1. Chapter 13 Part I

2. Soviet Union In 1917, a revolution occurred in Russia and the country and the government, under the leadership of Vladimir Lenin, followed Communism (and the name of Russia for nearly the next 70 years will be called the Soviet Union).

3. Soviet Union Lenin dies in 1924 and a new (ruthless) dictator rises, Joseph Stalin.

4. Japan In Japan, the economic problems of the 1920s and 1930s led military leaders to the belief that it was their destiny to dominate East Asia. The government was led by an emperor who had total control (and was viewed as a living god). The emperor, Hirohito, was influenced strongly by his military leaders. The Japanese army invaded Manchuria, a resource-rich region in China in 1931. The Japan treated the people they invaded very very badly! – 3 Alls

5. Fascism Fascism is a form of government which involves aggressive nationalist movement. Fascism were also strongly anticommunist. Two major fascist leaders emerged Europe. Adolf Hitler in Germany and Benito Mussolini in Italy

6. Italy In the early 1920, Mussolini comes to power in Italy and establishes a dictatorship. Mussolini wanted to return Italy to the glories of the Roman Empire. Supported by business people, landowners, and the catholic church, he takes the title of Il Duce or “The Leader”

7. Germany Adolph Hitler rose to power in Germany and in the German Worker’s Party or Nazi Party. He was arrested and put in prison for a time for trying to overthrow the government. While in Prison, Hitler writes, Mein Kampf or “My Struggle’ outlining his racist views and a plan for Germany to expand. After spending time in prison, he began to help get Nazi’s elected to the Reichstag (legislative body). By 1932, the Nazi party dominated the Reichstag and by 1934, Hitler was President of Germany.

8. Hitler and the Holocaust After Hitler assumed power in Germany, he began persecuting Jews and other groups he did not like. In September of 1935, the Nuremberg Laws took citizenship away from Jewish Germans. It also banned marriage between Jews and other Germans. – Soon after, Jewish people were barred from voting. – Their passports were marked with a red “J.” By 1938, they could not practice law or medicine or operate businesses. On Kristallnacht, “the night of broken glass,” anti-Jewish violence erupted in Germany and Austria. The Gestapo arrested thousands of wealthy Jews. German and Austrian Jews now lived in terror.

9. Concentration Camps The first concentration camps, which the Nazis built in 1933, were used to jail their political opponents. Buchenwald was built in 1937. – It was one of the largest concentration camps of the World War II era. – Even without gas chambers, hundreds of prisoners died there every month from exhaustion and harsh conditions.

10. Final Solution The Nazis made plans to round up Jews from areas of Nazi controlled Europe. Healthy individuals worked 12-hour shifts as slave laborers in nearby factories until they dropped dead from the living conditions. The elderly, disabled, and young children, who could not work, were sent directly to extermination camps (mostly located in Poland). Here, they were executed in huge gas chambers, where the whole process could be done more efficiently. At these camps, including the infamous Treblinka and Auschwitz, Jews were the main victims. More than 1,300,000 Jews died at Auschwitz.

11. Hitler Taking Over European leaders tried to avoid war by negotiating with Germany. Hitler first wanted Austria and after sending troops to Austria, he took it over with no problem. Then Hitler wanted the Sudetenland, a German-speaking area of Czechoslovakia. Britain and France agreed to Hitler’s demands at the Munich Conference. Giving in to the demands of someone is known as appeasement.

12. Start of World War I However, Britain and France told Hitler to leave Poland alone. Hitler invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Two days later, Britain and France declared war on Germany. – World War II had begun.

13. France Falls A mistake by the French in defending their boarder, the German army quickly defeated the French. France fell to Hitler and Germany in June 1940.

14. Battle for Britain After France fell, the British were next on Hitler’s list. Beginning in June 1940, the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) launched a fierce air battle—the Battle of Britain—to destroy the British air force. Hitler’s goal was to terrorize the British people into surrendering. But he failed because Londoners took refuge in the city’s subway tunnels whenever German planes attacked. The British knew when the Germans would attack because they had radar.