Chapter 16 and 17 Unit Project

Chapter 16
With the end of World War I, Germany faced some tough times brought on by the Treaty of Versailles. This treaty basically tore down what was left of Germany. In the treaty, Germany was to take full responsibility for starting the war, tremendous amounts of debt, restrictions on how they could rebuild such as military restrictions and loss of territories. In Russia, a new leader had emerged, a man by the name of Joseph Stalin. He focused on creating a model communist state by both industrial and agricultural growth. He attempted to do this through collectivization and his Five Year Plan, which failed miserably and led to millions of deaths by starvation. By 1939, Stalin had firmly established a totalitarian government. In Italy,  a man named Benito Mussolini was establishing a totalitarian regime of his own, where unemployment and inflation were high. He took advantage of the peoples' fears in Italy and used them to form the Fascist party. He used his "Black Shirts" to lead a revolution to expand his idea of fascism. In Germany, a man named Adolf Hitler was beginning to lead the nation on the concept of Nazism. There was great depression in Germany, so the citizens began to follow Hitler and his idea of Nazism, which was founded on nationalism, racial purification and lebensraum (living space). Japan began to expand as an empire with no disagreement from the League of Nations. Germany dropped out of the League of Nations and began to rebuild their military to occupy land of their own such as the Rhineland. Again, the League of Nations does nothing. In Spain in 1936, a man named Francisco Franco led a revolt againt the Spanish Republic. It was a battle of fascism v. democracy, but with the support of Hitler and Mussolini, Franco and the Nationalists were victorious. This formed the Rome-Berlin axis, a strong bond between Germany and Italy. While all of this was happening, America was practicing isolationism because of the Kellog-Briand Pact. Franklin Roosevelt wanted to remain neutral, but fighting between other nations makes it impossible for the United States not to get involved.

Hitler was looking to expand his empire so hed id so with Austria through Anschluss and with Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland through the Munich Agreement. The United States and the rest of the world sat around doing nothing. The Munich Agreeement gave Hitler land without having to do anything for it because of appeasement and the rest of the world's fear of being harmed. Hitler still wanted to expand so in March 1935 he invaded Czechoslovakia. Hitler however faced a two-front war between Poland and the Soviet Union. But a shocking non-aggression pact signed between the Soviet Union and Germany eliminated the chance of battle between the two. Germany then invaded Poland by way of blitzkreig on September 1, 1939. The first step was the aerial assault by the Luftwaffe, then a group of tanks, followed by the German army. Poland falls to Germany in three weeks. In the early stages of World War I, a "battle" called Magnot Line took place where Stalin annexed the Baltic states and invaded Finland while Hitler invaded both Denmark and Norway. Germany then moved on to France through the Ardennes while Italy invaded France from the south. On June 22, 1940, France surrenders. Germany occupied Northern France and used Vichy France as a "puppet state". Germany looked for complete domination of Europe but Great Britain stood in the way. Britain was a strong naval power to match Germany's Luftwaffe. Germany attacked with Luftwaffe for two months in hope of destroying the Royal Air Force, but with the use of radar, Royal Air Force stopped the German invasion.

The Holocaust was a terrible act as it was a genocide performed by Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. This was put into action becuase Hitler believed in racial purification and believed that the Jews were the reason for the world's problems. Kristallnacht was the first major event that occured in the extermination of the Jews. Jewish homes, businesses and synagogues were attacked across Germany. Jews began to flee to other countries to escape the religious persecution but the surrounding countries would not take any more Jews because they already had a large number of them. The St. Louis was a ship with Jewish refugees that were not allowed to immigrate anywhere. Hitler's Final Solution was genocide to eliminate all who he thought opposed him. He did this by putting Jews in ghettos and concentration camps.  Millions died of starvation and mass killing.

The U.S. wanted to stay neutral but it was tough. Roosevelt slowly began to move away from this but the people wanted to stay isolated. The "cash-and-carry" policy was a little too late and Roosevelt scramble to support the British arymy in their fight. He sent 500,000 rifles, 80,000 machine guns and 50 destroyers, less than what the British had hoped for. The Tripartite Pact between Germany, Italy and Japan was bad for the U.S. because if they declared war on any of those countries, they would be backed up, implying that the U.S. would have to fight a two-ocean war. The U.S. quietly began to prepare for war by holding their first draft. Roosevelt, wanting to continue the cause, ran for a 3rd term of presidency. The U.S. knew they could not make peace with Hitler, so they had to support Britain's fight against Germany so they wouldn't have to fight Germany on their own. The Lend-Lease Plan and the garden hose analogy it contained described the relationship between the U.S. and Britain. Hitler had broken the neutrality pact with Stalin causing problems for him. Hitler's attempt to stop the Lend-Lease supplies was wolf packs of U-boats, but they were eventually negated by radar. Roosevelt's plans still favored neutrality and isolationism, the Atlantic Charter and undeclared naval war. Meanwhile, Japan, led by general Hideki Tojo would expand into China and colonial holdings. The U.S. protested with oil embargos, but Japan prepared for attack. On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese. The next day, the U.S. declared war on Japan. Three days after that, Germany and Italy declared war on the U.S. America had officialy joined World War II.

