World War II – Detailed Lesson Notes
Long-term causes
• The Treaty of Versailles (1919) left Germany politically humiliated, economically ruined,
and socially unstable. Harsh reparations and territorial losses created resentment and desire
for revenge.
• The Great Depression (1929) worsened conditions worldwide, leading to unemployment,
poverty, and the rise of extremist political movements.
• In several countries, totalitarian regimes came to power:
• Germany: Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party promised to restore national pride and
expand territory.
• Italy: Benito Mussolini promoted the idea of a new Roman Empire.
• Japan: military leaders pushed for expansion in Asia to secure resources.
• Expansionist policies were tolerated for too long due to the policy of appeasement by
Britain and France. Examples: the occupation of the Rhineland (1936), the annexation of
Austria (Anschluss, 1938), and the Munich Agreement (1938), which gave Hitler the
Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia without resistance.
Outbreak of the war
• On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland using the Blitzkrieg strategy: fast attacks
with tanks, planes, and infantry.
• In response, Britain and France declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939.
• The war quickly spread: the Soviet Union invaded eastern Poland under the secret clause of
the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (a non-aggression pact between Germany and the USSR).
Early German victories (1939–1941)
• Germany conquered Denmark and Norway in 1940 to secure access to the sea.
• The Fall of France (1940): German troops bypassed the heavily fortified Maginot Line and
invaded through Belgium. France surrendered in June 1940.
• Battle of Britain (1940): Germany tried to gain air superiority to prepare for an invasion,
but the Royal Air Force resisted successfully. This was Hitler’s first defeat.
• In 1941, Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. Initially
successful, but the advance stalled with the arrival of winter and Soviet resistance.
Expansion of the war (1941)
• On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor (Hawaii). The
USA entered the war.
• The war now became a truly global conflict, involving Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific.
Turning points (1942–1943)
• Battle of Stalingrad (1942–43): one of the bloodiest battles in history. Soviet forces
surrounded and defeated the German army. From this moment on, Germany began to retreat
in the East.
• Battle of El Alamein (1942) in North Africa: the Allies, led by General Montgomery,
stopped the German advance under Rommel. This marked the beginning of the Allied
offensive in the Mediterranean.
• Battle of Midway (1942) in the Pacific: the US Navy decisively defeated Japan and shifted
the balance of power in the Pacific.
Allied counter-offensive (1943–1945)
• In 1943, the Allies invaded Sicily and then mainland Italy. Mussolini was overthrown, and
Italy surrendered, though German troops continued fighting in Italy until 1945.
• On June 6, 1944 (D-Day), the Allies landed in Normandy (France). This opened a second
front in Western Europe.
• The Soviet Red Army advanced from the East, pushing German forces back after victories in
battles such as Kursk (1943).
• By early 1945, Allied forces were closing in on Germany from both directions.
End of the war in Europe
• April 1945: Soviet troops entered Berlin.
• Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945.
• May 8, 1945: Germany officially surrendered (Victory in Europe Day).
End of the war in Asia
• After years of “island hopping” and heavy fighting in the Pacific, the United States wanted
to end the war quickly.
• On August 6, 1945, the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
• On August 9, 1945, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki.
• Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945, officially ending the war.
Consequences
• The war caused unprecedented destruction: more than 60 million dead worldwide, with
huge civilian losses.
• The Holocaust: systematic genocide of Jews, Roma, disabled people, and others by Nazi
Germany.
• Europe was left devastated, divided, and occupied. The United States and the Soviet Union
emerged as the two new superpowers.
• The conflict marked the beginning of the Cold War between the USA and the USSR.
• In 1945, the United Nations (UN) was founded to promote international cooperation and
prevent future wars.
