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Chapter 19: A World in Flames, 1934–1941
Main idea of the chapter:
.This chapter follows the rise of aggressive governments in Europe and Asia. It also
describes how the United States attempted to stay neutral as World War II spread
across Europe and into the Pacific.
Section 1. America and the World Main Idea of the section:
discusses the events following World War I that led to the rise of aggressive and
expansionist governments in Europe and Asia.
In the aftermath of World War I, economic chaos threatened
traditional political systems in many war-torn European countries. In
Italy, a Fascist leader promised that a strong government would
return the social order. .In Russia, a communist leader gathered weak Russian countries
and knit them into a powerful Soviet Union. .Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler became dictator of Germany. In Asia, Japanese military leaders took control of a political system that had been
weakened by economic stress. .These new governments sought to enhance their powers by
expanding their empires. As Germany, Italy, and Japan aligned to
create the Axis Powers, Americans insisted on isolationism, and
Congress passed laws to keep the United States out of war. .President Roosevelt favored internationalism, but public
opinion forced him to abandon the idea of taking action
against aggressor nations.
In the 1930s, both Germany and Italy adopted fascism and began moves to expand
their territory. Japan's totalitarian government was also looking to
expand.
.
. Great Britain's prime minister
Neville Chamberlain urged Britain to
maintain a policy of appeasement
giving in to the dictators in order to
avoid a war. In part, Chamberlain
had to try appeasement because the
British Empire did not have the
resources to fight Japan in Asia, Italy
in the Mediterranean, and Germany
in Europe all at the same time.
Unfortunately, the policy failed
because the dictators believed that Britain was weak and inferior
and therefore no threat to their desires for land. When Britain
became aware that Germany's air force was rapidly overtaking
their own, they looked to the United States for help. Section 2 World War II Begins Main idea of the section:
describes the events that led to World War II. As Hitler set out to unite all the German-speaking regions
of Europe, European leaders hoped to avoid war by
agreeing to Hitler's demands.
. When Hitler's demands reached into Poland, however,
leaders knew that appeasement had failed. A Nazi-Soviet
pact strengthened Hitler's resolve, and on September 1, 1939, Germany invaded
Poland. .On September 3, Britain and France declared war on
Germany, and World War II was underway. Unable to
withstand the German blitzkrieg, Poland fell to Hitler. As
German forces plowed through Europe, countries fell like
dominoes into German control. When German troops smashed through French lines, a
miraculous evacuation at Dunkirk saved Allied troops. .The Allies could not, however, save France from the@
German siege, and France soon surrendered. A determined
Britain was unwilling to give up the fight, even when German
bombers
blasted
London.
Section 3 The Holocaust Main Idea of the section:
discusses how the Nazi persecution of Jews escalated into
the Holocaust.
While Nazis persecuted anyone who opposed them, their
loathing for Jews led them to implement horrific antiJewish policies. .When the Nazis first took
power, they systematically stripped German Jews
of many of their rights. Nazi persecution of Jews
escalated significantly when the murder of a
German diplomat spurred Hitler to order a violent
anti-Jewish rampage throughout Germany and
Austria. .The Nazi secret police arrested wealthy Jews and
demanded emigration and the surrender of their
possessions. While many Jews fled the terror, immigration
restrictions in other countries kept millions of Jews trapped
in Nazi-dominated Europe. .Pressed with the question of what to do with their Jewish population, the Nazis began
implementing their "final solution." Jews were rounded up and taken to concentration
camps for slave labor and to extermination camps for death in
gas chambers.
Section 4 America Enters the War Main idea of the section:
describes how the United States tried to maintain
neutrality after World War II began. .Although President Roosevelt proclaimed the United
States neutral, he took actions to support the Allied fight
against Germany. .He revised the neutrality laws and worked out a
destroyers-for-bases deal with the British. Roosevelt expanded the nation's role in the
war by introducing a law that allowed the United States to provide military supplies to
Britain. .His idea of a hemispheric defense zone authorized
the U.S. Navy to protect British cargo ships and
shoot Axis vessels. .The British Prime Minister and President
Roosevelt coordinated Allied strategy and pledged
their commitment to democracy in the Atlantic
Charter. .As Japan moved against European colonies in
Southeast Asia, Roosevelt hoped to avert war by
applying economic pressure on Japan and
sending military supplies to China. .These tactics failed, however, and the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on
December 7, 1941. The next day, Congress declared war on Japan. A few days later,
Germany and Italy both declared war on the
United States.