World War II Writer - Stephanie van Hover, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Social Studies Education, University of Virginia Editor - Kimberly Gilmore, Ph.D., The History Channel Introduction: In the years following World War I, the world enjoyed an uneasy peace. Over the next two decades, a complex confluence of factors set the stage for World War II. The stresses imposed by the first World War and the Treaty of Versailles, the worldwide Depression of the 1930s, the deterioration of the political climate of Interwar Europe, the aggression of Japanese militarists, and the rise of totalitarian governments strained the peace until it reached a breaking point. The devastating global military conflict that followed is considered one of the major turning points in world history. WWII signified a rapid development in the technology of warfare, including terrible weapons of mass destruction. For the first time, civilian populations became strategic targets and systematic genocide became part of the war effort. Introduction to Educator: The activities included in this lesson are designed to enrich and expand students knowledge of World War II and to foster critical thinking skills. These activities assume a certain level of background knowledge; we would recommend reviewing the key events of the war before starting these activities. Each topic includes an activity designed to help students make local connections. These activities will help students make links between the history they explore in the classroom and their everyday lives. Hopefully these endeavors will encourage students to become active civic participants in their communities and in the preservation of their local histories. For the United States, World War II cemented the nation s role as a global power and served as an engine of social and cultural change by ushering in changes that established new policies of reform. At the same time, the country denied the civil liberties of interned Japanese-Americans and ignored the irony of racial minorities fighting for democratic principles. World War II remains a source of fascination for many, the epic story of the defense of democracy in the face of totalitarian aggression. High school students are expected to understand the causes of World War II, the course of the war, the nature of the war at home and abroad, the ways in which this war served to reshape the role of the United States in world affairs, and the rise of the Cold War. Goal: To build an understanding of causes and consequences of World War II, and its influence and significance in American history. National Standards: This lesson plan addresses the NCSS Curriculum Standards associated with the following themes: Culture Time, Continuity and Change People, Places and Environments Power, Authority and Governance 1 saveourhistory.com April
Activity #1: Interwar Years A Game of Risk? This multi-part activity explores the complex causes of World War II. The students will investigate the foreign policy motivations of several different nations in the 1930s and the notion of appeasement. Part I: Who Are We & What Do We Want? Divide the students into groups of four. Assign each group a country: Japan, China, Russia, United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. (Feel free to add additional countries if you need more groups.) Assign each student a role (although students are expected to work collaboratively): ROLE Geographer RESPONSIBILITY The geographer s job is to locate and identify your country on a world map. Also, the geographer will create a map key and a) identify any colonies your country might possess and b) identify your country s territorial ambitions (if any). Historian The historian will research background information on the country and provide information including type of government, name of leader, and experiences during World War I. The historian will also create a timeline of significant events for this country during the Interwar period (from World War I to World War II). Negotiator The negotiator must research what your country wants as World War II nears. In other words, the negotiator must have the background information necessary to be able to protect and advance your country s interests. The negotiator will fill in Chart A to prepare for the second part of this activity. Artist The artist s job is to create a collage that captures the mood/experiences of your country during the Interwar period. Include attention to government, ideology, symbols, flags anything that you believe can visually capture the feeling of your country during the Interwar period. The artist is answering the basic question, What was going on in your country in the Interwar period? Part II: Now What? Each group will present their geographic information, their history, and their poster to the class. The negotiators should pay close attention to this information. Then, the groups have 10 minutes to talk what is the best way to negotiate for what they want? At the end of 10 minutes, the negotiators then have to meet and try to negotiate for their country s interests (for about 15 minutes). They will complete their chart and report back to their group. 2 saveourhistory.com April
Activity #1: Interwar Years A Game of Risk? (continued) CHART A: COUNTRY THEY WANT WE WANT RESULT OF OUR NEGOTIATION JAPAN CHINA RUSSIA UNITED STATES GREAT BRITAIN FRANCE GERMANY ITALY SPAIN Part III: So What Really Happened? As a class, share the results of the negotiation. Then, compare and contrast the group findings with the actual outcome of the Interwar years and the onset of World War II. This is a lead-in to the discussion of aggression and appeasement. This activity will allow students to consider the possibilities of alternative historical outcomes during this era, and to examine why these years ultimately resulted in war. Fun Follow-Up If you have time in your curriculum, allow students to play the game Risk. Have them compare and contrast what happens in the board game to the historical events involved in the outbreak of World War II. Local Connection! Visit the website of your local historical society. What was your community like during the Interwar years? Divide students into groups and ask them to make a poster that depicts the Interwar years in their community. To prepare, have students research how the war first reached their community. Review the procedures for collecting oral histories from the History Matters website of George Mason University at historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/oral/. Have students contact local nursing homes and veterans homes and conduct oral histories of life in the Interwar years and how the war came to our area. Students can create a short video that tells the story of World War II coming to their community, and explore how the community was affected. 3 saveourhistory.com April
