Download Ch.16.1 World War II

Ch.16.1
World War II
Dictators Threaten World Peace
Nationalism Grips Europe & Asia
► President
Woodrow Wilson had hoped the
Treaty of Versailles ending WWI would
provide a “just lasting peace” among the
world’s nations.
► However, the Treaty of Versailles mostly
caused anger and resentment.
► The German government was angry about
losing territory it considered their’s.
► Germany
was also upset over being blamed
for all of WWI.
► The Soviet Union resented losing its own
territories after WWI.
► The Treaty of Versailles failed to make the
world “safe for democracy” as President
Wilson had hoped.
► New democratic governments hurt by
economic and social problems, floundered
and turned to dictatorships.
Dictatorship: A country governed by a dictator, a
ruler with total power over a country, typically one
who has obtained power by force
►In
the Soviet Union,
Joseph Stalin came to
power in 1924. He was a
ruthless leader who let
nothing stand in his way.
►Stalin focused on
creating a model
communist country.
Communism = a movement to create a classless and
social order structured upon common ownership of the
means of production, as well as a social and political
ideology that aims at the establishment of this social
order
►Stalin
wanted to stamp out private
enterprise. He did away with private
farms and created collectives, or huge
country-owned farms.
►The Soviet Union under Stalin also took
over all industry.
►Stalin then made the Soviet Union into
a leading industrial power.
►Stalin also made the Soviet Union into
a police state.
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Anyone who criticized
Stalin or his policies was
arrested by the secret
police. Many were
executed. Millions of
others died in famines
caused by Stalin’s
restructuring of Soviet
society.
It is believed that Stalin is
directly responsible for
between 8 and 13 million
deaths in the Soviet Union.
► Stalin
created a
totalitarian
government.
Individuals had no
rights, and the
government put
down all opposition
to Stalin and his
policies.
Totalitarian = a gov
with complete control
of its citizens, people
have no rights
► At
the same time, Benito
Mussolini was creating a
totalitarian government in
Italy. His political
movement was called
fascism. It was based on
a strong central gov
headed by a dictator.
► Fascism in Italy grew out of
extreme nationalism.
Fascism = a political philosophy that exalts nation and often race
above the individual, and that stands for a centralized autocratic
government headed by a dictator, severe economic and social
regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition
was called, Il
Duce, or the leader
► He was known for his
efficiency in running all
aspects of Italian life
► But, he didn’t want the
gov to own farms and
factories
► Fascist Italy was
actually anti-communist
► Mussolini
► In
Germany another
fascist party came to
power under the
leadership of Adolf
Hitler.
► Hitler’s political
philosophy was called
Nazism.
► Hitler hoped to unite all
German speaking
people into a new
German Empire, or
Reich.
► He
believed Germans,
especially blond, blue
eyed, “Aryans” were
the master race.
► According
to Hitler, Aryans were meant to
have power over all “inferior races” such
as Jews and nonwhites.
► Hitler believed Germany needed to
expand, to gain territory, so that the
German people could thrive.
Aryan = original speakers of European languages, Caucasian
Jew= also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and an
ethnic and religious group, originating in the Israelites or Hebrews
of the ancient Middle East. Jews follow the religion of Judaism,
the first monotheistic world religion, believing in the same God as
Christians (do not believe Christ was the son of God)
► Nazism
combined extreme
nationalism, racism, and
expansionism.
► Nazism appealed to
unemployed, desperate,
and resentful Germans
during Germany’s own
depression following WWI.
► In the 1932 election, the
Chancellor - the head
Nazi Party gained power.
of the government in
► Hitler became chancellor
some European
in January of 1933.
countries, such as
Germany
The Weimar Republic is the name given by
historians to the federal republic and parliamentary
representative democracy established in 1919 in
Germany to replace the imperial form of government
► Hitler
did away with the Weimar Republic
and set up the Third Reich, or third German
Empire.
► Meanwhile,
in Asia,
military leaders had
taken over Japan.
They believed Japan
needed more land
and resources.
► Japan attacked
Manchuria, an eastern
province of China, in
1931.
► The
League of Nations
protested, but Japan
just left the League of
Nations and kept
Manchuria anyway.
► The
League of Nations’
inability to stop Japan
made Hitler and
Mussolini bolder.
► Hitler sent troops into
the Rhineland.
► He also built up the
German army.
► These acts by Hitler
broke the Treaty of
Versailles.
► Mussolini
captured
the African nation of
Ethiopia.
► Haile Selassie, the
leader of Ethiopia,
asked the League of
Nations for help
stopping Mussolini.
► When the League of
Nations did nothing,
he said, “It is us
today. It will be you
tomorrow.”
What did Selassie mean
by, “It’s us today. It
will be you tomorrow.”?
Ethiopians had old-fashioned rifles,
which fired a bullet at a time. Most
Ethiopian soldiers carried swords or
knives. The Ethiopian army had no
boots, they marched and fought
barefoot. The air force consisted of
one plane. Despite this, the
Ethiopians heroically fought the
Italian invaders, in the full
knowledge they would be defeated.
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In Spain the fascist general
Francisco Franco led a rebellion
to overthrow the elected
government.
Many American volunteers went
to Spain to fight the fascists.
These volunteers felt Spain was
the place to stop fascism and
defend democracy.
The governments of western
democratic countries only sent
food and clothing to support the
democratic forces in Spain.
However, Hitler supported the
fascist leader Francisco Franco
by sending troops and weapons
to Spain.
When Franco won in 1939,
another European country fell to
fascism.
What 4 major countries were ruled by dictatorships in the 1930s?
► Most
Americans wanted the U.S. to stay out
of foreign conflicts. Many people thought
that the United States had made a mistake
in getting involved in WWI. Anti-war rallies
were held. Isolationism became more
popular.
► Congress passed the Neutrality Acts.
These laws banned loans or arms sale to
nations at war. Because of the Spanish Civil
War, the Neutrality Acts included those
involved in civil wars.
What does isolationism mean?
► In
1937, President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt found a
way around the Neutrality
Acts.
► Since Japan had not
declared war on China,
Roosevelt felt free to send
military aid to China.
How do you think Japan felt about
the U.S. aiding China?