World War II For Dummies

Keith D. Dickson

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781119675532
• eBook ISBN: 9781119675570
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: World History
• Index: History

Looking to ally yourself with World War II knowledge?

More than 75 years after its end, World War II remains one of the most devastating and impactful events in human history. It was a global war, and the nations that fought it employed every available resource, harnessing both technology and people to one purpose. Today, we remember WWII for its battles, tragedies, and horrors, but also for its outcome: a greater good that triumphed over evil.

The breadth of World War II facts and history can be overwhelming, which is why World War II For Dummies is the perfect book for any reader, from history buffs to WWII novices. Full of accurate and easy-to-understand information (so you don't have to speak military to comprehend), this book will help you explore a war that defined and shaped the world we live in today. You'll discover all the players—individuals as well as nations—who participated in the war and the politics that drove them. Battle by battle, you'll find out how the Axis powers initially took control of the war and how the Allies fought back to win the day. World War II for Dummies also covers:

• The origins and causes of World War II
• The rise of Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich
• How the war was handled at home
• Germany's invasion of Poland, France, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, and Luxembourg
• Great Britain's refusal to surrender after 42 days of German aerial attack
• The United States' entrance into the war after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor
• The Allied invasion of Normandy (D-Day)
• Germany's last-ditch effort to stop the Allies at the Battle of the Bulge
• The use of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Become an expert on this historical catalyst with World War II For Dummies— grab your copy today.

P.S. If you think this book seems familiar, you're probably right. The Dummies team updated the cover and design to give the book a fresh feel, but the content is the same as the previous release of World War II For Dummies (9780764553523). The book you see here shouldn't be considered a new or updated product. But if you're in the mood to learn something new, check out some of our other books. We're always writing about new topics!

Part 1

Origins and Causes of the War, 1919–1939

IN THIS PART …

Find out what the world was like during this period.

Understand how the world moved into yet another world war in just twenty years.

See how the aftermath of World War I led to the rise of totalitarian dictatorships bent on revenge.

Get an idea of how democracies failed to provide solutions to complex social and economic problems.

Chapter 1

World War II: Why It Matters and What You Need to Know

IN THIS CHAPTER

What led to the war

The major players

The battlegrounds

A very brief chronology

World War II is over. It’s been over since August 1945. Good guys won. Bad guys lost. What else do you need to know? First you need to know that nothing — and especially not war — is ever that simple. World War II — its causes, its battles, its tragedies, and its victories — is almost beyond comprehension.

Want to see what true evil is? Study the German concentration and death camps or think about the 6 million Jewish men, women, and children who were murdered. Want a glimpse of heroism? Look at the stoicism the British displayed when London was bombed for 42 nights straight or remember the ordinary soldiers from any nation who fought against overwhelming odds toward what seemed to be inevitable defeat. Want to understand sacrifice? Consider the 25 million dead from the Soviet Union alone or the resistance fighters who gave up everything to free their countries from Nazism. Want to understand power, fanaticism, devotion to duty, political maneuvering, selflessness, selfishness, and persevering in the face of unimaginable terror? Look at events that led up to and the events that occurred during World War II.

And when you get past all that stuff, think about how World War II has affected the world we live in today: national borders, political loyalties, strategic and military alliances, international trouble spots, the beginning and end of the Cold War, the birth and death of superpowers, the role of peacekeeping forces, and more — in short, our ways of life and how we conduct ourselves as nations — all have been largely shaped by events that happened 80 years ago.

That’s why World War II is important.

The War’s Beginnings

Officially, World War II began when Nazi Germany invaded Poland in September 1939 and the French and English declared war against Germany as a result of that invasion. But the war’s beginnings came long before this invasion. World War II was the product of a lot of things coming together in just the wrong way at just the wrong time.

The World War I peace agreement

When the Great War ended, the winners (Britain, France, the United States, and Italy) wanted the losers (Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Ottoman Empire) to pay. Because the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires no longer existed, that left Germany to bear the brunt of the victors’ vindictive peace agreement. Humiliated and broke, Germany began nursing a big-time grudge. The victors themselves weren’t even happy with the outcome. Some (Italy) felt cheated; some (France) felt that Germany hadn’t been punished enough, and some (the U.S.) just wanted the heck out of Dodge.

In addition, the peace agreement created new nations (Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia) in Eastern Europe from the wrecked Austro-Hungarian Empire and other pieces of land from here (Germany) and there (the Soviet Union). Think that didn’t tick everybody off?

The global economy

All the nations experienced financial troubles following World War I. The European nations (especially Germany, with the war debt hanging over its head) were practically destitute. Slowly, each made an economic recovery — just in time for the world economy to spiral downward. The U.S. stock market crashed in 1929, and the economies in Europe tanked pretty soon after that. Weakened by the war, no European nation was able to stop the economic downturn. And many saw the ruined economy as an indication that capitalism and democracy had failed.

The rise of totalitarianism

With the world in such a mess, folks looked toward their governments to solve their problems, and those countries without a strong tradition of democratic rule were susceptible to promises made by future tyrants who claimed that by consolidating power in one party and one man, they could provide stability and order.

