WWII Aryan Superiority q To Nazis Aryans master

WWII

Aryan Superiority q To Nazis, Aryans = master race q Pure-blood, able-bodied Germans q Not ü Slavs, Gypsies, Jews, or “mongrels” ü Gays ü Handicapped ü Socialists

Lebensraum v“Living Space” v. Policy of German expansion v. More land for Aryans v. All Aryans should be united into greater Germany v. Not split among national boundaries

Third Reich Ø Germany should become great power again Ø By expanding eastward Ø Aryan domination Ø Slavs as slave laborers Ø Jews removed from Germany once and for all

Jewish Problem q. Remove from Germany and conquered areas q. Place in northern Russia q. Out of the way

Clarification on the Reichs q. First = Holy Roman Empire q. Second = Empire founded 1871, destroyed after WWI q. Third = Nazi Germany

Conservatives and Hitler Most supported Hitler at first ü Hated weakness of Weimar ü Supported nationalism and militarism ü Offended by Treaty of Versailles ü Wanted German greatness

Rome-Berlin Axis 1936 o Formal alliance between Mussolini and Hitler o Later joined by Japan

Italian Expansion üWanted to restore Roman Empire üSoutheast Europe üNorth Africa üMiddle East üInvasion of Ethiopia, annexation of Albania and Libya

German Rearmament v. Hitler knew England, France wanted peace v. Would not challenge him v. Massive build-up of military v. Violated Treaty of Versailles v. England, France condemned, but took no action

Policy of Appeasement v. England, France allowed German expansion ü WWI had been devastating ü Huge casualties, expensive ü Lacked the will to fight ü German rearmament not worth it

German Expansion üRhineland (in western Germany) üStripped from Germany after WWI üSent troops to reconquer

Rearmament Continued v Built up air force (“Luftwaffe) v Prepared for new kind of war – blitzkrieg v “Lightning war” v To avoid trench warfare from WWI v Overwhelm enemy with huge, fast force v Quick victories to avoid long, drawn-out stalemates of WWI

Annexed Austria q. Austrians = Aryans q. Most supported annexation q“The Anschluss” q. Backdrop of Sound of Music (based on a true story)

More Appeasement q. England, France nervous q. But continued appeasement q. Tried to seek peace over war q. Again, WWI had been too devastating q. Not psychologically ready for war

Sudetenland üOuter area of Czechoslovakia üMostly German Aryans lived there üWanted annexation üDiplomatic crisis

Diplomatic Crisis Ø Retaking Rhineland one thing Ø Austria wanted annexation Ø But Sudetenland was another country’s territory Ø One step too far Ø England, France condemned

Sudetenland v. Munich Conference v. Hitler assured England France expansion over v. Chamberlain (Prime Minister of England) Ø Convinced France to appease Ø Czechoslovakia not worth a war Ø “Peace in our times”

Czechoslovakia v. Occupied Czech region v. Government too weak to resist v. Slovakia turned pro. Hitler, open alliance

Czechoslovakia v. Czechs = Slavs, not Aryans v. Turned into industrial slave laborers v. England, France – more appeasement v. But both promised to fight if Hitler moved against Poland

Germany and Russia Ø Hitler and Stalin signed Non-Aggression Pact Ø Open alliance Ø Promise to not attack each other Ø But secret provision … Ø Would split Poland Baltic states

Poland q. September 1, 1939 q. Two days later, England France declared war q. Two weeks later, Russia moved into eastern Poland q. Poland fell within a month q. WWII now a reality

Support of East Europe üMany areas pro-Hitler üSlovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria controlled by fascists üAllied with Nazi Germany

Path to War in Asia o Japan industrialized o Sought world power status, great empire o Not really fascist o Just expansionist, imperialist

Japanese Expansion q. Manchuria and other parts of China q. Korea q. Indochina (modernday Vietnam) q. Dutch East Indies q. Many Pacific islands q. Sought to move into eastern Soviet Union

Japanese Expansion q. Worried US q. Held possessions in Asia/Pacific islands q. Japan more threat to US than Hitler q. US lacked territories in Europe

Hitler and West Europe Ø Wanted to avoid war with West Ø 2 front war difficult Ø Needed to knock out West, and then focus on east Ø Unleashed blitzkrieg (“lightning war”) o Rapid takeover of West Europe o Powerful air force (known as the luftwaffe)

Hitler and the West ØNorway, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, France ØFell quickly to blitzkrieg

France Divided Ø Vichy France free from German control o Not occupied by Nazi troops o Loyal to Germans (“collaborators”) o French fascists Ø Rest of France occupied o But underground resistance against Germans o Government in exile, in England o Fought on Allied side

The Problem with Britain v. Not able to land troops in Britain ü An island, protected by British navy ü So bombed relentlessly v. Intended to scare the British into pulling out of war v. But backfired … strengthened their resolve

Balkans and Africa q. Italy defeated in Greece q. Hitler bailed out q. Then conquered Yugoslavia q. Next step…. Soviet Union

Soviet Invasion üJune, 1941 üBut difficult üEastern army collapsing üSoviets joined Allies

US Response To Europe Ø Isolationism Ø Not pro-Hitler, just anti-war Ø Supported England, France, other allies Ø But did not want entry into the war

