1. Causes of WW2

2. Allies and Axis Powers Allies: Axis: UK (and Commonwealth) Canada
France
China
USA (from 1941)
USSR (from 1941)
Axis:
Germany
Austria
Japan
Italy
USSR (until 1941)

3. Theatres of War
World War II was fought in two theaters of war, meaning that there were two wars happening at the same time.
The main war with Germany was know as the EUROPEAN THEATER.
The other theater was the PACIFIC THEATER. This war was fought against Japanese aggression in the Pacific Ocean.

4. Cause of WWII
It has been said that World War II was just a continuation of World War I, yet there are some specific causes to the Second World War, all of which could not have been possible without the rise of Hitler and his Nazis.
When WWI ended, Germany was made into a republic. Chancellor Hindenburg was its leader. The country had to report regularly to the Allies.
Being “controlled” by the Allies left a bitter taste with most Germans.

5. Treaty of Versailles
After WWI, the Treaty of Versailles laid almost impossible conditions upon the German volk (people).
Reducing the army to men and taking land from Germany, especially the Rhineland, greatly reduced morale.
Forcing responsibility upon the Germans for starting the War was also painful.
But the most disastrous condition was the war reparations they had to pay—a big fine.

6. League of Nations
One positive thing came out of Versailles. It was the creation of an international “government” that would prevent wars by settling disputes between nations through peaceful talks.
Unfortunately, the League of Nations fell apart because of a number of problems, all of which are another direct cause of WWII.

7. League of Nations Problems
The League did not include every nation. Nations could choose to join or not.
Decisions required that all countries agree, a rare occurrence.
The League could not raise an army to enforce its decisions.
It was unable to prevent major incidents like Japan invading Manchuria, or Italy from attacking Ethiopia.

8. The Great Depression
Another cause to the Second World War was the Great Depression.
The stock-market crash of 1929 was a global event that caused worldwide unemployment and despair.
Governments also fell as people chose rulers that promised hope and prosperity—dictatorships.
Germany thus accepted Hitler because he promised not to pay the war fine and to create jobs.

9. The Rise of Hitler
After Hitler became Fuhrer of Germany in 1934, he began to dismantle Versailles.
He came good on his promise and began not paying for the war damages.
In 1936 he began to deploy soldiers into the de-militarized zone (or Rhineland), as well as re-arm Germany; he started training 1 million troops.
France and Britain did nothing. They feared another costly war.

10. Hitler’s Control
Once Hitler had complete control of the government, he began to control all aspects of life. Germany became a police state.
2 million Nazis now made up the SA, Hitler’s army.
He also had his SS (Schutzstaffe). These men had sworn eternal life to Hitler as the protectors of his Aryan race. They were trained, ruthless killers who did whatever Hitler asked.
Hitler used propaganda to instill fear in his people.

14. Total Control
Once he was certain he had control of the country, Hitler began restructuring the government to prepare for his master race.
Many institutions were created such as the National Labour Service and Strength-Through-Joy Committee (KDF) which guaranteed Nazi sponsored leisure activities, Hitler Youth (Hitlerjugend).
In 1935, he created the Nuremburg Laws that denied inferiors, specifically Jews, rights in Germany. These laws would ultimately destroy the Jewish culture by systematically eliminating their identity, beginning with their history.

15. Blood and Honour" (Blut und Ehre)