Notes 3.2A: War Breaks Out

Dictators Attempt to Take Over Europe Hitler and Mussolini control Germany and Italy. They are supporting Franco’s fight to control Spain. Stalin controls USSR. Hitler launched a plan, described in his book Mein Kampf (My Plan) to unite all Germanic people in Europe. He believed all Germans, especially blond, blue-eyed, were a superior race (Aryans) He believed all Slavic Eastern Europeans were inferior He believed Jews were responsible for many of the world’s problems

Dictators Attempt to Take Over Europe 1937 Hitler wants to annex German speaking areas that will provide Germany with food supplies, soldiers, and improve defense. Annex- officially add territory to the country Hitler threatened and used force to take control of Austria and unify them with Germany. Then, he decided he wanted the area known as the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia. They resisted and had allies to threaten Germany (France, USSR, Britain)

Munich Conference Representatives of France, Germany, Great Britain, and Italy met in Munich, Germany to decide the fate of Czechoslovakia in 1938. France and Britain decided to allow Hitler to annex the Sudetenland in order to appease him and avoid war. Appeasement – giving in to an aggressor’s demands in order to maintain peace Neville Chamberlain, Britain’s Prime Minister, claimed he had reached “a peace with honor” He was wrong…

Hitler continues… A month later, Hitler began to demand parts of Poland be added to Germany. Britain and France realized they had failed to appease Hitler. Germany did not want a 2 front war, so they signed a non-aggression pact with Stalin & the USSR. Then… In 1939, Hitler invaded Poland. Britain and France declared war on Germany.

War in Europe Germany used fast, large scale invasion tactics – blitzkrieg – to quickly defeat Poland. They then turned their attention to defeating France. Germany went around France’s defensible Maginot Line, through Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. They defeated all 3 countries quickly. By 1940, Hitler had also defeated France and installed his own government there. Britain refused to back down and under the leadership of the new Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, continued to resist Germany.

Map of Europe in 1940’s

America Stays Out (sort of) President Roosevelt officially declared US neutrality 2 days after Britain and France declared war on Germany. Neutrality Act of 1939 – allowed the US to sell arms to nations at war, but only on a cash-and- carry basis. FDR also made a Destroyers-for-Bases deal with Britain (trading US destroyers for land to build US bases in British controlled areas)

Meanwhile, in Asia… In the 1930s, Japan had invaded China. By 1941, they controlled most of the Chinese coast. Japan was also targeting other areas in the Pacific and Asia, attempting to build a Japanese Empire. FDR attempted to stop Japanese aggression by freezing Japanese assets in the US and placing an embargo on Japan, but their actions continued. It was only a matter of time until the US became involved…