Status Updates From From Sarajevo to Potsdam

Capitalist countries planned economies, Comm. countries preached virtues of free enterprise.
Eu supposedly lost hegemony, but no part of the world didn't become Eu. or aspire to do so. Everyone wore Eu. clothes, Eu. constitution, motor car, cinema etc.

Civilization once the property of the few: now it was claimed by all. (Intl, societal).
Europe's legacy to the world, only civ. of Eu. pattern can fulfill it.

Soviet contrl. Comm. govs. set up, first disguised, then open.

Evidence of war soon disaprd. Prosperous, democracy stabler. This was often maturing before WWII.
Transf. assisted by two powers falling out.
Hitler scared allies into each other's arms.
Eu. had chance to recover.
Eu. flung themsv. into war with great enthusiasm. No war conducted with such solid popular backing. More houses built & destroyed than ever.

Allies set up as rulers of Ger.
Met at Potsdam, seat of Hohenzollerns.
1939-1945 Historic landmarks overturned.
No new states appeared, no old states disapprd. ex. 3 Baltic states absorbed by USSR.

7m Germans vanished in the lands passed to Pl. Many killed, fled, driven out. 3m Ger. expelled from Cz.
Policy victors learned from Hitler, Nationalism carried to logical conclusion.
Natl. states more national than ever.

Hitler barred the way to compromise.

Pres. Roosevelt more confident about future. April 1945 Truman backed away from Soviet coop. Churchill claimed sounding the alarm on Stalin by 1942. Hitler remained guarantor of Allied unity.
Not total war, total hatred, but unc. surr. only sensible way to deal with Hitler.
May 8 1945 Ger. surrendered unconditionally.
Hitlr. successor govt. ordered out of existence.

Moved against Hitler only in July 1944: von Stauffenberg. Evoked no response.
Failure showed no widespread opp. to Hitlr in Ger.
Most Ger. first enthusiastic for Hitler, later still, or acquiesced.
Obstacles to Res. far greater in Ger.
In it. Res. sustained by patriotism, in Ger. Res. would involve national defeat. Res. tried evading by asking Allies to keep conquests.
Allies committed to unconditional surrender.

Marshal Tito similar significance.
Soon Yugoslav Communists asserted their independence against Stalin.
National independence once again strongest Eu. legacy.

Little resistance or enthusiasm for Mussolini. His overthrow a private conspiracy.
Mus. left no legacy, It. liberated from Fasc. by Itlns.
Ger. more equivocal. Many Com. went over to Nazi side.

Doubters in high places, afraid Hitler lead Ger. to ruin

Resistance work of individuals. Never menaced Ger. rule, but was a serious nuisance. When res. cooperated w/ exiled government, that gov. was restored, otherwise Res. contend w/ native authorities: Fr. clearest example
de Gaulle stood almost alone on June 1940, most acknowledged Pétain
de Gaulle little influence on war, but great on future. Asserted independent Fr.
If Eu. stands as third force, thanks to him.

Rus. owed part of success to jeeps from US.
Rus. called WWII The Great Patriotic War. Patriotism stronger in Rus than anywhere except GB.

Open countries easier to police by Ger.
Fr. collaborated with Ger., resistance mixed w/ internal conflicts.

First resisters patriots (de Gaulle), Resistance tended to swing Left. Simple patriots had to conform or be pushed out, some almost pushed over to Ger. side

Roosevelt thought he could get on better w/ Stalin than w/ Churchill, thought Stalin was easy-going opportunist.
Assumption not far from Soviet policy.

Ger. and It. were only continental powers seriously engaged. GB only Eu. country fully at war on anti-Ger side.
Outcome of WWII depended on US and USSR
US seconded GB indiscriminate bombing.
June 1944 GB and US landed in n. France
Eastern front more weight of metal

USSR less free and more destructive vs alliance of Com. and dem.
Senator Truman wanted to stand aside, Churchill embraced the Soviet cause
Inspired UK to be independent, welcomed USSR into comity of nations. Later tried to undo latter.

Roosevelt meant to impose uncon. surrender on Axis.
UN cloak for world directorate run by US and GB.
Roosevelt assumed USSR will be defeated

Italian cities were ravaged
British function keep war going until Hitler brought own ruin

Roosevelt eager to help GB, lend-lease
GB became poor cousin
Roosvlt. expected GB to wear down Ger. and self
Talk of liberating Eu, Rsvlt assumd there was no more Eu.

Hitler varying explnts for world domination

Since WWI civ. eu.s clamouring for Eu. unity, attack on Boslhevik Russia.
Most Eu.s outside Ger. wanted Rus to win.

Goal: Ger. battered down, made eager to surrender
Indiscriminate bombing increased people's will to war, Ger. war production reached height in 1944, when British bombing also.

Readiness by GB to stop at nothing, all considerations of morality abandoned.
Not only ready to kill countless women and children, cheerfully used weapon tht endangered future generations.
Turn GB strength against Italy to deprive Ger. of ally

GB industry devoted to mass production of bombers
Ger. defense measures also improved
Great destruction to Ger. cities, greater strain on GB eco.
German exp. similar (Blitz)
Bombing achieved no decisive results until 1944, US long range fighter

Bombing. completed psychology of Total War.
Initially strategic, objective changed to houses of workers, soon merged into indiscriminate destruction against civ. pop. (!!!)

