UNIT SIX
The Second World War (1939-1945)
Causes
√ The fundamental cause of the WWII was deeply rooted in the Peace Settlements made at the end of WWI
√ The peace treaties sowed the seed of a future war in Italy and German, which strongly opposed to the peace treaties
√ German and Italy were opposed those peace treaties and restore their lost glory through war and conquest
1. The Rise of Fascism Party in Italy
- After the WWI Italy was crisis by problems of debts, political, economic, and social &unemployment widespread &made Italy unrest
- Then post the WWI, Italian govt was unable to control the situation
- The dissatisfaction and chaos created a favorable condition for the rise of Fascists to power in Italy 1922
- The leader of Fascist Italy was Benito Mussolini (1883-1945)
- Mussolini was fought in the WWI as a corporal and socialism, but became Nationalism during the WWII
Factors that helped Mussolini to take State power and formed Fascist Party
- promised to established law and order and to end social unrest
- Protect private prosperity and promised to restore Italy's greatness
- Mussolini was a defense against communism, promising job for Workers, old pensions and insurance
- Made agreement as Fascist Party had majority seats in Italian Parliament
√ Victory Emmanuel III, king of Italy to declare Martial Law and appointed Mussolini as Prime Minister
- Mussolini called himself “IL DUCE" or "The Leader “and took into his hands the destinty of Italy, as dictator
2. The Rise of the Nazism Party in German
- The leader of the Nazi German was Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), who take power in 1933
-The full name of the Nazi Party was the National Socialist German Workers Party
- The members of the Hitler were recruited from young German veterans and street hooligans
- In Nove 1923, Hitler made a coup d’état to take power in Munich, but failed and prisoned for Five Year (1923-1928)
- Hitler wrote book called Mein Kampf (My Struggle) in prison, which described the ideology of Nazism and Hitler's future plan to make German dominant in Europe
- One of his note was “The great masses of people... will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one”
- Adolf Hitler was a veteran of WWI and extremely racism and unbridled Nationalism
- Hitler's private army was known as the "Storm Troops" or "Brown Shirts" named after the color of their uniform
- The President of the Weimar Republic Paul von Hindenburg, offered Hitler the office of Chancellor, head of govt (PM)
- The German Parliament, Reichstag, gave full power for Hitler as a dictator
- Adolf Hitler took "The Leader" or "Fuhrer" in German
- After the WWI, German Emperor, William II, fled to Holland
- Post the WWI, German was ruled by a group’s communist known as the Spartacist League (1919-1923)
- They set up a Republic regime known as Weimar Republic, but problems expanded
- The problems of the Weimar Republic was the crisis of political, economical, social and Great Depression in German
- German announced unable to pay the reparation of declared at Versailles $ 6,600,000,000 after the end of WWI
- The France occupied German's industrial center Rhineland to compensation in the form of Coal and Steel
- German Workers went on strike to opposed French occupation Germans prosperity area
- Serious inflation (high price to buying goods) and Great Depression (economic set back) widespread in German
- The economic crisis in German was the result of the Great Depression in the whole World (1928-1933)
- The immediate cause of the Great Depression was Street Stock Market crash in America in 1929
- Workers lost their jobs in the many Countries
- All industrialized Nations hard hit by Depression and many enterprise went bankrupt
- The desperate situation brought Hitler to the political scene
German and Italy were the two Fascism States extremely expansionist and absolutist
- Nazism was the German version of Fascism
- The word "Fascism" originated from the Latin term "fasces", which was a bundle of sticks bound together with an axe, that served as a symbol of power and unity in ancient Rome
- Fascism is a system of dictatorship, Nationalism, totalitarianism, chauvinism, violence and anti - democracy
- The unity of all social groups under the control of a national state and national goals achieved by war and conquest
- They ignored the sovereignty of independent state and no peaceful way to solve problems rather favoring war
- German and Italy as Fascist States were didn't respect the rule of law
- According to Hitler, the Germans were a" Master Race”, who deserved to rule Europe
3. Militarist Groups took Power in Japan
- Militarist was the Japan Party led by Emperor Hirohito
- The Militarist was followed Fascism ideas and similar policy of achieving greatness through territorial expansion
- The target of Japan was expanding to East and South East Asia and the Pacific
- The aggressive policies of Italian Fascists, German Nazi and Japanese militarists forced the world to face another destructive war
4. The failure of the League of Nations to stop war
- The broken of international law further widespread the Fascism ideas
- The League of Nations was could not stop Fascist, Nazism and Militarists and called (“Toothless Dog") Example;-
