1. World War II Project: Section 1: The Origins of the War
Section 1 Essential Question:
What were the events that led to the possibility of a second world war?

2. The Origins of the War
The Versailles Treaty and Economic Depression in Europe: How did this treaty and economic depression contribute to problems in Europe prior to World War II?
The Rise of Dictatorships in Germany, Italy and The Soviet Union: How did Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin rise to power in these countries?
PRE WAR ALLIANCES: Which countries formed the Allied powers and Which countries formed the Axis Powers?
(Supporting Text Book pages )

3. The Versailles Treaty and Economic Depression in Europe: How did this treaty and economic depression contribute to problems in Europe prior to World War II?
VERSAILLES TREATY:
This was the treaty that ended World War I. This treaty had many effects on Germany and other European nations.
Effects on Germany:
Lost more than 10% of it’s territory
Had to disarm
Had to pay for war damages
Economic depression and inflation (doc 1)- Read more on p. 224
Effects of Economic depression in Europe:
Social unrest- People were upset with their governments and began to act out in protest..
People in Italy, Germany and The Soviet Union placed much of the blame on the democratic governments in these countries
This allowed dictators to rise to power in these countries.

4. Document 1

5. The Rise of Dictatorships in Germany, Italy and The Soviet Union: How did Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin rise to power in these countries?
Germany:
Adolf Hitler led the Nationalist Socialist German Workers Party (NAZI PARTY)
Nazis preached German racial superiority
The party became more popular as unemployment rose. People started to feel that if the Nazis gained control of the government, that the unemployment problem would end.
The Nazi party gained control of the German government and Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933
1934- Hitler formed a dictatorship and eliminated democracy
Document 2

6. Documents 3 & 4 (picture) Document 3- Hitler Quotation
“And to do this, we must solve the Jewish problem. This Jewish contamination will not go away, this poisoning of the nation will not end, until the carrier himself, the Jew, has been sent away from our midst. Our people are slaves. We must be set free, these chains be broken, Germany must once again be captain of her soul and master of her destinies, together with all those who want to join Germany.”

7. Benito Mussolini began a political movement known as fascism.
The Rise of Dictatorships in Germany, Italy and The Soviet Union: How did Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin rise to power in these countries?
Italy:
Benito Mussolini began a political movement known as fascism.
Fascism= A form of government that emphasizes nationalism and is ruled by a dictator (People that do not share the views of the ruler were oppressed)
Mussolini became Prime Minister of Italy in1922 and established a dictatorship
He was the ruler of Italy when World War II began
PHOTO OF BENITO MUSSOLINI “ Il Duce”

8. The Rise of Dictatorships in Germany, Italy and The Soviet Union: How did Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin rise to power in these countries?
The Soviet Union
Joseph Stalin gained control of the government of the Soviet Union in 1924 and remained the leader throughout World War II
He was a Communist leader who formed a totalitarian state= control over every aspect of the lives of citizens
Killed those who opposed him
All of the Dictators had the goal of Military Expansion (they wanted to use their military to help them gain more land)
PHOTO OF JOSEPH STALIN

9. PRE WAR ALLIANCES: Which countries formed the Allied powers and Which countries formed the Axis Powers?
The Axis Powers:
In 1936, Germany and Italy signed the Rome-Berlin Axis. This resulted in the two countries becoming military allies.
Later, Japan joined this alliance and they became known as the Axis Powers
There was no peace-keeping organization to stop this alliance from forming because of the failure of the League of Nations
The existence of military alliances increased the chances of war breaking out.
PHOTO OF MUSSOLIN AND HITLER

10. PRE WAR ALLIANCES: Which countries formed the Allied powers and Which countries formed the Axis Powers?
The Allied Powers:
In March, 1939 Hitler threatened to attack Poland
France and Great Britain warned that an attack would mean war
After the attack, Great Britain and France established themselves as the Allied Powers
The Soviet Union and The United States later joined the Allies
PHOTO OF STALIN (SOVIET UNION), WINSTON CHURCHILL (GREAT BRITAIN) AND FDR