  Gripping scenes of Blitzkrieg, Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, the invasion of Russia and the rise of Vichy France. (15 min) |
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| Teacher's Guide Objectives • Gives students an overview of Europe in the opening years of World War II. • Stimulates discussion of an important era in world history. • Provides primary source material for historical authenticity. • Encourages students to explore the subject in greater detail. Summary of Content This program discusses the events leading to the outbreak of World War II and the early years of the war in Western Europe. Documentary footage shows the rise of Nazi Germany; the spread of Nazism across central Europe; the fall of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and France; and the Battle of Britain. Discussion Questions 1. Define the following terms: Blitzkrieg, Luftwaffe, Panzer, R.A.F., Reichstag, Third Reich 2. What led to the popularity of the Fascist Party in Italy? 3. How did the Treaty of Versailles contribute to the outbreak of World War II? 4. Match the person (Column A) with the position he held (Column B). Column A Column B Benito Mussolin King of Belgium Nikolai Lenin British Prime Minister before 1940 Neville Chamberlain Leader of the Russian Revolution Joseph Stalin Italian dictator Leopold III King of Italy Victor Emmanuel III British Prime Minister after 1940 Winston Churchill Russian dictator 5. Where is the Sudetenland? What role did it play in the outbreak of World War II? 6. What was the Munich Agreement? 7. Define “appeasement.” 8. Hitler made a major miscalculation at Dunkirk. What was it? 9. What was the London Blitz? 10. Hitler made another major miscalculation during the Battle of Britain. What was it? Activities • Have the students investigate why the French and British wouldn’t stop Hitler when he rearmed Germany, occupied the Rhineland, annexed Austria and invaded Czechoslovakia. Discuss the pacification movement of the 1920s; the disillusionment following World War I; Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement. • Life went on in England during the Battle of Britain and the London Blitz. Have the students discuss what life was like for the families living there (as depicted in the film Hope and Glory, for example). Ask how they think they would have coped—as young children, as teenagers? |
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