World War I
World War I, also known as the Great War, began in 1914 after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. His murder catapulted into a war across Europe that lasted until 1918. During the conflict, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire (the Central Powers) fought against Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Japan and the United States (the Allied Powers). Thanks to new military technologies and the horrors of trench warfare, World War I saw unprecedented levels of carnage and destruction. By the time the war was over and the Allied Powers claimed victory, more than 16 million people—soldiers and civilians alike—were dead.
World War II
The instability created in Europe by the First World War (1914-18) set the stage for another international conflict—World War II—which broke out two decades later and would prove even more devastating. Rising to power in an economically and politically unstable Germany, Adolf Hitler, leader of the Nazi Party, rearmed the nation and signed strategic treaties with Italy and Japan to further his ambitions of world domination. Hitler’s invasion of Poland in September 1939 drove Great Britain and France to declare war on Germany, marking the beginning of World War II. Over the next six years, the conflict would take more lives and destroy more land and property around the globe than any previous war. Among the estimated 45-60 million people killed were 6 million Jews murdered in Nazi concentration camps as part of Hitler’s diabolical “Final Solution,” now known as the Holocaust.
Taken from history.com
The totalitarian governments that formed during the 1920s and 1930s were intent on expanding their empires. They began advancing into surrounding territories. Many world leaders wanted to avoid war, so they did little, or nothing at all. Yet the military aggression of dictators would become impossible to ignore, leading to a new world war. Germany, Italy, Japan, and six other nations formed the Axis powers. They were opposed by the Allies, which by the end of the war, included Britain, France, the Soviet Union, the United States and 46 other countries.
Japan invaded China in 1937, capturing northern and central China. Japanese troops brutally murdered thousands of Chinese troops and civilians. President Franklin Roosevelt gave a speech denouncing Japan’s actions, but the U.S. remained neutral. In 1938, Adolf Hitler and Germany seized Austria, then later that year captured the Sudetenland and the western part of Czechoslovakia. Hoping to avoid warfare, Britain and France attempted to negotiate a peaceful solution. Germany was allowed to retain the territories they had recently taken over, as long as they did not seek additional areas. This practice of giving in to aggression in order to avoid war is known as appeasement. The appeasement policy failed. Nazi Germany seized the rest of Czechoslovakia the next year. Britain and France realized that they must take a firm stance against Nazi aggression.
World War II officially began on September 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland using blitzkrieg tactics. Blitzkrieg, or lighting war, was a new tactic that involved overwhelming the opponent with amazing speed and efficiency by concentrating superior manpower into a specific area and penetrating deeply into enemy territory. As Germany invaded western Poland, the Soviet Union attacked eastern Poland. Germany and the Soviet Union had signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact before the invasion, in which the two dictators agreed not to attack each other. Britain and France had alliances with Poland and declared war on Germany, however, Poland was unable to withstand German planes and tanks from the west and Soviet troops from the east. By early October, Poland was defeated. The country was divided between Germany and the Soviet Union.
In the spring of 1940, German armies continued to advance in Europe, capturing Denmark and Norway. On May 10, 1940, the Battle of France began. German troops overran Holland and Belgium and charged into France. In support of Germany, Italy - led by Benito Mussolini - invaded southern France. British troops arrived to help France, but British and French units were overpowered by the Germans. British troops were forced to retreat to Dunkirk, a French port on the English Channel. Fleeing soldiers had to wait to be evacuated by ship back to Britain. German armies marched through France, and captured Paris, the French capital. France surrendered on June 22, 1940. It was a sudden and humiliating defeat that shocked the world. The battle was significant because after France surrendered, Great Britain was left alone to face Hitler and the Axis powers.
In the summer of 1940, Germany turned its sights on Great Britain. Hitler planned a massive invasion by land and sea, but he knew that the Luftwaffe, Germany’s air force, would have to defeat Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) to gain air superiority first. The Battle of Britain began on July 10, 1940. It was the first battle to be fought completely in the air. Germany relentlessly bombed London and other British cities, resulting in thousands of deaths. Encouraged by their courageous Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, the British people suffered through unspeakable bombing raids. Germany bombed Great Britain for 57 days straight, however the British refused to surrender. Britain’s Royal Air Force maintained air superiority, gunning down nearly 2,000 German planes. By October 1940, Hitler gave up his planned invasion of Britain. It was the first major defeat of the war for Hitler.
As most of the world rushed towards war, the United States remained reluctant to become involved in another European conflict. As a growing number of democracies became threatened by totalitarian dictators, President Roosevelt suggested America lend supplies to Britain. In March 1941, Congress approved the Lend-Lease Act, which allowed sales or loans of war materials to Allied countries. The United States sent airplanes, tanks, guns, and ammunition to Great Britain and other Allied nations. Then, in June 1941, Hitler launched a surprise invasion on his ally – the Soviet Union. The largest invasion force in history aimed to take over the Soviet Union’s land and oil reserves. The leader of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, joined the Allied powers in the fight against Hitler. President Roosevelt and Congress agreed to extend the Lend-Lease aid to the Soviet Union.
As Germany advanced across Europe, Japan - under the leadership of dictator Hideki Tojo - was advancing in Asia. Japan is an island nation, and did not have access to iron, rubber, and oil – supplies essential to their war efforts. As a result, Japanese forces began occupying neighboring countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific to meet their demand for resources. The United States attempted to halt Japanese aggression by refusing to sell oil and scrap metal to Japan. Instead, U.S.-Japanese relations continued to worsen. With negotiations stalled, Japan began planning a secret attack on the United States.
On the morning of December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, which contained most of the American Pacific fleet. Japanese planes sank or seriously damaged 19 American ships, destroyed almost 200 planes, and killed about 2,400 people. Japanese leaders hoped the gamble would deliver a knockout blow to America, forcing the United States to ask for peace immediately. Instead, they united Americans in their determination to fight. America could no longer remain neutral. Congress approved President Roosevelt’s request for a declaration of war against Japan on December 8, 1941. Within a few days, Germany and Italy responded by declaring war on the United States. America was thrust into the largest global conflict in history.
Appeasement - the action or process of appeasing.
Denouncing - publicly declare to be wrong or evil.
Democratic - relating to or supporting democracy or its principles.
Democratic Country - all eligible citizens have the right to participate, either directly or indirectly, in making the decisions that affect them.
Dictator - a ruler with total power over a country, typically one who has obtained control by force.
Dictatorship - a country governed by a dictator.
Lend-lease - the matériel and services supplied by the U.S. to its allies during World War II under an act of Congress (Lend-Lease Act ) passed in 1941: such aid was to be repaid in kind after the war.
Totalitarian - relating to a system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state.
