Welcome!
Summary
Welcome to World War II and the leaders who brought about change in the world from 1930-1945 and beyond. In this section we will explore the men who gained power and enforced many different, positive and negative, aspects to elater the face of the modern world seen today. We will trace the experiences the leaders, like Roosevelt, Mussolini, Stalin, Tōjō, Hitler, Emperor Hirohito, and Churchill, had before and during World War I. Specifically, we will look at the interwar period for the Japanese Aristocracy, Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini, and try to understand how and why they took control during this period and into the Great Depression. Throughout the unit, we will explore their motives and significance of why they controlled during the Second World War, enforcing their beliefs behind their military pursuits. The students will look at the aftermath blanketing Europe, Japan, and the United States at the end of the world conflict.
big ideas
- What events led to the Axis Powers', like Germany, Italy, and Japan, leaders to gain power democratically or physically during the Interwar period?
- Why did Hitler and Emperor Hirohito declare their ethnicities pure among the rest of the world?
- What events gave rise to the Allied Forces' leaders to gain power during the Interwar Period?
- How did the events of the World War II change the world politically, socially, and ethically?
Student learning objectives
- Students will comprehend the beliefs why the Axis Powers believed themselves "pure" or "clean" during the period.
- Students will gain an understand of the issues which took place during the war and why the leaders of the nations acted accordingly.
- Students will see the impacts the leaders left behind after their passing or how others moved on from the conflict.
- Students will understand the men who lead their countries during World War II.
California Content Standards
Students will:
Students will understand how to:
- Describe the political, diplomatic, and military leaders during the war (e.g., Winston Churchill, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Emperor Hirohito, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight Eisenhower).
Students will understand how to:
- Students compare the present with the past, evaluating the consequences of past events and decisions and determining the lessons that were learned.
- Students show the connections, causal and otherwise, between particular historical events and larger social, economic, and political trends and developments.
- Students recognize the complexity of historical causes and effects, including the limitations on determining cause and effect.
- Students interpret past events and issues within the context in which an event unfolded rather than solely in terms of present-day norms and values.
- Students understand the meaning, implication, and impact of historical events and recognize that events could have taken other directions.