World History: Key Notes

Leaders of World War II

Axis Powers

• Germany (Adolf Hitler)

  • Austrian-born, leader of the Nazi Party.
  • Chancellor in 1933, took over in 1938.
  • Married Eva Braun on April 29, 1945; both committed suicide in Berlin on April 30, 1945.
  • Speculations about fleeing to Austria or Argentina.
  • Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945.

• Italy (Benito Mussolini)

  • Leader and founder of the National Fascist Party.
  • Killed in Milan by his people.
  • Experienced military failures in North Africa and Greece.

• Japan (Hideki Tojo)

  • 33rd Prime Minister, involved in Pearl Harbor attack.
  • Committed suicide.

Allied Forces

• UK (Winston Churchill)

  • Prime Minister after Chamberlain.
  • Led UK to victory, lost election in 1945, returned in 1951.

• USA (Franklin D. Roosevelt & Harry Truman)

  • FDR: Led USA into WWII, part of the Manhattan Project.
  • Truman: Replaced FDR, oversaw end of WWII.

• USSR (Joseph Stalin)

  • Leader after Lenin, led Red Army to victory over Germany.

Significant April 1945 Events

• Deaths: Hitler, Eva Braun, FDR, Mussolini.

Causes and Start of WWII

• Invasion of Poland (1939)

  • Germany's invasion led to Britain and France declaring war.
  • Blitzkrieg strategy used.
  • Poland divided between Germany and USSR.

• Main Causes

  • Treaty of Versailles: Harsh penalties on Germany.
  • Expansionism: Hitler’s territorial ambitions.
  • Appeasement: Britain and France's initial tolerance.
  • Nazi-Soviet Pact: Non-aggression and secret division of Poland.

Important Conferences and Agreements

• Munich Conference (1938)

  • Germany, Italy, Britain, France: Agreement to appease Hitler.
  • Resulted in invasion of Czechoslovakia.

• Non-Aggression Pact (1939)

  • Germany and USSR: Secret agreement to divide Poland.

Caricatures

• Caricature 1:

  • Illustrates the hypocrisy of the Nazi-Soviet Pact.

• Caricature 2:

  • Depicts the unnatural alliance between Germany and USSR.

Invasion of France

• Attack Timeline

  • May 1940: Germany attacks Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg.
  • June 1940: German invasion and French surrender.
  • Used Schlieffen Plan and Blitzkrieg.

• Results

  • North France: Formed Free France.
  • South France: Vichy government cooperated with Hitler.

Atomic Bombs and the Manhattan Project

• Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945)

  • Hiroshima: August 6, 70,000 immediate deaths.
  • Nagasaki: August 9, 40,000 immediate deaths.
  • Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945.

• Manhattan Project (1939-1945)

  • U.S. research to develop atomic bombs.
  • First successful test: July 16, 1945 (Trinity Test).

Post-WWII Germany

• Yalta Conference (Feb 1945)

  • Discussed the post-war fate of Europe.

• Potsdam Conference (July-Aug 1945)

  • Tensions between US and USSR.

• German Separation

  • Divided into West (US, UK, France) and East (USSR).

Cold War Events

• Berlin Wall (1961-1962)

  • Built to stop East Berliners from escaping to the West.

• Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

  • Direct confrontation with potential nuclear conflict.

• Korean War (1950-1953)

  • North Korea (Communist) vs. South Korea (US-supported).

• Espionage War

  • US (FBI, CIA) vs. USSR (KGB).

• Space Race

  • US vs. USSR competition in space exploration.
  • Apollo 11 moon landing: A victory for the USA.