Why ExpandWhy Expand

• Build their empires

• Expand their borders

• Need for natural resources

The Ineffectiveness of the League of Nations

The Ineffectiveness of the League of Nations

No control of major conflicts. No progress in disarmament. No effective military force.

International AgreementsInternational AgreementsLocarno Pact – 1925

France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy Guarantee existing frontiers Establish DMZ 30 miles deep on

East bank of Rhine River

Refrain from aggression against each other

Kellogg-Briand Pact – 1928 Makes war illegal as a tool of

diplomacy No enforcement provisions

Italian ExpansionItalian Expansion

Italy Attacks Ethiopia, 1935Italy Attacks Ethiopia, 1935

Emperor Haile

SelassieWhy Ethiopia- Revenge for defeat in 1898

The Testing Ground to WWII

Catholic Church.

Falange [fascist] Party.

Monarchists.

led by – Francisco Franco

Communists.

Marxists.

Republicans.

Socialists.

those who want democracy

TheNationalFront

[Royalists]

TheNationalFront

[Royalists]

ThePopularFront

[Loyalists]

ThePopularFront

[Loyalists]

The Spanish Civil War:1936 - 1939

The Spanish Civil War:1936 - 1939

The Spanish Civil War:1936 - 1939

The Spanish Civil War:1936 - 1939

The Spanish Civil WarThe Spanish Civil War

The Spanish Civil War: 1936 - 1939The Spanish Civil War: 1936 - 1939

Francisco Franco

The Spanish Civil War:A Dress Rehearsal for WWII?

The Spanish Civil War:A Dress Rehearsal for WWII?

Italian troops in Madrid

“Guernica” by Pablo Picasso“Guernica” by Pablo Picasso

Rome-Berlin Axis, 1936Rome-Berlin Axis, 1936

The “Pact of Steel”

German AggressionGerman Aggression

Most Important Early GoalsMost Important Early Goals

• Defiance of Treaty of Versailles

• Lebensraum

• Rebuild the Economy

• Enlarge the Army, Navy & Air Force

Germany Invades the Rhineland

March 7, 1936

Germany Invades the Rhineland

March 7, 1936

Violated Versailles Treaty

Nothing Done – Why?France – unwilling to enforce the treaty w/o British aidG.B. – didn’t want another war

The Austrian Anschluss, 1938The Austrian Anschluss, 1938

The “Problem” of theSudetenland

The “Problem” of theSudetenland

Hitler demands: all German speaking provinces or else war

Munich ConferenceMunich Conference• Who?

– Great Britain, France, Germany, & Italy

• Appeasement– Policy of giving in to someone’s demands in

order to maintain the peace

• Why Appease Hitler?– WWI– Financial difficulties– USSR was a greater threat than Germany

Appeasement: The Munich Agreement, 1938

Appeasement: The Munich Agreement, 1938

Now we have “peace in our time!” Herr Hitler is a man we can do

business with.

British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain

Effects of AppeasementEffects of Appeasement

• March 1939 – Germany invades the rest of Czechoslovakia– Double crosses Chamberlain

Czechoslovakia Becomes Part of the Third Reich: 1939

Czechoslovakia Becomes Part of the Third Reich: 1939

The Nazi-SovietNon-Aggression Pact, 1939

The Nazi-SovietNon-Aggression Pact, 1939

Foreign Ministers von Ribbentrop &

Molotov

The Nazi-Soviet Pact

• Agreement b/w Germany and Soviet Union• shocked the world• Hitler avoids a 2 front war• partition of Poland

Japanese ImperialismJapanese

Imperialism

The Manchurian Crisis, 1931The Manchurian Crisis, 1931

Japan pulls out of the League

Japan Invades Manchuria, 1931Japan Invades Manchuria, 1931

Second Sino-Japanese War 1937Second Sino-Japanese War 1937

Rape of NankingRape of Nanking

Rape of Nanking

• Hundreds of thousands of civilians and unarmed Chinese were murdered

• 20,000 – 80,000 women were gang raped and mutilated, then murdered

• Why?– terror = fear = submission = total control

Japanese Expansion in SE AsiaJapanese Expansion in SE Asia

Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis, 1940Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis, 1940

The Tripartite Pact

Start of WWIIStart of WWII

• Sept. 1, 1939 – Germany invades Poland

Poland Attacked: Sept. 1, 1939Poland Attacked: Sept. 1, 1939

German Troops March into WarsawGerman Troops March into Warsaw

U. S. Neutrality Acts:1934, 1935, 1937, 1939

U. S. Neutrality Acts:1934, 1935, 1937, 1939