Download Benito Mussolini

World War II
1939-1945
The Rise of Totalitarianism
Characteristics of Totalitarianism
 Total subservience to the state
 Invasion and loss of privacy
 Loss of individual freedoms
 Censorship of the press. Little or no free
press
 Indoctrination through:
 Propaganda
 Education
 Youth Ministries
 Terror through a police state
 Demonizing – Scapegoating
 Disobedience results in prison or death
Two Types of Totalitarian Systems
Fascism and Communism
The Rise of Fascists Dictators
Benito Mussolini - Italy
Benito Mussolini - Italy
 Benito Mussolini was a former socialist who had
fought for Italy during World War I.
 His experience during the war changed his
attitudes and he became a strong nationalist
following his return to civilian life.
 He was eventually expelled from the socialist party
and began organizing his own political movement
known as Fascism.
Benito Mussolini - Italy
The Rise of Fascism
 Fascism rose out of the economic and
political turmoil following World War I.
Italy, like other European countries faced
economic and social turmoil.
 These conditions promoted the development
of new political ideas. Communism which
had recently swept Russia, began growing
and threatened to take hold in Italy..
 In response to this threat, Mussolini started
the fascist movement.
Benito Mussolini - Italy
 The fasces was an axe surrounded by a bundle of rods
and symbolized supremacy of the state. With this as
the central theme of his new political movement,
Mussolini began organizing military bands known as
Blackshirts throughout Italy.
 The Fascist Party began to grow
rapidly and was composed mostly
of jobless war veterans,
unemployed youth, criminals and
intellectuals. The Fascist party
was opposed to communism and
democracy. As the party grew it
picked up widespread support.
Benito Mussolini - Italy
Who Supported
Fascism?
Businessmen supported it because it promised to
protect them against a communist revolution.
Nationalists supported it because Mussolini promised
to restore the glory of Ancient Rome.
Peasants supported it because Mussolini promised
land reform.
Workers supported Mussolini because he promised to
create jobs.
Benito Mussolini - Italy
Victor Emmanuel III
Benito Mussolini - Italy
Il Duce
(Leader)
Ethiopia
The Rise of Dictators
Adolf Hitler - Germany
Adolf Hitler - Germany
Some of Hitler’s Paintings
The Rise of Dictators
Adolf Hitler - Germany
Jews
German
Workers Party
“Germany didn’t lose the war, it
was betrayed by the Jews and
Communists” - Hitler
The Rise of Dictators
Adolf Hitler - Germany
National socialist German
Worker Party - Nazi
Mein Kamph (My Struggle)
Aryan Race
The Big Lie
The Rise of Dictators
Adolf Hitler - Germany
Reichstag
Chancellor
Fuhrer
The Third Reich
The Third Reich
Gestapo
Heinrich Himmler
Propaganda
Joseph Goebbels
The Big Lie
The Third Reich - Education
 The Nazis used the schools to install blind
obedience to the Fuhrer.
 Only Nazis were allowed to teach, and all
courses were designed to fit Nazi purposes.
 For example science classes taught the making
of poison gases.
 Math courses taught the calculation of artillery
and bombing ranges
 Social Studies taught the evils of democracy and
the superiority of the Aryan Race.
The Third Reich - Education
Science and Culture
 Scientists worked on advanced weapons of war.
 Anthropologists attempted to prove the Aryan Race.
 Writers praised Hitler and Nazism.
 Censors held book burning ceremonies to destroy
works by anti-Nazis.
 Literature, art and music by Jews was banned.
 Religion came under state control. Those members of
the clergy who opposed Nazism were sent to
concentration camps. Many Christian ceremonies were
replaced by Nazi ceremonies.
The Third Reich - Militarism
Treaty of Versailles
Luftwaffe
Rhineland
Youth Ministries
The Third Reich Persecution
of Jews
Nuremburg Laws
Kristallnact
The Third Reich
Genocide
Holocaust
The Third Reich
The Holocaust
Underlying Causes of World War II
Axis Nationalism
 National resentment of settlement of World War I.
 Germany – Resented the harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
 Italy – Felt it had been slighted by the other Allies in treaties.
 Japan resented that European powers maintained control of colonies in
the far east.
 Japanese militarism – By the 1930’s Japan had fallen under control of the
military. The Emperor of Japan Hirohito, was considered divine and the
military answered only to him. In order to build its military the Japanese were
in vital need of raw materials which led to aggressive actions. and a military
government.
 Promises by Totalitarian Leaders
 Germans were promised a Third Reich that would last a thousand years
and would be run by a master race (Aryans). Hitler spoke of his desire
for Lebensraum, or living space for his people.
 Italians were promised a New Roman Empire
 Japanese were promised a Japanese controlled East Asian Prosperity
Sphere
Underlying Causes of World War II
Axis Imperialism
 Germany annexed Austria and Czechoslovakia as Hitler
attempted to take back territory that he claimed was part of
the “Fatherland”. He planned to expand into eastern
Europe and create living space for his people.
 Italy enlarged her African territory by conquering Ethiopia
and later annexing Albania.
 Japan invaded Manchuria and China to secure raw
materials and create markets for their goods
Failure of the League of Nations
 The League was ineffective in trying to halt aggression by
fascists countries The United States had never joined the
League and other major powers dropped out.
 The greatest weakness of the league was that it had no
enforcement powers.
Underlying Causes of World War II
Failure of Appeasement
 To avoid war England and France tried the policy of
appeasement with the dictators in hope that they would
stop their aggression.
