 The primary problem of Japan in the 1930’s was the limited size of its territory  The islands of Japan were crowded; many Japanese wanted to expand  During this time period, Japan was under civilian control... but the nationalists were gaining power  In 1931, Japan invaded the Chinese province of Manchuria w/o gov approval  The takeover of Manchuria demonstrated the weakness of the Japanese government and the strength of Japan’s nationalists, who would continue to expand their military power

 The League of Nations strongly criticized Japan for the invasion of Manchuria Japan’s response?? They simply withdrew from the League of Nations... which was either unable or unwilling to take any strong action against Japan. The powerlessness of the LON had been exposed.

 What do you think this cartoon illustrates?

 In 1935, Mussolini invades the East African nation of Ethiopia  Italy had tried to establish a colony there previously, however it ended in a crushing defeat  Italy had several other colonies in Africa, and used a border dispute as an excuse to launch an invasion  Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie pleads with the League of Nations for help... but none is offered Haile Selassie

 In the mid-1930’s, Spain was also troubled by fierce political conflict  The vast majority of Spaniards held beliefs somewhere in between the two extremist parties › Communists › Fascists/Nationalists (Nazis)  This conflict would eventually lead to civil war  The civil war attracted a great deal of attention, › Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy who sent in their troops › The United States and Communist Russia backed the opposing side and provided troops and supplies, however... › The Nationalists could not be put down, and Fascism enveloped Spain as well.

 Before long, Hitler no longer tried to hide his efforts to re-build the German army  Hitler gained the support of Great Britain and France because he claimed he was doing this in an effort to quell the spread of communism

 Germany was required to give up its territory near the Rhine River Valley along the French border... in 1936, Hitler violated the Treaty of Versailles by sending troops in anyway  The French were greatly alarmed by this, but lacked the tenacity to raise issue; and Hitler grows bolder...

 Two years after Hitler’s move in the Rhineland, he decided to enter Austria  Hitler had long dreamed of uniting all ethnic Germans, including the Austrians  In 1938, he tried to force the Austrian government to agree to Anschluss (union with Germany) › This move was popular among Austrians, but was – once again – a violation of the TOV  Germany’s neighbors issued strongly worded reproaches, but made no move to stop Hitler What is an ‘ethnic German’??

 Ethnic Germans are assimilated descendents of Germans › i.e., descendents of individuals who were born of German descent who immigrated to – and reside in – other European countries

 Hitler sees he has no legitimate opposition; he sets his sights on a German-speaking portion of Czechoslovakia called the Sudetenland  He encouraged Germans in the Sudetenland to protest Czechoslovakian rule; when this fails, he threatens a military attack  Eager to avoid armed conflict, Great Britain and France meet with Hitler in Munich and negotiate a compromise › Hitler is allowed to annex the Sudetenland, despite Czechoslovakian protest

1. What was the significant of Manchuria, Ethiopia, and Spain in the 1930’s? 2. How did other nations react to the aggression of the Japanese and the Italians? 3. Why do you think the League of Nations was unwilling to stand up to the aggression? 4. How did Hitler respond to Germany’s obligations under the Treaty of Versailles? 5. How did the reaction of Great Britain and France toward Germany compare to their reaction toward Italy and Japan? 6. How do you think the failure to enforce rules of the League of Nations and the Treaty of Versailles will affect Germany as Hitler’s power continues to grow?