Week of March 12th - March 16th

Monday - 

Battle of Coral Sea - The battle ended in a stalemate, Considered to a more a US victory as it was the first time Japan's advance had been stopped 

Battle of Midway (June 1942) - We did well in this because... 

  • We had broken their code so we know the attack was coming 

Kamikazes - Sucicide planes 

Battle of Leyte Gulf - Battle we domilished in the Philippines 

Battle of Iwo Jima (March, 1945) - Battle against the Japanese, Lost 6,821 troops 

  • Flag Raising - There were 2 flag raisings because the 1st flag wasn't seen enough 

Battle of Okinawa - We eventually take over Okinawa

Summer 1945 - Preparing for the Invasion of Japan 

  • Operation Downfall 
  • Planned for October 1945
  • Estimated to haave over 1 million casualties 
  • Estimated to have 267,000 deaths 

The Manhattan Project (1939-1945) - Development of the Atomic Bomb 

Tuesday - 

Losses at Okinawa - Japan(110,000) American (14,000) 

Young Peoples Involvement - Japanese Army mobilized 1,780 boys age 14-17 into front-line service, The military authorities ordered schools to force all students to "volunteer" as soldiers 

Trinity Test (July 16, 1945) - First atomic bomb is successfully tested 

Enoly Gay - Dropped bombs from airplanes 

Hiroshima Bombing - "Little Boy" 

The Atomic Shadow - Burned peoples shadows into the cement from laying on the ground (60% of people died from burns) 

Falling debris was another big leading cause of death after the bombings 

Nagasaki Bombing - "Fat Man" and Bockscar, Fuel started becoming a problem so they had to drop the bomb without being ablt to see the target, Japan surrenders 

VJ Day - August 14/15, 1945 (Official UK) 
- September 2, 1945 (Official for US) 

- When Japan officially  signed on USS Missouri 

Potsdam Conference - July, 1945 

  • On July 26, the US, GB, and China issued the Potsdam Declaration 
  • Announced the terms for Japan's surrender 
  • "We will not deviate from them. There are no alternative." 

Potsdam Declaration - July, 1945

  • Dismantle the current government of Japan 
  • The Allies(US) will occupy Japan 
  • Japan will consist of the major islands. It will lose all terriotry gained in WW11 and years leading up to it 
  • Japanese military forces will be disarmed and return home 
  • War crime trials 

Wednesday - 

Potsdam Continued 

  • Democracy will be promoted as well as Freedom of speech, religion, and of thought, as well as respect for fundamental human rights 
  • Japan will be allowed to have industry so they can make money to pay war reparations. World trade will also be enabled at some point. 
  • Allied (US) occupation of Japan (1945-1952) will end once Japan accomplishes all the above points 

Italy 

Benito Mussolini-ll Duce 1919-1945 

  • Italy was very displeased with the Treaty of Versilles - Wanted to get more land than they got 
  • Italy joined the League of Nations and was a member from 1919 until they withdrew in 1937 

5 Power Pact 

1. Signed by GB, US, Japan, France, Italy 

2. Designed to prevent an arm's race 

3. Limited the construction of battleships, battle cruisers, aircraft carriers 

4. Didn't restrict cruisers, destroyers, submarines 

9 Power Pact - Italy signed it 

  • Guaranteed Chinese independence and upheld the Open Door Policy 

Kellogg-Briand Pact - Countries pledged not to use war as a way to settle disputes 

March on Rome - October 1922 

  • A march by Benito Mussolonini's National Fascist Party 
  • Mussolini and the Fascists won and took over Italy 

King Victor Emmanuel 

- Did not fight Mussolini's take over in Italy 

- Wanted to avoid a civil war and also wanted to keep communists out of Italy 

- Saw Mussolini as the person that could do these things 

Mussolini and the Catholic Church 

- In 1929, the Latern Accords were signed 

- Gave the Vatican specific territories in Rome 

- Catholicism became the state of religion 

- Seperation of church and state was stopped

- Recognition of religious marriages for the first time since 1870 

- Catholic church was given a lot of money 

What did Mussolini get? -Official support from the Catholic church 

Established Facism in Italy 

- A government led by a strong dictator 
- Stressed strong nationalism, militarism, and imperialism 

- Wanted to dominate the Mediterranean area and Africa  - Re-establish the Roman Empire 

- Used intimidation to get what they want 

Ethiopia invaded by Mussolini 1935 

  • Italy lost it's Ethiopia colony in Africa at the 1896 Battle of Adwa 
  • One of the worst colonial disasters of modern history 
  • In 1935, Italy sends large forces into Ethiopia 

 Thursday - 

 Nov. 18, 1935, League of Nations sanctions began - Arms embargo, financial embargo, non-importation of Italian goods 

Feb. 29, 1936, FDR signed the 1936 Neutrality Act - 1. Mandatory arms embargo with warring nations 2. Mandatory ban on loans to warring nations 

May 5, 1936, Italy occupied Addis Ababa - annexed all Ethipia on May 9 

Generalissimo Francisco Franco and the Spanish Civil War-1936 

- Hitler and Mussolini send troops and weapons to help Franco win the civil war against the communists 

- This war served as an important training ground for Hitler's and Mussolini's troops 

Rome-Berlin Axis-1936 

Italys goals in WW2 - Make a new Roman Empire, Make the Mediterranean an "Italian Lake", Old Roman Empire-96 AD, Take over north African colonies of Britain and France - espicially Egypt, Take over southeastern Europe- Greece and Albania, Take over parts of the Middle East 

1945 - Mussolini and his Mistress, Claretta Petacci, are hanged in Milan, 1945 

Italy and the Holocaust 

  • 1938 - Mussolini instituted laws discriminating the Jews 
  • 46,000 Jews in Italy at the time 
  • After the Fascist government fell when the US invaded (1943), the Germans moved in and took control and started shipping Jews to camps outside of Italy 

Why did Italy lose? 

  • Italy was not prepared militarily to fight a prolonged war 
  • Germany had to constantly bail Italy out 
  • Italian troops were spread too 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 a weak country 

Impact WW2 had on Italy 

  • 410,000 dead - 330,000 Military deaths 
  • Spent $94 Billion 
  • Italy had joined the Allies by 1943 so the big concern for the US was making sure Italy became a democracy after the war and not fall to communism 
  • US gave millions of dollars to Italy(Marshall Plan) to help rebuild after the war 
  • Became a member of NATO in 1949    
  • Became a member of the United Nations in 1955   

Friday - Movie 

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