STEPS TO WAR

Main Idea  The rise of dictators in Europe and Asia led to WWII

Why It Matters Now  Aggressive rulers still threaten peace today

Rise of Dictators  Treaty of Versailles left several countries bitter  Germany punished and blamed for war  Italy wanted more land  Japan felt ignored  Trouble was brewing  Severe economic problems

Mussolini, Hitler and Stalin  Struggling countries were looking for powerful leadership to eliminate economic problems  Adolf Hitler – leader of Nazi Party der Furer  Benito Mussolini – fascist dictator of Italy Il Duce  Josef Stalin – communist dictator of Russia/USSR

Dictator Seek to Expand Territory  Japan wanted more land and resources and they invaded Manchuria, China  Italy invaded Ethiopia  Hitler invaded the Rhineland (violated Treaty of Versailles, but everyone ignored it), Hitler also took over Austria (many Austrians were okay with this though)  Hitler and Mussolini form Rome-Berlin Axis (Axis Powers)

Appeasement at Munich  Hitler Invaded the Sudetenland  British PM, Chamberlain stepped in and negotiated – Hitler could have this land, but no more (policy of appeasement)  Hitler, of course, did not honor this agreement

Germany Starts the War  Hitler began his European invasion (in order)  The rest of Czechoslovakia  Poland  Denmark and Norway  Belgium and The Netherlands  France  Britain

 Blitzkrieg (lighting war)  Britain was not easily defeated

The US Aids the Allies  Lend-Lease Act

Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor  Tojo become military dictator in 1941(Japan allied with the Axis Powers since 1940)  Tojo has plan to take over Pacific, the only thing standing in his way was the US Navy  On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor  US declared war on Japan and subsequently, Germany and Italy declared war on the US – the US was now officially in WWII