Download - Lead up to World War II
Lead up to World War II
Chapter 23
World War I and the Great Depression had devastating effects throughout the world.
In some countries, people turned to new leaders, who would be responsible for creating an even deadlier global conflict.
Why did totalitarian states rise after World War I, and what did they do?
• Germans resented the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, feeling humiliated in defeat.
• Italy and Japan were angered by the treaty, expecting to receive more land as Allied victors.
• Worldwide depression brought despair to many already suffering from war.
Overwhelming problems led some nations to turn to a new
form of government called totalitarianism.
Totalitarian governments developed in several countries during the 1930s.
Country LeaderSoviet Union Joseph StalinItaly Benito Mussolini
Germany Adolf Hitler
Stalin Bio
In Germany, the Weimar Republic struggled with overwhelming
economic and social problems.
Hitler rebuilt the nation’s army. His economic policies put people back to work. Many cheered his
success.Hitler video
June1920
May 1924
Dec. 1924
May1928
Sep.1930
July1932
Nov.1932
Mar.1933
Communist Party (KPD)
4 62 45 54 77 89 100 81
Social Democratic Party (SDP)
102 100 131 153 143 133 121 120
Catholic Centre Party (BVP)
65 81 88 78 87 97 90 93
Nationalist Party (DNVP)
71 95 103 73 41 37 52 52
Nazi Party (NSDAP)
- - - 12 107 230 196 288
Other Parties 98 92 73 121 122 22 35 23
Nanjing Video
Start of World War II and Early Years
Americans were shocked by Japanese and German aggression.
Yet they remained deeply divided over American involvement in another war—especially as they fought the despair of the Great Depression.
How did Americans react to events in Europe and Asia in the early years of World War
II?
• Hitler violated the Munich Pact, taking over the remainder of Czechoslovakia in 1939.
• When Hitler invaded Poland in September 1939, Britain and France declared war on Germany. This marked the start of World War II.
• Germany launched a series of attacks on its neighbors marked by speed and massive firepower—a blitzkrieg, or “lightning war.”
• Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands fell in 1940.
Hopes for peace in Europe faded as it became clear that efforts to appease Hitler had
failed.
Beginning in July 1940, Hitler turned his fury on Britain.
Europe was again at war. In time, major powers around the world
joined in alliances.
Video
In early December 1941, the United States had engaged in warlike activity, but had not yet committed itself to join in World War II. A surprise attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, ended the debate between isolationists and interventionists.
The United States was going to war.
How did the United States react to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor?
Japanese Aggression, December 1941–June 1942
Pg 794Q&A