What was happening in Europe?
After Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany, he set out to make Germany a world power once again and redeem Germany from the humiliation of World War I. He immediately began to violate the Treaty of Versailles by building up an army and a navy, as well as taking back countries and regions that were taken from Germany after World War I. War officially began on September 1st, 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. Germany also invaded Denmark, Belgium, and France. The goal of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany was to gain revenge by destroying France, a major factor for their loss in World War I. He also believed in Aryan supremacy, which means that he felt like White Anglo-Saxon Protestants were the superior race. This dangerous racism led to the persecution of many different minority groups.
Germany found an ally in Italy's Benito Mussolini. Benito Mussolini was a dictator who had many of the same goals as Adolf Hitler. Together, Italy and Germany formed an alliance that was set to take over countries in Europe. Germany also made an alliance with Josef Stalin, a communist leader in the Soviet Union (modern day Russia). However, this alliance did not last long as Hitler eventually betrayed Stalin by invading Russia after he felt that Stalin was too weak to carry out his plans. Russia eventually changed sides and joined the Allies. We call this the European theater because the continent of Europe was where much of this action was taking place.
Germany found an ally in Italy's Benito Mussolini. Benito Mussolini was a dictator who had many of the same goals as Adolf Hitler. Together, Italy and Germany formed an alliance that was set to take over countries in Europe. Germany also made an alliance with Josef Stalin, a communist leader in the Soviet Union (modern day Russia). However, this alliance did not last long as Hitler eventually betrayed Stalin by invading Russia after he felt that Stalin was too weak to carry out his plans. Russia eventually changed sides and joined the Allies. We call this the European theater because the continent of Europe was where much of this action was taking place.
Maps of Europe Over Time:
The video below is a day-by-day timelapse of Europe. Don't feel like you have to watch it all... if nothing is happening, you can skip ahead. Pay attention to what happens to the map! In the beginning, watch Germany (the dark red country) and see how the red spreads! Which -ism do you think it being demonstrated by the map?
D-Day: June 6, 1944
On June 6, 1944, a combined force of American and British soldiers assaulted the beaches of Normandy, France. The retaking of France from Germany, was seen by military leaders as essential to drive the German military back to Germany and defeat them. This three-day battle, was costly in terms of life, but considered to be a major turning point in the war.
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