THE SECOND WORLD WAR

• 1. When did World War Il start, and why is the date somewhat unclear?

  • germany’s sept 1939 poland invasion
  • the date is somewhat unclear bc for other countries, they alr faced the terrors of fascist italy, nazi germany, and imperial japan
• 1. In Europe, what forces dominated the early years of World War II?

  • the axis powers
• 1. When and why did the US join World War II?

  • The US joined World War II after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, prompting a declaration of war against Japan. Germany declared war on the United States shortly after, leading to US involvement in the European theater
• 1. How and why did the Soviet Union enter the Second World War?

  • The Soviet Union entered the Second World War after Nazi Germany invaded them on June 22, 1941, as part of Operation Barbarossa. The invasion was driven by Adolf Hitler's desire for Lebensraum (living space) in the East and ideological conflict with communism
• 1. What was the big ideological difference between Britain and the Soviet Union?How did they find common ground?

  • The big ideological difference between Britain and the Soviet Union was capitalism versus communism. They found common ground in fighting against the Axis powers, particularly Nazi Germany, despite their ideological differences
• 1. What factors shifted the tide of the war around 1942?

  • The tide of the war shifted around 1942 due to Allied industrial power, intelligence gathering, and key victories such as the Battle of Midway and the Battle of Stalingrad
• Similarities in how governments conducted WWII

  • Governments mobilized their populations and resources for the war effort
  • Propaganda was used extensively to boost morale, demonize the enemy, and justify the war
  • Rationing was implemented to ensure equitable distribution of scarce resources
  • Conscription or mandatory military service was often enacted to bolster military forces
• Differences in how governments conducted WWII

  • Ideological motivations varied among governments, influencing their strategies and alliances
  • Some governments, like Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, employed totalitarian methods, tightly controlling information and suppressing dissent, while others, like the United States and Britain, maintained democratic institutions and freedoms to a greater extent
  • Alliances differed based on geopolitical considerations and ideological alignments, leading to complex diplomatic maneuvers and conflicts
  • Economic systems and policies varied, with capitalist countries relying on market mechanisms and government intervention, while communist countries implemented centrally planned economies
• • axis powers r italy, japan, and germany
• • united states stopped giving japan oil bc of how much they were expanding 
• • hitler tried to invade the soviet union like they did with france but russia had more soldiers so they were losing in moscow 
• • as winter came, russia was so cold that german soldiers began to freeze
• • Capitalist Britain and communist Soviet Union formed an alliance during WWII, despite ideological differences, to defeat the common threat of Nazi Germany
• • Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, was a response to the U.S. oil embargo and part of its plan to invade Southeast Asia for oil resources
• • Japanese forces also attacked British colonies in Southeast Asia and annexed French colonies
• • Germany's declaration of war on the United States followed shortly after the Pearl Harbor attack
• • the allies = soviet union, united states, britian
• • Allied industrial power and intelligence gathering, including code-breaking, played crucial roles in shifting the tide of war
• • Key victories included the Battle of Midway, the Battle of Stalingrad, and the British-led campaign in North Africa
• • The Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944 and the Soviet capture of Berlin in April 1945 marked significant milestones in the defeat of Germany
• • Despite Japan's weakened state, they refused to surrender, leading to the controversial decision by the United States to use nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ultimately forcing Japan's surrender