WWII The European Theater The Pacific Theater and

WWII: The European Theater, The Pacific Theater and The Holocaust Key Figures

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: SS. 912. A. 6. 1 Examine causes, course, and consequences of World War II on the United States and the world SS. 912. A. 6. 2 Describe the United States response in the early years of World War II (Neutrality Acts, Cash and Carry, Lend Lease Act) SS. 912. A. 6. 3 Analyze the impact of the Holocaust during World War II on Jews as well as other groups SS. 912. A. 6. 6 Analyze the use of atomic weapons during World War II and the aftermath of the bombings SS. 912. A. 6. 7 Describe the attempts to promote international justice through the Nuremberg Trials SS. 912. A. 6. 9 Describe the rationale for the formation of the United Nations, including the contribution of Mary Mc. Leod Bethune

The Nazis Adolf Hitler: • Known as “The Fuhrer” • Leader of the Nazi Party • Policies led to the second world war and the holocaust • Committed suicide when Germany lost the war

Other Dictators Benito Mussolini: • Created the Fascist Party in Italy • His supporters were called the “Black Shirts” • Formed the Axis Alliance with Germany • Eventually made himself dictator • He was killed in 1945 by his own people

Other Dictators Joseph Stalin: • Ruled the Soviet Union for more than twenty years • Modernized Russia • Began as an ally to Germany • Helped to defeat Germany and Nazism

The Japanese Emperor Hirohito: • Emperor of Japan during WWII • His people viewed him as a god • Followed the advice of his military leaders • The first time the Japanese people heard his voice was his announcement of surrender over the radio

The Allies Winston Churchill: • As prime minister, Sir • • Winston Churchill rallied the British people during WWII, and led his country from the brink of defeat to victory Talented speaker who gave very moving speeches to build British morale Helped form the Allies strategy with Russia and the U. S.

The Americans Franklin Delano Roosevelt: • Served as president of the United States for all but four months of World War II • Worked with Churchill and Stalin on strategy to defeat the Axis powers • Under Roosevelt's leadership, the nation rebounded from the devastating surprise attack at Pearl Harbor in December 1941

The Nazis Hermann Goering: • Military leader • Commander of the Luftwaffe • President of the Reichstag • Prime Minister of Prussia • Hitler's designated successor.

The Nazis Joseph Goebbels: • Minister of propaganda • Targeted Jews • Advocated a policy of “Total War” when the allies advanced into Germany • One day after Hitler, he committed suicide along with his wife and six children

The Nazis Heinrich Himmler: • Commander of the Schutzstaffel (SS: Hitler’s elite guard) • Took command of the Gestapo (secret police) and expanded it • Chief of all German police • Minister of the interior

The Japanese Hideki Tojo: • Japanese statesman, general, and prime minister • Approved the attack on Pearl Harbor • Later executed as a war criminal

The Japanese Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku: • Japanese naval officer who conceived of the surprise attack on the U. S. naval base at Pearl Harbor • Recognized the effectiveness of carrier-based attacks • Was quoted after the attack on Pearl Harbor as saying “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve”

The Allies Neville Chamberlain: • British prime minister as Great Britain entered World War II • He is known for his policy of "appeasement" toward Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany • Signed the Munich Agreement in 1938, giving a region of Czechoslovakia to the Nazis

The Allies Marshal Philippe Petain: • Military and political leader • France´s greatest hero in World War I • Later condemned as a traitor for having headed the pro-German Vichy regime after France's defeat in World War II Petain (left) shaking hands with Hitler

The Allies General Charles de Gaulle: • French general and statesman • Led the French forces in their resistance of Germany during World War II • Later served as president of France

The Americans Harry S. Truman: • Served as President of the United States during the final months of World War II. • Under his command, the U. S. dropped two atomic bombs —the first to be used in warfare—on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, effectively ending the war

The Americans General Dwight D. Eisenhower: • Supreme commander of Allied forces in Western Europe during World War II • Led the massive invasion of Nazioccupied Europe that began on D-Day

The Americans General Douglas Mac. Arthur: • American general best known for his command of Allied forces in the Pacific Theater during World War II • Mac. Arthur was placed in charge of the formal surrender of Tokyo • Remained in Japan to command the occupation forces there and to oversee the rebuilding of the country.

The Americans General George S. Patton: • Led the Third Army in a very successful sweep across France during World War II • Skilled at tank warfare • Was instrumental to the liberation of Germany from the Nazis

The Americans Tuskegee Airmen: • Unit of African American pilots that fought in World War II • Received more awards then any other unit

The Americans Navajo Code Talkers: • Bilingual Navajo speakers recruited during World War II by the Marines to serve in their communications units in the Pacific Theater