2. How World War 2 Began
In 1919, The Treaty of Versailles was signed when the
Germans were defeated in World War 1. Germany could not
have an army. They also had to pay 30 billion dollars to the
countries that defeated them.
3. How World War 2 Began
S To pay the huge debt, Germany printed more money.
That caused inflation and made German money so
worthless that Germans would hang it on their wall.
4. How World War 2 Began
S The Germans turned to Adolf Hitler. He was the leader of
the Nazis. Soon Adolf Hitler was the dictator of Germany.
He started to build an army illegally. Soon he conquered
weaker states. Italy and Japan joined Adolf Hitler and
they were known as the Axis Powers.
5. How World War 2 Began
Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. The
next day America got involved in the war. Germany and
Japan declared war on America three days later.
6. The War Continues
War World 2 was a great war—not a happy war, it was a big
war. Lots of countries were involved . About 60 million
people died.
7. The War Continues
S Then Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party started the
Holocaust. The Holocaust was the murder of about 6
million Jews. First the Jews were kicked out of their home
and forced to live in terrible houses that were controlled
by the Nazi party that were called ghettos. Then they
were sent to concentration camps. Concentration camps
were places of death. In these camps the Nazis worked
people to death, shot them, or killed them with poisonous
gases.
8. The War Continues
S The Nazi party also captured and killed other people like
Gypsies, Catholics, black people, homeless people and
the mentally disabled.
9. The War Continues
S The Germans wanted to make the atomic bomb. With the
help of a secret project called the Manhattan
Project, America created the atomic bomb first. The
atomic bomb was so powerful that when America tested it
on a tower only a few wires were left. They looked like
they could disintegrate with the touch of a feather.
10. Germany Surrenders!
S In 1945 Germany was defeated. Adolf Hitler committed
suicide so he wouldn’t be captured and beaten to death
11. The War Ends!
S . On August 6th 1945 the atomic bomb was dropped on
Japan. It caused more destruction to Hiroshima than it
did to the tower they tested the bomb on. It was so
powerful that you couldn’t tell whether it was a junkyard
or a place where hobos lived. The atomic bomb hurt
people so badly that some of their skin was gone--even
worse 60,000 people died. After a second bomb, Fat
Man, was dropped the Japanese surrendered. The war
was over.
12. What I Learned
S I learned that there might be a reason for something bad, like if someone is
filled with rage maybe the rage didn’t come from them, and it came from
someone else. I learned to accept everybody no matter what. I also
learned those who don’t study history are bound to repeat it and those who
do are not bound to repeat it.