February 23- 27

Monday- Discussed Italy

Italy

Major events that impacted their country between WWI and WWII. 

  • Italy was not happy with the Treaty of Versailles
  • 5 power pact
    • Signed by GB, US, Japan, France and Italy
    • Designed to prevent an arm's race
    • It limited the construction of battleships, battle cruisers and aircraft carriers
    • Did not restrict cruisers, destroyers or submarines
  • 9 power pact
    • Italy also signed this
    • Guaranteed Chinese independence and upheld the Open Door Policy (Free trade with China)
  • Kellogg-Briand Pact
    • Italy signed
    • Countries pledged not to use war as a way to settle disputes
  • Ethiopia invaded by Mussolini
    • In 1936
  • King Victor Emmanuel
    • Asked Mussolini to take over power in Italy to keep the communists out of Italy
  • Established Fascism in Italy
    • A government led by a strong dictator
    • Stresses strong nationalism, militarism and imperialism
    • Uses intimidation to get what they want
      • "All within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state."
        • Benito Mussolini
  • Generalissimo Francisco Franco and the Spanish Civil War - 1936
    • Hitler and Mussolini send troops and weapons to help win the civil war against the communists
  • Rome-Berlin Axis - 1936
    • Tripartite Pact is signed forming the Axis Powers - 1940
      • Germany, Italy and Japan

Basic facts: alliance, total casualties, total cost, war goals, etc 

  • Alliance - the Axis powers
  • Mussolini was arrested in 1943
  • This caused a civil war in Italy
  • Civil war was 1943-1945
  • Italian Resistance and Co-Belligerent army fought and defeated Fascist Italian Social Republic
  • Lost about 454,600 people
  • About $94 billion dollars were spent for Italy by 1945, around a trillion dollars today
  • Italy had poor leadership after Mussolini and bad weapons
  • Men didn't have a desire to fight
  • Make a new Roman Empire
  • Make the Mediterranean and "Italian Lake"
  • Take over northern African colonies of Britain and France - especially Egypt
  • Take over southeastern Europe - Greece and Albania
  • Take over parts of the Middle East 

Tell us about their leader(s) during WWII: background, how they came to power, how they lost power

  • Benito Mussolini
    • Born in 1883
    • Went to a boarding school
    • Worked in a blacksmith shop
    • Emigrated to Switzerland to avoid serving in the military
    • Journalist for a popular Italian newspaper
    • Wanted to be an elementary school teacher
    • Joined the army in 1917 to fight against the central powers in WWI
    • Against war and military prior to WWI
    • Using journalism, was able to convince people to believe in Fascism
    • Created the Blackshirts that went to overthrow the Prime Minister
      • Mussolini became the new Prime Minister
    • Him and his mistress were killed. Executed on April 29, 1945

Impact of their Homefront and propaganda and what it was like in their country during the war

  • Economic problems in the years before the war
  • Considered not prepared for major military battle in 1942
  • There was propaganda about the homefront 

Major battle strategies

  • Invade Albania
  • Invade Greece
  • Mediterranean and North African Plan
    • Control these areas

Major battles that the country was involved in

Other people/generals from their country in WWII that had a major impact on the war

  • Pietro Badoglio
    • Born September 28, 1871
    • Died November 1, 1956
    • Promoted to general in WWI
    • Responsible for armistice to Allies
  • Ugo Cavallero
    • Born September 20, 1880
    • Died September 13, 1943
    • Promoted to general in WWI
    • Committed suicide rather than surrendering
  • Giovanni Messe
    • Born December 10, 1883
    • Died December 19, 1963
    • Became General in 1935
    • Wrote about his experiences
    • Considered best Italian general in WWII
  • Arturo Riccardi
    • Born October 30, 1878
    • Died December 20, 1966
    • Became Admiral in 1940
    • Lost position when Mussolini died

Why they won or lost the war

  • Lost as Axis powers, but switched to Allied and won.
  • Axis lost to the stronger Allied powers.
  • Italy had to surrender to the Allied powers.
  • Italy was not prepared militarily to fight a prolonged war
    • Germany had to constantly bail Italy out
  • Italian troops were spread to thin - Africa, Mediterranean, Albania, Greece, Soviet Union, France.
    • Battle of Britain
  • The people of Italy were not prepared to fight or motivated to fight. They were forced to fight.
  • Overall, Italy was just a weak country.

