World War II ...

01/17/06

World War II Comes to Canada

Introduction: On September 3, 1939 Germany under the leadership of Adolf Hitler launched an all out attack on Poland. This had come after years of German aggression throughout Europe in the mid to late 1930's. Each time Germany had aggressively sought to expand, France and Britain appeased them. Poland was the proverbial "straw that broke the camel’s back". Both France and Britain demanded that Germany withdraw, when Hitler refused Britain and France declared war. Though not forced as in World War I, Canada did stand with Britain and declared war on September 10, 1939. This war would last for 6 years and drag on till 1945. This tome however Canadians faced war with a heavy heart due to the fresh memories of World War I which had ended 20 years earlier.

I. The Causes of World War II:

(1) Economic Problems: Inflation

(II) Political Instability

(III) The Treaty of Versailles

(IV) Depression and Unemployment

II. Hitler Comes to Power:

-In 1919 a disgruntled Adolf Hitler joined a small political group that became knows as the Nazi Party. Within a short time Hitler became the party’s leader and it would reflect his views.

- Hitler was disappointed with Germany’s love of WWI and blamed Jewish Bankers for withdrawing economic support of Germany’s war effort. This only increased his obsessive hatred of Jews who he described as "vermin" and "deadly poison" in his book "Mein Kampf" meaning My Struggle.

-Hitler promised the German people he would get back the land and prestige lost by Germany in WWI. He promised the restore Germany to greatness. He pronounced that Aryans (Caucasians not of Jewish descent, for Hitler, people of pure German descent) were the Master Race. Aryans he felt deserved to rule the world.

* All Germany had to do to solve their problems was follow Hitler. According to ...... Hitler.

- Hitler and the Nazi’s gained control of Germany in 1933, his rise to power meant the end of Democracy as all Germans had to pledge allegiance to their new DICTATOR- "der führer".

- As leader Hitler:

-outlawed all political parties but his

- used a secret police force to control anyone who opposed him

- strictly controlled the media (censorship)

- Teachers had to join the Nazi party

(Brain-wash)

- students were recruited to join the Hitler Youth Movement (Brain-wash)

-Priests who opposed him were thrown into jail

* Germany had become a totalitarian state:

everything is controlled by government.

III. Anti-Semitism

-Anti-Semitism is obsessive hatred of Jews. Once in power Hitler began persecution of the Jews.

-Jews were:

-banned from govt. jobs, as well as teaching, broadcasting, newspapers, and entertainment.

- not allowed to marry non-jews

-banned from many shops and public buildings

-finally before the war Hitler began rounding up Jewish people and placing them in ghettos and concentration camps.

IV. The Steps to War:

-Hitler promised to restore Germany’s greatness, one of his first steps was to strengthen the army and air force. Soon the weapons of war were pouring out of factories.

- Occupation of the Rhineland:

In March of 1936 broke the Treaty of Versailles, which forbade German troops to be within 50 km of the Rhine (to keep them away from France) and moved back into the Rhineland. This was Hitler’s test to see if Britain or France would act.

-Takeover of Austria or Czechoslovakia:

Hitler wanted all Germans to live within the New German State (Anschlass). Being Austrian by birth he seized Austria in March 1938. Next Hitler took part of Czechoslovakia known as the Sudetenland. France and Britain not wanting another war met with Hitler in Munich Germany. The Munich agreement allowed Hitler to take the Sudeterland for the German promise of no more demands for land. This policy of giving into German demands was call appeasement.

-6 months later Germany took all of Czechoslovakia, once again Britain and France did not act.

-Next Hitler signed an agreement with the Soviet Union (his bitter enemy) promising not to fight each other if war came and secretly dividing Poland.

- September 1, 1939 Germany invades Poland, Britain and France realize there is no way to appease Hitler so they declare war on Germany.

V. Hitler Moves into France

-within four weeks Germany defeats Poland and then overran Denmark, Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands.

-"Phony War" till May 1940 when Germany invades France and defeats it within a matter of weeks.

-English and French soldiers retreat to a seaport town called Dunkirk. The British assemble every boat that floats and evacuates 300,000 men/soldiers to continue the fight.

-Hitler now controls Europe

- A new french army (escaped at Dunkirk) called the Free French, led by Charles de Gaulle, was set up in England

-Mussolini, the Italian dictator now decides to enter the war on the German side.

This site was last updated 12/17/01