World History A

Intro

From 1933 to 1945, the Nazis fought two wars: one against the Allies and another for  racial purity. At first, the Nazis sent European Jews to concentration camps. Later, they developed horribly efficient killing centers such as Auschwitz and Treblinka. By the time Allied forces liberated the death camps in 1945, the Nazis had murdered nearly two out of every three European Jews during the Holocaust.

World War II was the most devastating war in history. Germany and Japan achieved stunning territorial victories between 1939 and 1942. In 1941 the United States and the Soviet Union entered the war, turning the tide against fascist expansion. New military technology, such as aerial photography, informed the military strategies of both the Axis and Allied powers and changed the way the war was fought.


Looking Ahead to AP Euro...

What will they want you to know next year?

  1. Explain how technology and innovation affected the course of World War II
  2. Explain how and why cultural and national identities were affected by war and the rise of fascist/totalitarian powers in the period from 1914 to the present.

Readings

Lesson 1: World War II Begins

The German Path to War
 Hitler Violates Treaty
 New Alliances
 Union With Austria
 Demands and Appeasement
 Hitler and the Soviets
The Japanese Path to War
 War With China
 The New Asian Order
 Japan Launches Attack

Lesson 2: World War II

Europe at War
 Hitler's Early Victories
 The Battle of Britain
 Attack on the Soviet Union
Japan at War
The Allies Advance
 The European Theater
 The Asian Theater

Lesson 3: The Home Front and Civilians

The Mobilization of Four Nations
 The Soviet Union
 The United States
 Germany
 Japan
The Bombing of Cities
 Britain
 Germany
 Japan

Lesson 4: The New Order and the Holocaust

The New Order in Europe The Holocaust
 The Einsatzgruppen
 The Death Camps
 The Death Toll The New Order in Asia

Lesson 5: World War II Ends

The Last Years of the War
 The European Theater
 The Asian Theater
Peace and a New War

Resources


Chapter Reading Guide
Chapter Review Sheet
Chapter Study Guide
Chapter Place and Time –  largesmall
Chapter Skillbuilder

Text-only Readings