How WORLD WAR II Was Fought [AP World History Review—Unit 7 Topic 7]

How Was World War II Fought?

Total War Concept

• World War II was characterized as a total war, requiring the mobilization of entire populations—both military and civilian—to fight.

• Civilians were considered legitimate targets, similar to military forces, emphasizing the war's extensive reach.

Causes of the War

• The immediate cause of World War II was Hitler's invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939.

• Hitler aimed to expand German territory for "Lebensraum" (living space), leading to aggressive conquests across Europe.

• Britain and France initially adopted appeasement policies but were forced into action after Poland's invasion.

Formation of Alliances

• The Axis Powers included Germany, Italy, and Japan; while the Allied Powers consisted of Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and later the United States.

• Initially allied with Germany through a non-aggression pact, the Soviets joined the Allies after being invaded by Hitler in 1941.

Mobilization Strategies

• Governments employed various strategies for mobilization during WWII that echoed those used in WWI but were amplified due to the war's scale.

Use of Propaganda

• Propaganda was utilized to provoke nationalism and demonize enemies, rallying civilians to support massive military efforts.

Ideological Frameworks

Fascism

• Fascist states like Germany, Italy, and Japan glorified militarism and organized economies around state interests rather than individual needs.

Communism

• Stalin’s Soviet Union focused on rapid industrialization through brutal collectivization demands that intensified during wartime.

Democracy

Comparison of World War I and II

Repression of Basic Freedoms

• Following the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, over 100,000 Japanese Americans, many of whom were citizens, were interned due to government fears of espionage.

• In Germany, Jews and other marginalized groups faced severe repression through the Nuremberg Laws, leading to forced relocation into ghettos and later concentration camps where they endured hard labor or execution.

New Strategies in Warfare

Blitzkrieg Strategy

• The German military pioneered the Blitzkrieg strategy, characterized by rapid assaults combining air attacks with swift ground movements using tanks and armored vehicles. This rendered traditional trench warfare obsolete.

Firebombing Tactics

• Firebombing involved deploying small clusters of explosives designed to ignite fires in urban areas rather than causing damage through a single large blast. Notably devastating campaigns occurred in Dresden (Germany) and Tokyo (Japan), resulting in massive civilian casualties.

Technological Advancements: The Atomic Bomb