1. Do Now 1 What is military aggression? 2 Which nations showed aggression in Europe in the 1930s? 3 How did Great Britain and France respond to military aggression? Explain.

2. How did aggression lead to World War II? Steps Leading to War

3. The Rise of Dictators Both Europe and Asia saw the rise of dictators in the 1920s and 1930s. Hitler in Germany Stalin in the Soviet Union Mussolini in Italy Tojo in Japan

4. Steps Leading to World War II 1. August 23, 1939, Germany made a secret pact with The Soviet Union. In this “Nonaggression Pact” Germany & USSR agreed not to attack each other. Also, if Germany went to war, USSR would stay neutral. If war did break out, both countries secretly agreed to divide Poland.

6. 2. Sept. 1, 1939 Germany invaded Poland with 2 million troops. 3. Sept. 3, 1939 Britain & France abandon appeasement & declare war on Germany. 4. World War II has begun.

7. Steps Leading to World War II 5. For the next few months little happened…until… 6. The Soviet Union started annexing their former lands: Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Finland.

8. Steps Leading to World War II 7. During the first 2 years of WWII (1939-1941) the democracies suffered crushing defeats. Blitzkrieg- German term for “lightening warfare.” –G–Germans would take their enemy by surprise & quickly crush opposition with overwhelming force. –P–Poland surrendered in 30 days. –N–Next fell Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, Romania, & the Netherlands. –F–France fell in June 1940.

9. 8. Italy joined World War II in 1940, as soon as the fall of France was inevitable. 9. Germany, Italy & Japan are the Axis Powers. 10. In 1940 British Prime Minister Chamberlain resigned & Winston Churchill became the new Prime Minister.

11. 11. The Battle of Britain:The Battle of Britain: To weaken Britain before he invaded, Hitler ordered thousands of German planes to bomb London & other British cities. Hitler postponed invading Britain, which historians call his 1 st Big Mistake of 1941. Steps Leading to World War II

12. “The London Blitz”- For 2 months Germany blasted London nightly. –Bombing lasted through the winter attempting to destroy British morale. –Germany hoped Great Britain would surrender without invasion. –The RAF- The British “Royal Air Force”- fought to destroy German planes. –British used radar & blackouts & did NOT surrender.

13. What about the United States? Many Americans were alarmed by the news of the breakdown of peace in both Europe and Asia. However, most Americans were more concerned about the Great Depression in their own country and wanted to remain neutral.

14. Still, the threat of war persuaded FDR to run for a third term in 1940. Democrat FDR won a clear victory over Republican Wendell Willkie.

15. Steps Leading to World War II How did aggression lead to World War II? When did World War II begin? Who is responsible for starting this 2 nd World War? Why do you think most Americans did not want to get involved in this war? What will it take to get the United States involved?