Major Causes of WWII IB History of the Americas

Rise of Hitler Nationalism Militarism Appeasement Anti- communism Economic depression Japanese expansionism fascism in Italy Treaty of Versailles Major Causes of World War II

Treaty of Versailles After Germany lost WWI, the winning nations drafted a treaty to address issues such as territorial adjustments, reparations, armament restrictions, war guilt and the League of Nations. The treaty punished Germany and left bitter feelings. Germany was forced to accept all the blame for the war and pay millions in reparations to Britain and France. Italy was disappointed that it was denied territory promised by Britain and France. British Prime Minister George Italian Prime Minister Orlando French Prime Minister Clemenceau U.S. President Wilson 1914 1919 “Big Four”

Treaty of Versailles A. Germany lost land to surrounding nations B. War Reparations 1) Allies collect $ to pay back war debts to U.S. 2) Germany must pay $57 trillion (modern equivalent) 3) Bankrupted the German economy & embarrassed Germans Lloyd George, Georges Clemenceau, and Woodrow Wilson during negotiations for the Treaty

The Rise of Fascism in Italy Fascism is a totalitarian form of government which: Glorifies the state Has one leader and one party All aspects of society are controlled by the government No opposition or protests are tolerated Propaganda and censorship are widely practiced Benito Mussolini came to power in 1922 and helped found the political ideology of fascism. He sided with the Axis powers in 1940.

The Conquest of Ethiopia by Italy Mussolini wanted to improve Italy’s economy: He believes overseas expansion will help Italy’s economy 1934 border dispute over Ethiopia broke out. Ethiopia took it to the World Court of League of Nations. Leader of Ethiopia, Hallie Selassie, warned that if they didn’t help protect them from the aggression of Italy that it wouldn’t stop there. He was right. They didn’t help Ethiopia and Italy didn’t stop

Rise of Totalitarian Regimes A. In a Totalitarian country, individual rights are not viewed as important as the needs of the nation Communist Dictatorship (USSR) Fascist Dictatorship (Germany, Italy) Totalitarianism Military Dictatorship (Japan)

Worldwide Economic Depression After WWI many European economies were unstable. The boom in the U.S. throughout the 1920s helped sustain worldwide trade. The 1929 stock market crash in the U.S. and the resulting Great Depression spread throughout the world. U.S. restrictive tariff policies worsened the depression. As economies plummeted and unemployment rose, many people turned to powerful leaders and governments who promised success through military buildup and the conquest of territory. German breadlines Japanese children eating radish roots during famine

1923 - Wallpapering with German Deutchmarks World-wide Depression A. The Depression made Germany’s debt even worse B. Desperate people turn to desperate leaders 1) Hitler seemed to provide solutions to Germany’s problems 1923 - Wallpapering with German Deutchmarks

Voting for Hitler’s party increased as unemployment rates rose In Germany, depression, unemployment and hard times led to a dramatic increase in votes for Hitler and the Nazi Party. Election date Votes in millions Share May 20, 1928 0.81 2.6% September 14, 1930 6.41 18.3% July 31, 1932 13.75 37.3% November 6, 1932 11.74 33.1% March 5, 1933 17.28 43.9% Voting for Hitler’s party increased as unemployment rates rose

2) Hitler provided scapegoats for Germany’s problems (foreigners, Jews, communists, Roma (Gypsies), mentally ill, homosexuals) 3) Kristallnacht - vandalism & destruction of Jewish property & synagogues

Japanese Expansionism In 1931 Japan invaded Manchuria for raw materials. The same year, Japan began to attack China, with full-scale war breaking out in 1937 in the Sino-Japanese War. In 1938, war broke out between Japan and the Soviet Union in what were known as the Soviet-Japanese Border Wars.

