Europe after World War I

Totalitarian Governments Definition: the individual and his/her rights are nothing; the only thing that matters is the state.  Joseph Stalin  Adolf Hitler  Benito Mussolini  Due to economic disaster, the people looked for a “different” kind of government to fix their problems

European Alliances  Germany and Italy make an alliance (1936) Japan joins them in 1940 (military dictatorship)  The Triparte Pact (Axis Powers) start to expand their countries influence (Imperialism)

US Responds with Neutrality  The United States will respond with Neutrality Acts in 1935, 36, 37. America refused to be dragged into war like World War I, not matter what other countries are doing.  The US was suffering from the Great Depression, it could not afford to get involved with Europe

Spanish Civil War ( )  General Francisco Franco will lead a fascist revolution supported by Hitler and Mussolini against the democratic government of Spain  Hitler used Spain as his “trial run” for his military goals in Europe.

US Responds with Nothing  The United States responded with nothing – Isolationist  American actually started to weaken their military (cost too much money)  The United States knew the threat of the Nazi Party but could not do anything

Japanese Invasion of China  Japan invaded China in 1937 (natural resources) US actually sold war materials to both Japan and China “Rape of Nanking”  Japan attacked the American gunboat the Punay Two killed and 30 wounded

America Responds with Nothing  Japan apologized and paid a fine. Then tortured Americans in China to kick out “western influence”  America stayed isolationist  The United states was again afraid to get involved with problems overseas

Rape of Nanking  Japanese murdered 300,000 Chinese Civilians (600,000 in Nanking)  The Chinese that surrendered were viewed as cowards and less than human  “Smiling soliders can be seen conducting bayonet practice on live prisoners, decapitating them and displaying several heads as souvenirs, and proudly standing among mutilated corpses. Some Chinese POWs were simply mowed down by machine gun fire while others were tied up, soaked with gasoline and burned alive.”

Women of Nanking  Women as old as 70 and as young as 8 were dragged off to be sexually abused Somewhere between 40,000 to 80,000 were gang-raped by soldiers then later killed  Pregnant women were give the same treatment, often raped, then having their stomachs slit by bayonet and fetuses removed

Nanking continued….  From Japanese reports: After storming houses and encountering a whole family. Chinese men were forced to rape their own daughters, sons to rape their mothers, and brothers their sisters. The rest of the family was made to watch  “Comfort Women System”

International Safety Zone  20 U.S. and European missionaries created a Safety Zone for the Chinese in Nanking Saved over 300,000 lives  The Japanese sought to humiliate and exterminate the Chinese  Why didn’t the United States respond with support?

Hitler’s Anti-Jewish Rhetoric  Germany started rounding up its own Jewish citizens into “ghettoes”  The world new of Hitler’s plan for a master race from his work in Mein Kampf  Hitler invaded the Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia - nobody stopped him  Hitler invaded Poland (1939), Britain and France responded declaring war on Germany Germany rounded up all the Jews throughout Poland into Ghettoes

The U.S. responds…  United States passed the Neutrality Act of 1939 The United States would now sell war materials to both sides on a “cash and carry” basis  The United States now officially supported the Axis and Allied Powers

Problems with Japan  Japan was becoming an Imperialist nation in Asia, and taking over all the countries previously conquered by America  In protest, the United States cut off all supplies of Oil to Japan – strangling their economy  Japan planned an attack against the United States Code breakers knew Japan would attack, they just did not think it would happen in Hawaii as an all out attack

Pearl Harbor  December 7 th, 1941 – “a date that will live in infamy”  Japanese Kamikaze attacks  3,000 Americans and several ships destroyed  December 8 th, America declared war on Japan In which Germany and Italy then declared war on the United States.

America at War  The United States will first gear up for war against the Japanese. “Island hopping”  The United States then entered Africa in General Eisenhower  D-Day – June 6, 1944 – The United States invaded Europe in Normandy, France

 How did World War II fix the Great Depression?

Question of the Day  How did the Great Depression help cause World War II?