1. The Victory of Nazi Germany, 1939-1941
   Expectations of a limited war faded as rapid Nazi victories rewrote the map of Europe.
   1. Initial Conquests and "Phony War"
      Germany and the Soviets divided Poland, the Baltic countries, and Scandinavian kingdoms between themselves while the West waited.
   2. The Fall of France, 1940
      After France was defeated in fewer than six weeks, Vichy France became a client state of the Nazis while de Gaulle rallied French resistance from abroad.
   3. Winston Churchill and the Battle of Britain
      Britons rallied under Churchill's leadership to weather Germany's devastating bombing campaigns and prepare their nation for war.
   4. Italian Intervention and the Spread of War
      War spread into southeastern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa as Italians and Germans sought strategic and territorial gains.
2. The Assault on the Soviet Union and the Nazi New Order
   Repudiating the NaziSoviet pact, Hitler hoped to win territory and resources necessary to secure his purged and purified vision of Europe.
   1. An Ambiguous Outcome, 1941-1942
      Stalin was unprepared for Hitler's betrayal, but Russian weather and Soviet efforts foiled the German march on Moscow and began to turn the tide.
   2. Hitler's New Order
      Nazi racist beliefs led to a twotier system of occupation where Poles and Slavs were displaced and killed to make way for German resettlement.
   3. The Holocaust
      Prewar plans to exile Jews changed as SS leaders began a "final solution" of transport, incarceration, and extermination in horrific death camps.
   4. Collaboration in Nazi Europe
      Some states cooperated with Hitler's policies and programs but with varying degrees of enthusiasm.
   5. Toward the Soviet Triumph
      The defense of Stalingrad in 1942 was a turning point and illustrated the Soviet Union's vast resources in industry, labor, and commitment.
3. A Global War, 1941-1944
   Colonial links and Japan's Axis membership brought the war into Africa, Asia, and, after Pearl Harbor, the Americas.
   1. Japan and the Origins of the Pacific War
      Pressing needs for resources and imperialist ambition led to Japanese attacks on China and southeast Asia, an alliance with the Axis powers, and a preemptive attack on the United States in 1941.
   2. The United States in Europe and the Pacific
      Isolationist opposition limited President Roosevelt's ability to aid the Allies until Japan's attack led to fullscale American participation in a new European campaign and a massive Pacific engagement.
   3. The Search for a Second Front in Europe
      British and American forces sought to penetrate Europe through Italy before finally invading France on D-Day, while the Soviets carried on the brunt of fighting in the east.
4. The Shape of the Allied Victory, 1944-1945
   In the last days of the war, Allied leaders negotiated plans of postwar settlement, but the atomic bombing of Japan led to unexpected shifts in the global political order.
   1. The Yalta Conference: Shaping the Postwar World
      Besides planning how to dismantle the Axis regimes, Stalin sought territorial concessions, Churchill sought France's restoration, and Roosevelt sought colonialism's end along with support for the new United Nations.
   2. Victory in Europe
      Pinned by advancing Soviet and Allied armies, Hitler committed suicide and Germany surrendered in May 1945.
   3. The Potsdam Conference and the Question of Germany
      The realities of war's end altered the Yalta agreement with Soviets pressing for reparations and territorial concessions, ending with a polarized, divided Europe.
   4. The Atomic Bomb and the Capitulation of Japan
      Japan continued a desperate resistance in the Pacific Theater, leading President Truman to approve use of the new and devastating atomic bomb to force a Japanese surrender in August 1945.
   5. Death, Disruption, and the Question of Guilt
      Tens of millions of war casualties, especially in the Soviet Union, combined with the devastation of bombings and death camps resulting in public demands for justice and a repudiation of Nazism.
5. Into the Postwar World
   Allied unity soon collapsed in a polarized postwar world, while global political developments accelerated the end of colonization.
   1. Resistance and Renewal
      Resistance movements during the war made some military contribution and laid the foundation for a fresh start after the war and, in Yugoslavia, the foundation for a new government.
   2. Conflicting Visions and the Coming of the Cold War
      Many hoped the new United Nations would smooth international relations, but rivalry between superpowers divided Europe into spheres of influence.
   3. The Division of Germany
      The creation of East and West Germany reflected international tension that had reached new heights in the Soviet blockade of Berlin in 1948-1949.
   4. The "Iron Curtain" and the Emergence of a Bipolar World
      Cold War camps emerged as Stalin assiduously spread communism throughout East and Central Europe while American President Truman supported anticommunist forces in order to contain a communist threat.
   5. The West and the New World Agenda
      War's end helped the antiimperialist cause, crystallized Zionist efforts to create a Jewish homeland, and saw Mao Zedong's Communists triumph in China.