers inside. Paulus pleaded Hitler to call a retreat, but he demanded that they held the city. On February 2nd, 1943, around 90'000 freezing and starving german soldiers surrendered. This was a major turning point in the war, and it lead the beginning of Germany's defensive. (1)
As the Battle in Stalingrad was being fought, America and Britain decide to invade Italy. On July 10, 1943, Ally forces landed in Sicily and captured it about a month after. This put Mussolini from power, and he was arrested.Germany seized northern Italy, and put Mussolini back in power. Allies continued fighting north into Italy and pushed out Germany. A group of Italian resistance fighters ambushed german trucks and found mussolini, who was disguised as a soldier. They killed him and hung his body in downtown Milan.(1)
While the Allies were dealing with issues on the at home, they also were getting ready to push for victory in Europe. In 1943, the Allies began to secretly build an invasion force in Great Britain. Their plan was to launch a large attack on German-occupied France across the English Channel. By May 1944, the invasion force was ready. Thousands of ships, tanks, planes, and landing craft with more than three million troops waiting for the attack order. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the commander of this gigantic force, planned to attack the coast of Normandy, in northwestern France. The Germans were aware of an attack, but they did not know where it was going to be launched. To keep Hitler guessing, the Allies created a large false army with its own equipment and headquarters. This dummy army seemed to be preparing to attack the French seaport of Calais. Code-named Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy was the largest sea and land assault in history. It began on June 6, 1944—known as D-Day. At sunrise on that day, French, British, American, and Canadian troops fought their way onto a 60-mile piece of beach in Normandy. The Germans had dug in with and canons, machine guns, and rocket launchers. They bunkered behind concrete walls three feet thick. The Allies held heavy casualties. Among the American forces alone, more than 2,700 men died in combat that day.(1)
Even with the heavy losses, Allies held the beachheads. Within a month of the attack, more than one million extra troops had landed. Then, on July 25, the Allies made a hole in the German defense near Saint-Lô, and the United States Third Army, led by General George Patton, came out. A month later, the Allies marched victoriously into Paris. By September, they had freed Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. After, they looked to the East into Germany. As Allied forces advanced to Germany, the Soviet army was moving toward Germany from the east. Hitler now had to fight a war on two fronts. In a desperate risk, he chose to counter-attack in the west. Hitler was hoping a win would split British and American forces and break up Ally supply lines. Explaining his ideas behind his plan, Hitler said, “This battle is to decide whether we shall live or die. . . . All resistance must be broken in a wave of terror.” On December 16, German tanks punched through weak American defenses along a 75-mile front in the Ardennes. The fight through Allied lines gave the campaign its name, the Battle of the Bulge. Although caught by surprise, the Allies did push the Germans back out. The Germans had no choice but to retreat, since there were no available reinforcements. (1)
Germany’s Unconditional Surrender After the Battle of the Bulge, European war quickly came to an end. In late March 1945, the Allies made their way across the Rhine River into Germany. By the middle of April, armies were closing in on Berlin. About three million Allied soldiers approached Berlin. Another six million Soviet troops came in from the east. By April 25, 1945, the Soviets had surrounded the capital and were nailing the city with fire from artillery. While Soviet guns fired into Berlin, Hitler prepared to end it in his bunker under the city. On April 29, he was married his long-time companion, Eva Braun. The next day, Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide. Their bodies were then brought and burned. On May 7, 1945, Eisenhower accepted the unconditional surrender of the Third Reich from Germany's military. President Roosevelt, although, did not live to witness the long hoped for victory. He had passed away unexpectedly on April 12, as Allied armies were making their way toward Berlin. Roosevelt’s successor, Harry Truman, received the big news of the Nazi surrender. On May 9, the surrender was officially signed in Berlin. The allied powers celebrated V-E Day—Victory in Europe Day. After almost six years of fighting, the war in Europe had finished. (1)
By the fall of 1944, the Allies were advancing in on Japan. In October, Allied forces landed at the island of Leyte, in the Philippines. General Douglas MacArthur, who had been ordered to leave the islands before their surrender in May 1942, waded ashore at Leyte with his troops. On arriving at the beach, he declared, “People of the Philippines, I have returned." Actually, the takeover wouldn't that easy. The Japanese had devised a audacious plan to stop the Allied advance. They would obliterate the American fleet, preventing the Allies from refilling their ground troops. This plan, however, required risking the loss of almost the entire Japanese fleet. They took this risk on October 23, in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Within four days, the Japanese navy had lost awfully, removing it as a usable fighter in the war. Now, only the kamikazes and the Japanese army stood between the Allies and Japan. The kamikazes were Japanese suicide pilots. They would wreck Ally ships by crash diving their bomb filled planes into them.(1)
In March 1945, after a month of rough fighting and bitter losses, American Marines took Iwo Jima, an island 760 miles from Tokyo. On April 1, U.S. troops pushed onto the island of Okinawa, only about 350 miles from southern Japan. The Japanese put up a hard fight. However, on June 21, one of the most bloodiest land battles of the war had finished. The Japanese lost more than 100,000 troops, and the Americans lost around 12,000. After Okinawa, the next target for the Allies had to be Japan. President Truman’s advisers had informed him that an all out invasion of the Japanese homeland might cause the lost of half a million Allied lives. Truman had to make a decision whether to use a devastating new weapon called the atomic bomb, or A-bomb. Most of his advisers agreed that using it would bring the war to the quickest end. The bomb had been developed by the top-secret Manhattan Project, lead by General Leslie Groves and Jewish scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer. Truman found out of the new bomb’s existence when he became president.
