Unit 9: WWII Flashcards
What is fascism?
A political philosophy that stresses the glory of the state over the individual and that favors dictatorship
What is communism?
a system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed; belief that all people should share ownership of property
Adolf Hitler’s Beliefs (Mein Kempf)
Hitler wrote the first volume of Mein Kempf while in prison. It laid out his nationalistic and anti-Semitic views, and his plans for Germany and the world he sought to create when he came to power. Obsessed with race and “ethnic purity,” Hitler saw a natural order that placed the so-called “Aryan race” at the top. For him, the people would find it’s truest incarnation of unity only with one supreme leader, or Fuhrer (not a democratic or parliamentary government.
“Stab in the Back” Myth
The stab-in-the-back myth was an antisemitic conspiracy theory, widely believed and promulgated in right-wing circles in Germany after 1918. The belief was that the German Army did not lose World War I on the battlefield, but was instead betrayed by the civilians on the home front, especially Jews, revolutionary socialists who fomented strikes and labor unrest,[1] and other republican politicians who had overthrown the Hohenzollern monarchy in the German Revolution of 1918–1919. Advocates of the myth denounced the German government leaders who had signed the Armistice on 11 November 1918 as the “November criminals” (German: Novemberverbrecher).
When Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power in 1933, they made the legend an integral part of their official history of the 1920s, portraying the Weimar Republic as the work of the “November criminals” who had “stabbed the nation in the back” in order to seize power. The Nazi propaganda depicted Weimar as “a morass of corruption, degeneracy, national humiliation, ruthless persecution of the honest ‘national opposition’—fourteen years of rule by Jews, Marxists, and ‘cultural Bolsheviks’, who had at last been swept away by the National Socialist movement under Hitler and the victory of the ‘national revolution’ of 1933”.[2]
Historians inside and outside Germany unanimously reject the myth, pointing out the German Army was out of reserves, was being overwhelmed by the entrance of the United States into the war, and by late 1918 had lost the war militarily.
Lebenstraum
Mein Kempf also addressed the need for lebenstraum (or living space.) In order for Germany to fulfill it’s destiny, it should take over lands to the East that were occupied by “inferior” Slavic peoples - including Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Russia.
Third Reich
When Hitler was named as chancellor, January 30, 1933, it marked the birth of the “Third Reich,” or as the Nazi’s called it, the “Thousand-Year Reich,” after HItler’s boast that it would endure for a millenium.
How Hitler rose to power
Though the Nazi party never got more than 37% of the vote at the height of their popularity in 1932, HItler was able to grab absolute power in Germany largely due to divisions and inaction among the majority who opposed Nazism. After a fire at Germany’s parliament building, Hitler had an excuse to step up the political oppression and violence against his opponents.
What countries did Hitler initially invade and occupy?
In March 1936, HItler ordered troops into Germany’s Rhineland even though the Versailles treaty forbade Germany from having troops in this area. Next, he insisted German-speaking Austria be unified with Germany. Then, he claimed that German-speaking people in the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia were being mistreated and declared Germany’s right to the territory.
Appeasement and Neville Chamberlain
Czechoslovakia was ready to fight back against Germany. However, Britain and France thought they could avoid the outbreak of war by giving in to Germany’s demands - this is a policy known as appeasement. In 1938, European leaders met and they told Czechoslovakia to give up the Sudetenland or fight Germany on it’s own. In return, HItler pledged not to seek further expansion of German territory. British leader Neville Chamberlain declared the deal would bring “peace in our time.” However, HItler soon broke his promise and German troops took the rest of Czechoslovakia. He also planned to invade Poland, which bordered the Soviet Union.
Official start of WWII
On September 1, 1939, Hitler sent his armies into Poland. Two days later, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany and World War II had begun.
What countries were involved in WWII and who were their leaders?
USA - Franklin D. Roosevelt Soviet Union - Joseph Stalin Germany - Adolf Hitler Italy - Benito Mussolini Japan - Emperor Hirohito England - Winston Churchill
Blitzkrieg
Germany’s military tactic means “lightning war.” It was designed to create disorganization among enemy forces through the use of mobile forces and locally concentrated firepower. Its success led to shorter battles, which preserved human lives and limits the expenditure of artillery. Germany used the blitzkrieg tactic successfully in Poland, and then again in Belgium, the Netherlands, and France.
Battle of Britain
After Germany conquered France, Britain stood alone against Germany in Europe. Britain’s success would depend on their Royal Air Force’s ability to defend against German attacks. Germany was unable to launch a sea invasion of Britain, so they launched what would the first all-air battle in history. Britain had some advantages like a strong air defense system, great fighter pilots, and a strong leader in Air Marshall Hugh Dowding. Initially, the Germans attacked British air bases in which both sides suffered heavy losses. Later, the Germans switched strategies and focused on heavy bombing of London. The first London attach was successful for Germany. But, the second was a failure which led to heavy losses and a collapse of morale. As a result, Hitler permanently postponed a landing on the British Isles and suspended the Battle of Britain.
Lend-Lease Act and U.S. Neutrality
Initially, the U.S. did not want war, and Roosevelt vowed to remain neutral. Isolationists promoted the idea that the U.S. should stay out of Europe’s problems. In March 1941, U.S. Congress passed this act, which allowed the U.S. to sell, lend, or lease weapons to any country “vital to the defense of the U.S.” Isolationists opposed the law, as they believed it would push America closer to war.
Hitler invades the Soviet Union
After Germany’s defeat in Britain, Hitler decided Germany needed the Soviet Union’s resources and land as “living space.” In June 1941, he broke his agreement with Stalin and attacked the Soviet Union. In the early phase of the invasion, German troops destroyed Soviet planes and tanks and captured half a million Soviet soldiers. Stalin ordered a scorched-earth policy. The Soviets burned their cities, destroyed their crops, and blew up their dams that provided power. This made it harder for the Germans to supply their troops and to keep advancing.
