Team G.O.A.T.



World War II

EQ: What happened at the end of the 1930’s?

In the 1930’s the world was suffering from the Great Depression. FDR was the president of the US. People in many countries (not in US) were desperate for hope and were willing to give up freedom in order for life to be better. This led to the rise of dictatorship. A dictator is a person whom has complete control of the government:

Adolf Hitler- Germany

Joseph Stalin- Soviet Union

Benito Mussolini- Italy

Hideko Tojo- Japan (He was not the dictator of Japan, he was

A military leader with lots of power. The Emperor of Japan was Hirohito)

*The goal of these leaders was to attack other countries, take them over, making their own countries larger and more powerful.

Axis Powers- Japan, Germany, and Italy

- Germany invaded and took over Poland, Austria and Czechoslovakia

- Japan invaded China

- Italy invaded Ethiopia

*When Germany invaded Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany , beginning WWII.

- Germany then took over other European countries, including France.

• Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of the British Government, wanted the US to join Allies, BUT Americans were sticking to their “Isolationism”- 1940

December 7, 1941 Japan attacked the US at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Killing 2,300 people and sinking many US warships.

Dec. 8, 1941 US declared war. We fought on the Allies side against Japan, Germany, and Italy

Allies- Great Britain, US, Soviet Union, and Canada (and France)

*The US drafted 10 million men to fight in the war.

EQ: How did the home front change (on US soil)?

Factories were retrofitted (changed) in order to produce war supplies like planes, tanks, guns, and ships, ammunition to defeat the Axis powers. Millions of new jobs were created and the Great Depression ended as Americans got back to work. The US was able to provide most of the food and supplies necessary for the Allies.

*Women got military jobs. Women were not allowed on the fighting front, but were mechanics, pilots, radio operators and nurses. At home in US, women were making weapons and other war related products. “Rosie the Riveter” became a popular image of women stepping up and helping in the war effort. Since male baseball players were in the war, women’s baseball leagues were started to entertain people.

People of all ages were encouraged to “Do their Part” to help the war effort. Children collected tin cans, cooking pots, and any scrap metal to be melted and turned in to war supplies. Victory gardens were started so that crops could be sent to soldiers at war. At home, food was rationed because supplies were running short.

EQ: What was different for African Americans at war?

Tuskegee Airmen- from Tuskegee, Alabama. They were black, fighter pilots. They were notorious for completing dangerous missions and not getting shot down

EQ: Were things different for immigrants?

Japanese Americans were placed in internment camps and were held there until after the war ended because people were very suspicious of the Japanese. They thought they were spies for the Japanese government.*Albert Einstein- a Jewish Refugee from Germany, developed the atomic bomb. This type of bomb was eventually used against Japan from the US.

EQ: How did the United States and the Soviet Union became allies?

Before WWII began, Stalin and Hitler made an agreement. But German forces invaded the Soviet Union breaking the agreement. Since the US and Soviet Union had a common enemy in Germany, they became allies. US sent the Soviet Union supplies that were much needed. We sent trucks, radios, and boots. We also sent millions of pounds of canned meat to help feed the Soviet army.

EQ: What was happening to the Jews before and during WWII?

Adolf Hitler blamed all of Germany’s economic problems on the Jews. Laws were put in place to strip Jews of their rights. Jews were rounded up, shipped by cattle car, imprisoned, and murdered by the Nazis (SS soldiers). This became known as the Holocaust. The Nazis murdered about six million Jews during this time period.

EQ: How did we liberate France?

From April to May 1940- German troops invaded Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Belgium. They then went on to France. On June 6th, 1944, over 150,000 American, Canadian, and British soldiers landed on the beaches of Normandy. They came to liberate (free) France from German occupation. This became known as D-Day. In Aug. France was liberated.

EQ: How did we beat Germany in WWII?

In Dec. 1944, German forces made one final attack. This, called the Battle of the Bulge, turned into the largest battle ever fought by the US army. The Allies were victorious and they continued their march across the border of Germany. Since the US troops and the Soviet Union troops were fighting fiercely against the Germans toward the German capitol of Berlin, Germany. Germany finally surrendered on May 8, 1945. This day became known as VE Day, Victory over Europe Day.

*During the war Harry S. Truman became president.

Iwo Jima, Japan – The United States landed on and captured Iwo Jima, Japan in its first stop in the “island hopping” strategy to capture the most important islands from the Japanese. Later, the U.S. captured Okinawa, Japan. The U.S. eventually decided to not attack mainland Japan because the U.S. would lose more than 1 million American soldiers lives. Instead, the U.S. decided to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and then another bomb on Nagasaki in order to have the Japanese surrender.

EQ: Why did Harry S. Truman decide that America should drop an atomic bomb on Japan in 1945?

In July 1945, Pres. Truman found out that American scientists had successfully tested the world’s first atomic bomb. There were two more made that were ready to use. Truman had to make the very difficult decision on whether or not he should use them against Japan, to get them to surrender. This would make an invasion unnecessary, saving money and American lives. Truman decided to drop them in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan on Aug. 6, 1945. The bombs completely destroyed the two cities and killed 140,000 people. This forced Japan to surrender on Aug. 14th, 1945. This became known as VJ Day, Victory Over Japan Day. WWII was finally over.

The United Nations - The United Nations is a type of “club” for countries around the world to promote universal peace and prevent conflicts that would lead to another world war.

Specific goals are to ensure that every person has certain rights such as: freedom of opinion, freedom of religion, freedom from slavery, fair trials, equality in the eyes of the law, and more. The U.N. tries to keep the peace, encourage respect for human rights, and promote better standards of living.

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