2. During
the late
nineteenth century Great
Britain, France, Portugal,
Spain, Denmark,
Germany, Italy, and the
Netherlands wanted
more land.
This desire for more land
lead to the “Scramble for
Africa” between 1885
and 1910. Several
European countries
divided the continent of
Africa among
themselves.
3. The
European
factories required raw
materials to
manufacture finished
products. They
looked for new
sources of raw
materials and markets
for their goods. Gold,
diamonds, and oil
were some of the
resources the
Europeans wanted.
Asia and Africa had
those resources.
4. Politics
also led to the
colonization of Africa. Some
European nations showed
national pride by competing
for colonies in Africa. Great
Britain, France, and Germany
did not want to be without
colonies in Africa. Owning
colonies in Africa and Asia
made the Europeans feel
pride in their country.
5. Another
reason for
colonizing was the
European
worldview.
Nineteenth century
Europeans viewed
themselves as the
world’s most
advanced
civilization. They
felt it was necessary
to “civilize” people in
the rest of the world.
African
missionaries helped
make colonization
seem less offensive
to citizens in
Europe.
6. The
scramble for land also reached farther into Asia.
Many Asian territories saw a change from Europe as
trading partner to Europe as conqueror. Great Britain
had taken control of India. France controlled lands in
Southeast Asia, including Vietnam. The British fought
for control of other lands like Burma, Laos, Siam, and
Cambodia.
7. Nationalism
is the love of one’s county and militarism
is using strong armies and threats of war. Both of
these conditions were on the rise in Europe.
European countries signed treaties agreeing to help
one another in case of attack.
8. In
1914, a series of events caused
Germany to declare war on Russia
and France. On the other side, the
British joined France and Russia
and formed the Allied Powers.
Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman
Empire (Turkey and its colonies),
and Bulgaria joined the Germans
as the Central Powers.
9. These
countries
were large and
controlled lands
around the
world, the war
was called the
Great War.
Later the United
States became
involved on the
side of the Allied
Powers. The
war lasted until
1918, and an
estimated 10
million people
died.
10. World
War I was known as “the war to end all wars.”
Unfortunately, just twenty years later, Europe would be
at the center of an even bigger conflict. The Great
War became known as World War I. The later, larger
conflict was called World War II.
11. The Russian Revolution
Before
1917, Russia
was an autocracy.
The czar was the
absolute ruler.
The last czar was
Nicholas II.
12. The Russian Revolution
The
Russian Revolution started in 1917 and had two
parts.
The first part was the February Revolution, which
resulted in the overthrow of the czar, or national ruler.
People in Russia were unhappy with the way the czar
and his government were running the country.
13. Russian Revolution
People
were starving while aristocracy was
living in luxury.
Russian people were also upset over their
participation in the war.
The revolution created chaos both at home and
on the warfront.
The Russian army was unable to be effective in
the war, and the Russians stopped their
involvement in it.
14. The October Revolution
The
October
Revolution was the
second part of the
Russian Revolution.
It is also called the
Bolshevik Revolution,
and it marked the first
Communist revolution
of the 20th Century
15. The Russian
Revolution
The
Bolshevik Revolution was led
by Vladimir Lenin and was based
on an ideology written by Karl Marx.
This part of the Russian Revolution was more violent
than the first.
After the revolution, there was a civil war that lasted
more than two years. In the end, the Communist
forces gained control of Russia and would continue to
rule until nearly the end of the century.
16.
17. The Treaty of Versailles
The
United States did not
send troops to Europe
until June 1917.
American soldiers helped
make the difference in the
war. The Allies finally
defeated the Central
powers, and the fighting
ended on November 11,
1918.
18. The Treaty of Versailles
November
11th was
celebrated as
Armistice Day, in
recognition of the
signing of the truce.
An armistice is a
temporary stopping of
fighting, or a truce.
19. The Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles, which
officially ended the war, required that
Germany accept full responsibility for
the war. Germany also had to give up
territory to surrounding countries
They had to give Alsace and Lorraine
back to France.
Germany surrendered its overseas
colonies and made its armed forces
smaller.
Germany also had to pay huge
reparations to the countries it harmed.
Reparations are payments for war
damages, often made by a defeated
power to the winning side.
20. Nazis in Germany
Germany’s
economy was ruined by the
Treaty of Versailles. The country’s
economic troubles only deepened during
the Great Depression.
The Great Depression was a global
economic downturn that started in 1929.
The Great Depression began in the United
States but soon spread into Europe. It
lasted for ten years.
21. Nazis in Germany
German currency decreased in
value, resulting in inflation.
Inflation occurs when the prices of
goods rise quickly.
Poverty caused by unemployment
led the people of Germany to lose
faith in their government.
On January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler,
who was the leader of the National
Socialist German Workers, or Nazi
Party, became the Chancellor of
Germany.
His political party won many votes
in the elections of 1932.
22. Nazis in Germany
The Nazis gained support by blaming
Germany’s problems on the ideas of
Communists and the Jewish people.
The desperate people of Germany
were vulnerable to these ideas and
wanted to believe any leader who gave
them hope.
Europe was plagued with anti-Jewish
sentiments, or anti-Semitism, at the
time. Hitler promised the Germans
that their country would create jobs
and grow to be the most powerful in
the world.
23. Worldwide Depression
The Great Depression
weakened many
countries just when
they needed to be
strong.
Soldiers returning from
the war often found that
there were no jobs
waiting for them. Jobs
that they had left
behind had been filled
with young people
willing to work for less
money.
24. Worldwide Depression
Britain’s lack of profits by
major industries caused tax
revenues collected by the
government to fall. As a
result, the government had
very little money to spend
on the military. This was at
a time when Germany was
becoming a great threat to
its neighboring countries in
Europe.
