World+War+II

(http://blog.theavclub.tv/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/world_war_two.jpg)

= Table of Contents =
 * Major Forces
 * Leaders
 * Causes
 * Steps to War
 * Technology
 * Major Engagements
 * Holocaust
 * Major American Societal Effects
 * Major Effects

== = Major Forces =

==
 * ==Allies==
 * ===Soviet Union===
 * ===Britain===
 * ===United States===
 * ===France===
 * ==Axis==
 * ===Germany===
 * ===Japan===
 * ===Italy===

= Leaders =
 * Neville Chamberlain
 * The older prime minister of Britain. He was a supporter of appeasement and was replaced by Winston Churchill
 * Franklin Roosevelt
 * The president of the US after Hoover. He was instrumental in bringing the US out of the depression. Although the United States was against entering WWII, Roosevelt made many programs helping Britain and the Allies. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, he led the US into war.
 * Charles de Gaulle
 * This was the French leader during and after WWII. He lead the French resistance, took part in the agreements after the war, and put together the government of post-WWII France.
 * Hideki Tojo
 * This was the name of the Japanese Leader during WWII. Although Japan still had an emperor, he was little more than a figurehead.He was found guilty of war crimes after the war and was killed.
 * Benito Mussolini
 * This was the Fascist leader of Italy who took power at the same time as Hitler.
 * Adolf Hitler
 * A soldier during WW1, he led the uprising of the Nazi party and ultimately took over Germany. He had a strong hatred towards Jewish people, ultimately he took his own life when it became obvious that Germany was going to lose the war.
 * Harry Truman
 * Became president after Roosevelt died. He made the decision to drop the bomb and defined US foreign policy after WWII.
 * Joseph Stalin
 * This was the leader of Soviet Russia during and after the war. He grudgingly worked with the other Big Three (The three leaders of the allies).
 * Chiang Kai-shek
 * This was the leader of the Non-Communist Chinese troops. However, following WWII, he and his followers were defeated by the communist forces lead by Mao Zedong.
 * Winston Churchill
 * This was the charismatic leader of Britain. He worked with the other Big Three and pulled together Britain during the air raids of the battle of Britain.

= War Montage =

media type="youtube" key="oS0i7OhKqMo" height="385" width="640" align="center"

= Causes =
 * Economic Depression
 * The depression not only affected Americans but also Europeans abroad. These tough times caused people to become more radical about things.
 * The Spread of Fascism/Communism
 * With the way Germany was taking over countries one by one, war had to happen in order to stop them.
 * Furthermore, the depression had made normally rational people desperate for an answer to their problems and more radical forms of government seemed to be the answer.
 * Treaty of Versailles
 * The Treaty of Versailles was signed at the end of WW1 and literally blamed Germany for the war and clearly punished them the most. This anger caused the Germans to get their revenge

= Steps to War =
 * Isolation
 * This was the idea that the US should abstain from European wars including WWI and WWII. However, after pearl harbor, this idea was quickly forgotten as public favor shifted in favor of going to war.
 * Appeasement
 * This was the name given to the strategy of giving into Germany's demands with the hope that Germany would stop its expansionism, thus preserving peace.
 * Destroyers for bases
 * The destroyers for bases agreement was one of Roosevelt's attempts to get the US more involved in WWII. The deal gave Britain some "outdated" destroyers in return for use of Britain landing strips and military bases.

= Technology =
 * War technology
 * Huge amounts of technology were made during WWII, most of which were military, but some had civilian uses. Aircraft design was advanced hundreds of years through WWII as well as space exploration using rocket technology started in WWII.
 * There was huge demand for German rocket scientists after WWII, as they were the best in the world at the time. Most fell into US of Soviet hands, and consequentially, these two superpowers built bigger better and more deadly rockets after the war.
 * Nuclear weapons
 * The most important technological advancement in the 20th century was the development of nuclear weapons. Not only did they create the Cold War stalemate, but they also lead to nuclear power plants and further investigation of the nature of the atom.
 * ( [|An in-depth discussion and analysis of the Nuclear bomb in WWII] )

