Causes of World War II (WWII)

Summary After WWI, continued nationalism, imperialism, and an arms race made peace difficult. Germany and other nations were angry about The Treaty of Versailles and Germany, Italy and Japan formed a new alliance called the Axis. The League of Nations couldn’t stop their aggression

Objectives -Identify key factors that led to WWII. Assess reasons why appeasement failed to stop Hitler’s aggression. Explain why the U.S. favored neutrality after WWI.

Last time…. We talked about how dictators came to power in the 1930s. What conditions made it possible for dictators to take over? http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/a3/2e/52057220eca01125e0ab8010.L._SL500_AA215_.jpg

Causes of WWII similar to causes of WWI 1. Nationalism: German Hitler and Italian Mussolini loved their countries and wanted to make them more powerful. They didn’t care how much money it cots or who they hurt in the process.

Causes of WWII similar to causes of WWI 2.Arms Race: Just like before WWI, there was a rush to build up the military, especially in Germany, Italy, and Japan. In 1940 all three of these nations joined an alliance called the Axis Powers. http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2007/0703/chinese_military0305.jpg

Causes of WWII similar to causes of WWI 3. Imperialism: Before WWI, nations fought to gain new land (colonies). This continued in the 1930s. Example: Italy took an African colony: Ethiopia and Japan took over land in China and Manchuria. Hitler took over land in Europe.

Different Causes of WWII 1. Treaty of Versailles The treaty made Germans take all the blame for WWI AND pay all of the war damages. Italians were also upset by the treaty because they thought they deserved more land.

Gemany: Harsh Treaty of Versailles After WWI, the Treaty of Versailles tried to make conditions that would prevent future war. But the treaty was very mean to Germany. It created more anger than peace. http://symonsez.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/versailles.jpg

Different Causes of WWII 2. The Great Depression hurt other countries besides America. Millions didn’t have jobs. Many people were poor and unhappy. They were willing to listen to anyone who offered a solution to these problems. Made it easy for dictators to take power.

Different Causes of WWII 3. Aggression by the dictators The dictators of Italy, Germany and Japan started taking land when they wanted it. The League of Nations didn’t try to stop them.

Continued…. Hitler didn’t follow the Treaty of Versailles. Sent an army to the Rhineland: a demilitarized zone (land where no armies could be sent) He also took over Austria against the treaty.

Different Causes of WWII 4. The Failure of Appeasement Hitler continued to try to take land even though it was against the Treaty of Versailles. He wanted part of a country called Czechoslovakia. Czechoslovakia was willing to fight Hitler.

American Isolation -Just like during WWI, America tried to stay neutral when WWII started. They didn’t want to be involved in another war in Europe. (far away) http://amhist.ist.unomaha.edu/module_files/American%20Isolation.jpg

But President Roosevelt knew that the U. S But President Roosevelt knew that the U.S. would probably get involved later to help those who were being attacked. “ Innocent people are being casually sacrificed to a greed for power. Let no one imagine that America will escape. There is no escape through mere isolation of neutrality. War is like a disease, and like a disease, war is spreading.

Why do you think Roosevelt compares war to a disease? What do diseases and war have in common? http://crosshatch.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/tomneelyyourdiseasecover.gif