2. Dictators Threaten World Peace Economic struggles after WWI fueled revolution, not peace. Gave rise to nationalism- loyalty to one’s country above else. Dreams of territorial expansion also grew
3. Failures of the Treaty of Versailles Germans mad at being blamed for WWI. Economic struggles to repay reparations Lost all oversea colonies Overwhelmed the Weimar Republic Russians upset at the carving up of Russia.
6. Joseph Stalin: Soviet Union Hopes for Democracy gave way to civil war. V.I. Lenin started a communist state in 1922 Joseph Stalin took control in 1924 after Lenin’s death Focused on creating a model communist state, using a totalitarian gov’t Maintains compete control over citizens. Citizens have no rights Made agricultural and industrial growth prime economic goals Abolished all private farms and replaced with collectives- gov’t owned farms All industry under gov’t control Although successful (2nd industrial power in world by 1937), had a brutal reign Estimated between 8-13 million people died by the gov’t’s hands Millions more died of starvation
7. Benito Mussolini: Italy Unemployment and inflation produced bitterness in Italy, which led to strikes Upper and Middle-class called for stronger leadership Mussolini established the Fascist Party Fascism stressed nationalism and the interests of the states over individualism Il Duce- the leader Slowly extended fascism over all aspects of Italian life.
8. Adolph Hitler- Germany Hitler A jobless soldier drifting around Germany In 1919, joined the National Socialist German Worker’s Party, aka, The Nazi Party. Great public speaker and organizer Soon became the Nazi leader Nazism=fascism Dreamed of uniting all German speaking people into one German empire Wanted to enforce racial “purification” Blonde-hair, blue-eyed Aryans= master race Jews, Slavs, non-whites were “inferior races”
9. Believed the Germany needed more lebensraum, or living space Preyed upon peoples emotions and the hard times of the age. Third Reich- The 3rd German Empire would be a “1000 year Reich”
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11. Japan Nationalist military leaders were trying to take control in Japan. Believed that Japan needed more living space. Took control of Manchuria
12. Spain Civil War, led by Francisco Franco, broke out in Spain. Rebelled against the Spanish republic Some (3000) Americans traveled to Spain to help against Franco. It was not enough to match the help given by Hitler and Mussolini to Franco
13. America stays Neutral Americans cling to Isolationism, despite their alarm. Americans believed that the US was dragged into WWI by greedy merchants and bankers. Determined to stay away from war. Neutrality Acts- outlawed arms sales or loans to nations at war. Still, FDR found it difficult not to get involved.
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16. Union with Austria Majority of Austria’s 6 million citizens were Germans who favored unification with Germany March 12, 1938 German troops marched into Austria unopposed and 1 day later announced its union with Austria The US and the rest of the world did nothing.
17. Czechoslovakia next Using false propaganda- Hitler amassed troops on the Czech border. France and Great Britain promised to protect Czechoslovakia Hitler meets with Britain's Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and promises that Sudetenland (western part of C’vakia) would be his “last territorial demand.” Somehow Chamberlain believed him and signed over Sudetenland without a conflict Winston Churchill, Chamberlain’s political rival, publicly opposed this idea of appeasement, or the giving up of principles to pacify an aggressor.
18. The German Offensive Begins Hitler eyes Poland Stalin and the Soviet Union signed a nonaggression pact with Germany Agreed never to attack one another Secret, 2nd pact to split Poland once taken Blitzkrieg, or lightning war, in Poland. Fast tanks and powerful aircraft attacked before the opposition could raise an army.
19. France and Britain Fight On France falls to the Axis Powers The Luftwaffe, or German Air Force, begins bombings in England New technologies, such as Radar, help the British fend off the Germans.