A Battle for Germany: Nazi anti-communist book from 1933 Anti-Communism Under communism, all means of production are controlled by the government, as are property, the media, and all other aspects of society. The 1930s saw the rise of many totalitarian regimes; but most people chose fascism over communism. Hitler exploited people’s fear of a communist takeover in Germany to rise to power in 1933. A Battle for Germany: Nazi anti-communist book from 1933

Appeasement Appeasement is the act of giving in to an enemy’s demands in hopes of avoiding further conflict. Begins with Japanese invasion of Manchuria, Italian invasion of Ethiopia, and continues with Hitler . . . In 1938, Hitler demanded that Czechoslovakia cede the Sudetenland to Germany. He claimed that the German population living there was being mistreated. The British and French prime ministers agreed to Hitler’s demands without consulting Czechoslovakian leaders, in the hopes that this would avoid a war in Europe.

Ancient Sparta is an example of a militaristic society Militarism The glorification of war, in which a nation strengthens its military and stockpiles weapons in preparation for war. An important aspect of militarism is that the glorification of war is incorporated into all levels of society, including education of the nation’s youth. Militaristic societies have existed throughout human history. Hitler Youth group Ancient Sparta is an example of a militaristic society

Nazi flag, Italian fascist logo, Japanese flag Nationalism Nationalism is the belief in the superiority of one’s own nation over all others. In the extreme, it can lead to major conflicts between nations. Hitler, Mussolini, and Japan’s Tojo each touted their nation’s ability to dominate all others in the years leading up to WWII. Nazi flag, Italian fascist logo, Japanese flag

Spanish Civil War Spanish civil war Francisco Franco leads the Falangist rebels. They called themselves Nationalists. Those who supported the Republic were called Loyalists.

Spanish Civil War Spanish civil war Foreign help Germany and Italy support a Fascist Spain (hope to encircle France) Soviet Union supported the republican gov’t US, Fr, Grt Br. Sent volunteers to help republican gov’t = International Brigade

Franco and Fascists will win Spanish Civil War * The overall scene is within a room where, at an open end on the left, a wide-eyed bull stands over a woman grieving over a dead child in her arms. * The centre is occupied by a horse falling in agony as it had just been run through by a spear or javelin. The shape of a human skull forms the horse's nose and upper teeth. * Two "hidden" images formed by the horse appear in Guernica (illustrated to the right): o A human skull overlays the horse's body. o A bull appears to gore the horse from underneath. The bull's head is formed mainly by the horse's entire front leg which has the knee on the ground. The leg's knee cap forms the head's nose. A horn appears within the horse's breast. * The bull's tail forms the image of a flame with smoke rising from it, seemingly appearing in a window created by the lighter shade of gray surrounding it. * Under the horse is a dead, apparently dismembered soldier; his hand on a severed arm still grasps a shattered sword from which a flower grows. * A light bulb blazes in the shape of an eye over the suffering horse's head (the bare bulb of the torturer's cell.) * To the upper right of the horse, a frightened female figure, who seems to be witnessing the scenes before her, appears to have floated into the room through a window. Her arm, also floating in, carries a flame-lit lamp. * From the right, an awe-struck woman staggers towards the center below the floating female figure. She looks up blankly into the blazing light bulb. * Daggers that suggest screaming replace the tongues of the bull, grieving woman, and horse. * A bird, possibly a dove, stands on a shelf behind the bull in panic. Franco and Fascists will win Go to wikipedia - type in guernica

American Isolationism The failure of peace efforts such as the Kellogg Briand Treaty (condemned war as a way of solving conflicts) during the 1920s disillusioned many Americans about international involvement. The U.S. was in a major depression throughout the 1930s and was mostly concerned with its own problems. Conflict in Europe seemed distant, and the U.S. tried to remain neutral. This policy weakened the European democracies. The Nye Committee held congressional hearings in the mid-1930s, concluding that the U.S. was tricked into entering WWI by arms manufacturers and Allied propaganda.

Theaters of War: Where WWII Was Fought Europe Atlantic Ocean Asia North Africa Pacific

HITLER’S WWII PARTNERS

THE ALLIED POWERS IN WWII India Brazil These are the nations that had a substantial number of soldiers involved in the fighting. THE ALLIED POWERS IN WWII