Ch.16.1 World War II Dictators Threaten World Peace

Nationalism Grips Europe & Asia ► President Woodrow Wilson had hoped the Treaty of Versailles ending WWI would provide a “just lasting peace” among the world’s nations. ► However, the Treaty of Versailles mostly caused anger and resentment. ► The German government was angry about losing territory it considered their’s.

► Germany was also upset over being blamed for all of WWI. ► The Soviet Union resented losing its own territories after WWI. ► The Treaty of Versailles failed to make the world “safe for democracy” as President Wilson had hoped. ► New democratic governments hurt by economic and social problems, floundered and turned to dictatorships. Dictatorship: A country governed by a dictator, a ruler with total power over a country, typically one who has obtained power by force

Communism = a movement to create a classless and social order structured upon common ownership of the means of production, as well as a social and political ideology that aims at the establishment of this social order ► In the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin came to power in He was a ruthless leader who let nothing stand in his way. ► Stalin focused on creating a model communist country.

► Stalin wanted to stamp out private enterprise. He did away with private farms and created collectives, or huge country-owned farms. ► The Soviet Union under Stalin also took over all industry. ► Stalin then made the Soviet Union into a leading industrial power. ► Stalin also made the Soviet Union into a police state.

► Anyone who criticized Stalin or his policies was arrested by the secret police. Many were executed. Millions of others died in famines caused by Stalin’s restructuring of Soviet society. ► It is believed that Stalin is directly responsible for between 8 and 13 million deaths in the Soviet Union. ► Stalin created a totalitarian government. Individuals had no rights, and the government put down all opposition to Stalin and his policies. Totalitarian = a gov with complete control of its citizens, people have no rights

Fascism = a political philosophy that exalts nation and often race above the individual, and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictator, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition ► At the same time, Benito Mussolini was creating a totalitarian government in Italy. His political movement was called fascism. It was based on a strong central gov headed by a dictator. ► Fascism in Italy grew out of extreme nationalism.

► Mussolini was called, Il Duce, or the leader ► He was known for his efficiency in running all aspects of Italian life ► But, he didn’t want the gov to own farms and factories ► Fascist Italy was actually anti-communist

► In Germany another fascist party came to power under the leadership of Adolf Hitler. ► Hitler’s political philosophy was called Nazism. ► Hitler hoped to unite all German speaking people into a new German Empire, or Reich. ► He believed Germans, especially blond, blue eyed, “Aryans” were the master race.

Aryan = original speakers of European languages, Caucasian Jew= also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and an ethnic and religious group, originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the ancient Middle East. Jews follow the religion of Judaism, the first monotheistic world religion, believing in the same God as Christians (do not believe Christ was the son of God) ► According to Hitler, Aryans were meant to have power over all “inferior races” such as Jews and nonwhites. ► Hitler believed Germany needed to expand, to gain territory, so that the German people could thrive.

Chancellor - the head of the government in some European countries, such as Germany ► Nazism combined extreme nationalism, racism, and expansionism. ► Nazism appealed to unemployed, desperate, and resentful Germans during Germany’s own depression following WWI. ► In the 1932 election, the Nazi Party gained power. ► Hitler became chancellor in January of 1933.

The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the federal republic and parliamentary representative democracy established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government ► Hitler did away with the Weimar Republic and set up the Third Reich, or third German Empire.

► Meanwhile, in Asia, military leaders had taken over Japan. They believed Japan needed more land and resources. ► Japan attacked Manchuria, an eastern province of China, in ► The League of Nations protested, but Japan just left the League of Nations and kept Manchuria anyway.

► The League of Nations’ inability to stop Japan made Hitler and Mussolini bolder. ► Hitler sent troops into the Rhineland. ► He also built up the German army. ► These acts by Hitler broke the Treaty of Versailles.

What did Selassie mean by, “It’s us today. It will be you tomorrow.”? ► Mussolini captured the African nation of Ethiopia. ► Haile Selassie, the leader of Ethiopia, asked the League of Nations for help stopping Mussolini. ► When the League of Nations did nothing, he said, “It is us today. It will be you tomorrow.” Ethiopians had old-fashioned rifles, which fired a bullet at a time. Most Ethiopian soldiers carried swords or knives. The Ethiopian army had no boots, they marched and fought barefoot. The air force consisted of one plane. Despite this, the Ethiopians heroically fought the Italian invaders, in the full knowledge they would be defeated.

What 4 major countries were ruled by dictatorships in the 1930s? ► In Spain the fascist general Francisco Franco led a rebellion to overthrow the elected government. ► Many American volunteers went to Spain to fight the fascists. These volunteers felt Spain was the place to stop fascism and defend democracy. ► The governments of western democratic countries only sent food and clothing to support the democratic forces in Spain. ► However, Hitler supported the fascist leader Francisco Franco by sending troops and weapons to Spain. ► When Franco won in 1939, another European country fell to fascism.

What does isolationism mean? ► Most Americans wanted the U.S. to stay out of foreign conflicts. Many people thought that the United States had made a mistake in getting involved in WWI. Anti-war rallies were held. Isolationism became more popular. ► Congress passed the Neutrality Acts. These laws banned loans or arms sale to nations at war. Because of the Spanish Civil War, the Neutrality Acts included those involved in civil wars.

How do you think Japan felt about the U.S. aiding China? ► In 1937, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt found a way around the Neutrality Acts. ► Since Japan had not declared war on China, Roosevelt felt free to send military aid to China.