Transcript The Road to War

Versailles to Pearl Harbor
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Standard 5: I can identify the causes of World
War II.
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Dictators taking advantage of widespread
fear, uncertainty and despair emerge in the
post-WWI Era.
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Aggressive dictators use war to promote their
tyrannical goals.
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Isolationism gives way to the call for war
when the U.S. comes under attack.
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The U.S. musters its tremendous industrial
and human might to fight the war.
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Totalitarianism
 Government controls all aspects of society
 State planning of the economy
 State-owned collective farms
▪ Forced private farmers to work on collective farms
▪ Placed people who resisted in labor camps
▪ Secret police rounded up and killed opponents
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Fascism
 Extreme nationalism: state comes first; individual
liberty is secondary
 Strongly opposes communism and democracy
 Favors military values, use of violence, and strong
leader
▪ Blackshirt squads terrorized rival political groups
▪ Outlawed labor unions and opposing political parties
▪ Censored the press
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Nazism
 A form of fascism
 Extreme racism, particularly aimed at Jews
 Territorial expansion to create Lebensraum, or
“living space”
▪ Blamed Jews for Germany’s problems
▪ Sent Jews and other “undesirables” to concentration
camps
▪ Centralized the government
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Militarism
 Military as increased power
 Military plays a strong role in government
 Emperor remained as figure head
▪ Called for aggressive military action abroad
▪ Political assassinations
▪ Military took control of civilian government
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The U.S. and other countries could have
provided more financial aid to these countries
but they were dealing with effects of the
Great Depression.
The League of Nations lacked any real power
to control the actions of these nations.
AXIS ACTION
ALLIED REACTION
Germany forced to sign
Treaty of Versailles and
ordered to pay war
reparations to Allies.
• Economic unrest swept
through Germany ad
widespread unemployment
and inflation took hold.
• Germans lose faith in their
government and look for
someone to blame for their
defeat in WWI.
•
•
•
U.S. did not ratify treaty
and did not join League of
Nations and retreated to
a policy of isolationism.
U.S. Dawes Plan – U.S.
loans $ to Germany so it
could pay war reparations
to Allies so they could
repay loans to U.S.
AXIS ACTION

Adolph Hitler rose to
power in Germany a head
of the fascist Nazi Party
by blaming Germany’s
problems on Jews,
rejuvenation nationalism,
and rebuilding the
military in direction
violation of Treaty of
Versailles.
ALLIED REACTION
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FDR focused U.S.
attention on Great
Depression.
62 nation sign KellogBriand Pact that outlawed
war.
AXIS ACTION

Benito Mussolini rose to
power as the head of the
Fascist Party in Italy and
seized Albania and
invaded Ethiopia
ALLIED REACTION
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U.S. continued its policy
of isolationism by passing
Neutrality Acts.
League of Nations
temporarily cut off arms
sales to Italy but took no
other action.
AXIS ACTION
ALLIED REACTION
Spanish Civil War resulted
in Fascist Francisco
Franco came to power
with the help of Hitler and
Mussolini.
 Franco decided to remain
neutral in WWII.
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U.S. maintained
neutrality.
League of Nations no real
action
AXIS ACTION
•
Military took control in
Japan, formed alliance
with Germany and Italy
(Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis),
and invaded China.
ALLIED REACTION
•
•
FDR “Quarantine Speech”
– argued in favor of
containing Fascist
aggression through the
use of economic
embargoes but was
prohibited from acting by
American isolationist
feelings.
League of Nations – no
action
AXIS ACTION

Hitler reoccupied
Rhineland
ALLIED REACTION

No actions
AXIS ACTION

Hitler took over Austria by
announcement

Sound of Music
ALLIED REACTION

Britain and France
condemned action but
tried to appease Hitler.
AXIS ACTION
•
Hitler demanded
Sudentenland in
Czechoslvakia
ALLIED REACTION
Munich Agreement –
Hitler and British Prime
Minster Chamberlain
decide to give
• Sedetenland to Germany
(with Czechoslavakia
having no say) in an
attempt to appease Hitler
who agreed to make no
more demands.
• U.S. remained neutral
•
AXIS ACTION
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Hitler invaded
Czechoslovakia and
demanded Poland
ALLIED REACTION
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Britain and France
promised to aid Poland
U.S. urged compromise
but maintained neutrality
U.S., Britain, and France
all shocked and deeply
concerned
AXIS ACTION
•
Hitler and Germans
invaded Poland
•
Blitzkrieg
ALLIED REACTION
Great Britain and France
declared war on Germany
and World War II began.
• U.S. passed “cash and carry’
legislation – Britain and
France could purchase arms
in cash and transport them
on their own ships.
• American public worried
about getting involved in
another European war but
wanted Hitler defeated.
•
AXIS ACTION
•
•
Hitler controlled much of
Eastern Europe, Norway,
Sweden, Belgium, the
Netherlands, and France.
Battle of Britain raged in
the air over Britain and
Hitler bombarded the
island nation prior to his
invasion.
ALLIED REACTION
•
•
•
FDR and new British Prime
Minister Winston Churchill
meet and sign an agreement of
war aims (Atlantic Charter) –
promised not to seek new
territory and to support the
rights of all peoples to choose
their own form of government
American public grew less
isolationist after the Nazi
defeat of France.
Lend-Lease Act passed by U.S.
Congress – U.S. to lend war
material to Britain followed by
orders to convoy the materials.
AXIS ACTION

German submarines sink
two U.S. destroyers, the
Kearny and the Rueben
James, with 40 U.S.
sailors killed
ALLIED REACTION

Congress barely passed
legislation to allow the
arming of American ships
sailing into British
harbors.
AXIS ACTION

Japanese Prime Minister
Hideki Tojo sent
representatives to
Washington and offered
to withdraw their troops
from Indochina if U.S.
would resume economic
relations with Japan.
ALLIED REACTION
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Fearing that
appeasement would only
encourage Japanese
aggression, U.S. rejected
the proposal.
AXIS ACTION
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Japan bombed U.S. Naval
base at Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii and killed 2,300
Americans.
ALLIED REACTION
FDR asked Congress for a
declaration of war against
Japan
 Germany and Italy
declared war on the U.S.
 U.S. declared war on
Germany and Italy
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