Transcript World War II - Reading High School

World War II
From Appeasement to Victory
Why did Hitler feel he was justified in taking over
Austria and the Sudetenland?
•He felt that German-speaking people were
superior and should be united in the Third Reich.
Q.O.D. #10 2/1/10
•“Lebensraum” – living space
•“Anschluss” – union of Austria and Germany
Appeasement and Pacifism
After World War I the Western democracies wanted to
preserve peace throughout the world.
The leaders of Germany, Italy and Japan took aggressive
actions but were met with only verbal protests and pleas
for peace.
The Western democracies had a policy of appeasement
toward Hitler and Mussolini.
They wanted to avoid war at all costs after the destruction
of World War I.
Appeasement and Pacifism
 The policy of appeasement developed for several reasons.
 France was demoralized and suffering from political problems.
 The British did not want to confront Hitler.
 Some people thought Hitler’s actions were justified due to the
harsh conditions of the Treaty of Versailles.
 Fascism was seen as a defense against the spread of
communism.
 Most of all was the widespread PACIFISM following World War I
that led governments to seek peace no matter what the price.
 The United States Congress passed Neutrality Acts, which forbade
loans or the sale of arms to any nations at war
Failure to Stop Japanese Expansion
1931 Japan invaded Manchuria in Northeastern China.
China protested the action at the League of Nations.
The League ordered Japan to give up Manchuria.
Japan simply withdrew from the League of Nations,
and which was powerless to stop them.
In 1937 Japan conquered much of Southern and
Eastern China, and in 1940 they conquered Indochina.
The US placed an Embargo on the Japanese, but this
just increased their aggression.
Italian Aggression
 In 1935 Mussolini ordered the Italian army to invade
Ethiopia after more than a year of border disputes.
 The League of Nations condemned the attack and placed
economic sanctions on Italy.
 Unfortunately the sanctions did not stop the sale of oil, coal,
or iron, which were the resources needed for war, so the
sanctions had little effect.
 The League of Nations had no real power to enforce these
sanctions.
 By 1935 Mussolini had conquered Ethiopia
Spanish Civil War
 In 1931 King Alfonso of Spain abdicated.
 A new Republic was established with socialist leanings.
 The fascist Nationalists opposed the Loyalists, who were
socialists and those who wanted democracy.
 When war broke out Germany and Italy supported the
Nationalists, and the Soviet Union backed the Loyalists.
 Eventually the Nationalists won control and established a
fascist dictatorship under Francisco Franco.
 The Nazis used this war as “practice” for future campaigns.
Axis Powers
 Italy, Germany and Tokyo formed the Rome-BerlinTokyo Axis
 They joined together to fight Soviet communism
 They agreed not to interfere with any plans the others
had to expand their territory.
Nazi Expansion
 Hitler sent German troops into the Rhineland in France
in 1936, violating the Treaty of Versailles. The League
of Nations did not stop him.
 In 1938 the Nazis sought to unify Germany and Austria
in the ANSCHLUSS, claiming that the two countries
shared a common history and language.
 Some Austrians were in favor of this and Hitler quickly
silenced any who opposed it. The Western
democracies took no action, so Hitler had his way.
Nazi Expansion
 The Sudetenland was a region of eastern
Czechoslovakia with many Germans.
 Hitler demanded that Sudetenland be given
independence. Britain and France did not want to go to
war over this region and wanted a peaceful resolution.
 Believing Britain and France to be weak, Hitler
increased his demands and insisted that the
Sudetenland be united with Germany.
Early Nazi Expansion
Munich Conference
 On September 29, 1938 the leaders of Germany, Italy,
Britain, and France met in Munich to solve the Sudetenland
problem.
 In an attempt to avoid war, Britain and France persuaded
the Czechs to give up this land. In return, Hitler promised
not to seek more territory.
 Peace seemed to be assured and British Prime Minister
Neville Chamberlain claimed that the meeting ensured
“peace for our time.”
 In March 1939 Hitler invaded the western part of
Czechoslovakia anyway.
 Britain and France realized their policy of appeasement had
failed and vowed to protect Poland, Hitler’s next likely target.
Nazi-Soviet Pact
 In August 1939 Germany and the Soviet Union signed
the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact.
 They agreed to peaceful relations
 Secretly, they agreed to not fight if the other went to war.
 The two sides also agreed to split Poland into a German
area in the West and a Soviet area in the East.
 Stalin and Hitler joined forces because of mutual need:
 Hitler did not want a war with the West and the Soviets at
the same time
 Stalin tried to avoid war with Germany and gain land in
Eastern Europe.
Invasion of Poland
 Germany invaded
Poland on September
1, 1939.
 Britain and France
declared war on
Germany two days
later.
 World War II had
begun.
Map:
 On the other side of the map you completed on
Thursday, identify areas of Nazi and Italian expansion
in Europe and North Africa.
 Use two colors:
 First color: German territory
 Second color: Italian territory