1. Aggression Paves the Road for War

2. Weakness of League of Nations
GERMANY
: Hitler rebuilds G’s economy, navy, army, air force
1936: sends G troops into Rhineland
H wants living space “Lebensraum”
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ITALY
1935: Italy invades Ethiopia, who asks LoN for help (does almost nothing) – Ethiopia falls
Weakness of League of Nations

3. Weakness of League of Nations
SPAIN
Spanish Civil War,  fascists led by Francisco Franco & helped by Hitler & Muss rebelled vs. repub. govt
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JAPAN
1931: est. puppet state in Manchuria (NE China)
1937: moves vs. China  brutal  “Rape of Nanjing”
Weakness of League of Nations

4. Appeasement FR & GB policy of 1930s
Grant concessions to potential enemy to try to maintain peace
Why?
WWI so bad = no more war
USSR>>> Germany & strong G would buffer against Soviets
Resolve of own ppl/ allies?
US isolated (Depr, etc.)
Appeasement

5. Appeasement Brings War
Spring 1938: H annexes Austria (Anschluss)
Fall 1938: H wants Sudetenland (lots of ethnic Gs)
Appeasement Brings War
FR & GB sacrifice Sudetenland (& Czech.) to appease Hitler  MUNICH PACT
PM Chamberlain: “peace for our time”

6. The Ducktators https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsBG34TSJJ4

7. The Outbreak of WWII

8. Failure of Appeasement
Spring 1939: H absorbs rest of Czechoslovakia
GB & FR sign alliance guaranteeing Poland
H + Stalin = Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact (Aug 1939)
Public: don’t attack
Private: invade & divide Poland
Failure of Appeasement

9. Sept. 1, 1939: blitzkrieg hits Poland from 3 directions (“lightning war”)
USSR invades east
GB + FR do nothing
Arrival of War

10. WWII Begins Axis: Germ – Ital – Japan
Allies: GB – FR – (eventually) USSR, USA, China
G goes West, eventually to FR
Large # of British troops escape but FR falls in 35 days
Churchill  “fight on the beaches” speech
G turns to GB, fight in air – Battle of Britain (summer 1940)
WWII Begins