1. Japan invaded Manchuria, Northern Province industrial area of China in 1931
- Then Japan established Manchukuo govt in China and stayed until the end of the war
2. Italy invaded Ethiopia by using poison gas, which was against international law
- Italy signed international agreement of 1925 had forbidden the use of poison gas
3. Hitler broken the Versailles treaty of the WWI
- Introduction of national military service in1935 and reoccupied demilitarized zone of Rhineland in 1936
- Anschluss, annexed Austria with German in1938
4. Hitler expanded to Sudetenland (border land of German and NW Czechoslovakia)
- Sudetenland was 3 million German in Czechoslovakia and an economically important region of the Czechoslovakia
- Sudetenland was the target of Hitler's aggression expand to Eastern Europe
- In 1938, Hitler demanded that the Czechoslovakia govt give the right of self determination to the German's of the Sudetenland, but the Czechoslovakia's govt refused and declared war on the territory
In 1938, the Munich Agreement signed between Britain, France and German, to fulfill Hitler's demand
- Britain and France followed the" Policy of Appeasement” or satisfying Hitler's demands
- German allowed to annexed Sudetenland (province of Czechoslovakia)
- Hitler promised to respect the sovereignty of Czechoslovakia, but He invaded Czechoslovakia after 6 mouths
√ They followed this policy hoped to maintain peace and stabilize Europe by making concession to Hitler, however, not
5. The Western requested the USSR to against Nazi
- Joseph Stalin asked a free hand for the USSR in Eastern Europe (Baltic Republics and Poland)
- Chamberlain, British Prime Minister refused to accept Stalin's terms and this pushed Stalin to turn to Hitler
√ The Consequence was the agreement known as the Nazi- Soviet Non- Aggressive Pact signed between Russia and German in 1939 to:-
- Pledge remain neutral if one of them was at war with a third Power
- Partitioned Western Poland to German and Eastern Poland and Baltic Countries (Estonia, Latvia, Finland and Lithuania) to USSR
6. Italy, German and Japan signed Anti- Communist Alliance
- The Western (Britain and France) and USSR feared that the formation of such a front would provoke to war
Military Aspects of the WWII
√ The Axis Powers (German, Italy and Japan) fighting an unjust war of expansion with terrible consequences for the themselves and the World
√ The Allied Powers (Br, Fr, USA and USSR) exhibited heroic patriotism to preserve their own independence & maintain the peace of the World
1. The "Blitzkrieg”, the "Sitzkrieg" and German Success on the Western Front
- In1939, German invaded Poland and marked the beginning of the WWII (the immediate cause of the WWII)
- German employed a war strategy known as "Blitzkrieg "(Lightning War) used in their invasion of Poland
- The aim of this strategy was to win a quickly through German air and ground forces
- Two days later Britain and France declared war on German
- After German surrender Poland, there was no real fighting on Western Front for 7 months
-This period come to be known as the "Phony War" ("Sitzkrieg") or “Sitting War"
- The Phony War period ended when German invaded Denmark, Norway, Netherland, Belgium and France in 1940
- The rapid success of the German on the Western prompted Mussolini to declare War on Br and Fr to be on the winning side
2. France Surrendered to the Germans (1940- 1944)
√Then France signed an armistice (cease - fire or truce) with German in 1940 to: -
- German occupied Northern France including Atlantic Coast to the Spanish border
- Southern France, German set up a puppet govt led by Marshal Petain in Town of Vichy, called "Vichy Govt" including Djibouti
- Charles de Gaulle, French President exiled to England and set up French Free Govt
3. The Battle of Britain (1940)
- After the fall of France, Hitler started his attack on Britain Royal Air Force and its Air Fields
- The Britain Prime Minister led by Winston Churchill, who replaced Chamberlain in 1940, began fighting Nazi German
√ “My policy is to war, by Sea, Land and Air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us and my aim is gain victory victory at all costs, however, hard and long the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival”
√ The 1st Battle of Britain, Hitler "Luftwaffe" (German Air Force) attack Southern Britain on day light aim to wipeout Britain Air Fields and Planes, but German herself lost 120 Planes and could not defeated Britain
- This was because Britain had strong Air Force and using Radar then called RDF (Radio Direction Finding)
√The 2nd Battle of Britain, German changed to night bombing
- Hitler wanted to destroy Britain Industrial Production, but unable to break the Britain moral
- This was the Hitler's first major defeat since the outbreak of the WWII
4. German invasion of the Soviet Union (1941)
- After Hitler failure in the Battle of Britain, He decide to invasion of Soviet
√ Hitler aimed to invade Soviets Union was: -
1. To get the "Lebensraum" or Living Space which the vast Soviet territory provide for German settlers
2. To take the wheat of the Ukraine and the Oil fields of the Caucasus
√ Hitler invaded Russia violating the Non- Aggression Pact signed with Stalin in 1939
