1. Unit #3 – World War Two

2. Underlying Causes of WWII
1. The Treaty of Versailles
harsh terms imposed on Germany by the victorious Entente powers (including reparations, war guilt clause, loss of land and demilitarization), left Germany bitter and searching for a new leader to get them through the rough times.
Germany was in chaos – no strong government, citizens had no jobs, money or food
Hitler became the new leader “the right man at the right time”

3. Learning Goals:
I can identify and analyze the significance of the underlying causes that led to WWII.
I can identify the Steps that lead to war in Europe in 1939.
I can label the countries, territories and cities significant to WWII Europe.
I can identify the significant plans and policies of Adolf Hitler.

4. Underlying Causes of WWII
The emergence of new countries and boundaries
the treaty created new countries when old empires were dismantled
new boundaries meant that German speaking people now lived in parts of Poland, Czechoslovakia, The Rhineland and Austria
Germany (and Hitler in particular) claimed that these regions should be part of their country again and reunited under the ‘Third Reich’

5. Underlying Causes of WWII

6. Underlying Causes of WWII

7. Underlying Causes of WWII
3. Isolationism
after WWI, many countries including Canada and the United States, practiced a policy of isolation - no involvement in world affairs, and instead wanted to focus on problems at home (e.g. the Great Depression)
many countries were alarmed by the commitments that would result from Article X
knowing that the US would not immediately arrive to solve international conflicts, Hitler pursued an aggressive war strategy

8. Underlying Causes of WWII
4. Failure of the League of Nations
the goal of the organization was to maintain world peace
peace was maintained through a collective security system – Article X (if any member is attacked, the other members will come to her aid)
the League was essentially powerless given that the US was not a member
The other countries had no faith and didn’t believe in this system because they felt the US needed to play a significant role in it
the failure of the League to solve crises in Manchuria, Spain and Abyssinia was evidence of its ineffectiveness
these failures planted ‘seeds’ in Hitler’s mind that he could basically go unchallenged in Europe to fulfill his Third Reich goals

9. Underlying Causes of WWII Watch this!
**Complete the Steps to War worksheet Q#1, 2 and 3**
Complete the Steps to War worksheet Q#4

10. Underlying Causes of WWII
5. Appeasement (giving into the demands of Hitler to avoid another war)
many world leaders agreed that the terms of the T of V were too harsh
some people agreed with Hitler’s anti- Semitic policies in Canada and the US
Communism and Fascism were introduced and people/other countries feared the spread of these governing ways
world leaders including British Neville Chamberlain and Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King, believed Hitler when he repeatedly promised to stop invading countries
as a consequence, Hitler was able to invade: the Saar Valley, the Rhineland, Austria, the Sudetenland, and Czechoslovakia without retaliation

11. Underlying Causes of WWII
6. Dictatorships in Italy and Germany (based on Fascist ideology)
Adolf Hitler became the ruler of Germany
Benito Mussolini became the ruler of Italy
Francisco Franco became ruler in Spain
much of their power came from international fear of the spread of Communism (Hitler was blatantly anti-Communist)
world powers like Great Britain and the United States were more concerned with containing Communist threats

12. Underlying Causes of WWII
7. Hitler:
the Nazi party came to power in 1932 and Hitler became chancellor of Germany in 1933
he gained power by appealing to the German people’s need to blame someone for the problems caused by WWI – he used the Jews as scapegoats
Hitler promised to reunite all German speaking people and territories (Anschluss) under the Third Reich
he also promised to gain more living space (Lebensraum) for the German people

13. Steps to War Watch This! http://youtu.be/ySbWpp5HDJg
Complete the Steps to War worksheet Q#4