1 World War II: The Road to War Section 1: The Rise of Dictators

2 Totalitarianism ► Government exerts total control over a nation ► Dominates every aspect of life – using terror  Examples: Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin

3 Germany Hitler U.S.S.R. (Russia) Stalin Italy Mussolini

4 Fascism ► Emphasizes the importance of the nation or an ethnic group and supreme authority of the leader ► Vicious form of communism ► Relies upon a strong, dictatorial government ► Doesn’t respect individual rights and freedoms ► Historically, Fascism and Communism are fierce enemies

5 Stalin’s Mass Genocide

6 Stalin – Soviet Union ► Took power after Lenin’s death (1924) ► Launched plan to modernize agriculture and the building of new industries  Encouraged family farms to combine and a huge collective of farms (owned and run by the state)  Faced resistance – forced peasants off their land in the 1920’s

7 Stalin – More resistance ► Punished resistant farmers  Confiscated much or all their food  Millions die from starvation or move to the cities  Millions are forced to work in labor camps in Siberia (Brrrrr…50 below)  Consequence: production fell dramatically, food shortages, forced rationing

8 Stalin – Reign of Terror ► Efforts to gain political domination  Purges: process of removing enemies and undesirables from power  “Purified” the Communist Party by getting rid of all of his opponents  The Great Purge ( ): 7 million arrested, 1 million executed, millions ended up in labor camps  Very Successful

9 Mussolini – Italy

10 Mussolini - Italy ► WWI wounded vet ► Believed strongly that the Versailles Treaty should have granted Italy more territory ► Attracted support from dissatisfied war vets, opponents of the monarchy, Socialists, and anarchists ► Formed Fascist party

11 Mussolini – Il Duce ► Relied on gangs, blackshirts, to terrorize those who opposed him ► Threatened to march on Rome … king panicked and appointed him prime minister  Vowed to end Italy’s economic problems  Suspended elections, outlawed political parties, and established dictatorship

12 Mussolini’s Empire ► Ultimate dream was to restore the Roman Empire ► “The country is nothing without conquest” ► October 1935: invaded Ethiopia using warplanes and poison gas ► “Italy finally has its empire”

13 Hitler – Germany

14 Hitler - Germany ► Austrian painter & WWI wounded vet ► Enraged by terms of WWI peace settlement  Stripped Germany of land and colonies  Burden of debt  War-guilt clause – Germany had to take blame for WWI

15 Hitler – Nazi Party ► 1919 joined National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazi Party) ► Nazism: form of fascism shaped by Hitler’s fanatical ideas about Germany nationalism and racial superiority

16 Hitler – The Charismatic Leader ► Powerful speaker ► 1923: tried to overthrow gov’t. … Sentenced to 5 yrs. in prison  Wrote Mein Kampf (My Struggle), an autobiography, views on Germany’s problems and plans for the nation  Wanted to purify Germany – removing the undesirables  Promised to stabilize the economy after depression

17 Warm-Up (02/11) ► Listen to Hitler’s declaration of war on Poland, September 1, 1939:  Translation: For months we have been suffering under the torture of a problem which the Versailles ‘Diktat’ created. A problem which has deteriorated until it has become intolerable for us. Danzig was and is a German city. The [Polish] corridor was and is German. Danzig was separated from us. The corridor was annexed by Poland…  QUESTION: Listen to and read the translation. What evidence is that Hitler was a “charismatic” leader?

18 Hitler becomes Chancellor ► 1932: Nazi party is largest group in the Reichstag (German version of the Capitol – center of government) ► 1932: Hitler placed 2 nd in presidential race ► 1933: made chancellor – head of German government  Suspended freedom of speech an press  Used storm troopers to wage violent campaign

19 Hitler – Der Führer ► Nazi Party dominates the Reichstag in the March elections  3 weeks later Reichstag mysteriously burns down – Hitler blames the Communists  Parliament passes an Enabling Bill to give him dictatorial powers  August 1934: becomes both chancellor and president ► Gave himself the title of Der Führer

20 Reichstag German Capital

21 Germany Rearms ► Secretly started spending money on rearmament and expansion army (violated Treaty of Versailles) ► Put unemployed back to work  Autobahn and massive public buildings ► 1936: Industry prospered and brought Germany out of the Depression

22 Increasing National Pride ► Lebenstraum: “Living Space”  Belief that Germans needed more territory  Goal: conquer Eastern Europe and Soviet Union  March 7, 1936: German Troops entered the Rhineland (Violated Treaty of Versailles)

23 Breakin’ the Law & No Response ► Reality: Germany isn’t ready for war ► France & G.B. didn’t respond to his violations ► 1936: Hitler signs an alliance w/Mussolini (Axis Powers)

24 Germany Expands ► 1938: Hitler invades “Auschluss” (Austria)  Austrian chancellor refused to surrender  Most Austrians warmly welcome Nazis ► Oct. 1938: Hitler demands the Sudetenland (Western Czechoslovakia)  Munich Council: France & G.B. pursued a policy of appeasement to maintain peace  France was bound to protect Czech. – Problem: No one consulted them about the takeover

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26 Sudetenland

27 Franco – Spain

28 Franco - Spanish Civil War ► General Francisco Franco led Nationalists (rebels) vs. Republicans (newly elected gov’t.) ► Franco creates military dictatorship ► Germany provided planes, tanks, and soldiers to the Nationalists ► Soviet Union sent arms and supplies to the Republicans