Impact WWII had on the country

  • Before the war, Italy was disappointed with no territorial gains. But their allies did in WWI.
  • Therefore, it lead to political and economical struggles for a while.
  • Led led to nationalism and Mussolini's rise to power.
  • Then that led them to being friends with Nazi Germany
  • Then in 1939 they invaded Albania to expand.
  • Italy enters Japan and the Axis powers in 1940.
  • Italy and them take land but then the Allies come and force Italy to surrender Eastern Africa territories
  • Italy didn't like that so this forced the Allied powers to invade the Italy homeland in 1943
  • Allied powers ended up controlling all of Italy in 1944

Tuesday- Finished Italy

Wednesday- Quiz 

Thursday- Started Germany notes

Germany

Major events that impacted their country between WWI and WWII.

  • The Soviets went into Germany and raped all the women from age 8-80
  • October 16 - Hermann Goring commits suicide two hours before his scheduled execution
    • Head of the German air force
  • Treaty of Versailles
    • Weren't happy because so much land was taken away
    • Invaded countries that they lost land to
    • Military was downsized
    • Lost land
    • Had to pay $33 billion to the Allies
    • Had to take responsibility for the war
  • Weimer Republic
    • Democratic government set up by Germany after WWI
    • Hitler did not like them
    • Allowed Hitler to be appointed as Chancellor
    • Hitler used his powers to dissolve the government
  • Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
    • Russia gave raw materials to Germany in exchange for money and weapons
    • Both agreed to stay neutral if the other entered the war
    • Secretly agreed to invade and split Poland. Germany would get the Western half and USSR the Eastern half
    • Russia would get Finland, Estonia and Latvia and Germany would get Lithuania
      • How did the world react to the pact?
        • Shock
        • Poland was scared
        • Hitler thought it would force Great Britain and France to back out of their promise to help Poland if attacked

Basic facts: alliance, total casualties, total cost, war goals, etc

  • The total causalities is around 2 million
  • The total cost was over 1.6 trillion
  • Allies were Italy, Japan
  • Allied troops entered and occupied German territory during the later stages of WWI
  • Mass rapes took place both in connection with combat operations and during the subsequent occupation
  • Soviet's went into Germany and raped many females from age 8-80
  • Wanted to reunite German speaking people, take over Europe

Tell us about their leader(s) during WWII: background, how they came to power, how they lost power

  • Adolf Hitler
    • April 20, 1889 - April 30, 1949
    • 5 siblings, 2 older
    • In the army
    • Chancellor 1933-34
    • Leader in 1934
    • Committed suicide
    • Wanted to become an artist
    • Born in Austria
    • Joined the German army in WWI
  • Heinrich Himmler
    • Grammar school
    • Officer candidate
    • Second in command
    •  Head of the Gestapo
    • Committed suicide
  • Joseph Goebbles
    • October 29, 1897 - May 1, 1945
    • Had a deformed leg
    • Was rejected from the military
    • Leader of the enlightenment
    • Propaganda
    • Committed suicide
  • Albert Speer
    • March 19, 1905 - September 1981
    • Was an architect
    • Was very sorry for what the Nazi's did
    • Took moral responsibility
    • Died of a stroke

Impact of their Homefront and propaganda and what it was like in their country during the war

  • A lot of people got jobs in factories to build weapons and other things for the war
  • The German economy was about to collapse and hardly anyone had money and most people couldn't afford a job or anything else

Major battle strategies

  • Germany wanted to focus on offensive fighting
    • Airplanes
    • Tanks
    • Be fast and overwhelm
    • Take over
    • Called "Blitzkrieg"
    • Achieve victory as quickly as possible

Major battles that the country was involved in

  • Invaded countries - Spring and early summer of 1940
    • Luxembourg
    • Belgium
    • Netherlands
    • Denmark
    • Norway
    • France

Other people/generals from their country in WWII that had a major impact on the war

Why they won or lost the war

Impact WWII had on the country


Friday- Continued Germany notes

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Comments

  • Why was this published last night? It should have been published last Monday.

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