By Gabrielle Mosher

 After Paris peace treaties signed, economists predicted disaster Some said that Germany and Austria would suffer from disruption of coal and iron supplies, transportation and importation of food Some said “cultural sickness” was infecting Europe  Outbreak of World War II confirmed predictions

 Fascism: political philosophy, movement, or government that puts the nation over the individual; centralized government led by dictatorial leader  Involved suppression of all opposition by organizations that took to the streets (thugs)  Glorified warfare (violence solving the nation’s problems)  First introduced by Benito Mussolini in Italy 1919  Putsch: a revolt  Totalitarian: a state in which individual is subordinated to a centralized administration that controls the economy, politics, media, and culture under a single dictator  Gestapo: secret police force  Militarism:  Dual Economy: separation between large-scale (large, highly capitalized) and cottage (small scale workshops) industries

 Suffered from wartime losses of people/property and economic depression  Labor strikes and peasant unrest  Mussolini  Originated fascism  organized thugs (ex-soldiers from war) who were his core supporters Thugs let loose onto streets to beat up labor organizers, communists and socialists  Named prime minister for a year then gained full control of state Abolished other parties, destroyed labor unions, censored press Organized government into 22 major economic categories each with a fascist leader  Mussolini withdrew Italy from League of Nations when they demanded he withdraw from Ethiopia in 1935

 Adolf Hitler Admired Mussolini Was a racist (wanting the “pure German race”) Volunteered for military service and joined anti-communist German Workers’ party which became Nazi organization Built up group of storm troopers (SA) similar to Mussolini’s thugs  Centrist government thought of as too weak Militant right wing such as Nazis (want centralized government) Militant left wing (want socialist or communist government)  Stability of government endangered when Germany punished for not keeping up with war reparations  Hitler attempted a putsch (revolt) in response but failed and imprisoned for 9 months  International depression of 1929 effected all of Germany and democracy blamed  Political leaders turned to Hitler and he used SA to promote violence in able to gain control  Established a totalitarian state  Created SS and Gestapo (secret police force)  All political parties apart from Nazis abolished  Policies based on “racial science”  Public works projects started in order to urge Germany to become economically self- sufficient

 After World War I Japan experienced economic opportunity  Industries developed  Transportation increased  Advancement of production and export of consumer goods  Increasing technological advancements  Bridged dual economy  Riots broke out when price of rice increased  Reflection of increasing dependence on colonies for daily commodities  Japan embracing liberal democracy  Growing wealth  Rising urbanization  Increasing industrialization  High literacy rates  Japanese emperor held total power in theory but political leaders actually had control  Military elites began to claim expanded powers

 League of Nations founded in 1920  Individual nations taking steps to promote peace  Kellogg-Briand Pact (agreement to renounce war)  Great Depression caused economic and political problems  Despite agreements, Italy, Germany and Japan still promoted militarism  In 1931 Japan seized Manchuria and quit League of Nations  In 1935 Italy invaded Ethiopia and was not punished by League  In 1936 civil war broke out in Spain  Power struggle between conservatives (clergy, military, and business elites) and liberals (workers, socialists, communists, and anarchists)  Liberals won in election but Germany and Italy sent soldiers, money and weapons to help conservatives (“dress rehearsal” for World War II) Hitler used civil war as test of air force he was building  Conservative victory established right-wing dictatorship  In 1937 Japan invaded China (Pacific War)  In global terms, invasion considered start of World War II  After taking Germany out of the League of Nations in 1933, Hitler demanded a union with Austria  Mussolini opposed Hitler’s takeover and declared opposition to German troops  German troops gained Mussolini’s consent and conquered Austria  Germans invaded and took over Czechoslovakia  In 1939 Russia signed non-aggression pact with Germany  Involved secret agreement to divide Poland between them  Germany invaded Poland and in response, Britain and France declared war on Germany

 Italy, Germany and Japan called “Axis Powers”  France and Britain took no immediate military action against Germany  “phony war” (lack of fighting through winter of )  Germany invaded Denmark and Norway in April 1940  Germany invaded Belgium, Luxemburg, Netherlands, and France in May 1940  Battle tactics (trenches, bunkers, minefields)  Netherlands surrendered and Belgium sued for peace  British and French troops retreated to Dunkirk  Mussolini joined attack on France and helped invade Greece  June 22 France surrendered  Britain alone against Germany  Hitler attacked, bombing London  Battle of Britain  Britain held strong against Germany and finally Germany surrendered  Hitler broke non-aggression pact and invaded Russia in 1941  Stalin counterattacked and Germany retreated from Moscow  In 1940 Italians invaded Egypt heading for Suez Canal  British forces defeated Italians  US not participants in war, but supplied Allied forces with weapons