Download World War II in Europe: Storm Clouds

Storm Clouds
Why? (underlying causes of WWII)
Treaty of Versailles
A. Germany lost land to surrounding
nations
B. War Reparations
1) Allies collect $ to pay back war
debts to U.S.
2) Germany must pay $57 trillion
(modern equivalent)
3) Bankrupted the German economy
& embarrassed Germans
Lloyd George, Georges Clemenceau, and Woodrow Wilson
during negotiations for the Treaty
Why? (underlying causes of WWII)
World-wide Depression
A. The Depression made Germany’s
debt even worse
B. Desperate people turn to desperate
leaders
Hitler seemed to provide solutions to
Germany’s problems
Wallpapering with German
Deutschemarks
Why? (underlying causes of WWII)
World-wide Depression
•Hitler provided scapegoats for
Germany’s problems (foreigners, Jews,
communists, Roma (Gypsies), mentally
ill, homosexuals)
•Kristallnacht - vandalism & destruction
of Jewish property & synagogues
Why?
Isolationism of Major Powers
Why was the U.S. Isolationist?
1. Great Depression (problems at home)
2. Perceptions of WWI
a. WWI did not seem to solve much
b. People began to think that we’d got into WWI for the
wrong reasons (greedy American businessmen!)
Why?
Isolationism of Major Powers
Opposition to war (Pacifism)
a. Washington Conference - Limits on size of country's
navies
b. Kellogg-Briand pact - condemned war as a way to
solving conflicts
c. Nye Committee Hearings
d. Neutrality Acts in the US
Why?
Isolationism of Major Powers
This led to policies of “Appeasement”
1. Appeasement: give dictators what they want and hope
that they won’t want anything else
2. Begins with Japanese invasion of Manchuria, Italian
invasion of Ethiopia, and continues with Hitler . . .
The Road to
World War II
Who are the other people in this
picture and what does the cartoonist
think of them?
March 1936: German troops marched into
the Rhineland
The Rhineland was a
region of Germany that
was ‘demilitarised’ after
the Treaty of Versailles.
Germany was not
allowed to have troops in
the region.
Hitler’s actions showed
how he was willing to
directly challenge the
treaty.
March 1938: Nazi Germany annexed Austria
Again, this went
against the terms of
the Treaty of Versailles
which banned
Germany from uniting
with Austria.
However, the arrival of
German troops was
met with great
enthusiasm by many
Austrian people.
March 1939: Germany invaded Czechoslovakia
Hitler had ordered the
occupation of a part of
Czechoslovakia known as the
Sudetenland (in October
1938). Many hoped that that
this would be the last conquest
of the Nazis.
However, in March 1939, he
ordered his troops to take over
the remainder of
Czechoslovakia. This was the
first aggressive step that
suggested that a war in
Europe would soon begin.
August 1939: Germany and Russia signed a non-aggression pact
Hitler and Stalin (the Russian
leader) signed a ‘nonaggression pact’.
They promised that neither
country would attack the other
in the event of war.
As part of the deal, Hitler
promised Stalin part of Poland,
which he planned to invade
soon.
This photo shows the Russian foreign minister
signing the pact, whilst Stalin stands smiling in
the background
Stalin
Hitler
The non-aggression pact was surprising. Hitler and Stalin were seen as natural
enemies.
When Hitler talked of taking over new land for Germany, many thought that he meant
Russia.
Hitler also hated Communism, the form of government in Russia
Growing Military Power
Democracy in Crisis
• After World War I, Japan
had established a
parliamentary
government
• 1930s, many Japanese
became dissatisfied with
multiparty democratic
government.
Rise of Nationalism
• Radical groups formed in
response to the
government’s perceived
weaknesses.
• Demanded an end to
Western-style institutions
and a return to traditional
ways.
The Manchurian Incident
•
•
•
•
Japan lacked the land and raw materials to
1932 Manchurian Incident.
Japan set up Manchuria as a puppet state,
The military took a much stronger hand in
governing Japan, especially in the area of
foreign policy.
Looking Beyond China
Greater East Asia
• Co-Prosperity Sphere
extending from
Manchuria to the
Dutch East Indies.
• Japan began to
expand into French
Indonesia and the oilrich Dutch East
Indies.
Alliances and Further
Expansion
• In September 1940,
Japan allied itself with
Germany and Italy
through the Tripartite
Pact.
• In April 1941, Japan
signed a neutrality
pact with the Soviet
Union.
Japanese Aggression