Chapter 17
Pearl Harbor was a devastating blow to the U.S., but it was used a rallying point to support the war cause. Five million people volunteered to join the armed forces and many new group such as the WAC were founded to help as well. Women and minority groups were given noncombat positions, but their efforts provided a significant boost. Many businesses changed from making their own products to making products for the war, such as auto plants. Also, Henry J. Kaiser aided in the assembly of the Liberty Ship, which was a symbol of unity. The labor force provided a large contribution as 18 million workers were in war industries, with six million women (Rosie the Riveter became the nickname) and two million minority workers. There was also a contribution from scientists by improving radar and sonar, creating pesticides and penicllin, and developing the atomic bomb (Manhattan Project). The economy needed to be controled very carefully by the OPA. There was a fear of inflation so their needed to be price controls. Income taxes were raised and extended and surplus cash was put into war bonds by the WPA. This was a success, as inflation stayed under 30%, half of World War I figures. Rationing was also a big component of controlling the economy by establishing fixed amounts of goods for the military through ration books with coupons.

The war priorities of the U.S. were Germany and Italy first, then take care of Japan. There were many battles for the U.S. in Europe. The first was the Battle of the Atlantic where Hitler ordered for submarine raids to try and prevent food and war materials from reaching Britian and the Soviet Union. Hitler was dominating, but the Allies organized their cargo ships into convoys and used sonar and radar to stop the attack. Next was the Battle of Stalingrad where Hitler wanted to capture Soviet oil fields and take down the city of Stalingrad. A German bombing helped take 9/10 of the city, but the Soviets used the winter season to bring more tanks, trap in the Germans, and eventually force them to surrender. Next was Operation Torch where an invasion of Axis-controlled North Africa led by Dwight D. Eisenhower. The Allies dominated the North African shore, forcing everyone to surrender. Next was the Italian Campaign which was the attempt to free Europe from German rule, first through Italy. Mussolini was forced to resign, pleasing the Italians with no more war. Germans fought off the Allies in Italy, until their eventual collapse. Next was Operation Overlord, better known as D-Day, which was the plan to attack Normandy in Northern France. Eisenhower used fake clues to draw Hitler's attention elsewhere. The Allies eventually freed France, Belgium and Luxmbourg. Finally, there was the Battle of the Bulge which was Hitler's last offensive move, taking tanks through Allied territory. The Germans were eventually pushed back, couting their losses and making them retreat.

After fighting with Germany in Europe, the U.S. had to deal with Japan in the Pacific. First, there was the Battle of Coral Sea where the Allies blocked a Japanes attempt to move toward Australia. The fighting was done by airplanes that took off from aircraft carriers. Next was the Battle of Midway, where the Allies stopped the Japanese from taking Midway (an island). American torpedo planes and bombers destroyed Japanese aircraft carriers and planes. Then there was Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Americans took Iwo Jima as an important base for bombers. Japanese kamikaze attacks hurt the U.S., but the Japanese were once again defeated. Finally, there was Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the sites of the first and second, respectively, atomic bomb droppings. These cities were destroyed and was used as a tactic by the U.S. to send a message that the war was over. The aftermath of the war was the Yalta Conference, where the "big 3" of Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill made key decisions about the war. The Nuremburg War Trials tried and convicted Nazi war criminals. Douglas MacArthur occupied Japan for seven years as well.

During the war, there was lots of good going on on the homefront. Unemployment was down and average pay was up, allowing people to save and invest. Farmers were happy and women found work. But after the war, many problems ensued. Women lost their jobs, there was a population shift from the South to the North and West, specifically the Great Migration. The population shift led to social tension and resulted in race riots in Detroit and Los Angeles (Zoot Suit Riots). Society had to adjust to the delinquency, the marriage age and the GI Bill of Rights. Also, Japanese-Americans were forced to internment camps with no specific charges or evidence against them. A famous court case, Korematsu v. U.S., the ruling was upheld because of "military necessity." However, in 1986, Japanese were reimbursed for the lost property during World War II.