- When German started attack USSR, the Soviet responded with so called "Scorched Earth Policy" which called for destruction of every things that could be of use to the invaders, while fighting hard to pushed back
- German penetrated 960 km deep into Soviets and occupied Kiev, but other connection roads cut off to the other cities
- The Soviet said, they rallying to the cry behind us, there is no room left for retreated
√ Hitler defeated by the Soviets Union for the following factors
1. Soviets opened a counter- offensive war and used scorched earth policy helped the Soviets pushed German backed
2. Soviets Reds arms heroic resisted and very harsh climate conditions
3. Soviets German defeated at Stalingrad (industrial center of Soviets), named after Joseph Stalin
5. The Attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941
- After Japan dominated China, adopted the Slogan "Asia for the Asians", but USA not wanted
- The goal of Japan was to established a "Greater East Asia Co- Prosperity Sphere", to replace Western Imperialism by Japanese
imperialism and for other Asians peoples
- In response, the USA extended to loan to China and stopped the export of Scrap Iron and Oil to Japan
- This prompted Japan to sign a Tripartite Treaty known as "Berlin - Rome - Tokyo Triangle" pledged to assist one another in
the event of attack on any one of them
- USA forced Japan withdrawal from Indochina and China, but Japan refused due to affected their economic
- The Japanese launched an attack on the American air power and naval base at Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii Island
- Japan to take this action to avoid the competition of the USA in Asia due to USA refused to solve through peaceful way
- Japanese sank 19 American ships, destroyed 188 Planes and about 2400 people killed and more 1100 people wounded
- Attack on Pearl Harbor, pushed the USA to declared war on Japan, which made the war Fully a World War
- German and Italy declared war on USA to keeping their oath, to help each other at war
- Britain and Commonwealth troops’ under the General Bernard Montgomery defeated German General Erwin Rommel in the Desert Area or Northern Africa
- Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia were under the Nazi controlled from 1941-1943
- Victor Emmanuel III, King of Italy, deposed Mussolini and appointed Badoglio as Pm of Italy due to invaded of Italy (1943)
- In 1944 Italy was became the first Axis Power to surrendered and Rome occupied by Allied troops
- Near the end of the WWII, Mussolini captured by Italian communists and shot by them
-The USA, British and Canadian forces invaded Normandy (North France) in 1944 was a major breakthrough in the Allied reconquest of Europe. This invasion was named "Operation Overlord"
- France was liberated by the Allied forces by American and Allies General Dwight Eisenhower in 1944
- The leader of France Charles de Gaulle re-entered Paris
- In 1945 the Allied troops invaded Western German was marked the last desperate of German to defended the Allies
- General of German in the West Europe, Alfred Jodl surrendered by Dwight Eisenhower, General of the Allied Powers
- In the East, Soviet Red Army led by General Marshal Zhukov defeated and reached to the German and liberated the Eastern European Countries which stayed under Nazi
- Hitler didn't live to see German's surrender and suicide before capitation of Berlin on 2 May 1945 by Russian troops
- The last measure of Hitler was to make Karl Doenitz as his successor
On 8 May 1945 became Victory in Europe which marked the end of war in Europe, after Hitler suicide &German submitted
- The Allies had to fight the Japanese in the Asia and Pacific then came to an end by bombs on Japan cities
- On 6&9 August, 1945, the Americans Atomic Bombs dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively
√ Hiroshima (Little Boy or Enola Gay, 4050kg, Uranium) were name of bomb, weight and element respectively)
√ Nagasaki (Fat Man, 3600kg, Platinum) were name of bomb, Weight and made up of an element respectively
- The bombs caused immersive (incalculable) human and material destruction in Japan
- 80000 and 40000 lost their lives in Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively
- Long after bombing, its effect still exist victims suffer and die from radiation sickness
√ The USA Pr, Harry Truman (1945-53), who replaced Roosevelt (1933-45)
Truman bombarded Japanese cities due to the following reasons
1. Revenge for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii Island
2. Intended to demonstrate its power to the Soviets which would have an impact on post-war international relation
On 15, August 1945, Japan Emperor, Hirohito signed surrender of Japan and that put an official end of the WWII in the whole of the World
Consequences of the WWII
1. The WWII caused damaged material property and loss of human life causalities than of the WWI by the following
- Fought in the several theatres (areas) and mass killing in concentration camps
- Air raids, starvation and disease made civilian casualities very high
- The air raids caused serious destruction on material property and $ 2,000,000,000,000 property destroyed
- More than 70 million people fought in the WWII and 50 million people died in action
- Damaged of Ports, Roads, Railways, Cities, Towns, House, Halls and Bridges