 British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was the
main advocate of appeasement.
 The most famous example of appeasement occurred at
the Munich Conference in 1938. Chamberlain claimed
“Peace in our Time”
 The dictators saw appeasement as a sign of weakness
and continued their aggression.
Underlying Causes of World War II
American Isolationism
 After World War I, the United States began
withdrawing from world affairs.
 Americans were bitter over war debts and preferred to
remain isolated from European affairs.
 Congress never ratified the Treaty of Versailles
 In order to ensure neutrality Congress passed a series of
neutrality acts prohibiting loans and sale of military
equipment to belligerent nations.
The Road to War
Axis Aggression
Japanese Invasion of
Manchuria
In 1931, Japan created
invaded and conquered
Manchuria. When the
League of Nations
condemned the actions,
Japan pulled out of the
League.
The Road to War
Axis Aggression
Italian Invasion of
Ethiopia
In 1935, Italy invaded
and conquered Ethiopia.
The League of Nations
failed to take strong
action.
The Road to War
Axis Aggression
German Remilitarization
By 1935 Germany was rebuilding its
military and its industries were in war
production. In 1936 it violated the Treaty of
Versailles by remilitarizing the Rhineland.
Spanish Civil War
In 1936, General Francisco Franco began
a revolt against the Spanish government
and received aid from Italy and Germany.
He won the civil war and established a
Fascist government friendly to the Axis
countries.
The Road to War
Axis Aggression
Japanese Invasion of
China
In 1937, Japanese forces
overran China's coastal
areas and committed
numerous atrocities
against citizens. The
Chinese put up strong
resistance while the
western democracies
and League of Nations
took no action.
The Road to War
Axis Aggression
German Annexation of Austria
 In 1938, Hitler invaded and annexed Austria in the
Anschluss The western democracies failed to act.
 In 1939, Hitler demanded the Sudetenland, a region in
Czechoslovakia bordering Germany and inhabited by
German speaking people. The Czechs refused to give in
and counted on English and French support. However
France and England chose appeasement rather than military
action.
The Road to War
Axis Aggression
German Annexation of Czechoslovakia
•At the Munich Conference Prime Minister Chamberlain
proclaimed that he had preserved "peace in our time".
•Six months later Hitler seized the rest of Czechoslovakia.
England and France realized that Hitler couldn’t be trusted.
They joined in a military alliance and guaranteed protection
to Germany's next probable victim, Poland
The Road to War
Axis Aggression
Italian Conquest of Albania
In 1939, Mussolini invaded and annexed Albania. This
gave Italy control of the Adriatic Sea.
The Road to War
Axis Aggression
German-Soviet
Non-Aggression Pact
In 1939, Germany and the Soviet
Union signed a 10 year NonAggression Pact. This allowed
Russia to avoid involvement in a
major war and gave them a free
hand over eastern Poland and the
Baltic States. The pact protected
Germany from a two-front war
and promised supplies and food
from Russia to Germany.
IMMEDIATE CAUSE OF WORLD WAR II
German Invasion of Poland – September 1, 1939
 In 1939, Hitler demanded
the return of Danzig and
other Polish territory on
the grounds that they were
inhabited by German
speaking people. Before
Poland could respond,
Hitler invaded.
 England and France
honored their guarantee to
Poland and declared war
on Germany. World War II
had begun
WWII - The War in Europe
Germany invades Poland
Sept 1, 1939
Germany invades Denmark & Norway
April 9, 1940
Germany invades Belgium, Luxembourg,
Netherlands, and France
May 10, 1940
France surrenders to Germany
June 22, 1940
Battle of Britain begins
July 10, 1940
Blitz of London begins
Sept 7, 1940
Germany invades N Africa
Feb, 1941
Germany invades Soviet Union
Churchill and Roosevelt sign Atlantic Charter
America Enters the War
June 22, 1941
August 1941
Dec 7, 1941
WWII - The War in Europe
Germany declares war on U.S.
Battle of Stalingrad begins
U.S. Troops invade N. Africa
Soviets begin counter-offensive in Stalingrad
Germany surrenders in N. Africa
Dec. 11, 1941
Sept 13, 1942
Nov 8, 1942
Jan 10, 1943
May 13, 1943
Allies land in Sicily (Italy)
July 9, 1943
Allied Invasion of Normandy (D-Day)
June 6, 1944
Paris is liberated by Allies
Battle of the Bulge
Hitler commits suicide
Germany Surrenders - VE Day
Aug 25, 1944
Dec 16-27,1944
April 30, 1945
May 7, 1945
VE
Day
WWII - The War in the Pacific
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, Philippines, Guam.
and Wake Island.
U.S. Declares War on Japan/Enters WWII
Dec. 7, 1941
Dec. 8, 1941
Japan captures Philippines from U.S.
April 9, 1942
Doolittle’s Raiders bomb Tokyo
April 18, 1942
Battle of Coral Sea stops Japan advance on Australia
May 7-8 1942
Battle of Midway. Major US victory. Turning Point
of Pacific War
June 4-5, 1942
U.S. Marines invade Guadalcanal. Begin “Island
Hopping”
Battle of Leyte Gulf. First Kamikaze attacks
U.S. Marines attack Iwo Jima
U.S. Marines attack Okinawa
U.S. Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Japan formally surrenders. VJ Day
Aug 7-8, 1942
Oct 23-26, 1944
Feb 19, 1945
April 1, 1945
Aug 6 & 9, 1945
Sept 2, 1945
B
VJ
Day
Island
Hopping