World War II

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World War II

• From Appeasement to Victory

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Q.O.D. 10 2/1/10

• Why did Hitler feel he was justified in taking
  over Austria and the Sudetenland?

He felt that German-speaking people were superior and should be united in the Third Reich.
Lebensraum living space Anschluss union of Austria and Germany
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Appeasement and Pacifism
After World War I the Western democracies wanted
to preserve peace throughout the world. The
leaders of Germany, Italy and Japan took
aggressive actions but were met with only verbal
protests and pleas for peace. The Western
democracies had a policy of appeasement toward
Hitler and Mussolini. They wanted to avoid war
at all costs after the destruction of World War
I.
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Appeasement and Pacifism

• The policy of appeasement developed for several
  reasons.
• France was demoralized and suffering from
  political problems.
• The British did not want to confront Hitler.
• Some people thought Hitlers actions were
  justified due to the harsh conditions of the
  Treaty of Versailles.
• Fascism was seen as a defense against the spread
  of communism.
• Most of all was the widespread PACIFISM following
  World War I that led governments to seek peace no
  matter what the price.
• The United States Congress passed Neutrality
  Acts, which forbade loans or the sale of arms to
  any nations at war

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Failure to Stop Japanese Expansion

• 1931 Japan invaded Manchuria in Northeastern
  China.
• China protested the action at the League of
  Nations.
• The League ordered Japan to give up Manchuria.
• Japan simply withdrew from the League of Nations,
  and which was powerless to stop them.
• In 1937 Japan conquered much of Southern and
  Eastern China, and in 1940 they conquered
  Indochina.
• The US placed an Embargo on the Japanese, but
  this just increased their aggression.

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Italian Aggression

• In 1935 Mussolini ordered the Italian army to
  invade Ethiopia after more than a year of border
  disputes.
• The League of Nations condemned the attack and
  placed economic sanctions on Italy.
• Unfortunately the sanctions did not stop the sale
  of oil, coal, or iron, which were the resources
  needed for war, so the sanctions had little
  effect.
• The League of Nations had no real power to
  enforce these sanctions.
• By 1935 Mussolini had conquered Ethiopia

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Spanish Civil War

• In 1931 King Alfonso of Spain abdicated.
• A new Republic was established with socialist
  leanings.
• The fascist Nationalists opposed the Loyalists,
  who were socialists and those who wanted
  democracy.
• When war broke out Germany and Italy supported
  the Nationalists, and the Soviet Union backed the
  Loyalists.
• Eventually the Nationalists won control and
  established a fascist dictatorship under
  Francisco Franco.
• The Nazis used this war as practice for future
  campaigns.

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Axis Powers

• Italy, Germany and Tokyo formed the
  Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis
• They joined together to fight Soviet communism
• They agreed not to interfere with any plans the
  others had to expand their territory.

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Nazi Expansion

• Hitler sent German troops into the Rhineland in
  France in 1936, violating the Treaty of
  Versailles. The League of Nations did not stop
  him.
• In 1938 the Nazis sought to unify Germany and
  Austria in the ANSCHLUSS, claiming that the two
  countries shared a common history and language.
• Some Austrians were in favor of this and Hitler
  quickly silenced any who opposed it. The Western
  democracies took no action, so Hitler had his
  way.

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Nazi Expansion

• The Sudetenland was a region of eastern
  Czechoslovakia with many Germans.
• Hitler demanded that Sudetenland be given
  independence. Britain and France did not want to
  go to war over this region and wanted a peaceful
  resolution.
• Believing Britain and France to be weak, Hitler
  increased his demands and insisted that the
  Sudetenland be united with Germany.

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Early Nazi Expansion
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Munich Conference

• On September 29, 1938 the leaders of Germany,
  Italy, Britain, and France met in Munich to solve
  the Sudetenland problem.
• In an attempt to avoid war, Britain and France
  persuaded the Czechs to give up this land. In
  return, Hitler promised not to seek more
  territory.
• Peace seemed to be assured and British Prime
  Minister Neville Chamberlain claimed that the
  meeting ensured peace for our time.
• In March 1939 Hitler invaded the western part of
  Czechoslovakia anyway.
• Britain and France realized their policy of
  appeasement had failed and vowed to protect
  Poland, Hitlers next likely target.

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Nazi-Soviet Pact

• In August 1939 Germany and the Soviet Union
  signed the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact.
• They agreed to peaceful relations
• Secretly, they agreed to not fight if the other
  went to war.
• The two sides also agreed to split Poland into a
  German area in the West and a Soviet area in the
  East.
• Stalin and Hitler joined forces because of mutual
  need
• Hitler did not want a war with the West and the
  Soviets at the same time
• Stalin tried to avoid war with Germany and gain
  land in Eastern Europe.

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Invasion of Poland

• Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939.
• Britain and France declared war on Germany two
  days later.
• World War II had begun.

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Map

• On the other side of the map you completed on
  Thursday, identify areas of Nazi and Italian
  expansion in Europe and North Africa.
• Use two colors
• First color German territory
• Second color Italian territory