World War II Lecture Notes

The Return to War in Europe in the 1930s

The Rise of Dictators

• Post-WWI despair and Great Depression led to political upheaval.
• In Canada: Rise of "progressive" parties.
• Elsewhere: Rise of fascist parties.
• Fascism: State control, removal of freedoms.

Axis Powers and Fascism

• Japan, Italy, Germany.
• Allies: Canada, Britain, France.

Germany in the 1930s

• Post-WWI Consequences: Treaty of Versailles (1919) forced Germany to pay reparations.
• Economic Struggles: Great Depression worsens Germany's financial crisis.
• Hyperinflation led to extreme poverty.

Rise of the Nazi Party

• Founded in 1920, evolved from German Workers Party.
• Hitler's Promises:
  • Tear up the Treaty of Versailles.
  • Rebuild military.
  • End unemployment.
  • Restore Germany's glory.
• Nazi Control: Upon election, Hitler dismantled democratic structures, establishing a dictatorship.

Attacks on Freedoms

• Unions banned, Nazi policies enforced in schools, anti-Nazi literature burned.

Hitler and the Jewish People

Nuremberg Laws (1935)

• Restricted Jewish rights: education, employment, marriage.
• Secret police monitored Jewish communities.
• Jews forced to wear the Star of David.

Kristallnacht (1938)

• "Night of Broken Glass": Coordinated attacks on Jewish properties.

Jewish Ghettos and Camps

• Jews confined to ghettos with poor living conditions.
• 44,000 camps including Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Holocaust Reaction in Canada

• Canada refused Jewish refugees, including the steamship St. Louis.

Expansion and Appeasement

Germany's Territorial Expansion

• Austria (1938): Invaded under the guise of Anschluss.
• Czechoslovakia: Munich Agreement allows Germany to keep the Sudetenland.

Non-Aggression Pact (1939)

• Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact: Germany and Soviet Union agree not to attack each other, partition Eastern Europe.

Outbreak of War

Britain Declares War (1939)

• Canada declares war seven days later, reluctant due to Great War memories.
• Canada was underprepared but quickly mobilized.

Key Battles and Campaigns

Battle of the Atlantic (1939-1945)

• Defense against German U-boats in the North Atlantic.
• Use of convoys and anti-submarine tactics.

Battle of Britain (1940)

• Failed German aerial campaign, crucial turning point.

Dunkirk Evacuation (1940)

• Successful evacuation of Allied soldiers from France.

North Africa Campaign (1940-1943)

• British-led forces defeat Axis in Libya and Tunisia.

Operation Barbarossa (1941)

• German invasion of Soviet Union, leading to Soviet alliance with Allies.

Pacific Timeline

Hong Kong (1941)

• First Canadian land battle in WWII, ends in Japanese victory.

European Campaigns

Battle of Dieppe (1942)

• Failed Allied raid on Dieppe, France.

Italian Campaign (1943-1945)

• Allied advance through Sicily and Italy, including Battle of Ortona.

D-Day and Beyond

Normandy Landings (1944)

• Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France.
• Successful but costly, opened Western front.

War's End and Aftermath

Fall of Dictators

• Mussolini executed; Hitler commits suicide as Allies close in.

Victory in Europe (VE Day)

• May 8, 1945: Germany surrenders.
• Significant Canadian contributions to the liberation of Europe.

Pacific War Conclusion

• Japan's refusal to surrender leads to atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Homefront and Social Changes

Canadian Homefront

• State-controlled economy, rationing, and Victory gardens.
• Economic boost from war production.

Conscription Crisis

• National Resources Mobilization Act for home defense; eventual conscription for overseas service.

Internment and Discrimination

Japanese Canadians

• Interned during the war; later apologized with compensation in 1988.

Indigenous and Black Canadians

• Indigenous participation in military; Black Canadians integrated into regular units.

Women's Roles

• Women entered the workforce in large numbers, contributing to war industries.

Post-War Impact

Global Political Changes

• Emergence of NATO, NORAD, and United Nations.

Economic and Technological Advances

• Assembly lines, anti-G suits, radar innovations.
• Medical advances: antibiotics and trauma treatment.

Social Changes

• War brides and refugee resettlement.
• Baby boom and post-war immigration.

Legacy

• WWII reshaped global politics, economics, and society. Massive human cost with millions of deaths.