Download Causes of World War II * Part 2

CAUSES OF WORLD
WAR II – PART 2
Expansionism
• The idea of expanding into new territory
• Italy – Wanted a new Roman Empire in the
Mediterranean
• Germany – Wanted to regain the land lost in
World War I and create a larger German state
• Japan – Wanted oil and other natural
resources in the Pacific
Anti-Semitism
• Hatred of the Jewish People
• Hitler blamed the Jews for the
problems Germany faced since
World War I
• Blamed the loss of World War I,
Conditions in the Treaty of Versailles,
and the massive depression on the
Jewish people
• Provided the Jewish people as
a scapegoat for all the
problems of the German world
Anti-Semitism
• As Hitler takes power in Germany, Jewish
people began to be seen as “sub-human”
• Nazi thugs stop people from shopping in Jewish
stores
• Jews are forced to wear a Star of David on their
chests
• Nuremburg Laws – Jewish people lost their rights as
German citizens and were forbidden from marrying
non-Jews
• Violence began to openly occur
Treaty of Versailles
• War guilt was placed on Germany
• Not allowed to control naval ships, aircraft,
poison gas, tanks, or any other heavy
artillery
• Forced to pay large amounts of money to
other countries
• Lands that spoke and felt culturallyconnected to Germany were broken up
League of Nations Failure
• Started with the idea of disarmament
• Massive reduction in military services
• Lacked a military force
• Countries involved were more
interested in helping themselves and
not the collective good
Hitler’s Diplomatic Strategy
• England and France had a policy of appeasement
• Allowing things that to happen in order to avoid armed conflict
• Hitler made reasonable demands to other European
nations
• Pulled out of the League of Nations
• Began to re-arm itself, even though Germany was not allowed
• Formed an alliance with Italy (Axis Alliance)
• Began taking back old territory
• Signed a peace agreement with the Soviet Union
Invasion of Poland
• Germany threatens Poland to join them as
territory
• To deter Hitler, France and Britain
announce that an invasion would mean allout war
• Tried to convince the Soviet Union to join them
and not Germany
• Joins Germany instead
• THIS OFFICIALLY BEGINS WORLD WAR 2!
Germany attempts to invade the USSR
• Germany backs
out of it’s alliance
and attacks the
Soviet Union in
hopes that a fastpaced assault
would catch them
off-guard
America at the Start of WWII
• During the first two
years of the war the
United States stayed
officially neutral
• The fear of getting into
another large-scale
war made many
Americans wish to just
stay out of world
affairs
America at the Start of WWII
• Despite strong isolationist sentiment
at home, the United States
increasingly helped Britain
• Gave war supplies and older
naval warships in return for naval
bases in the Bermuda and the
Caribbean
America at the Start of WWII
• Lend-Lease Act
• President has the authority to sell or lend
equipment to other countries to defend
themselves against the Axis Powers
•This will incredibly anger Germany, who has
an alliance with Japan
“…lending a garden hose to a next-door
neighbor whose house is on fire.” -FDR
America at the Start of WWII
• The United States
refused to
recognize
Japanese
conquests in Asia
and imposed an
embargo on
exports of oil and
steel to Japan.
• Tensions rose but
both countries
negotiated to avoid
war
America at the Start of WWII
• Pearl Harbor
• December 7, 1941
• Japan, without any
warning, attacks Pearl
Harbor in Hawaii
• Destroyed most of the
Pacific fleet and killed
several thousand
Americans
Roosevelt’s Famous Speech
• The next day, Roosevelt asked Congress for a
formal declaration of war
• “A day that will live in infamy…”
Germany’s Response
• Hitler honors a treaty that was signed with Japan
and declares war on America
• The debates over isolationism in the United
States were over.
• World War II was now a true world war and
the United States was fully involved.