The road to war – Causes and beginnings World War II The road to war – Causes and beginnings
Causes of World War II Sorry…I don’t have a cool way to remember it Treaty of Versailles Caused problems for German economy Nationalism Germany and Japan wanted to unite their peoples Need for resources Empire building Appeasement: Germany kept wanting more… Great Depression – led to rise of dictators (Fascism + Totalitarianism)
Italians Invade Ethiopia (Again) Angry from all their troubles after WWI Earlier invasion failed in 1896 Italy returns in October 1935 Conquers Ethiopia in 1936 Deaths: 2000 Italians vs. 275,000 Ethiopians Ethiopian technology overmatched Also they took over Albania and then Libya
Spanish Civil War (1936 – 1939) Nationalist rebels vs. Republican Army Nationalists backed by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy Led by Francisco Franco WWII Rehearsal Seen as a way for Germany to try out its war tactics
“Guernica” by Pablo Picasso
Japan started it all… Japan conquers Manchuria (1931-1932) Need for resources Invades China (1937) The Rape of Nanjing Use Chinese for bayonet practice Rape/murder woman Burn of homes Chinese risk of civil war Nationalist vs. Communist
What are the teams this time around? Allies: Great Britain France USA Soviet Union Axis: Germany Italy Japan
Overview “Official” start date: Sept. 1, 1939 Germany invades Poland Germany and Soviet Union sign a “Non-Aggression” pact Germany later violates this by invading USSR Soviet Union moves to the Allies Japan attacks Pearl Harbor USA enters WWII against the Axis