US Response To Japan – interventionism ü Japan threatened US possessions ü Such as Hawaii, Philippines, Guam, Samoa, etc ü More directly threatened than by Hitler

US Interventionism v. Oil and scrap iron embargo against Japan v. To cripple their industrial system v. Assistance to Chinese military v. Military presence in Philippines

Pearl Harbor ü 12/7/41 üMyth – isolationism led to Pearl Harbor üUS was never isolationist towards Japan üIt was US aggressiveness that led to Pearl Harbor üDeclared war against Axis

Japanese Internment üJapanese-Americans locked up in US concentration camps üMost were US-born citizens üThrough presidential order of Franklin Roosevelt üNever done to German or Italian immigrants

Axis and Allies Western Theater Pacific Theater

The Nazi Order q. Jews forced to emigrate q. From homes into ghettos q. Then into concentration camps

Nazi Order q Gays, socialists arrested as well q Christians who opposed Nazis ü Some Lutherans, Catholics ü Mostly Jehovah’s Witnesses q Handicapped (physically and mentally) ü Executed about 80, 000 ü Trial run for future killing of Jews

Nazi Order in the West q“Nazified” conquered areas ü Nazis in control of government offices ü Anti-Semitism applied there ü Treated Western Europeans more lightly q. Not Aryans, but close q. Were at least of part Germanic blood

Nazi Order in the East q Removed Jews and Slavs (over 1 million in Poland) q To open land for Aryans (up to 2 million in Poland) q Overseen by Heinrich Himmler, high up Nazi leader q Various Slavic people intended for slave labor q Land would be possessed by Germans

Economic Exploitation Ø Economic and natural resources taken Ø For German use Ø Crippling, extreme Ø Created hardship

Resistance Movements q. Underground movements in conquered areas ü French led by Charles de Gaulle ü Yugoslavia by Tito q. Some in Germany too, but crushed by Gestapo q. Attempt to assassinate Hitler 1944, but failed

The Holocaust Ø Emigration the original plan Ø To northern Russia ü Not possible because of war Ø Madagascar Plan ü Not possible because of British navy ü Could not get Jews there

The Holocaust Ø Himmler and SS determined “the final solution” Ø Annihilation of Jewish population Ø Could not move them … so killed them

First in Poland Ø 1 million Polish Jews shot ØBy einsatzgruppen, mobile death squads ØBut expensive, psychologically difficult for soldiers ØNot feasible to shoot every Jew

The Holocaust Ø Looked for more efficient means of extermination Ø More concentration camps built as death camps Ø Use of hydrogen cyanide through showers Ø Burned corpses Ø Efficient and relatively cheap

Death Camps ØProgram began spring 1942 ØFirst Polish Jews ØThen rounded up Jews in conquered areas ØAuschwitz and Treblinka most infamous

The Holocaust Ø Tortured, starved, brutal work assignments Ø Vicious scientific experiments, like vivisection Ø 6 million Jews killed (2/3 of European Jewry) Ø An additional 6 million , Gypsies, socialists, gays

The Holocaust

The Holocaust

The Holocaust

The Holocaust

The New Order in Asia q Japan established pro-Japanese regimes in conquered areas q No respect for the conquered people q Economic exploitation, hardships imposed on subjects q Women forced into prostitution q Men as industrial slave laborers

Home Front q Total war, like WWI q Most civilians involved in war effort q Manufactured items for war rather than consumer goods q Goods rationed (such as gas, sugar, tires, etc) q Encouraged to grow “victory gardens” q Central planning of economy

Air Forces v Used in WWI, but sparingly v Bigger part of war with WWII v Bombing of major cities a new threat v German Luftwaffe relentless v But Allies bombed German cities, especially Dresden v And US used nuclear bombs to end war in Japan

Devastating Results

Allied Leaders Winston Churchill (England) Charles de Gaulle (French Underground)

Allied Leaders FDR (US president) Dwight Eisenhower (General)

Winning the War Churchill and FDR worked out strategy Ø Liberate North Africa Ø Overthrow Mussolini Ø Move up to Germany from South Ø Russia to move to Germany from East Ø Land Allies troops in France Ø Move to Germany from West Ø Three-pronged attack on Germany

Fall of Mussolini Ø Allied troops in Sicily, September 1943 Ø Mussolini overthrown, imprisoned Ø New Italian government surrendered to Allies Ø But rescued by Germans Ø Rome and all of Italy fell, 1944 Ø Mussolini assassinated by Russian troops 1945

D-Day, June 1944 üNormandy, France üFrance liberated, moved west üGermany surrounded üAllies from South, West, East üHitler – suicide April 1945 üGermany fell within a month

Island Hopping v. Liberated one island after another v. Pushed Japanese back to Japan v. Japan crumbling

Atomic Bombs v. US military and scientists discovered how to split atom v. Powerful weapon v. Enola Gay plane dropped bomb on Hiroshima v. Then Nagasaki v. War in Pacific over August 1945

The War v. German efforts to build Aryan racial system v. Enslavement of some races v. Near extinction of Jews v. Extreme Japanese and Italian nationalism as well v. Chaos, violence, devastation, lack of democracy

Costs of the War ü 21 million soldiers killed ü 40 million civilians killed ü Roughly 100 million survivors dependent on food relief ü Millions displaced, uprooted ü Major cities in ruins from bombings ü Nearly $4 trillion price tag