Causes ofWorld War II

Global II

Aggression, Appeasement, and War

Allied leaders wanted to avoid war world peace “no more war”

Italy, Germany, Spain, and Japan glorified war and scorned peace

Dictators Challenge World Peace

Japanese military leaders wanted an empire as powerful as the western powers.

Seized Manchuria in 1931

Withdrew from League of Nations and continued to invade China

Appeasement of Japan

Italy Busts a Move 1935, Italy invaded

Ethiopia

Mussolini used modern weapons to win

Tanks, machine guns, poison gas, and airplanes

League of Nations ordered sanctions (penalties)

No power to enforce the sanctions

Appeasement of Italy

Hitler Tests the Waters Hitler built up military

Went against the Treaty of Versailles (stopped paying reparations)

Invaded the Rhineland

Appeasement-policy of giving in to demands of an aggressor to keep peace

Appeasement of Germany

Germany is on the Move Invaded Austria to

combine the two countries

Hitler scared anyone who opposed him in Austria a.k.a. “Anchluss” 1938

Western democracies stood down

Czech Crisis..Munich Conference 1938

Czechoslovakia was one of two democracies in Eastern Europe

Hitler wanted the 3 million Germans in western Czech to be given autonomy

Hitler made a deal with Britain and France that he would not invade anymore if they gave up the Sudetenland

Munich Agreement 1938“Peace in our time…”???

Hitler violates Munich Agreement

Why Did Western Powers Back Down?

1. France was politically divided at home needed British support

2. Britain didn’t want to confront Hitler

3. Thought Fascism was better than Soviet Communism

4. Great Depression hurt economies

5. Pacifism, opposition to all war

Why Appeasement?

Why didn’t the U.S. oppose Appeasement & enter WWII earlier?

1. 1939: U.S. Army ranked 16th in world behind Romania

2. May 1941: # of combat ready divisions (10-15,000 soldiers)

a) US = 1

b) Germany = 208

3. # of Military Aircraft in 1941

a) US = 471

b) Germany = 2,700 on Eastern Front alone

4. Tanks:

a) US = 200

b) Germany = 3,500 on Eastern Front alone

Spanish Civil War Monarchy to Republic

Catholic Church and military ran the show

Revolt by peasants that forced the king to leave the throne

Hitler bombed Spain and helped Francisco Franco become the Fascist leader of Spain

Axis Powers are formed

Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis 1936

Agreed to fight Soviet Communism

Not interfere with each other’s expansion

Nazi-Soviet Pact

1939, Hitler makes a pact with Stalin

Not to fight against each other, divide up Poland

Germany gets guarantee of one-front war; USSR get land and time to rebuild its military

Germany invades Poland

Britain and France declare war on Germany

Why War Began?

1. Axis Aggression

2. Need for raw materials encourages expansion

3. Western Appeasement

4. Failures of Treaty of Versailles - Revise the 1919 Peace Settlement