Warmup Who was the President that led America through World War II? President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Agenda Welcome back! New weekly warmup worksheet Between the Wars Reading and Notes Road to WWII PowerPoint and Notes
Town Shelter Event Date: 1920s Actions Taken: Germany faced an economic crisis after WWI, which lead to political instability $1 = 1,000,000,000 DM (deutschmark) Loaf of bread = 4 million DM Glass of beer = 2 million DM Response: The US insisted on neutrality and that Germany repay its war debt
Benito Mussolini
Fascism in Italy Event Date: 1922-1924 Actions Taken: Benito Mussolini formed Italy into a fascist state Fascism: a political system that calls for extreme nationalism, unity of the state, and militarism Response: The US cut off arms sales to Italy and President Roosevelt called for an embargo (boycott)
Adolf Hitler
Rise of Adolf Hitler Event Date: 1928-1934 Actions Taken: Hitler used his public speaking skills to gain popular support in Germany Nazi Party became the largest party in Germany Hitler rebuilt the army in violation of treaties Response: The US was stuck in the middle of the Great Depression and FDR concentrated on domestic policy
Why Hitler? Rampant homelessness Unemployment Hyperinflation Instability Chaos Desperation For 15 years
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I Danced for Mussolini Great Aunt Sethma Caspers
I Danced for Mussolini Her first husband bought a car once made for a Chicago mobster (bulletproof and armor plated) Al Capone owned it in 1930 In a battle with the cops, the car was shot up with 105 bullet holes
People She Danced For The former Prince of Wales and Mrs. Simpson The Duke abdicated the English throne in 1936 to make room for Elizabeth II s father
People She Danced For Bugsy Siegel Notorious nightclub owner and gangster in Las Vegas
People She Danced For In the summer of 1936 she and her future dance party Rudolph Rudy Andreossian were booked to dance at the Moulin Rouge
People She Danced For King Farouk of Egypt
Bullfight Dance
People She Danced For Benito Mussolini He loved her and Rudy s bullfight dance so much, he invited them to perform it for his friend and ally
People She Danced For Adolf Hitler She and Rudy were approached by the French Resistance to assassinate Hitler in Berlin for the sum of $100,000 each (1939) They would have to take a cyanide pill afterwards She panicked and the pair escaped to the US on a ship filled with Jewish refugees
Other notable accomplishments She appeared in an episode of The Three Stooges
Other notable accomplishments She went on a few dates with Howard Hughes Record-breaking aviator Multi-millionaire Legendary filmmaker Mickey Rooney Actor from 1927 to 2007
Other notable accomplishments Toured with the Marx Brothers Groucho, Harpo and Chico Comedy group
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The Spanish Civil War Event Date: 1936-1939 Actions Taken: Francisco Franco (a fascist military general) began a civil war to gain control of Spain Italy and Germany aided Franco with weapons Response: US stayed neutral, but 3,000 American volunteers fought in a war against Franco Many around the world called for intervention in Spain, but the fear was that war would spread
Battle of Guernica Guernica is a city in Spain Operation Rügen = the Italian, German, and Spanish militaries dropped bombs onto Guernica on April 26, 1937 The militaries deliberately targeted civilians (unsure of the death toll) Why? Because the militaries wanted to test the volume of bombs it would take to completely obliterate a city
Bomb Guernica Pablo Picasso
Japanese soldiers
Rise of Militarism in Japan Event Date: 1931-1941 Actions Taken: Japan was considered a second-rate power; military leaders took over and expanded Japanese control over Asia Response: US pledged neutrality, but started an embargo on Japan No weapons or petroleum sales to Japan
Japanese Expansion Why invade? Japan is tiny Very little space and very few natural resources About the size of California Japanese soldiers invaded China and Korea to gain territory and resources
Japanese Invasion China and Korea The Japanese soldiers committed horrific acts of atrocity against the Chinese and Korean people The Rape of Nanking = the Asian Holocaust Comfort women Japan will not apologize or make reparations
British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain Adolf Hitler
Appeasement Event Date: 1936-1938 Actions Taken: Hitler made demands for the Rhineland, Austria, and the Sudetenland Give me those lands or we go to war Response: President Roosevelt asked for a peaceful solution and British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain agreed to Hitler s demands to avoid war
Appeasement
Germany Invaded Czechoslovakia Event Date: March 1939 Actions Taken: Hitler ordered the army to take over Czechoslovakia (while making a secret non-aggression pact with USSR) Response: FDR sent messages to European leaders asking for peace while France and England prepared for war
WWII Begins (Hitler Invaded Poland) Event Date: September 1, 1939 Actions Taken: Hitler used a blitzkrieg to invade and conquer Poland Blitzkrieg = an intense military campaign designed to bring victory quickly Response: England and France declared war and the US remained neutral 80% of Americans opposed going to war, but 70% of Americans believed Hitler was a danger and should be stopped
Hitler Conquered (almost) All of Europe Event Date: 1939-1941 Actions Taken: Hitler easily took most of Europe using blitzkrieg Response: US began the Lend-Lease program which provided military aid to nations whose defense was vital to the US The US still technically neutral
London Bombings The German Luftwaffe (Air Force) blasted London with a series of bombings that lasted from September of 1940 to May of 1941 London Bombings Civil Defense Sirens
Germany s Spread
Operation Barbarossa Event Date: June 22, 1941 Actions Taken: Hitler ignored the nonaggression pact with Russia and launched an invasion of the Soviet Union Response: FDR extended the Lend-Lease Act aid to the USSR
Bombing of Pearl Harbor Event Date: December 7, 1941 Actions Taken: Japan launched a surprise attack against the US at the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii Response: US declared war on Japan Germany and Italy declared war on the US US declared war on Germany and Italy