= = = = = =

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Major Engagements =
 * Pearl Harbor
 * "December 7th is a day which will live in infamy" - FDR
 * Pearl Harbor was a surprise attack by Japanese dive-bombers against the moored US fleet in Pearl Harbors. Within hours, almost all of the ships were sunk or crippled, a major blow to the US pacific fleet. Fortunately, the US aircraft carriers were moored elsewhere; otherwise the US might have lost the war in the pacific.
 * Pearl Harbor united the formerly divided country and caused a massive bulge of patriotism and support of the US and Roosevelt. Within days, the US declared war on Japan. Japan and the other Axis powers did the same. The us was now fully in WWII.
 * Dunkirk
 * This was a retreat by the British and remaining French forces from mainland Europe. Using every ship possible, the troops withdrew to Great Britain. This was a major victory for the Germans and this marked the beginning of the Battle of Britain.
 * Stalingrad/Leningrad
 * Stalingrad was a brutal city battle between the German army and the Soviet army. This marked the furthest extent by Germans into Russia. Stopped in Stalingrad, the German army was unprepared for the brutal Russian winter. After more than a year of intense fighting, the Soviet army was able bring reinforcements from the Eastern coast. These addition troops pushed back the already haggard German army. From this point on, the German army would mostly be in retreat in the eastern front.
 * Battle of the Bulge
 * The battle of the bulge was a last German counter-attack against the Allied forces. After some fierce fighting, the Allies succeeded in defeating the German army. WWII was effectually over, all that mattered now was marching to Berlin.
 * Operation Overlord (D-Day)
 * This was the largest amphibious invasion ever mounted to this day. It was a combined effort of the Navy, Air Force, and Army of almost all Allied Forces (except for Russia)
 * The attack was launched against the beaches of Normandy. The Germans were somewhat caught by surprise and a consolidated effort was not taken against the invaders.
 * Now that the Allies had a beach head, the Allied forces could now engage directly against the Axis.
 * War In the Pacific
 * The war in the Pacific was the naval, air and land conflicts between the US military and the Japanese military.
 * Midway
 * This battle was the turning point in the Pacific. A smaller US navy was able to defeat a much larger Japanese navy due to superior intelligence and the use of air craft.
 * Battle of Britain
 * This was the name given to the German air rids and air battles between the RAF and the Luftwaffe (The German air force)The British won and gained air superiority from this series of engagements.
 * Scorched Earth
 * This was a strategy used by the Soviet Army during its retreat to Moscow. IT involved burning and destroying all usable material, like farms and mines so that the Germans could not use the resources once they had captured the area.
 * Fall of Berlin
 * This was the end of the war in Europe. With Germany defeated, the end of WWII would come in years. Europe was now launched into the Cold War.

= Europe During the Second World War =



= Holocaust =
 * Krystalnacht
 * The name given to a night where many Jewish businesses were broken into and many people were attacked. The name means: "crystal night" and referred to the broken glass caused by shattered shop windows.
 * Final solution
 * The name given to the decision to begin the genocide of Jewish people and other "undesirables" rather than just oppressing them or deporting them to ghettos.
 * Concentration camps
 * Camps that were used by the Germans to exterminate Jews and other peoples using a variety of hideous methods. 6 million Jewish people died in the holocaust, and millions of families were destroyed. In some camps people were used as slaves and worked until they collapsed. This continued until the Allied forces and Soviet forces liberated the areas around them.
 * SS Luis
 * This was the name of a ocean liner that carried many Immigrants that were fleeing the rising Nazi regime. Many of these people were Jewish. This ship was stopped by coast guard and sent back to Europe. The American people didn't to get involved.

= Major American Societal Effects =
 * > **Rights and advancement of women**[[image:http://roulettevintage.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/rosie.jpg width="100" height="120" align="center"]]

|| * Many women replaced the jobs lost with the outbreak of war || * Many migrated north to replace the jobs lost when workers went off to war || * With wartime production in full gear, soldiers to feed, and tanks and planes to fuel, FDR began wartime rationing of key supplies || * Bonds || * Afraid of Japanese Americans being spies (the ostensible reason) and motivated by an incensed populace consumed by bigotry and racism (the real reason): || * WWII was dominated by essentially one president, and that was Roosevelt. || * After WWII there was a population explosion as soldiers returned from war
 * Women were encouraged to enter the workforce
 * Example, Rosie the Riveter ||
 * > ** African Americans during the war **
 * Segregated units were founded in the army
 * Example, Tuskegee Airmen ||
 * > ** Conservation of resources (rationing) **
 * Rationed items include:
 * Gasoline
 * Sugar
 * Wheat
 * Leather Shoes
 * Rubber (including tires) ||
 * > ** War propaganda **
 * Advertisements were printed for US war bonds
 * War bonds are loans made to the government by individuals to fund wars
 * Recruitment Posters
 * Recruitment posters were printed to get people to join the military
 * Symbols like Uncle Sam ("I want YOU...") played on popular patriotism to boost recruitment numbers ||
 * > ** Internment camps **
 * The US government forcibly removed almost all Japanese-Americans to internment camps where they remained the rest of the war.
 * This is seen largely as the worst civil rights action in history of the modern US.
 * [|Internment Camp] ||
 * > ** Presidents **
 * He served an unheard of 4 terms and commanded the US even as his health degraded.
 * After he died in office, he was replaced by Truman
 * Truman is know most notably for his decision to drop the nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ||
 * > ** Population boom **
 * Greatest for the US,but other countries experienced it also
 * This new generation is called baby-boomers ||

= Major Effects =
 * 300,000 deaths and 800,000 wounded
 * $320,000,000,000 (2005 USD) total cost (10x that of WWI)
 * US federal spending up 1000% between 1939 and 1945
 * National debt skyrocketed to $250B (2005 USD) (5x 1941 debt)
 * UN formed immediately after the war on October 24th 1945
 * Germany was divided into occupation zones by the Russians as the Cold War began

= Map of Post-WWII Europe (Cold War) =



= Works Cited =
 * [|National Archives]
 * [|Maps of World War II]
 * [|US Holocaust Museum]
 * [|Wikimedia Commons (pictures)]
 * AMSCO review book