Chapter 16 and 17 Unit Project

Chapter 16 Terms
Joseph Stalin-Russian leader who preached a model communist state
totalitarian-characteristic of a political system in which the government exercises complete control over its citizens' lives
Benito Mussolini-an Italian leader who established a totalitarian regime
fascism-a political philosophy that advocates a strong, centralized, nationalistic government headed by a powerful dictator
Adolf Hitler-a German leader who supported Nazism
Nazism-the political philosophy--based on extreme nationalism, racism, and militaristic expansionism--that Adolf Hitler put into practice in Germany from 1933 to 1945
Francisco Franco-a Spanish general who led a revolt against the Spanish republic
Neutrality Acts-a series of laws enacted in 1935 and 1936 to prevent U.S. arms sales and loans to nations at war

Neville Chamberlain-British prime minister
Winston Churchill-Chamberlain's political rival in Great Britain
appeasement-the granting of concessions to a hostile power in order to keep the peace
nonaggression pact-an agreement in which two nations promise not to go to war with each other
blitzkreig-from the German word meaning "lightning war," a sudden, massive attack with combined air and ground forces, intended to acheive a quick victory

Holocaust-the systematic murder of Jews and other groups in Europe by the Nazis before and during World War II
Kristallnacht-"night of broken glass," a name given to the night of November 9, 1938, when gangs of Nazi storm troopers attacked Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues in Germany
genocide-the deliberate and systematic extermination of a particular racial, national, or religious group
ghetto-a city neighborhood in which a certain minority group is pressured or forced to live
concentration camp-a prison camp operated by Nazi Germany in which Jews and other groups considered to be enemies of Adolf Hitler were starved while doing slave labor or were murdered
Charles de Gaulle-a French general who fled to England, where he set up a government-in-exile

Axis powers-the group of nations--including Germany, Italy and Japan--that opposed the Allies in World War II
Lend-Lease Act-a law passed in 1941, that alllowed the United States to ship arms and other supplies, without immediate payment, to nations fighting against the Axis powers
Atlantic Charter-declaration of principles in which the United States and Great Britain set forth their goals in opposing the Axis powers
Allies-the group of nations--including Great Britain, the Soviet Union and the United States--that opposed the Axis powers
Hideki Tojo-the chief of staff of Japan's Kwantung Army

Chapter 17 Terms
George Marshall-Army Chief of Staff General who pushed for the formation of the WAAC
Women's Auxilliary Army Corp (WAAC)-a U.S. army unit created during World War II to enable women to serve in noncombat positions
A. Phillip Randolph-president and founder of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and the nation's most respected African-American labor leader
Manhattan Project-the U.S. program to develop an atomic bomb for use in World War II
Office of Price Adminstration (OPA)-an agency established by Congress to control inflation during World War II
War Production Board (WPB)-an agency established during World War II to coordintae the production of military supplies by U.S. industries
rationing-a restriction of people's rights to buy unlimited amounts of particular foods and other goods, often implemented during wartime to ensure adequate supplies for the military

Dwight D. Eisenhower-American General who commanded Operation Torch
D-Day-a name given to June 6, 1944--the day on which the Allies launched an invasion of the European mainland during World War II
Omar Bradley-a U.S. general who contributed during D-Day
George Patton-a U.S. general who helped liberate the French
Battle of the Bulge-a month-long battle of World War II, in which the Allies succeeded in turning back the last major German offensive of the war
V-E Day-a name given to May 8, 1945, "Victory in Europe Day" on which General Eisehower's acceptance of the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany marked the end of World War II in Europe
Harry S. Truman-vice president of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and then became president following Roosevelt's death

Douglas MacArthur-U.S. general who commanded Allid forces in the Philippines
Chester Nimitz-the commander of American naval forces in the Pacific
Battle of Midway-a World War II battle that took place in early June 1942. The Allies decimated the Japanese fleet at Midway, an island lying northwest of Hawaii. The Allies then took the offensive in the Pacific and began to move closer to Japan.
kamikaze-involving or engaging in the deliberate crashing of a bomb-filled airplane into a military target
J. Robert Oppenheimer-an American scientist who helped develop the atomic bomb
Hiroshima-an important Japanes military center where the first atomic bomb was dropped
Nagasaki-a Japanese city that was the second site of an atomic bomb dropping
Nuremberg trials-the court proceedings held in Nuremberg, Germany, after World War II, in which the Nazi leaders were tried for war crimes

GI Bill of Rights-a name given to the Servicemen's Readjustment Act, a 1944 law that provided financial and educational benefits for World War II veterans
James Farmer-founder of the Congress of Racial Equality
Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)-an interracial group founded in 1942 by James Farmer to work against segregation in Norther cities
internment-confinement or restriction in movement, especially under wartime conditions
Japanese American Citizens League (JACL)-an organization that pushed the U.S. government to compensate Japanese Americans for property they had lost when they were interned during World War II