Transcript World War I

World War I
Benchmark D – Post
War
1. Identify the changes that took place
in each of the following governments
after WWI.
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Germany – Weimar Republic was created as a
democratic government that was very weak,
providing easy access to a takeover by an ambitious
individual.
Russia – Once in power the Bolsheviks built a
totalitarian state. The Communist party controlled all
aspects of life. Many European countries feared the
spread of the Soviet Union.
Italy – Benito Mussolini took over in 1922 and
established a Fascist state.
2. Describe the similarities between
Benito Mussolini’s and Adolf Hitler’s
rise to power in Italy and Germany.
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Both had a private army to enforce their will
and use violence against their enemies:
Hitler-Brown Shirts, Mussolini-Black Shirts
Both took over all aspects of social, political
and economic life in their countries.
3. In Hitler’s book Mein Kampf ( MY
STRUGGLE ) he identified his main ideas,
list those ideas for the following categories:
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Democracy- Blamed the Weimar Republic for
Germany’s humiliation.
Aryan Race – Believed Germans were the Superior
Race and should rule the world. Wanted to wipe out
Slavic people.
Anti-Semitism – Hated Jewish people and blamed
them for causing Germany’s defeat in the war.
Extreme Militarism – Used violence to defeat political
opponents and glorified using force in foreign
relations. Believed war was a glorious experience.
Hitler’s Rise to Power
4. Hind sight is 20-20, we now know that Hitler was
a very bad man, in your opinion how was he able to
convince so many people that he was right? (At
least 3 good sentences)
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Beat up or eliminated political opponents
clearing the way for him to dominate and
intimidate anyone who dared to cross him.
1/3 of Germany’s workforce was unemployed
and looking for anything that brought hope
Very impressive rallies that told the people
what they wanted to hear and struck back at
the thought that Germany was the blame for
all of the evils of the world.
5. Identify some of the problems the
League of Nations had after WWI.
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It had no armed force to enforce its
resolutions.
The United States refused to be involved
Russia (the Soviet Union) was barred from its
membership.
The League failed to stop invasions by Italy
and Japan and did nothing to help the
Spanish Civil War which severely hurt its
credibility.
6. What is appeasement, give at least two
examples of how Britain and France
appeased Hitler and explain why you feel
they did this.
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Appeasement is the strategy of giving into the
demands of a hostile nation in hopes of avoiding
war.
France and Britain did not confront Hitler when he
armed the Rhineland in 1936 or annexed Austria in
1938.
When Hitler demanded part of Czechoslovakia they
threatened to go to war but gave him half of the
country at the Munich Conference in 1938.
Britain and France wanted to avoid war at all costs!
7. Identify 2 developments related to World War 1
that contributed to the onset of World War II and
explain how these events specifically led to the
Second World War.
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Legacy of WWI – Many people wanted to avoid war leading to
appeasement.
Treaty of Versailles – Very tough on Germany and Hitler used
this to inspire and fire up the German people.
Instability of New Governments – Fragile democracies were
created in Central Europe and a revolutionary communist
government in Russia. This led to weaker governments once
again looking for protection from allies.
Rise of Dictatorships – Dictators brought militarism and
intense violence and created a forced nationalism, many times
to avoid being detained or killed.
Failure of the League of Nations – Not respected or even
recognized by most nations and unable to enforce any of its
resolutions.
Failure of Appeasement – Great Britain and France in an
effort to avoid war gave in to Hitler way too much.