The first atomic bomb was exploded in a test run in a desert in New Mexico on July 16, 1945. President Truman then gave an ultimatum to the Japanese. He told them that unless they surrendered, they should "expect rain of ruin from the air.” The Japanese did not answer. So, on August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, a Japanese city of nearly 350,000 people. Between 70,000 and 80,000 people died in the blast. Three days later, on August 9, another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, a city of 270,000. More than 70,000 perished in the explosion. The radiation from the explosions spread and even more were killed by it. The Japanese surrendered to Douglas MacArthur on September 2. The ceremony took place on the United States battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay. With the Japanese surrender, the war was over. Now, countries faced the task of rebuilding a war-torn world.
Europe and Japan in Ruins:
In Europe about 40 Million people had died 2/3 of which were civilians. The constant shell bombings left most of the major cities destroyed. Some cities though, were practically untouched like Paris, Rome, and Brussels. Cites like London, Warsaw, and Berlin were almost completely destroyed. Some civilians stayed where they were and tried to continue on with their lives. The people lived in their bombed houses and apartments, had little food, no electricity, and no water. Many people left the areas where they used to live and moved on. There were many displaced people who were trying to find a safe place to live and reunite with their families. After the war there were many refugees, prisoners of war concentration camp prisoners. Their were many border changes to some countries that confused them and made it difficult to return home. There was a dread and misery that continued many years after war. The agriculture of different countries crumbled, being that there were few people left to farm or transport goods. Many people died of famine and disease. No one had the sufficient food, clothing, shelter, or support to survive the harsh winter after the war. Many left to fight in war or had to produce war goods(1).
People blamed leaders for the war and its aftermath. Some countries returned to their old governments, but others like Germany, Italy, and France did not. Communists parties promised change and many people listened at first while Communism gained power. After a violent strike out of anxiety they lost popularity and the economies of France and Italy recovered. Many countries tried helping or repairing economically, politically but also the war crimes. The International Military Tribunal came together which represented 23 nations. Many Nazi leaders were charged with war of aggression and crime against humanity. Many high ranking leaders including Hitler committed suicide before they could be put on trial. Those that remained were either sentenced life in prison or execution. Only one of these leader expressed regret and people who were executed were cremated in a camp(1).
Japan was also in ruins with about 2 million dead. Many major cities were destroyed including Tokyo the capital. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were completely annihilated due to the atomic bomb. Japan no longer had a colonial empire. General Douglas McArthur, the one who accepted Japanese surrender, took control of occupation. He started demilitarized zones in Japan, where Japanese military forces were not allowed, and wanted to keep fairness and peace to stop future war. He also put war criminals on trial and a few of them were killed. He tried democratization, where a government was elected by its people, and he set up a constitutional monarchy. They accepted this and it went into effect on May 3, 1947(1).
He did not revive economy, but expanded land ownership and increase participation of workers and farmers. They made a new constitution for Japan. The emperor was no longer divine, his power was greatly reduced, and gave the power to the people. They had a two house parliament called Diet and let everyone above 20 vote including women. The government was led by a prime minister chosen by major party in parliament. Basic rights and freedoms of people were protected in a bill of rights. Japan could also no longer make war they could only fight if attacked. In 1951 the U.S. And 47 other countries signed a peace treaty with Japan which officially ended the war. U.S. occupation was stopped but some military stayed to support Japan's weakened defense. Japan and the U.S were allies now. The U.S. and the Soviet Union were two major powers but had different views(1).
Sources / Work Cited:
(1) World History Patterns of Interaction
(2) www.Hstory.com
(3) www.historylearningsite.com
(4) unit731.org