As a result, in Germany specifically (and in Italy earlier), the fledgling democracies gave way to dictatorships and eventual totalitarian rule (that is, all aspects of life are controlled by the dictator). In Italy, this dictator was Benito Mussolini; in Germany, it was Adolf Hitler.

The birth of Fascism and Nazism

Fascism is a political ideology in which the state is exalted above all else. All effort and resources are committed to glorifying the state. Individual freedom doesn’t exist; there is only the freedom to serve the state. Fascists believe that people reach their potential only through service to their nation. If the nation is great, the people are great. And the best representation of the nation’s greatness is through war. Italy was Fascist, as was Spain after the Spanish Civil War (see Chapter 3).

Nazism is Fascism with a significant difference: the race issue. The Nazis believed that race is the fundamental trait and therefore the defining characteristic of a people. Just as dogs are genetically predisposed to certain roles (some hunt and others herd, for example), each race is genetically predisposed to certain roles. Some are leaders; other races (the “inferior” ones) are meant to be mastered. The Aryan race is, according to Nazis, the Master Race. Then, in descending order are non-Aryan Caucasians, Asians, Africans, and finally Jews. The Jewish people occupied a special place at the bottom of the Nazi racial hierarchy for the following reasons:

• They “corrupted” the other inferior races and the weak minded of the Master Race with what Hitler thought of as Jewish ideas: equality among people and individual freedom.
• They wanted to take over the world and thus posed a specific threat to the Master Race who, as the Master Race, deserved to rule the world.
• They were “parasites” who betrayed Germany during World War I.

The rise of Hitler

There have always been tyrants and people who abused power, and in many ways, Hitler was no different than any other dictator. He consolidated power by eliminating anyone who could oppose him. He targeted and abused groups he didn’t like. He used propaganda as a tool to lull the German people into believing that what he told them was true.

In other ways, Hitler was different. He had the power of an industrialized nation behind him. He had the capability to export his policies all over Europe through diplomatic trickery and lies and then through war. He had the certainty of his fanatical vision of a Jew-free Europe. And, maybe most frightening of all, he had the ability to make the German people as a whole believe that by following him down the path to hell, they were fulfilling their destiny for greatness.

The British and French fear of another war

The British and French, having just been through one horrific world war (although they didn’t call it that at the time) were willing to do just about anything to make sure that they didn’t find themselves in another horrific war. For both countries, this determination to avoid conflict resulted in their policy of appeasement. By giving in to the demands of aggressors, such as Hitler, they hoped to avert another crisis that would lead to war. Obviously, this strategy didn’t work.

The isolationism of the United States

The United States, separated from Europe by an ocean, wanted to remain separated from Europe. Like the French and British, the Americans had seen enough of war. They learned as much about European politics and intrigue and blood feuds as they wanted to during the Great War, and they had no intention now of allowing themselves to get mixed up in that mess again. So they developed an isolationist policy and naively insisted that what went on in Europe — or anywhere else in the world, for that matter — was not their concern.

The empire building of Japan

Japan, long a key player in Asia, wanted to consolidate its power there. Japan still held the German bases that it had occupied in China during World War I, and as one of the victors, Japan got to keep large sections of Chinese territory that had once been controlled by the Germans, in addition to being given control of islands that had belonged to Germany. Japan also sought to increase its holdings in China, which, in addition to being a problem for the Chinese, was also a problem for the United States, who had interests there, too.

Who’s Who of Combatants

Americans may find this hard to believe, but U.S. soldiers weren’t the only ones fighting the Nazis and the Japanese. (In fact, they weren’t even the first ones to fight the Nazis). A whole lot of other people from a whole lot of other places fought on one side or the other.

The Allies

On the Allied side (the side that fought against Germany and Japan) were the following nations:

• Great Britain
• United States
• France — and after the fall of France to the Germans, Free French, led by Charles de Gaulle)
• Soviet Union
• Italy (after 1943)
• Canada
• Australia
• China
• New Zealand
• India
• South Africa
• Others, including resistance fighters from the German-occupied nations, such as Poland, France, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Czechoslovakia. Nations from South America also joined in the Allied cause

The Axis

On the Axis side (the side that fought to dominate Europe and Asia) were the following:

• Germany
• Italy (before 1943)
• Japan
• Other nations sympathetic to or occupied by Germany or that felt particularly threatened by the Soviet Union, such as Bulgaria, Hungary, Finland, and Romania

The Course of the War

Here is a very brief rundown of the highlights of World War II. For more information about these events, head to the appropriate chapter:

• On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. On September 3, Britain and France (and other nations) declared war on Germany.
• On September 17, 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Poland, having struck a secret deal with the Nazis r...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Table of Contents
• Introduction: The Most Destructive War
• Part 1: Origins and Causes of the War, 1919–1939
• Part 2: Starting the War: The Axis Invades and Conquers, 1939–1942
• Part 3: Behind Enemy Lines: Nations at War
• Part 4: Planning and Launching the Allied Counterattack, 1942–1943
• Part 5: The Long Haul, 1944
• Part 6: Starting Over: The War’s Aftereffects, 1945
• Part 7: The Part of Tens
• Index
• About the Author
• Connect with Dummies
• End User License Agreement