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Download IB History II-WW II Axis aggression before the war
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IB History II-Outline of Axis aggression WW II-Axis Aggression/Causes November 10, 2009 Imperial Japan was controlled by its military, fascist Italy was led by dictator Benito Mussolini, and Nazi Germany was led by Adolf Hitler. These nations—Japan, Italy, and Germany— 1. engaged in one act of aggression after another, thereby violating, without any effective opposition, the major international peace agreements: the Treaty of Versailles, the Covenant of the League of Nations, the Nine-Power Treaty, and the Kellog-Briand Pact 2. withdrew from membership in the League and 3. joined together to form a military alliance, the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis Line of Axis Aggression: 1. Manchuria— In 1931-32 Japan invaded and conquered China’s northern province of Manchuria. Japan flouted the mild efforts put forth by the League of Nations to halt her aggression. Some historians maintain that the Manchurian invasion marked the beginning of WW II (revealing the weaknesses of the League) 2. Ethiopia-- In 1935 Italy invaded the African nation of Ethiopia. The League of Nations branded Italy an aggressor and voted minor economic sanctions be imposed against Italy. Mussolini conquered and annexed Ethiopia. 3. German Remilitarization-- Nazi Germany violated the Treaty of Versailles in 1935 by reintroducing conscription and in 1936 by remilitarizing the Rhineland. Hitler encountered no serious Allied opposition although Germany’s military strength was then still slight. 4. Spain In 1936 General Francisco Franco began a revolt against the legally elected Left-of-center government of Spain. While the Loyalists, who supported the elected government, received limited aid from Russia, Franco received extensive support of troops and military equipment from Italy and Germany. After three years of civil war, Franco won complete control and established a military dictatorship friendly to Germany and Italy. The Spanish Civil War served Nazi Germany as a testing ground for new weapons and military tactics. 5. China-- In 1937 Japanese forces from Manchuria invaded China proper. The Japanese overran China’s coastal areas but failed to penetrate far into the interior. The Chinese continued their resistance, receiving limited aid from Britain and the United States. 6. Austria-- In 1938 Hitler invaded and annexed Austria on the grounds that all German-speaking people belonged within one German nation. Anschluss (union) of Germany and Austria violated the World War I peace treaties. Furthermore, Anschluss was never approved by the Austrian people in an honest plebiscite. 7. Czechoslovakia a. Hitler demands the Sudetenland Later in 1938 Hitler claimed the Sudetenland, a region in Czechoslovakia bordering on Germany and inhabited by German-speaking people. Although the Sudeten people had not been oppressed,, Nazi propagandists manufactured stories of Czech “atrocities.” The Czech govt. refused to yield. It counted on its alliances with Russia & France, and expected British support. However, Britain and France decided not to risk war but to appease Hitler. b. Munich Conference British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and French Premier Edouard Daladier, meeting at Munich with Mussolini and Hitler, agreed to let Hitler annex the Sudetenland. Deserted by her allies Czechoslovakia yielded. Chamberlain returned to England and proclaimed that he had preserved “peace in our time.” Hitler promised that that he would demand no more territory. c. Hitler Seizes the Rest of Czechoslovakia Six months later, however, Hitler seizes the Slavic-inhabited remainder of Czechoslovakia. In England, the Chamberlain government at last realized that Hitler could not be trusted to keep his promises. Britain and France joined in a military alliance and guaranteed protection to Germany’s next probable victim, Poland. 8. Albania In 1939 Mussolini invaded and annexed this Balkan country, giving Italy control of the Adriatic Sea. 9. Poland a. Hitler’s Demands. In 1939 Hitler demanded the return of Danzig and the the Polish Corridor on the ground that they were inhabited by Germanspeaking people. b. Russo-German Non-Aggression Pact (aka Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact) Before Poland responded, Nazi Germany and Soci Germany and Socialist Russia announced a 10 year Non-Aggression Pact. The world was surprised because Hitler had always preached hatred of Communism, and Joseph Stalin had always condemned fascism. The Pact enabled Russia to avoid involvement in a major war, and by its secret clauses, gave Stalin a free hand over eastern Poland and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The Pact protected Germany against a two-front war and promised Hitler foodstuffs and war supplies from Russia. c. Start of World War II On September 1, 1939, German troops invaded Poland. Two days later, Britain and France honored their guarantee to Poland and declared war on Germany. World War II officially started.