Activity #2: Ideology in Pictures The events of World War II were influenced by competing ideologies the 1920s and 1930s witnessed the rise of Japanese militarists, fascist dictators in Italy and Germany, and the Russian Communist dictator, Joseph Stalin. This activity examines several different ideologies. As a whole group, brainstorm a definition for the term ideology. Then, divide students into groups of four or five. Each group will be responsible for becoming an expert on one of the following ideologies: democracy, Fascism, Nazism, Communism, and totalitarianism. Each group will have to do the following: 1. Fill in a graphic organizer or chart that asks students to: a. Define the ideology b. Provide an example of the ideology c. List the countries in 1940 which embodied each ideology 2. Using magazines, newspapers, construction paper, markers, glue, etc. each group has to create a poster that, with visuals not words, answers the basic question: What is [democracy, Fascism, Nazism, Communism, totalitarianism]? The poster should include a visual definition of the ideology and include any symbols (for example, the hammer and sickle for the Communists, the Swastika for Nazism, the fasces for Fascism) or leaders (Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, Tojo, etc.) closely associated with each ideology. 3. Each group will present their poster. In their presentation, students should explain why these ideologies gained power and followers during and leading up to the World War II era. Students in the audience will complete their chart so that at the end of the activity they have background information on all of the different ideologies. Local Connection Ask students to visit their local historical society or local archives. Frequently, universities or neighborhood libraries will have archives which include holdings which document the area s local history and significant leaders. Ask students to research newspaper articles, radio broadcasts, or other artifacts from World War II. Ask students to discuss how the ideologies at the core of World War II politics were presented in their local community. Activity #3: World War II Museum The chronology of the war can often be overwhelming. This activity is an excellent review of the key events/issues of World War II. Break students into groups. Each group is responsible for a year of the war. Group 1: 1939; Group 2: 1940; Group 3: 1941; Group 4: 1942; Group 5: 1943; Group 6: 1944; Group 7: 1945. Students have to create a visual exhibit in a museum that highlights the key events/issues/people of that particular year. Students can use PowerPoint, a website, or construction paper. The first section of the exhibit must be a timeline that includes the key dates in the European and Pacific theaters of the war. The students have to choose artifacts that they believe adequately illustrate the key events and issues of that year in the war. Students will present their exhibit to their classmates. Local Connection: Students will research their year in the war in their community and decide what local artifacts to add to their museum exhibit. 4 saveourhistory.com April
Activity #3: Propaganda! Propaganda played a central role in World War II as all governments fought to win the hearts and minds of their citizens (and to attempt to sway the opinions of the enemy). This activity involves analysis of propaganda. Next, compare and contrast the students lists with the National Archives Poster Analysis Worksheet (archives. gov/education/lessons/worksheets/poster.html). Then, have students analyze their posters using the NARA worksheet. There are many websites that include propaganda from all countries involved in World War II. They include: teacheroz.com/wwiipropaganda.htm library.northwestern.edu/govpub/collections/wwii-posters/ archives.gov/exhibits/ calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/ library.unt.edu/govinfo/mapsandposters/wwiipost.html archives.gov/education/lessons/wwii-posters/ As a class, complete a K-W-L chart (for a fun K-W-L generator, go to teach-nology.com/web_tools/graphic_org/kwl/) about what students already know about propaganda. Then, put students in groups of four or five. Provide each group with several examples of World War II propaganda from different countries. Each group is charged with coming up with the following: A list of attributes of propaganda. What makes this poster propaganda? A list of questions they believe should be asked to analyze propaganda Categories of propaganda (for example, posters to encourage people to fight, posters encouraging people to work, posters encouraging people to remain quiet, etc.) Fun Follow-Up Show a film excerpt from Charlie Chaplin s The Great Dictator (1940). (You can download clips at reelclassics. com/actors/chaplin/chaplin.htm.) Debate the question: Is this propaganda? Why or why not? What are modern examples of propaganda? Local Connection: Create a map of your community. Research the ways various groups in your local community contributed to the war effort (farming, factories, etc.). Then, using what you know about propaganda and your community, create World War II propaganda posters targeted at your community. Ask students to identify where they would hang their posters to reach a large audience. Credit: reelclassics.com Students could also reach out to a local community center, senior care center, or veteran s home and see if there are World War II veterans or others (factory workers, farmers, etc.) who contributed to the war effort. Interview them about their experiences, and more specifically, their memories of propaganda, how it affected their decisions, and their feelings about it now. Before conducting an interview, be sure to review the procedures for collecting oral histories from the History Matters website of George Mason University at historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/oral/. 5 saveourhistory.com April