Transcript The Coming of WWII

The Coming of WWII
DICTATORS DESTROY PEACE
“How many people look up to him
with a touching faith! As their
helper, their savior, their
deliverer from unbearable
distress-to him who rescues…the
scholar, the clergyman, the
farmer, the worker, the
unemployed, who leads them…”
Who is
this
about?
How did dictators rise to power?
 hard feelings left from WWI
 Germans hated the Treaty of Versailles
blamed for war, had to pay reparations and had to demilitarize
 other countries are bitter too – Italy, Russia, Japan
 Bitter Feelings
 Treaty of Versailles led to totalitarian governments
 a single party or leader (dictator) controls government, economy
and social aspects
 Bittern Nations
 realize the League of Nations couldn’t back up its policies
 Big Weakness: US is not a member

All within the
state, nothing
outside the
state, nothing
against the
state.
Benito Mussolini
 Italy
 Fascist Party
 promoted extreme Italian
nationalism
 promised to make Italy great
again
 Highly militaristic
 Anti-Communists
Emperor Hirohito
 Japan
 set up a militaristic type
government with a
monarchy
 highly nationalistic


attacked Manchuria even though
Japan had agreed to disarm at
the Washington Naval
Conference
left the League of Nations
Joseph Stalin
 Soviet Union (Russia)
 took Lenin’s place as the
communists’ ruthless
dictator
 Started the Great Terror
he purged the party of
traitors…millions
killed
 Fear kept Stalin in
power
Death solves
all problems
- no man, no
problem.
Adolf Hitler
“What luck
for rulers,
that men
do not
think.”
 Germany
 set up the Third Reich
 controlled the Nazi Party
that promoted German
ethnic unity


hated communists and Jews
(Anti-Semitic)
spread hatred toward Jews
Hitler Causes Problems
 Violated Treaty of Versailles by…
1.
built up Germany’s army and navy (militarism)
2.
moved troops into the Rhineland (militarism)
3.
tested some of his new military technologies during the
Spanish Civil War (militarism)
 US, France and Britain response…
 used appeasement - give in to a potential enemy and hope they will
maintain peace
 Why give in?
 memories of WWI
 too worried about economic troubles (Great Depression is still
going strong)
The Munich Pact
 Britain and France appease:
 to preserve peace
 give him the Sudetenland
 Hitler promised not to conquer any other territories
Appeasement Fails…War
 Hitler violated the Munich Pact
 took all of Czechoslovakia…appeasement is not working
 Britain and France agree to protect Poland (Hitler’s
next move)
 Non-Aggression Pact



agreement between Russia and Germany
both agreed not to attack each other
attack Poland from two directions
 September 1, 1939: Germany attacks Poland
 war declarations start
Axis Powers vs. Allies
 Axis Powers: Germany,
Italy and Japan
 Allies:


Originally France and Britain
Later Russia, the US and China
“Phony War”: for 8 months
nothing happens
Hitler’s Success
 easily took Poland, then
Denmark and Norway
 turned to Netherlands,
Belgium and
Luxemburg
 Took France in just 35
days

These successes scared US
and led to US helping
Allies by sending supplies
Hitler’s Success
 Germany used a mixture of
Total War



attack civilians
attack economic resources
Blitzkrieg
“lightning warfare”
 speed and power to penetrate
deep
 tanks and planes first
 then motorized vehicles and
infantry
 highly effective German technique
