CHAPTER 23 WORLD WAR II ERUPTS CH. 23-1 THE RISE OF DICTATORS
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Transcript of CHAPTER 23 WORLD WAR II ERUPTS CH. 23-1 THE RISE OF DICTATORS
CHAPTER 23 WORLD WAR II ERUPTSCH. 23-1 THE RISE OF DICTATORS
AMERICAN HISTORY
EUROPE AFTER WORLD WAR I
Economic problems, social change, and the threat of communism helped produce a RED SCARE—a fear of aliens and radicals
European economy was in ruins
PROBLEMS WITH PEACE Treaty of Versailles brought the war to an
end Many European nations dissatisfied with
result
France had hoped the treaty would severely weaken Germany
Italy had hope to gain territory because they were on the winning side but they were ignored
GERMAN OUTRAGE German people & military were
humiliated
Germany had to give up large industrial areas
Germany had to pay large war reparations Early 1920s—severe inflation occurred
(hyperinflation) (chart p. 739) Communists and Socialists tried to take
control of Germany 1918-1919 but failed Germany established a democratic
government Weimar (VY-mahr) Republic
Not a very strong government Opposition from political far left—
Communists—and the far right, which was antidemocratic
German military was reduced in size and power
TOTALITARIAN LEADERS ARISE New leaders began to emerge in
Europe They reflected to people’s bitterness
and anger They promised a return to greatness Their vision was so appealing that
people were willing to give up basic freedoms in return for hope of future glory
MUSSOLINI AND THE BIRTH OF FASCISM
Benito Mussolini (Italy)--socialist Unlike most socialists, he supported
Italy’s entry into WWI By wars end, he had move to the far
right of Italian politics and strongly opposed socialism and communism
Founded a new Italian political party—the National Fascist Party
FASCIST—comes from a latin word for “a bundle of rods tied together”
Ancient Romans used this bundle as a symbol of their state
Romans thought a single rod could be broken but a bundle of rods was very strong
Mussolini thought that FASCISM was a system of government that stressed the glory of the state
Slogan—”Everything in the State, nothing outside the state”
Rights and concerns of individuals were of little importance
Mussolini used a dynamic speaking ability to win a seat in Parliament
1922—He became leader of the government Mussolini established a DICTATORSHIP—
government by a leader or group that holds unchallenged power
He did not allow other political parties and he crushed opponents
His government controlled newspapers, schools, and businesses
All power flowed through Mussolini He was referred to as “IL DUCE”—the
leader TOTALITARIAN REGIME—Mussolini
controlled everyday life in Italy
HITLER’S RISE TO POWER Born in Austria Rejected by the Austrian military
because they thought he was to weak to carry a weapon
He volunteered with the German army in WWI and built a solid record as a soldier
He joined a small political party known as the National Socialists, or Nazis
It was during this period that Hitler found his talent for public speaking
1923—organized an effort to seize power in Germany by force
Hitler arrested and sentenced to 5 years in prison—he served 9 months
In prison he produced a book entitled MEIN KAMPF (My Struggle)
Hitler stressed nationalism and devotion to state
In Mein Kampf Hitler expressed a belief in the racial superiority of Germanic peoples that he called Aryans
He blamed Jews for many of Germany’s problems
He said Jews threatened the purity of the Aryan race
After prison Hitler wanted to gain power through peaceful means
1933—Nazi Party was the most powerful in Germany
Hitler became Germany’s chancellor Now he pushed to become a
totalitarian dictator Using political skill and violence he
eliminated opponents Hitler began a secret build-up of the
military
OTHER REGIMES Civil war erupted in Spain in 1930s This brought Fascist general Fransisco
Franco to power In the Soviet Union communism was
already established when Joseph Stalin came to power in the mid-1920s
Stalin violently crushed opponents Towns and cities were renamed after him
and portraits were displayed everywhere
In Japan military leaders used violence to gain control of the government
They were inspired by nationalistic dreams of greatness that would lead to war
TOTALITARIAN GOVERNMENTS AND MILITARY FORCE A common feature of the leaders of
this time was their willingness to use violence to gain power
JAPAN AND MANCHURIA A major problem in Japan was lack of
space Japan was led by a civilian
government but people were unhappy
1931—Some Japanese generals invaded the Chinese province of Manchuria without government approval
The government ordered the military to stop but the order was ignored
The League of Nations strongly criticized Japan so Japan simply withdrew from the League
ITALY INVADES ETHIOPIA The weakness of the League of Nations was
evident when Italy invaded Ethiopia Ethiopia was unable to resist Leader Haile Selassie asked the League for
help The League failed or refused to act American leaders spoke out against Italy President Franklin Roosevelt was unwilling
to take any other formal action
THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR 1930s—political turmoil in Spain Left (Communists) vs. Right (Fascists &
Nationalists) 1936—conflict led to civil war War attracted involvement from other
countries in Europe and North America Italy and Germany sent forces on the side of
the Nationalists Soviet Union and United States helped the
other side (aka The Republicans)
The fighting was brutal Hundreds of thousands of people
died This included several hundred
American volunteers 1939—Franco’s Nationalists defeated
the Republicans Spain was now under control of a
fascist dictator
HITLER TAKES ACTION
Hitler openly stated his plan to re-arm Germany in violation of the Treaty of Versailles
Hitler managed to convince Great Britain and France to tolerate his actions
1935—Britain allowed Germany to rebuild their navy & submarines
Hitler claimed the military was needed to resist communism
MILITARIZING THE RHINELAND Under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany
was required to keep its troops out of the area in the Rhine River valley along the French border
1936—Germany violated the treaty by sending in troops
Hitler claimed a recent military agreement between France and the Soviet Union threatened Germany
France was alarmed about the German troops Britain had no interest in going to war over
German troops Hitler grew bolder
THE ANSCHLUSS 1938—Hitler took action to gain control of
Austria He dreamed of uniting all ethnic Germans
including Austrians
1938—Hitler tried to force the Austrian government to agree to ANSCHLUSS—union with Germany
Austria refused Hitler sent troops into the country
THE SUDENTENLAND Hitler was confident no one would
stop him
His next move was to control of a German-speaking section of Czechoslovakia called the Sudentenland
He urged Germans to protest Czech rule Then he threatened a military attack British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain
and French Premier Edouard Daladier met with Hitler in Munich to avoid a crisis
Britain and France allowed Hitler to annex the Sudentenland
Czechoslovakia was not represented at the meeting and protested
Chamberlain boasted of having achieving “peace for our time.”
In reality, the world was on the verge of war
THE END