Fascist Aggression in the 1930s Spinrad/World History

Japan Needs resources to support expanding its empire Manchuria (Mukden) incident: 1931 Japan takes Manchuria (in China) for its resources League of Nations demands that Japan leaves Manchuria. Japan responds by quitting the League of Nations and signing the Anti-Comintern pact with Germany 1936

Japan (cont) Manchurian Incident

Japan (cont) Declares full-scale war with China in 1937 and occupies large areas of north and coast Very bloody and underreported fighting Rape of Nanking (Chinese capital) occurs Japanese Army murders approximately 100-300,000 civilians over a six week period of butchery, rape, and pillaging to terrorize the population to surrender

Japan (cont) Rape of Nanking

Italy Wants a new Roman Empire in Africa In Oct. 1935 invades Ethiopia (Abyssinia) Uses hundreds of tanks, planes, artillery, & illegal mustard gas on military, civilian, & Red Cross camps. Italy defeats Haile Selassie by May 1936 Ethiopia’s Selassie pleads for help from the League of Nations. The League of Nations protest but does nothing else Italy leaves the League and Japan recognizes Italy’s conquest of “Italian East Africa.

Italy (cont)

Germany 1933-34 secretly rearms, builds Luftwaffe Begins persecuting Jews and others Rebuilds the economy Withdraws from the League of Nations 1935-36 moves troops into Rhineland and is openly rearming and conscripting League of Nations does nothing Anti-Cominterm Pact with Japan

Germany (cont) German troops in the Rhineland

Germany (cont) Jewish Persecution By the end of 1934, most Jewish lawyers, doctors, professors, civil servants, and musicians had lost their jobs and the right to practice. Nuremberg Laws of 1935 deprived Jews of all rights of citizenship—notice how all is done in accordance with the law By 1938 25% of German Jews had left Germany

Germany (cont) Jewish Persecution Kristallnacht occurs in 1938 as well—a well-organized wave of violence, which destroyed homes, businesses, synagogues Thousands of Jews were arrested and forced to pay for the damages In addition to persecuting the Jews, Hitler also targeted gypsies, gays, Jehovah’s Witnesses, the handicapped, and pacifists

Germany (cont) Interior of Berlin synagogue

Germany (cont) 1937/38 Germany creates Anschluss with Austria Hitler then turned on Czechs and demands the Sudetenland, promising that’s the end demands Neville Chamberlain meets with Hitler at Munich Conference and claims peace in our time (1938) Appeasement—Hitler given the Sudetenland

Germany (cont) Munich conference

Germany (cont) May 1939 Pact of Steel creates Rome-Berlin Axis Hitler demands Polish territory; Britain says she will defend Poland if attacked (March) Signs Hitler-Stalin Pact (August) Germany Invades Poland September 1, 1939

Hitler-Stalin Pact Stalin with German foreign minister

Blitzkrieg! Poland destroyed