Download World War II

 WWII
lasted from September 1, 1939 to
August of 1945…
 Redistribution
of land in Europe
 Treaty of Versailles: German guilt clause
 War Debt
 German Economic Problems
 Struggled
economically after WWI
 Neville Chamberlain was Prime Minister, and
then Winston Churchill would be elected
 Went
through three governments after WWI
seeking economic relief and recovery
 The Popular Front was the French attempt at
near Socialism, but this government only
lasted one year
 Charles de Gaulle became the leader of
France and would lead the Free French
during Germany occupation
 Experienced
a period of prosperity and
isolationism (staying to ones self) after WWI
 The Stock Market Crash of 1929 plummeted
the US into the Great Depression, which
spread throughout the world
By 1924, Joseph Stalin had
become the Communist
Dictator of the U.S.S.R. or
Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics
The U.S.S.R. was
transformed into a
modern, military
state…costing millions of
Russian lives
FASCISM WAS DEVELOPED
AND GREW IN THREE
NATIONS IN EUROPE
Fascism- “a totalitarian governmental
system led by a dictator and emphasizing
an aggressive nationalism and often
racism”
Totalitarian- “Absolute control by the state
or a governing branch of a highly
centralized institution”
The First Fascist state to
develop was Italy under the
leadership of Benito Mussolini
 Wanted
Italy to be restored to the greatness
it had under the Roman Empire
 Encouraged women to have children
 Education became extremely important
 Built up the Italian military
 Was
elected Chancellor of Germany in 1933
 The German people were looking for change
after the destruction and blame for WWI
 Hitler promised to make Germany a powerful
nation again, respected among the nations of
Europe
 He soon became the Fascist
dictator of the nation
 His government was called
the Third Reich
Hitler, or Fuhrer meaning
leader, was loved by the
German people in the
beginning
 Born
on April 20, 1889 in Austria to Alois and
Klara Hitler
 Wanted to be an artist (and was good) but
was twice denied to the Vienna Academy of
Fine Arts
 His mother died when he was 19 and he
moved to Vienna anyway where he lived in
homeless shelters
 With no hope in sight, he moved to Munich,
Germany in 1913 and joined the Germany
army
Was injured by mustard gas in WWI and
hospitalized
 Was very upset Germany lost and wanted to help
Germany grow to be a superior nation
 Joined and rose up through the Nazi Party
(National Socialist German Workers Party)
 Chose the swastika as the symbol for the Party
 Wrote Mein Kampf (My Struggles) while in prison
for treason
 Freed and became leader of the Nazi Party in
1924 (at this time, all Nazi newspapers were
banned and he was not allowed to make public
speeches)

 Expresses
spirit of the Nazi
Party
 Outlines Hitler’s plan for
racial purity through
elimination of Jews and
others
Was able to gain more support
for the Nazi party as more
German’s searched for change in
economic and political relief
 Created the infamous SS
(Schutzstaffel) which was
initially intended to be his
bodyguards, but eventually
turned into the Nazi police force
 He was elected Chancellor in
1933 and quickly planned the
burning of the Reichstag
(German Parliament; we think)

Francisco Franco led a
Fascist Revolution in
Spain…took control by
1939
It was a harsh regime!
In Japan, the weak and young Emperor Hirohito
was being manipulated by the “military
industrial complex”…the nation was becoming
more aggressive and imperialistic
Real power was
Tojo, Prime
Minister in 1941
The United States Congress passed
Neutrality Acts to keep us out of the
tensions in Europe
President F. D. Roosevelt wanted to
“Quarantine” the aggressive nations
(Germany, Italy and Japan)
AGGRESSION IN EUROPE
AND THE PACIFIC ONLY
GOT WORSE!