Download 00 Key Terms - 6-1

United States History
Topic 6: World War II (1931-1945)
6-1 – Rise of Aggressive Dictators
Key Terms
Peace Dissolves
Treaty of Versailles – 1919 treaty that ended WWI; from the
beginning, many Germans resented the Treaty; it also caused bitterness
among other nations
aggression – hostile actions or unprovoked attacks
totalitarianism – more extreme than a simple dictatorship;
government in which a single party or leader controls the economic, social,
and cultural lives of its people; appealed to some because of stability
Q: How do you think totalitarian regimes will affect the peace following
World War I?
Strict Regimes in the Soviet Union and Italy
Joseph Stalin– (1878-1953) became leader of the Soviet Union
(USSR) after Vladimir Lenin’s death in 1924; suspicious, cruel, ruthless, and
tyrannical; his efforts to transform the Soviet Union into an industrial power
and form state-run collective farms resulted in the deaths of at least 10
million people
“Cult of Personality” - a combination of fear and massive
propaganda kept Stalin in power; publicity was designed to create a “cult of
personality” in which he was credited with all the good things
Benito Mussolini – (1883-1945) formed the Fascist Party in Italy in
1919; his followers, known as Black Shirts, fought in the streets against
socialists and communists
Mussolini gains power - in 1922, fearing revolution, Italian King
Victor Emmanuel III asked Mussolini to form a government; within a few
years Mussolini had control of the government and the army; he then
outlawed all political parties except his own
Fascism – a political movement that stressed extreme nationalism
and autocratic rule
Q: What did Stalin and Mussolini have in common? In what ways did they
differ?
Germany and Japan Change Leadership
Adolf Hitler – (1889-1945) led the National Socialist German
Workers’ Party, or Nazi Party; while in prison for a failed rebellion he
dictated the book Mein Kampf (“My Struggle”), in which he laid out his plan;
Hitler takes power – in January 1933, the president of Germany
appointed Hitler as chancellor of Germany; over the next two years, Hitler
became president as well as chancellor, consolidated his power, and ruled
unchecked by the Reichstag (German parliament)
anti-Semitic – displaying prejudice and discrimination against Jewish
people
Japan – unlike Germany, which was controlled by a charismatic
dictator, Japan’s military successfully assumed dictator-like powers in the
1930s; opposition was suppressed; the military then looked to expand
Japan’s empire
Q: How did the Great Depression affect political life in Germany and Japan?
Dictators Move to Gain Territory
Rhineland – region that was part of Germany, but under the Treaty of
Versailles, it was demilitarized; March 1936, Hitler sent German troops into
the Rhineland
Ethiopia – invaded by Italy in 1935; appealed to the League of
Nations for support, which did almost nothing, and Ethiopia fell
Spanish Civil War – (1936-1939) War in which Nationalist forces led
by General Francisco Franco rebelled against the democratic Republican
government of Spain
General Francisco Franco –supported by both Hitler and Mussolini;
he continued to rule Spain as a dictator until his death in 1975.
Q: Why did the League of Nations fail to halt German and Italian aggression?
Aggression Meet Appeasement
appeasement – policy pursued by France and Britain during the
1930s of granting concessions in order to keep peace; only spurred the
fascist leaders to become more bold, adventurous, and aggressive
Franklin D. Roosevelt – (1882-1945) during the years leading up to
WWII, FDR wanted to improve relations with nations around the world; he
withdrew troops from several nations and restored diplomatic relations with
the Soviet Union; he did not take a forceful line against German aggression;
he embraced a policy of isolationism
Anschluss – March 1938 – forced union of Austria into the German
Reich
Neville Chamberlain – (1869-1940) prime minister of Great Britain
from 1937–1940; Chamberlain and French premier Edouard Daladier agreed
to the Munich Pact
Sudetenland – a portion of western Czechoslovakia that was largely
populated by ethnic Germans, Hitler demanded that it belonged to the
German Reich
Munich Pact – (1938) agreement made between Germany, Italy,
Great Britain, and France that sacrificed the Sudetenland to preserve peace;
Chamberlain told a cheering crowd that it had preserved “peace in our
time”; less than a year later WWII would start
Q: Did the appeasement policy of Britain, France, and the US have the
intended effect? Explain