1. THE ROAD TO WWII

2. Japan:  In 1931, Japan invaded the Chinese province of Manchuria. Why?  Japan wanted to become a superpower, but to do so it needed access to resources.  Manchuria was full of the most important resources:  Coal  Gold  Oil  Iron

3. The Japanese Invasion of Manchuria:

4. Who was supposed to stop things like this from happening?  The League of Nations  So what did they do?  The League tried to negotiate with Japan, but Japan simply withdrew from the League.

5. Italy:  In 1935, Mussolini decided that it was time for Italy to invade Ethiopia. Why?  He wanted to create an empire.  So what happened?  The League imposed trade sanctions against Italy, but these sanctions did not include  Oil  Coal  Iron  Result: The invasion was not stopped.

6. Mussolini and the Invasion of Ethiopia

7. Germany:  Hitler, who was watching the Japanese and Italians expand without getting into trouble, decided it was his turn.  In 1936, he ordered the German army to go back into the Rhineland. Why?  He knew the League of Nations would do nothing.  He knew it would increase his popularity in Germany. Result:  He was right. No one did anything to stop him.

8.  Next, in March of 1938, Germany annexed Austria.  Why?  Germans and Austrians speak the same language.  Hitler was from Austria.  Result:  No one did anything to stop him.

9.  In the summer of 1938, Hitler began to threaten Czechoslovakia. Why?  Czechoslovakia had been created out of German and Austrian territory.  There were many Germans living in Czechoslovakia, especially in the region called the Sudetenland.  Most of Czechoslovakia’s industry and fortifications were in the Sudetenland.

10. Hitler’s Advances

11. Result:  In October of 1938, the leaders of Britain and France met Hitler in a conference in Germany.  They agreed to give him the Sudetenland as long as he…  Promised he wouldn’t ask for anything more!  After this conference, the British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, flew home and declared that, “We shall have peace in our time!”  So a few months later, in March 1939, Hitler invaded and took over all of Czechoslovakia.  This British-French policy of always giving in to Hitler in order to avoid was, is known as appeasement.

12. He smiled very pleasantly and indeed had a sort of appealing and affectionate look in his eyes. My sizing up of the man as I sat and talked with him was that he is really one who truly loves his fellow-men, and his country, and would make any sacrifice for their good. That he feels himself to be a deliverer of his people from tyranny. - Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King (1937) The Appeasement of Hitler