Download Causes of WWII

Causes of WWII
6 Main Causes of WWII
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
The Great Depression
The Treaty of Versailles
The Failure of the League of Nations
The Rise of Fascism
The Appeasement of Hitler
The Invasion of Poland
The Great Depression
1.
2.
3.
Millions of People out of work
People are desperate
People looked for change
The Rise of Fascism
Fascism = Dictators = Total Power
Dictators = Brutality and Aggression
Dictators of the 1930s
Dictators of the 1930s
 Hitler – Germany
 Mussolini – Italy
 Stalin – Russia
 Hirohito – Japan
 Franco - Spain
The Treaty of Versailles
1. Ended World War One
2. Main purpose was to punish Germany
3. Forced Germany to admit they caused the war
4. Forced Germany to pay for the war
5. Destroyed the German
Economy
Reparations
Germany had to pay for all damages caused by the
war. The price was set at:
6 600 000 000 which equalled
$ 32 000 000 000
Today it would be
approximately:
$ 400 000 000 000
The debt would not be paid off until 1988
6. Led to the election of Adolf Hitler
The League of Nations
Purpose
The League was established to ensure that war
never broke out again. This would be done
through collective security and preservation of
peace through talking through international
disputes.
How: Forcing one or two countries
to work out their problems
peacefully
The Failure of the League of Nations

It was weak from the beginning, and had
spectacular failures in Manchuria and Abyssinia,
and in making Hitler keep the Treaty of
Versailles.
Japanese Aggression
1.
1931: the Japanese army invaded
Manchuria.
2.
1932: The Japanese invade China
3.
The Japanese commit terrible attrocities
4.
The League does nothing
Abyssinia
1. In 1935 Mussolini invaded Abyssinia (Ethiopia).
2. He wanted war and glory.
3. He tested new weapons of war against tribal
people.
4. Abyssinia asked the League to help.
5. The League did nothing.
POLAND
1. Because of Appeasement and the
failure of The League of Nations,
Hitler thinks he can do whatever he
wants without opposition.
2. On 1 September 1939, Hitler invades Poland.
3. On 3 September 1939, Chamberlain declared
war on Germany.
4. WWII Begins!
5. On May 10, after British forces are defeated
by Germany in Norway, Chamberlain resigns
as Prime Minister and is replaced by Winston
Churchill.