The 1930s and the Start of the War

Objectives Learn why totalitarian dictators gained power after World War I. Find out how Germany, Italy, and Japan embarked on a path of military conquest. Discover how the United States tried to remain neutral in a new world conflict. Understand how World War II began in Europe.

Terms and People Josef Stalin – a brutal dictator of the Soviet Union who ended up siding with the Allies during World War II totalitarian state – a nation in which a single party controls the government and every aspect of people’s lives Benito Mussolini – Italian prime minister who made Italy a fascist state and sided with the Axis powers during World War II

Terms and People (continued) fascism – a political system based on militarism, extreme nationalism, and blind loyalty to the state and its leader Adolf Hitler – brutal leader of Germany and the Nazi party who started World War II aggression – a warlike act by one country against another without cause appeasement – a policy of giving in to aggression in order to avoid war Winston Churchill – British prime minister during World War II

What events led to the outbreak of World War II? Events that set the stage for World War II included: The Great Depression of the 1930s caused worldwide economic hardship. World War I and the Russian Revolution resulted in the deaths of millions and altered the political map of Europe.

By 1929, Josef Stalin was dictator of the Soviet Union, which he turned into a totalitarian state. He took brutal measures to control and modernize industry and agriculture. Stalin had four million people killed or imprisoned on false charges of disloyalty to the state.

In 1922, the Italian king appointed Benito Mussolini prime minister. Mussolini turned Italy into the world’s first fascist state. Mussolini ended freedom of the press and crushed political opposition.

Many Germans were angry about their defeat in World War I and the heavy reparation payments forced on them by the Allies. In 1921, Adolf Hitler became leader of the National Socialist, or Nazi, Party. Racism formed the core of Nazi beliefs: Nazis believed Germans were a “master race.” Feelings of anti- Semitism ran high.

The Great Depression increased Hitler’s popularity. In 1933, Hitler was named chancellor of the German parliament. Hitler quickly created a totalitarian state. He outlawed other political parties. Secret police enforced strict loyalty.

In Japan, military leaders wanted to take control of nearby countries to exploit their natural resources and have room to expand. The militarists said the Japanese were the superior race.

Soon, Italy, Japan, and Germany were following policies of ruthless aggression. In 1931, the Japanese army seized Manchuria. At the end of 1937, Japanese troops pillaged Nanjing, China, massacring civilians and prisoners of war.

In 1935, Mussolini’s armies invaded the African country of Ethiopia. Ethiopia’s emperor, Haile Selassie, asked the League of Nations for help, but it responded weakly. Britain and France would not help, either, so Ethiopia fell to Italy.

Hitler defied the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, as Germany became increasingly aggressive. 1936 1938 Hitler rebuilt Germany’s armed forces and sent troops into the Rhineland region of western Germany. German armies occupied Austria. European democracies did not stop Hitler.

Hitler threatened to invade Czechoslovakia. 1938 1939 In a gesture of appeasement, Britain and France let Hitler occupy part of Czechoslovakia if he promised to seek no further territory. Munich Pact Hitler occupied the rest of Czechoslovakia and then set his sights on Poland.

Meanwhile, after World War I, the United States returned to a policy of isolationism. In 1935, Congress passed the Neutrality Act, which was designed to keep the United States at peace. The Act forbade the President from selling arms or making loans to any nation involved in war.

At the same time, the United States sought to strengthen ties with Latin America. Hoover said the United States no longer claimed the right to intervene in Latin American affairs. President Herbert Hoover rejected the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. Under the Good Neighbor Policy, President Franklin Roosevelt withdrew troops from Latin America and gave more independence to Cuba.

The Nazis then marched into France, and Britain sent troops to help defend France. But, by May 1940, the Nazis had trapped the British and French in the port city of Dunkirk. In a bold action, the British rescued the trapped soldiers and evacuated them to Britain. Hitler accepted France’s surrender on June 22, 1940.

Now Britain stood alone against the Nazi war machine, but British prime minister Winston Churchill vowed that he would never surrender.

For months, German planes bombed London and other British cities, killing tens of thousands. Londoners slept in subway stations at night to avoid the bombs and tried to carry on with their lives during the day. By fall, Hitler abandoned plans to invade Britain.

On June 22, 1941, Hitler broke his pact with Stalin by sending a huge German force into the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union now joined Britain in fighting the Germans. Although Churchill and Stalin deeply distrusted each other, they were forced to work together to defeat their common enemy.