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Name: _____________________________________The Century “Civilians at War”Directions: Take bulleted notes on the video and, when the video is finished, please write a one-paragraph letter to an absent student about the video.Video Notes* London (9/1940): Adolf Hitler was determined to crush the last stronghold in Europe against Nazi Germany through a strategy of bombing England’s cities and people night after night for 76 consecutive nights (strategy came to be known as the “Blitz”). This would hopefully bring England to “its knees.”* Throughout England, 43,000 people died, but the British never gave in.* In WWII, 50 million people would die, nearly half of them civilians because they “were the target.” Distinction between soldiers and civilians would collapse; anybody who contributed to the enemy’s war-making capacity would be vulnerable and entire populations would deliberately be targeted because of their race and their religion. This was total war made more lethal by the advance of technological power and pursued by forces on both sides!* Spanish town (4/27/1937): German bombers and fighters sent by Adolf Hitler to help the fascists in the Spanish Civil War slaughtered 1,600 innocent civilians, which was viewed by many as an immoral act of a rearmed Germany eager to test its new power. This was the start of Nazi Germany’s new campaign. * Poland (9/1/1939): In 25 days, German armies overran Poland. In 9 months, they controlled virtually all of Western Europe. Objective was to acquire more living space vast enough for a new German Empire – The 3rd Reich. Hitler’s goal was to enslave the Slavic people of Eastern Europe, whom he regarded as racially inferior. People included the nobility, priests, teachers, and Polish Jews. Polish Jews were banned from their homes and crammed into sealed ghettos, the largest one was in Warsaw, to starve to death or die from disease.* Soviet Union (June 1941): Germans attacked Soviet Union – a war for territory, to destroy communism, and (racial crusade) to destroy the largest demographic concentration of Jews in the world. In 2 months, German forces penetrated 500 miles and were ordered to wipe the old capital city of Leningrad and its people off the face of the Earth. Half of Leningrad’s population died, but the city never surrendered. The Russians held out for 3 winters. German forces continued though to wipe out Soviet Jews.* Final Solution (January 1942) – Purpose of this plan was to eliminate all European Jews (about 11 million). Jews were rounded up and sent to camps or were executed. Some tried to fight back, but in the end lost the fight. Ghetto in Warsaw was burned and survivors were killed on the spot or sent to concentration camps.* Nazi Germany’s killing machine was a highly organized and efficient system. Jewish birth records were collected, post offices delivered deportation notices, Jewish property was confiscated, and Jewish businesses were taken over. The 6th largest of 30 death camps were in (Auschwitz) Poland along rail lines for easy access. Jews were deported there to be killed (women, children, and the weak were the first to be killed). The rest were deloused, disinfected, and branded with serial numbers. The able-bodied were used as slave labor by the German SS and were monitored for malnutrition. Other prisoners were subjected to medical experiments (sterilization, castration, and freezing). All inmates were examined regularly by SS doctors to decide when they were no longer useful. If so, they were placed in windowless gas chambers and subjected to Zyklon B insecticide gas that caused death within 15 minutes. After the poisonous gases were pumped out, the other prisoners were left to untangle the corpses. Up to 6,000 people could be killed in a single day. The bodies were then fed into huge ovens after the gold was extracted from their teeth and hair was cut off to be used as mattress stuffing. Their ashes were used as fertilizer.* The Final Solution destroyed 2/3 of Europe’s Jews – 6 million men, women, and children* In Asia the second world war began in 1937 when Japan launched an attack on China. Like Germany, Japan was driven by the need for living space and by a racial ideology that had the Japanese believing they were superior to their neighbors. More than 10 million lives were lost.* Japan (1942): Every boy was prepared to be a soldier. Japanese Emperor was viewed as a Deity who would rule the world.* For Japan, China was the first step towards a Japanese Empire in Asia. In December 1937, Japanese soldiers captured the provisional capital of China and went on a savage and barbaric rampage against the defeated Chinese troops and civilians. Nearly 200,000 civilians were killed and an estimated 20,000 women were raped.* From China, Japanese warriors went on to conquer most of Southeast Asia.* In October 1944, the first Kamikaze unit was formed (suicide missions – sacrifice for the emperor). Young Japanese pilots would fly one-way missions to death. * By April 1945, the war had finally arrived on Japan’s doorstep - Okinawa. 1900 kamikaze missions were unleashed.* Having dealt a death blow to Nazi, Germany, the U.S. now prepared its final assault on Japan with aerial bombings of factories and military installations. In March 1945, Tokyo, the capital and most heavily defended city of Japan, became a bombing target. In 1 night, 80,000 civilians were killed. 65 more Japanese cities would also be bombed in this fashion. Japan was being pulverized. * August 6, 1945, atomic bomb was dropped over Hiroshima. 3 days later on August 9th, another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. Nearly 200,000 Japanese were killed. * On August 15, 1945, Japan surrendered unconditionally. WWII was finally officially over.* At Nuremburg, war crimes trials now made it clear to the world what Hitler had tried to accomplish. For the first time ever, national leaders were held responsible for their aggressions; the murder and enslavement of civilians was recognized as crimes against humanity. In September 1946, 12 high-ranking Nazi officials were sentenced to death by hanging. * A similar proceeding in Tokyo tried 28 of Japan’s highest-ranking leaders. 7 of those on trial were sentenced to death by hanging. More than 5,700 Japanese officers and soldiers stood trial throughout Asia – more than 900 of them were executed.* An estimated 1 million German and Japanese civilians died in Allied bombings. Their deaths had become acceptable to those whose duty it was to end the war.Dear absent student,I hope you feel better. You missed a movie in class called “Civilians at War.” The movie was about: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Sincerely,____________________ ................
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