Download Chapter 30 World War II – PPT – Focus

Chapter 30 World War II – PPT – Focus INTRODUCTORY Here we have the main leaders for each side during the war. Dozens of countries participated in the war, but these were the leaders of the two sides: Allies Axis USA – Franklin D. Roosevelt Germany – Adolf Hitler USSR – Josef Stalin Italy – Benito Mussolini Gr. Britain – Winston Churchill Japan – Hideki Tojo Part 1: The Road to War (1919‐1939) A Conflict of Ideologies – as we have seen through history before, war is often caused by differences in priorities & beliefs. Ideology: 1) A body of beliefs that reflect the needs & goals of a person, group, class or culture; 2) these beliefs from the basis of economic or political policies &/or actions. Disagreements in people’s & country’s ideologies often lead to conflict & even war. This is what happened in WWII, but there were some other problems as well – one was in the ineffectiveness of the League of Nations. Many had high hopes for the League’s ability to prevent conflict after WWI, but that was not to be the case…. Another problem was the Treaty of Versailles. The Germans hated it, and felt that in was unfair to them. This was one reason that Adolf Hitler was able to come to power. Let’s look at his beliefs, and those of other leaders. Benito Mussolini – nickname “Il Duce” – (the leader) Promoted Fascism: a) extreme nationalism b) individuals weaken society (need to promote unity) c) leadership needed: strong dictator d) anti‐communist e) Goals: expand military & bring back the glory of the old Roman Empire Adolf Hitler: 1) Admired Mussolini 2) Hated Treaty of Versailles 3) Against communism 4) Wrote Mein Kampf – “My Struggle” which outlined his views: a) Aryans – the master race b) Despised – Jews, Slavs & others as lesser people 5) Lebensraum – “living space” – he believed Germans needed more room to grow & thrive, therefore he looked to expand Germany. 6) He formed the National Socialist German Workers Party – later called the Nazi Party. 7) Because of terrible economic conditions after WWI, such as unemployment & incredible inflation, people began to look to a leader that could solve those problems. 8) 1934 – Hitler became the Fuhrer of “leader” of Germany. www.glscott.org
In 1936, Hitler & Mussolini formed an alliance, the Rome/Berlin Axis. Japan joined the alliance later. Japan was a newly industrialized country. The problem was that they had a sever lack of natural resources. 1) Expansionists – wanted to use conquest to control East Asia & to obtain needed resources 2) Invasion of Manchuria (North‐China) a) Year – 1931 b) Military invaded without permission c) The prime minister tried to stop them , but they assassinated him d) Military rule was in control from then on Hideki Tojo – was a military officer who became prime minister. He led throughout WWII Emperor Hirohito – was a figurehead, with little power until the end of the war when he ordered the Japanese surrender. Joseph Stalin – leader of the U.S.S.R. (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) Review: the Communist Revolution was in 1917, when Vladimir Lenin came to power. When Lenin died, Joseph Stalin took over the leadership of Russia. Changes/characteristics: 1) Name: from Russia to U.S.S.R. 2) Increased industrialization 3) One party rule – communist 4) Suppressed liberties/silenced opposition (8‐10 million)  The Soviet Union was on the Allied side during WWI & WWII, sometimes the similarities of the leaders cause students to forget this. Let’s look at some of the similarities. Dictatorships: 1) Absolute power by one person 2) Human & civil rights not protected 3) Opposition: punished &/or silenced 4) Glorification of the state 5) Used: a) Propaganda – ideas spread to influence public opinion for or against a cause b) Indoctrination – to teach someone to fully accept on set of ideas & to disregard another (often used in schools in dictatorships) The United States’ Position: Isolationism ‐ desiring to stay out of foreign affairs so as not to be drawn into problems between other countries. Internationalism – the idea that trade between nations creates prosperity & good will which help to reduce or prevent war & conflict. Neutrality – taking neither side in a war & conflict Most Americans supported these ideas, especially because of the horrible memories of WWI. U.S. President, Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) agreed. www.glscott.org
Part 2: Aggression, Appeasement & War (1931‐1934) In the 1930’s, the Axis powers began to invade other countries in order to expand their territory. We already saw how Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931. In 1935, Italy overtook Ethiopia, in Africa. This was important because of its location. Now Italy could control the entrance into the Red Sea, which of course led to the Suez Canal. Hitler began to repudiate (go against) the Treaty of Versailles. 1) Began to re‐build the military – 1935 2) Formed alliance with Italy – 1936 3) Occupied the Rhineland in 1936 – this was designated as DMZ (de‐militarized zone: no weapons or soldiers were allowed in the area. 1937 – Japan used its position in Manchuria to invade further into China 1938 – Hitler & Germany moved into Austria to create a Union (“Anschluss”) note: this is the setting for the famous movie The Sound of Music. Later that year, Hitler said he was going to annex the Sudetenland. This was a part of Czechoslovakia that bordered Germany. This caused alarm in Europe. So leaders met in Germany at the Munich Conference in Sept. 1938, attended: Great Britain, France, Germany, & Italy. Who was not there? Czechoslovakia. The countries went with the policy of Appeasement = (giving in to the demands of an aggressor in order to avoid war). Result: Germany was allowed to annex the Sudetenland. Reason: Adolf Hitler agreed not to take any more territory. The British prime minister, Neville Chamberlain was thrilled, but future Prime Minister Winston Churchill was not fooled. He knew war would come. August 1939 – The Germans & Stalin (Soviets) signed the Nazi – Soviet Non‐Aggression Pact, agreeing not to attack each other. (Less than a year later, Germany would invade the Soviet Union in spite of this agreement… it would be Germany’s largest military operation of the entire war). This gave Hitler the opportunity he wanted: to invade Poland to expand there & unite German lands. The Germans invaded Poland from the west & the USSR invaded Poland from the east on Sept. 1, 1939. Sept. 3, 1939 – Gr. Britain & France declared war on Germany. WWII had begun. www.glscott.org