This topic begins with the impact of the Great Depression on the United States and Europe. As happens in any crisis, many countries looked to strong leaders to solve the problems of the Great Depression. Dictators came to power in several countries, including Germany. Under their rule, social and national conflicts emerging from the First World War burst out again but with greater intensity. These conflicts led to World War 2.

​This unit introduces students to ...
  • the factors that enabled Hitler and other dictators to come to power
  • the role of propaganda in Hitler's Germany
  • the causes of World War 2
  • the phases of the World War 2
  • the Holocaust as a "war within a war" in Hitler's Europe
  • the short-term and long-term consequences of the war and Holocaust 
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World War 2 links
Holocaust links

World War 2: Causes and Stages

Timeline of World War Two
(click to open timeline in a new browser and read aloud with Read Write for Google)
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Europe in 1942: Locations

Vocabulary: World War II (key terms)

Vocabulary: World War II Leaders

Vocabulary: Holocaust

Fling the Teacher

World War 2 and the Holocaust: Test yourself!

Two video introductions to the Holocaust