Download The Rise of Dictators The Axis Powers The Debate at home

The Rise of Dictators
The Axis Powers
The Debate at home
Declaring War
• How does democracy differ from communism and
socialism?
• What were the causes for WWII?
• Who were the leaders for the Axis and Allied
powers?
• How did the attack on Pearl Harbor change the
American public’s view of entering into WWII?
Rise of the Dictators
Just like the United States, most of the
world was stuck in an economic
depression. People had lost
confidence in their governments and
believed that things would never get
better. People turned to new leaders
who promised to make their troubles
disappear.
People were so desperate for a change,
they were even willing to give up their
freedom. This led to the rise of
dictators in several countries. A
dictator is a leader who gains complete
control of a country’s government.
Adolf Hitler became the dictator of
Germany in 1933. Hitler and his
political party, called the Nazi party,
believed in fascism. This is a form of
government which individual freedoms
are denied and complete power is
given to the government. Hitler
believed that Germans were superior
to other people.
Hitler spoke of hatred for many groups. He
particularly attacked Jewish people.
Benito Mussolini took power in Italy in the
early 1920’s and promised to attack and
conquer other countries.
In Japan, a small group of military leaders
came to power. They planned to use force
to build a massive empire in East Asia.
The Axis Powers
Hitler and Mussolini signed a treaty
agreeing to support each other. Japan
joined this alliance and they became
known as the Axis Powers.
The world watched as the Axis Powers
went on the attack. Italy invaded
Ethiopia and made it a colony. Japan
invaded China and Germany took
control of Austria and Czechoslovakia.
In 1939 German forces prepared to
invade Poland. The leaders of Britain
and France decided it was time to try
and stop Hitler. Britain and France
became known as the Allied Powers
and promised to protect Poland.
Hitler ignored the Allied Powers and
rushed into Poland. In response Britain
and France declared war on Germany.
Thus the beginning of World War II.
The German military was very
successful in the early years of World
War II. After defeating the Poland
army, the German army moved west.
Hitler’s massive army quickly
conquered nearly all of Western
Europe. France fell to Germans in June
1940. Now Britain stood alone to fight
against the Axis.
The Debate at Home
Americans read of the war in the
newspapers. German planes were
pounding London and other British
cities. Winston Churchill, the leader of
the British government, had to move
his offices underground. Churchill
urged President Roosevelt to help
Great Britain.
Most Americans wanted to stay out of
the fighting. They remembered the
horrors of WWI. Also the country was
still suffering from the Great
Depression. Many Americans wanted
their government to focus on the
troubles at home. This lead to strong
support of isolationism.
FDR and Congress declared that Great
Britain would borrow military supplies
it needed to fight the Axis. The US did
not ask for payment for the military
supplies.
Declaring War
Like Germany, Japan had great military
success in the early years of WWII.
Japanese forces controlled much of
China and Southeast Asia. The US
spoke out against Japanese expansion.
This lead to tension between the
Japanese and the US.
The military leader of Japan, Hideki
Tojo, believed that the US was standing
in the way of Japan’s goals. Tojo and
other Japanese leaders decided to
attack.
On the morning of December 7, 1941
Japanese planes bombed the US naval
base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Japanese
bombs sank many American warships
and destroyed hundreds of American
planes. More than 2,300 American
soldiers, sailors, and civilians were
killed.
People who were isolationists were
suddenly calling for war against Japan.
On December 8 FDR and Congress
declared war on Japan. Germany and
Italy quickly declared war on the US.
The US was now one of the Allies.
How does democracy differ from communism
and socialism?
What were the causes for WWII?
Who were the leaders for the Axis and Allied
powers?
How did the attack on Pearl Harbor change the
American public’s view of entering into WWII?