GB historic role was to keep the war going
GB wanted to do more: defeat Hitler all by themselves

GB believed could draw on almost limitless str of US
Irresistible nature of bombing. Most air forces act in close coop w/ ground forces. Only GB had force for independent bombing.
Assumed bombers could fly in daylight unresisted.
Bombing only way for GB to strike Ger (no allies, foothold)
Launched campaign of night raids

GB saved in part by Royal Navy, fighter planes

Dogma: Bombers would always get through. In GB disproved, Ger. air force defeated.
Hitler believed sub. blockade would reduce GB
GB faced w/ struggle to remain independent
All industry controlled for war purposes
Women conscripted for industry. Welfare services increased.

Hardly any complaints.
1940 GB interned enemy aliens. Soon released, even open Hitler supporters.

Few attempts made to slow it down. Catholic Church made no offcl. protest, individual Christians did.
Also excused as by-product of war's destructiveness

GB secret confidence tht not part of Eu.
National unity almost complete. Main motvn. for war patriotism

GB deceived by Ger. atrocities in WWI, refused to believe now.
GB war aims: to reverse what Hitler did, also destroy Eu unity
Hitlr. invasion plans hasty

Eu. more tolerant, exploitation needed disguise. Ger. exploitation had none

Ger. revived national conscious everywhere. Dislike incr. when Ger. brought anti-Semitic policy.

Jews could only be exterminated. Adopted with refiniement of civilized skill. Segregated, able-bodied worked to death, women, children ,elderly at first massacred.
Monument of 19th century Ger. civ. is Auschwitz
Intrinsic part of New Order

June 1940 Italy enters war, mistakenly believing it over, to appear Hitler's equal.
First little resistance to Ger., considerbl body of collaboratrs who wanted united Eu, hoped Hitler would give it
The New Order a test for Ger leaders.
Ger ran Eu for their own benefit., to provide Ger.s with higher SoL

Conquerors usly respected, Ger. had no claim to moral superiority, except they were Ger. Conquered unmoved by this.

Most Br, some Fr. evacuated from Dunkirk
Fr. armistice, almst complete surrender

Ger. prestige soared, officer corps. unique skill vindictd
Mainly drvd from Hitler's inspo, no Ger. dared challenge him from this moment on.

Fr. defeat marked their end as Great Power
Ordinary Fr. no faith in leaders, war tolerable while no-one hurt
Fr. surrendered to preserve civilization, most Fr supported new ruler: Marshal Pétain

New Order: literal appl of claptrap which professors talked int heir lecture-rooms (!!!)

Hitler: Next step - why not exterminate Pl?
Hitler's few opponents merely afraid he might lose the war

Public offer of peace in 1939. Allies did not respond, nobody believed Hitler. Couldn't settle as respectable ruler.
Allies relied on time, Hitler w/to deprive them.
Gamelin, Schlieffen plan, Ge. broke through Fr. line south

Allies supposed they had limitless financial resources, drawing on eco strength of US
Allies fighting defensive war, stuck w/ policy of unconditional surrender
GB, Fr leaders did not welcome this except Churchill
Condemned to total war
Hitler: Poles an inferior race must be pushed back into inferiority. SoL deliberately cut down, logical conclusion of respectable academic doctrines + direct events not let them happen

Further war expansion in 1941, Ger attacks Balkans, much greater when attacked Russia in June

World-wide in Dec 1941, Jp attacks Pearl Harbor
The war refused to start when it was declared. Ger. conquers Pl in a month., Soviets occupied eastern Pl as arranged.
GB and Fr. did nothing.

GB and Fr. would build armed forces, Ger. would collapse and they would save from bolshevism

Ger. economy directed by the state, nominally private
'Peacelike' war eco until 1943

GB procure armaments w/o financial limitations in Feb 1939, March compulsory service, war-regulation, GB identity cards introduced without a fuss.
Chamberlain, Dadalier, uninspiring leaders in peace and war
War routine affair, began as limited conflict between Ger and Fr. GB, Pl
More wide in April, May 1940, Ger overran Nor, Den

UK public determined to stand by Pl
Chamberlain still aspired to new Munich
Sept 1 Ger armies invade Poland
Sept 3 Chamberlain declares war, surprisingly Fr followed suit.
USSR annd US remained netural.

25m killed, Ger. committed horrors
Eu. lost rmnng hegemony
Rcvry was also faster
US outstripd Europe
Eu. gap SoL w/ rest of the world widened.

1939 - men's minds prepared for war, Ger. already operating on war basis

Polish defied Hitler. March 1939 hopes of Munich dispelled: Cz fell apart.
March 31: UK guaranteed Poland against aggression.
UK and Fr were on the hook, could do nothing to aid Pl
UK offer 1m pound loan if he disarms. Hitler merely encouraged.
Ger. army prepared for war against Pl.
23 August Ger, Rus signed neutrality pact
Hitler expected UK and Fr to join in forcing surrender on Pl.

Chamberlain vs. public opinion