AP World History 7.5-7.6: WWII and Mass Atrocities

Total war

A conflict in which governments mobilize entire societies and economies, including civilian labor, industry, science, and propaganda, rather than relying only on professional armies.

World War II

A global conflict fought from 1 September 1939 to 2 September 1945 between the Allied and Axis coalitions. It involved nearly all major countries and became the deadliest war in history.

Allies and Axis powers

The Allies included major powers such as the United Kingdom, Soviet Union, United States, China, and France. The principal Axis powers were Germany, Italy, and Japan.

What major conditions after World War I contributed to World War II?

The peace settlement created territorial disputes, economic burdens, and nationalist resentment, especially in Germany. Weak collective security, unresolved rivalries, and the rise of aggressive authoritarian movements worsened these tensions.

League of Nations

An international organization created in 1920 to prevent war through collective security, disarmament, negotiation, and arbitration. Its inability to stop aggression in Ethiopia and Manchuria revealed the weakness of interwar collective security.

How did the Treaty of Versailles contribute to German resentment?

Germany lost territory and all overseas colonies, faced reparations and military restrictions, and was prohibited from annexing other states. These terms fueled revanchist nationalism and support for movements promising to overturn the settlement.

Fascism

An authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology that rejects liberal democracy, suppresses opposition, promotes centralized leadership, and often supports militarism and expansionism. Mussolini's Italy and Hitler's Germany were major fascist states.

How did Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party reshape Germany before World War II?

After Hitler became chancellor in 1933, the Nazis dismantled parliamentary democracy, promoted a racially defined national order, and launched large-scale rearmament and conscription.

What goals characterized Mussolini's Fascist government in Italy?

Mussolini established a nationalist, totalitarian regime that suppressed socialist, liberal, and left-wing forces while pursuing aggressive expansion intended to create a new Italian empire.

What was the Stresa Front, and why did it fail?

Britain, France, and Italy formed the Stresa Front in 1935 to oppose German treaty violations. It weakened when Britain separately made a naval agreement with Germany, reducing united resistance to German rearmament.

What was the significance of Germany's remilitarization of the Rhineland?

In March 1936, Hitler violated postwar agreements by sending German forces into the demilitarized Rhineland. The lack of effective opposition encouraged further German risk-taking and demonstrated the weakness of appeasement and collective security.

Rome–Berlin Axis and Anti-Comintern Pact

Germany and Italy formed the Rome–Berlin Axis in 1936, while Germany and Japan signed the Anti-Comintern Pact that same year; Italy later joined it. These agreements strengthened cooperation among powers opposed to communism and the existing international order.

Why did Japan invade Manchuria in 1931?

Japan's increasingly militaristic leadership sought resources, territory, and regional dominance. It used the Mukden Incident as a pretext to seize Manchuria and establish the puppet state of Manchukuo.

How did the League of Nations respond to Japan's invasion of Manchuria?

The League condemned Japan's aggression but failed to stop it. Japan subsequently withdrew from the organization, demonstrating that condemnation without effective enforcement could not preserve peace.

What was the Second Sino-Japanese War's significance?

Japan's full-scale invasion of China began in 1937 after years of tension and localized conflict. Although Japan captured major cities, Chinese resistance continued after the government relocated inland to Chongqing.

What was the Spanish Civil War's connection to World War II?

The conflict served as a proxy war in which Germany and Italy supported Franco's Nationalists while the Soviet Union and International Brigades supported the Spanish Republic. The combatants tested weapons and tactics later used in World War II.

What did Japan's defeat at Khalkhin Gol in 1939 influence?

The defeat by Soviet and Mongolian forces weakened Japan's plan for northward expansion against the Soviet Union. Japan subsequently emphasized southward expansion, contributing to its later attacks on Western territories.

Munich Agreement

The 1938 agreement allowed Germany to take the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia in exchange for Hitler's promise of no further territorial demands. Germany soon violated the spirit of the agreement by taking the rest of the Czech lands.

Appeasement

The policy of making concessions to an aggressive state in hopes of avoiding war. Britain and France used appeasement toward Hitler, most notably by accepting Germany's annexation of the Sudetenland at Munich.

Why was the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact important?

Signed by Germany and the Soviet Union on 23 August 1939, it was a non-aggression agreement that reduced Hitler's fear of an immediate eastern war. A secret protocol divided parts of Eastern Europe, including Poland, into German and Soviet spheres of influence.

What event is most commonly used to mark the beginning of World War II in Europe?

Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, followed by Britain and France declaring war on Germany on 3 September.

What happened to Poland at the beginning of World War II?

Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, and the Soviet Union invaded from the east later that month. The two powers partitioned Polish territory according to their secret agreement.

Phoney War

The early period after Britain and France declared war on Germany when the Western Allies conducted little major land combat against Germany. They did, however, impose a naval blockade.

How did Germany respond to the Allied blockade during the early war?

Germany used submarine, or U-boat, warfare against Allied merchant and military shipping. This campaign later became part of the larger Battle of the Atlantic.

What territories did Germany conquer in Western Europe in 1940?

Germany conquered Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, then defeated France. France fell in June 1940, leaving Britain as Germany's principal opponent in Western Europe.

Battle of Britain

A major 1940 air campaign in which Germany attempted to weaken or defeat Britain through attacks on its air defenses and cities. British resistance prevented Germany from gaining the air superiority needed for invasion.

The Blitz

Germany's sustained bombing campaign against British cities during the early war. It caused extensive civilian destruction but did not force Britain to surrender.

Why was the Battle of the Atlantic strategically important?

Germany sought to cut Britain and later the wider Allied coalition off from food, fuel, troops, and industrial supplies. Allied efforts to protect shipping were essential to sustaining resistance and preparing later offensives.

What was the significance of Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941?

Operation Barbarossa opened the Eastern Front, the largest and one of the most destructive theaters of the war. It transformed the conflict into a vast German-Soviet land war and eventually overextended German forces.

What brought the United States into World War II?

Japan's December 1941 attacks on American and British territories in Asia and the Pacific, including Pearl Harbor, led the United States to enter the war against the Axis.

How did Japan's early Pacific expansion change by mid-1942?

Japan conquered much of coastal China and Southeast Asia, but its advance was halted at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. The battle marked a major setback for Japanese naval power.

Why were the defeats at Stalingrad and in North Africa turning points?

Axis forces suffered major defeats in both theaters in early 1943. These losses stopped Axis expansion, weakened its strategic position, and helped the Allies gain momentum on multiple fronts.

What was the effect of the Allied invasion of Italy in July 1943?

The invasion contributed to the collapse of Mussolini's fascist regime. Fighting continued in Italy, but the Axis position in the Mediterranean deteriorated.

What was the significance of the Normandy invasion in June 1944?

The Western Allies landed in Normandy and opened a major western front against German-occupied France. Combined with Soviet advances from the east, this forced Germany to retreat on multiple fronts.

How did the war in Europe conclude?

The Allies liberated German-occupied territories and invaded Germany. Berlin fell, and Germany accepted unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945.

What events led to Japan's surrender in 1945?

The United States used atomic bombs against Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August, while the Soviet Union invaded Japanese-occupied Manchuria. Japan announced unconditional surrender on 15 August and formally surrendered on 2 September.

What events are commonly associated with the end of World War II?

Germany surrendered unconditionally on 8 May 1945. Japan announced surrender on 15 August and formally signed the surrender document on 2 September 1945.

How did World War II affect civilian populations?

Civilians suffered disproportionately from bombing, occupation, genocide, starvation, disease, and mass displacement. The scale of civilian involvement reflected the nature of total war.

How many people died in World War II, and what was distinctive about the casualties?

Approximately 60–75 million people died, including military personnel and civilians. Civilians made up the majority of deaths through combat, massacres, starvation, disease, and genocide.

What were the Holocaust and other wartime crimes?

The Holocaust was the systematic Nazi genocide of European Jews, carried out alongside persecution and mass murder of other targeted groups. World War II also involved massacres, forced occupation, starvation, and other crimes against humanity.

What happened to Axis territories and leaders after the Allied victory?

Germany, Austria, Japan, and parts of the former Japanese empire were occupied or placed under postwar control. German and Japanese leaders were subjected to trials for war crimes.

What geopolitical changes followed World War II?

The United Nations was created to promote international cooperation and prevent future conflicts. The United States and Soviet Union emerged as rival superpowers, establishing the conditions for the Cold War.

Which powers became permanent members of the United Nations Security Council after World War II?

China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States became the permanent members of the Security Council.

How did World War II contribute to decolonization?

Europe's devastation weakened the economic and political dominance of European empires. This decline helped accelerate independence movements and decolonization in Africa and Asia.

How did World War II affect postwar economic development?

Although many countries experienced severe industrial damage, reconstruction encouraged economic recovery and expansion in numerous regions. The war also accelerated the application of new technologies to military and civilian purposes.