Transcript Causes of World War Two

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Treaty of Versailles
Rise of Italian Fascism
Rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party
The Great Depression
Japanese aggression and expansion in the Pacific
Anti-Communism
Appeasement
Militarism
Nationalism
US Isolation
Failure of the League of Nations
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After Germany lost the war, the winning nations drafted a
treaty to address issues such as territorial adjustments,
reparations, armament restrictions, war guilt and the
League of Nations.
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The Treaty punished Germany and left a bitter feeling.
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Germany was forced to pay millions in reparations to
Britain and France.
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Italy was disappointed that it was denied territory
promised by Britain and France.
Step by Step
Adolf Hitler ripped up
the dictated Treaty of
Versailles!
1933 Germany leaves the League of
Nations created by Versailles
1934 Reconstruction of the Wehrmacht,
the navy and the Luftwaffe begun!
1935 Saarland brought back home!
Armed power of the Reich regained!
1936 Rheinland completely liberated!
1937 The myth of war guilt
ceremoniously extinguished!
1938 Germany and Austria united in the
Reich!
Greater Germany achieved! Therefore
the whole of Germany will
acknowledge its liberator on 10
April.
Adolf Hitler All say: YES!
Fascism is a totalitarian
government which:
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Glorifies the State
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Has one leader and one party
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All aspects of the government
are controlled by the state
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No opposition or protests
are tolerated
Propaganda and censorship are widely
practised
Has a strong military and expansionist goals
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Benito Mussolini
came to power
in 1922 and helped
create the political
ideology called
Fascism.
Election Date
Votes in
Millions
Percentage
May 20, 1928
0.81
2.6%
September 14, 1930
6.41
18.3%
July 31, 1932
13.75
37.3%
November 6, 1932
11.74
33.1%
March 5, 1933
17.28
43%
 "A bomber aircraft on take-off carries 12
dozen bombs, each weighing 10 kilos.
The aircraft takes off for Warsaw the
international centre for Jewry. It bombs
the town. On take-off with all bombs on
board and a fuel tank containing 100 kilos
of fuel, the aircraft weighed about 8 tons.
When it returns from the crusade, there
are still 230 kilos left. What is the weight
of the aircraft when empty ?"
 "To keep a mentally ill person costs
approximately 4 marks a day. There are 300,000
mentally ill people in care. How much do these
people cost to keep in total? How many marriage
loans of 1000 marks could be granted with this
money?"
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After World War One many European
economies were unstable.
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The boom in the US in the 1920s
helped to sustain worldwide trade.
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The 1929 stock market crash in the US
and the resulting Great Depression
spread throughout the world. U.S.
restrictive tariff policies worsened the
depression.
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As economies plummeted and
unemployment rose, many people
turned to powerful leaders and
governments who promised success
through military build up and the
conquest of territory.
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In 1931, Japan invaded
Manchuria for raw materials
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The same year, Japan began
to attack China, with a full
scale war breaking out in 1937
in the Sino-Japanese war.
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In 1938, war broke out
between Japan and the Soviet
Union in what were known as
the Soviet-Japanese boarder
wars.
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Under communism, all means of
production are controlled by the
state, as are property, the media,
and all other aspects of society.
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The 1930s saw the rise of many
totalitarian regimes; but most
people chose fascism over
communism.
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Hitler exploited people’s fear of a
communist takeover in Germany
to rise to power in 1933.
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Appeasement is the act of
giving in to an enemy’s
demands in the hopes of
avoiding further conflict.
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In 1938, Hitler demanded that
Czechoslovakia cede the
Sudetenland to Germany. He
claimed that the German
population living there was
being mistreated.
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The British and French prime
ministers agreed to Hitler’s
demands without consulting
the Czechoslovakian
government in the hopes that
this would avoid a war in
Europe.
British Prime Minister Neville
Chamberlain announcing that he
had just guaranteed “Peace in our
time.”
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The glorification of war, in
which a nation strengthens
its military and stockpiles
weapons in preparation for
war.
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An important aspect of
militarism is that the
glorification of war is
incorporated into all levels
of society, including
(especially) education of
the nation’s youth.
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Hilter Youth at a rally
Militaristic societies have
existed throughout history.
Ancient Sparta is an example of
a militaristic society.
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Hitler, Mussolini
and Japan’s Tojo
each touted their
nation’s ability to
dominate all others
in the years leading
up to World War
Two.
Nazi flag, Italian Fascist
logo, Japanese flag.
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The US was in a major
depression during the
1930s and was mostly
concerned with its own
problems.
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Conflict in Europe seemed
remote, and the US tried
to maintain neutrality.
This policy weakened the
European democracies.
The Nye Committee concluded
that the U.S was tricked into
entering WWI by arms
manufacturers and Allied
propaganda.
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The League of Nations was
created in the hopes of
maintaining collective security
and thereby global peace.
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From its inception the League
was doomed to be ineffective:
– The U.S. never joined
– Germany and Russia were not
allowed to become members
– Other than diplomacy and
economic sanctions, the League
had no way to enforce its
decisions.
While the League of Nations was the
prototype of the United Nations, it
failed in its goal to ensure world
peace.