- Industrial center such as Rhineland was ruined, and Warsaw and Kiev had to be totally built a new
2. By the orders of Hitler and Nazi officials, 12 million people were slaughtered
- Of these, 6 million were European Jews, while the rest were minorities like Gypsies and Slavs Peoples
- Nazi officials mass murder and practiced "Holocaust"(wholesale or complete destruction) on the Jews and minorities
- Hitler was killed these people in cocentration Camps by stravation, disease, poison gas and burned in live
- The most infamous Camps of Nazi officials were, Auschwitz, Dachau, Buchenwald, Belsen, Nordhausen and Sabibor
3. The German, Italy and Japan were ignored and required by law due to their barbaric acts; committed crimes against humanity
4. The WWII helped to accelerate the struggle for national liberation from colonialism in Africa and Asia
5. The emergence of many new independent States in Asia and Africa and development of new international alignments
6. The USA and USSR became the Super Powers and took opposite sides since WWII not yet been solved
7. The great problems created by the WWII took many years to solve and some problems not still solved
The United Nations Organization
The UNO was replaced the League of Nations due to the League could not kept the World and stopped the War
In 1941 Winston Churchill,(Br) and Franklin Roosevelt, (USA) raised the issue, but at that time USA not ready pledge to joine
In 1943 Roosevelt and Chirchill again meeting and raised at Tehran and gave support to the idea of a UNO
In 1943 at Moscow, the foreign Ministers of USA, USSR and Britain agreed on:
- "UNO based on the principles of sovereign equality of all peace-loving States and maintenance of peace, and security”
- In 1944 the Allies met again at Dumbarton Oaks, Washington and detailed discussion on the structure of the UNO
- In 1945 at Yalta Conference, the Big Three, USA, Britain and USSR agreed permanent member of the Security Council have the right to "Veto Power”, any decision made that is to reverse a decision
- April 1945, the UNO took its final shape at San- Francisco and 50 Allies drafted the UN Charter
- The Charter signed in June 1945 by 51 founding members after Poland annexed
- The head quarter of UNO is situated in New York
The Aim of the UNO
- To maintain international peace, security and develop friendly relations among Nations
- To save succeeding generations from the scourge of war and brought untold sorrow to mankind
- Promoting human rights, dignity, freedom, respect for international law and to take action at the time of crisis
- Social progress, better standards of life and improving culturall and economical life
The UNO consisted of Six Agencies set up to perform various tasks of the organization
1. General Assembly
- Made up of representatives of the UN members all of whom, regardless of their size have one vote
- They meet once annually, but in times of crisis called meeting admission of new members and expulsion
- Supervision of the bugdet and appointment of the Secretariat
2. The Security Council, New York
- Investigate dispute between Nations and recommend mechanisms for the General Assembly
- Take diplomatic or economic measure known as Sanction, against an aggressor
- Made up of 11 members and 6 of them elected by General Assembly for two year terms
- The remaining Five were held permanent by the Big Five (USA, China, USSR, Britain and France), have right o Veto Power, no decision accepted if one of the members against
3. International Court of Justice, New York
- Seat at Hague, Netherland and choose by General Assembly and Security Council
- Official language are English and France and concerned mainly with legal issue
4. Trusteeship Council, New York
- Took over the functionof the leageu's madate commission and sepervising the administration of trust territories
- Its functions end when trust territories achieved their independence, when end of colonialism
5. Secretariat
- An administrative body and appointed for a term of 5 years by the General Assembly
- Seated in New York and to bring all threats to international peace
no Name of Secretary Country Birth Term of Offices
1. Trygive Lie Norway 1949-1952
2. Dag Hammarskjold Sweden 1953-1961
3. U. Thant Burma ( Myanmar today) 1961-1970
4. Kurt Waldheim Austria 1971-1980
5. Perez de Cueller Peru 1980-1990
6. Butros Butros Gali Egypt 1991-1996
7. Kofi Ana Ghana 1997-2007
8. Ban Kimu South Korea 2007-2016
9. Antonio Gutteres Portugal 2016- ?
6. Economic and Social Council, New York
- Assisted by deal with on trade, drugs, population, human right and status of women
- To handle international, economic, social, cultural, education health
- Has under its jurisdiction special agencies
Others specialized agencies of the UNO are:
1. International Labor Organization (ILO), Geneva
2. United Nations international children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), New York
3. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Geneva
4. World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva
5. Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), Rome
6. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Paris
7. International Monetary Fund (IMF), Washington
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