25. Worldwide Depression
Great Britain needed to build up a strong military to defend itself,
but it could not afford to do so.
This put Great Britain at a huge disadvantage when World War II
began in 1939.
26. World War II
Twenty one years after the end of World
War I, another major world war erupted.
One major cause of World War II was
the desire of the Germans and Japanese
to expand their countries into full
empires.
To expand, they had to conquer other
countries.
World War II lasted from 1939 to 1945.
On one side of the conflict were the
Allies, including Britain, France, the
Soviet Union, the United States, and
China. On the other side were the Axis
powers, led by Germany, Italy, and
Japan.
27. Totalitarian Rulers
During the Great Depression of the
1930s, there was a rise of
totalitarianism in parts of the world.
A totalitarian government is one in
which the government has total
control over the country and its
citizens.
Totalitarian governments often use
violence to enforce their laws and to
punish anyone who dares to oppose
them.
Totalitarian regimes seized power in
several countries, including
Germany, Italy, and the Soviet Union
28. Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini used the Italian
people’s distrust of their
government to rise to power. His
political group practiced fascism.
The Fascists believed that
government should include their
own political party, and no
others.
It also meant total government
control of political, economic,
religious, and cultural activities.
Mussolini’s title was II Duce,
meaning “the leader.”
29. Benito Mussolini
He replaced both Italy’s king
and prime minister as the only
head of the country.
Mussolini used his private
military squads, called
Blackshirts, to help him
become leader.
The squads were ex-soldiers
who used violence to silence
those who disagreed with
Mussolini.
30. ADOLF HITLER
As with Mussolini in Italy,
Adolf Hitler took advantage
of Germany’s bad
economic times to rise to
power.
Once Hitler was in power,
he outlawed all political
parties other than his own
Nazi Party.
His private military squads
were called Brown Shirts.
They worked in a way
similar to Mussolini’s
Blackshirts.
31. Adolf Hitler
Once Hitler became the Chancellor of
Germany in 1933, his mob of Brown
Shirts was protected by law, even
when they murdered Hitler’s
opponents.
The Nazi Party gained power by
taking advantage of Germany’s
political unrest.
The Nazis launched vicious verbal
and physical attacks on the Jews and
anyone who opposed the Nazi Party.
The Nazis publicly criticized
Germany’s weak government.
32. Adolf Hitler
When Germany’s President Paul
von Hindenburg died in 1934,
Hitler appointed himself Fuhrer
and Reichskanzler (leader and
Reich Chancellor.
The Nazis were able to quickly
abolish such individual rights as
freedom of the press, freedom of
assembly, freedom of expression,
and the right to privacy.
The police were given total
freedom to arrest anyone.
33. Adolf Hitler
In
November 1938, Hitler’s Brown
Shirts and other Nazi supporters
attacked and burned Jewish
houses of worship.
They also attacked and vandalized
thousands of Jewish-owned stores.
Dozens of Jews were murdered.
About 30,000 Jews were arrested
and sent to harsh, brutal prisons
known as concentration camps.
34. The Holocaust
From
the time Hitler became
the Chancellor of Germany,
the treatment of Jews grew
worse. He used the Jews as
a scapegoat.
A scapegoat is unfairly
blaming someone for
existing problems.
35. The Holocaust
The
policies of the Nazi
Party progressively took
rights away from Jews.
Nazis stated that Jews
were not German
citizens, and removed
Jews from jobs,
businesses, and schools.
36. The Holocaust
During
World War II, Hitler’s campaign
against the Jews eventually led to the
Holocaust, the systematic murder of
about 6 million Jews and millions of
other Europeans that Hitler believed to
be inferior and unfit to be German
Citizens.
Other persecuted groups included
Gypsies, Slavs, political enemies, the
handicapped, and homosexuals.
37. The European War
Without
Hitler, it is quite
possible that there
would not have been a
world war. After
gaining almost total
control over Germany,
Hitler set out to build
what he called the Third
Reich.
38. The European War
The
Third Reich was the
German Empire that
Hitler was creating as he
took over countries such
as Austria,
Czechoslovakia, and
Poland.
39. European War
In
1939, it became
clear that Hitler was
preparing to invade
Poland.
Britain and France
had an alliance with
Poland, promising to
help protect the
country if it was
attacked.
40. World War II
On
September 1, 1939, Hitler’s
forces invaded Poland. Britain
and France declared war on
Germany two days later. This
was the start of World War II,
the largest and deadliest war
ever fought.
More than 40 million soldiers
and civilians would be killed
before the fighting ended.
41. World War II
The
battles of World War
II were fought in what
were called the European
Theater and the Pacific
Theater. The European
Theater was the war for
control of Europe and the
Soviet Union.
42. The European War
The
Soviet Union was
under the control of
Joseph Stalin, who was
ruthless in his
domination of the Soviet
People and his pursuit of
a large empire.
43. Joseph Stalin
Before
the war began, Stalin
made a pact with Hitler. The
two leaders agreed not to
attack each other. They also
divided Poland, giving the
Soviet Union half of that
country, as well as access to
control of other countries in
Eastern Europe.
44. Joseph Stalin
In
June 1941, Hitler broke
his pact with Stalin and
invaded the Soviet Union.
The fight between
Germany and the Soviet
Union became known as
the eastern front of the
European war. Stalin
then joined the Allies in
their fight against Hitler.
45. WWII
The
Battle of Stalingrad,
which began in 1942, was a
major turning point in the
eastern front of the European
Theater. It has been called
the bloodiest battle in human
history.
Total deaths were estimated
at between 1 and 2 million
people.
