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Content Overview
Unit 7: c. 1900-Present
World War 2
Causes of the War
Aggression by Axis Powers
German Aggression
Germany invaded Rhineland in 1936 & Austria in 1938
Italian Aggression
Italy invaded Ethiopia (Abyssinia) in 1935-36 & Albania in 1939
Japanese Aggression
Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931 & attacked China in 1937
The 2 Alliances
Axis
Allies
Germany
Italy
Japan
Britain
France
Russia
Start of the War
Germany invaded Sudetenland in 1938
Britain & France opposed this, but they signed Munich Accord (1938) with Germany, allowing it to conquer Sudetenland but nothing else, in an effort to prevent war
German broke the Munich Accord by conquering Poland in Sep 1939, causing Britain & France to declare war on Germany
The Middle of the War
German Blitzkrieg
German forces quickly took over most of Europe (Poland, Scandinavia, France, etc.)
In July 1940, German forces occupied France → Allied forces retreat to Dunkirk (a port in France)
German forces bombed London (Sep 1940 - May 1941) → Lots of damage in London → British air force drove away the German bombers
Germany attacked USSR (Operation Barbarossa, Jun - Dec 1941) → Defeated Leningrad → Failed to attack Moscow due to lack of resources in Russian wintertime
Germany used U-boats (submarines) to sink Allied ships
Japan's Entry into WW2
German victories in Europe inspired Japan
Japan conquered many places in East & Southeast Asia, including French Indochina & Singapore
US imposed an oil embargo on Japan in retaliation for Japan's occupation of French Indochina
US's Entry into WW2
Japan bombed Pearl Harbor (Dec 1941) in retaliation for US's oil embargo on Japan
US declared war on Japan
Germany & Italy declared war on US
The Holocaust
The Holocaust was the Nazi's killing of millions of Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, etc. They sent these people to concentration camps, where they were worked to death. Over 6 million Jews died
The End of the War
Allied Victory in Europe
US & USSR had a huge industrial capacity (much larger than Germany). US also developed sonar technology to track German U-boats (submarines)
At the 2nd Battle of El Alamein (late 1942), Allies defeated Germany, preventing Axis advance into North Africa
The Allies then invaded Sicily & mainland Italy, forcing Italy to surrender to the Allies in Sep 1943
Britain & US staged a huge attack on Normandy (in France) on D-Day (June 6, 1944)
The Allies then bombed major industrial centers of Germany & proceeded to march from Normandy to Berlin. Meanwhile, USSR was pushing eastward into Germany
In May 1945, Allies reach Berlin from the West, while USSR reaches Berlin from East → Forced Nazi Germany to surrender
Allied Victory in Japan
US initiated a cryptography operation (called Magic) to decipher Japanese military movements
US defeated Japan in Battles of Midway & Guadalcanal (1942-1943) → Gave US the advantage in the war
US took over more Japanese islands such as Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Philippines, etc.
US dropped 2 atomic bombs in Hiroshima & Nagasaki
Japan was forced to surrender (Sep 1945)
Post-war Situation
Post-War Developments
Yalta Compromise
Agreed to divide Germany into 4 zones of occupation (ruled by US, Britain, France, and USSR). Berlin would also be divided similarly
United Nations
An international body of nations meant to promote international cooperation & prevent another major war. It was created in Oct 1945, after WW2
The Cold War
A competition between US & USSR where the US sought to promote democracy while the USSR sought to promote communism throughout the world. This was the result of a failed peace agreement after WW2
The Cold War is described in Unit 8
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