The Road to War

Setting the Stage By the mid 1930’s in Europe  Germany and Italy seemed bent on military conquests  Britain, France and the US, were distracted by economic problems and feelings of isolation  The Soviet Union was in the middle ( neutral)  All hopes for peace rested on the League Of Nations

Japan falls under military rule In the 1920’s Japan was becoming more democratic  Kellogg- Briand Pact- renounced war  Signed a treaty with China respecting China’s borders  Weak prime minister and cabinet  Military leaders only answered to the emperor

Militarists take Control of Japan the depression was blamed on the government, people looked for new leaders Military took control of Japan  Unlike fascism, no new system of government  Wanted to restore traditional control of the country to the military  Emperor was the symbol of power

Militarists take Control of Japan Emperor Hirohito remained emperor and controlled the military Hideki Tojo was his general  Wanted to solve the economic problems by foreign expansion  They planned a Pacific Empire, that included China  The empire would provide raw materials and space for the growing population

Japan begins to create an empire Japan takes over Manchuria in 1931  A region in northeastern China  Rich in iron and coal  Set up a puppet government So what did The League of Nations do?  The League protested Japan’s aggression and condemned Japan  Japan ignored protests and withdrew from the League

Japan begins to create an empire Japan invades China  4 years later  Despite China’s large army they were not able to beat the better equipped Japanese  In 1937, Beijing, the capital and other northern cities fell to Japan  The Japanese killed tens of thousands of captured soldiers and civilians  Chinese Communist guerrillas lead by Mao Zedong continued to fight

Imperialism Spreads to Europe The league was unable to stop Japan, so Italy and Germany decided to get in on the action Mussolini Attacks Ethiopia  Ethiopia was one of the last remaining free colonies in Africa  The Ethiopians had resisted Italy in the 1890’s  Italy wanted revenge Ethiopia appealed for help from the League, but the League did nothing

Emperor Haile Selassie’s Appeal to the League “I ask the fifty-two nations, who have given the Ethiopian people a promise to help them in their resistance to the aggressor, what are they willing to do for Ethiopia? And the great Powers who have promised the guarantee of collective security to small States on whom weighs the threat that they may one day suffer the fate of Ethiopia, I ask what measures do you intend to take?”

Great-great grandfather General Hailu Kebede An Ethiopian resistance fighter who lost his life during Italy's second campaign against Ethiopia between 1935 and 1941

Italian soldiers holding up my great-great grandfather’s head after he was captured and beheaded After the beheading

Head exposed for all to see on a pike in Seqota

Imperialism Spreads to Europe Hitler defied Treaty of Versailles  Hitler decided they would no longer have a restricted military  The league condemned this  Hitler entered the Rhineland, a buffer space in-between France and Germany and an industrial center  The French and British urged Germany to stop, giving them an appeasement  Hitler is not stopped and plans to take more land

Alliances Begin Hitler and Mussolini join an alliance- Rome-Berlin Axis A month later Japan, Germany and Italy become the Axis powers

What the US was doing Democratic countries were overwhelmed with the depression and fear of another war So, the US adopts a policy of isolation  1935, Congress passed 3 Neutrality Acts, saying loans and arms cannot be given to nations at war

What Germany did The Third Reich Expands  On November 1937, Hitler announced he was going to add Austria and Czechoslovakia to the Third Reich or German Empire  Austrians support this  Czechoslovakians asked France to help protect a region of their land known as the Sudetenland

Munich Conference To try to avoid war a conference is held. Germany, Italy, France and Britain all attend They agreed to give into Hitler and give him Sudetenland, but Hitler had to promise to honor the new borders 6 months later… ◦ Hitler takes over Czechoslovakia ◦ demanded the Poles give back the former German port, Dazing. ◦ The Poles turn to Britain and France for help, both say they will guarantee Poland’s freedom.

Nazis and Soviets Sign Nonaggression Pact Britain and France asked the Soviet Union to join them in stopping Hitler Stalin also talked to Hitler On August 23, 1939, a nonaggression pact was signed between Germany and the USSR

The War Begins After the Soviet Union agrees not to attack Germany, Hitler takes his army and marches into Poland on September 3, World War II has begun.

Causes of World War II 1. Aggression by totalitarian powers 2. Nationalism 3. The Treaty of Versailles 4. Weakness of the League of Nations 5. Tendencies towards isolationism and pacifism in Europe and the US On your paper, please rank these causes in the blanks provided. Using your knowledge, which do you think was the most influential? Why?