World War ll

Throughout Chapter 16 we learn about WWll, how it happened and the aftermath of the whole situation. The invasion of Poland in 1939 is what set off World War ll with competing alliances in Europe, Africa, and the Pacific. During the war nations were having the factories now make products for the war to send out to help win war. The aftermath of the war was bad but nations made the best out of things to rebuild what was destroyed. 

Germany as a military state 

When Hitler got power Germany became a military state. Hitler "Nazis" had all control over the people, where they live, what they are able to do. Nobody had a choice, they just had to follow his orders or they could be in a lot of trouble. Hitlers mission was to isolate all the Jews into one segregated area with stone walls and barbed wire around it so that they could starve or die from disease, they were called Concentration Camps. He would send out SS units to hunt down all the Jews - men, women, young children, and even babies to these segregated areas. The Jews were like prisoners, they were put to work and if they did not work fast enough you would be immediately shot and killed. Hitler thought all the Jews were not dying fast enough so he came up with the "Final Solution" which was building Gas Chambers for mass murder. He took total control over everything and everyone. 

 

Battle of Stalingrad 

The battle of Stalingrad was on August 23, 1942. During the night the Luftwaffe went around bombing the city and left it ablaze. By early November Germans controlled 90 percent of the ruined city. Winter set in and Germans were trapped with no supplies, 90,000 men were frostbitten or starved. This battle is significant because it marked the end of Germany's advances into eastern Europe and Russia and was the first major loss during WWll. Germany lost territory and their army became weakened because they lost resources.                                

                                                                           

US involved in WWll/Japanese Camps in US   

The United States got involved in WWll because of the attack on Pearl Harbor. On December 7th Japan attacked Pearl Harbor under water with explosives and sunk 18 ships including 8 battle ships, and 2.400 Americans killed. The next day Congress declared war on Japan. After the attack a wave of prejudice arose in the US against Japanese Americans, Americans were frightened by them. President Roosevelt set up a program of interment camps where these Japanese Americans "aliens" were sent to a location away from the coast. These people did not live in the best condition and lived in a small areas, as big as a horse stall was their living 
quarters. 

Lasting effects of the Holocaust

The Holocaust destroyed society. Jewish men, women, young children, and babies were practically held hostage and told what to do or you would be killed. Outsiders did not really know what was being done in these Concentration Camps, people were told many different things but they had no clue how bad it really was. There were some that did know the truth to what really was going on, Raoul Wallenberg and Dietrich Bonhoeffer were two examples of people who risked their lives to help these Jews escape and hide. If you were not strong enough, you were not good enough for them so your life was over at that point. Families got split up and most of the time you never saw them again. The Jews that did get out alive were traumatized for life because of the things you witnessed, bodies burning, people getting shot and killed, officers beating the Jews, etc. 

Major changes that happened during postwar era 

World War ll caused more death and destruction than any other conflict in history. After the war it left many killed, houses were ruined, and money loss. Postwar era many things changed, some became enemies with their allies or their allies became their enemies. With some nations it strengthened them or weakened them. The new Constitution was the most important change that happened for Japanese society. It guaranteed that real political power in Japan rested with the people. A constitutional bill of rights protected basic freedoms and that Japan could no longer make a war, they could only fight if attacked. All nations were dealing with the ruins from the war and so was Germany, but they were also dealing with the Holocaust trying to make sure nothing like that ever happens again. Twenty two Nazi leaders were trailed and charged with waging war of aggression and violating the laws of war and committing the murder of eleven million people. Of the twenty two twelve were     sentenced to death, many tried to escape or killed themselves the rest were hung.