America: Pathways to the Present
America: Pathways to the Present
Chapter 17
World War II: The Road to War
(1931–1941)
Copyright © 2005 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as
Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. All rights reserved.
Europe Goes to War
•How did the German invasion of Polandlead to war with Britain and France?
•What wartime victories and setbacks didGermany experience in western Europe?
•Why was the Battle of Britain an importantvictory for Britain?
Chapter 17, Section 2
Invasion of Poland
•After Hitler invaded other parts of _______________, _______________and_______________ ended their policy of _______________. They warned Hitlerthat an invasion of Poland would mean _______________.
•_______________, however, had stopped believing Britain and France. OnSeptember 1, _______________, _______________invaded _______________.Britain and France declared war on _______________two days later.
•_______________quickly overran Poland using a new military tactic called_______________, or “_______________.” _______________tactics involved a_______________, concentrated attack that took the enemy by_______________.
•To avoid _______________on two fronts, _______________signed anonaggression pact with the _______________. In a secret addition to this pact,the two nations agreed to divide between them the independent states of Eastern_______________.
Chapter 17, Section 2
War in the West
Early Stages of War in the West
•“Phony War” and the Maginot Line: After Poland fell, the war entered a quietperiod. The American press called this lack of combat a “_______________.”France prepared a massive string of _______________, known as the_______________, along its border with _______________.
•Germany Attacks: In April and May _______________, Germany attacked andquickly conquered _______________, Norway, the _______________,_______________, and Luxembourg.
•Dunkirk: When Germany advanced on _______________, British and_______________forces retreated to the _______________coastal city of Dunkirk.From there, hundreds of thousands of soldiers were ferried to _______________inone of the greatest rescues in the history of _______________.
Chapter 17, Section 2
The Fall of France
•On June 22, 1940, France officially _______________ to Germany.
•In accordance with the _______________terms, Germany_______________most of France, while the French governmentcontrolled an area known as _______________France in the south._______________France adopted a policy of _______________, or closecooperation, with Germany.
•A French _______________movement, supported by the Free French_______________in exile in Britain, sought to _______________German_______________.
•By the summer of _______________, Hitler had conquered most ofWestern _______________and seemed on the verge of conquering the_______________, the group of countries that opposed the_______________Powers. Britain alone stood against the_______________.
Chapter 17, Section 2
German Aggression
Between 1939 and 1941, Germany invaded and conquered much of Europe.
Chapter 17, Section 2
The Battle of Britain
Relentless Attack
•Before attempting to invade Great Britain,Germany wanted to establish superiorityin _______________.
•In August 1940, Germany launched an_______________assault on Britain,called the Battle of _______________,which continued well into September.
•At first, Germany only attacked British_______________sites. However, it laterbegan bombing _______________andother cities to decrease British_______________.
Courageous Defense
•Although greatly outnumbered, Britain’s_______________ (_______________)worked to shoot down German_______________.
•Despite massive losses, the British peoplekept their will to fight.
•By February 1940, British scientistscracked the German secret_______________ _______________.This enabled Britain to get a general ideaof Hitler’s ______________________________.
Chapter 17, Section 2