Transcript World War II: Causes

Beginning of
WWII
• At the end of
World War I, the
Allied leaders
met in Paris,
hoping to
establish peace.
• However, the
Treaty of
Versailles they
approved
actually became
a contributing
cause of World
War II.
Treaty of Versailles
• The terms of the Treaty of
Versailles included:
• Taking land away from
Germany, including its
overseas colonies
• Reparations to be paid by
Germany for the damage and
destruction caused by the war
• A “war guilt clause” which held
Germany responsible for
causing the war
Dictators of WW2
• Germany, Italy, and Japan all came under the rule
of dictators or military leaders.
• A dictator named Mussolini took power in Italy in
1922.
• Military leaders took control of Japan in the early
1930s.
• In Germany, Adolf Hitler, leader of the Nazi Party,
gained power in 1933.
• These leaders promised to restore their countries
to greatness. But they set up totalitarian
governments. (A totalitarian government is
controlled by a single political party that allows
no opposition and tightly controls people's lives.)
• Hitler began to arm Germany for war. Japan
invaded China. Mussolini sent Italian troops to
conquer Ethiopia, in Africa. None of the world's
democracies did anything to stop them.
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/world-war-ii-overview
Hitler
Mussolini
Hirohito/Tojo
Rise of the
Nazis
• The crushing
burden of
reparations
crippled the
German economy,
leading to
widespread
discontent and
political
instability.
• The onset of a
global depression
in the late 1920s
and early 1930s
only made the
situation worse.
Fascism in Germany
• Fascism glorified the nation at the
expense of basic civil and human
rights.
• Fascism embraced extreme
nationalism (love for your country)
and terror tactics to gain power.
• In Germany, the National Socialist
German Workers’ Party—also known
as the Nazis—put forth a form of
fascism that approved of using
aggressive action to uphold state
power, and advocated a policy of
racial discrimination against the
Jews.
Adolf Hitler
• In 1923, Hitler was sent to prison
for trying to overthrow the
government.
• He felt that they were not doing
enough for the people of Germany.
• Hitler wrote a book titled Mein
Kampf (meaning “my struggle”)
where he outlined his political
philosophy.
Mein Kampf
• Hitler believed:
• Germany was superior to
all other nations
• Jews posed a major
threat to Germany
• All German-speaking
people needed to be
united under one rule
• Germany needed
lebensraum (meaning
“living space”) for all
“true” Germans
Germany Under Hitler
• In January 1933, Hitler
became Chancellor of
Germany. He
immediately sought
remove anyone who
might limit his power.
• Secret police known as
the Gestapo worked to
enforce his will—often
brutally—by jailing,
beating up, or even
killing Hitler’s political
opponents.
Benito Mussolini – Italy
• Italy became fascist in
the 1920s after the
government was
overthrown.
• Like Hitler, Benito
Mussolini gained
power by throwing his
critics into prison,
forcing them to leave
the country, or
executing them.
• Mussolini also used
secret police to
enforce his rule and
propaganda tactics to
uphold his regime.
General Tojo, Minister of
War
• In the summer of 1940, Tojo
became Minister of War in the
government and he saw that
Japan's future lay with the
European dictators especially Hitler - who were much
admired in Japan. While the
European dictators were admired
and respected in Japan, the
opposite was true for America. The
people of America were thought of
as decadent, lazy and without
scruples compared to the
disciplined workforce of Japan that
worshipped their emperor, Hirohito.