Introduction:
World War II killed more people, involved more nations, and cost more money than any other war in history. Altogether, 70 million people served in the armed forces during the war and 17 million combatants died. Civilian deaths were even greater. At least 19 million Soviet civilians, 10 million Chinese, and 6 million European Jews lost their lives during the war.World War II was truly a global war. Some 70 nations took part in the conflict, and fighting took place on the continents of Africa, Asia, and Europe, as well as on the high seas. Entire societies participated, as soldiers, war workers, or victims of occupation and mass murder.World War II cost the United States a million causalities and nearly 400,000 deaths. In both domestic and foreign affairs, its consequences were far-reaching. It ended the Depression, brought millions of married women into the workforce, initiated sweeping changes in the lives of the nation's minority groups, and dramatically expanded government's presence in American life.The main topic will be broken down to gain a better prospective of the entire history of the war and how it affected almost every nation on Earth. When teaching about history, direct instruction is the most-useful method because there is a need for background information. A foundation of basic facts will lay the groundwork for students to start inquiry-based learning to try and figure out how history might have been changed if alternate decisions would have been made.
This curriculum web will explore three events of the war that changed many millions of lives: The Rise of Adolf Hitler, The Holocaust, and The Japanese Internment During World War II.