The Path to Another War

WWII Breaks out in Europe!

Factors leading to war?

Rise of militarism and fascism in Italy, Germany, and Japan

Facism: glorification of the state, single-party system with a strong ruler, and aggressive nationalism

Anger over end of WWI, Great Depression WWII begins LONG before 1939!

Weak League of Nations

Could not protect “collective security”

Isolationism by USA Aggressive actions of

Germany, Italy, and Japan “test” the League

Japan invades Manchuria, 1931

China complains to League

League investigates and finds Japan GUILTY

Japan QUITS League! 1937 Japan invades

REST of China! “Rape of Nanking,” 1937

Italy invades Ethiopia

1934: 2 forces clash on boarder of Ethiopia and Italian Somaliland

League says no one is to blame

Mussolini invades in October 1935

Haile Selassie asks League for HELP!

League reacts…

Imposes SANCTIONS (economic punishments) on Italy, but not on war-making materials!

May 1936: Italy annexes Ethiopia!

Fascism in Spain!

Spanish Civil War 1936-1939

Soviets support LOYALISTS (communist group)

Italy and Germany support NATIONALISTS (fascist group)

A Preview of what’s to come…

Fascists led by Francisco Franco

Strengthened ties between Italy and Germany

Luftwaffe uses Spanish towns as TESTING GROUNDS!!!

More than half a MILLION Spaniards DIE

Hitler goes on the OFFENSIVE

March 1936: invades Rhineland between France and Germany

October 1936: Hitler and Mussolini sign Rome-Berlin Axis

Nov. 1936: sign Anti-Comintern Pact, Stalin urges West to step in!!

No one steps in!!!

1938: Hitler bullies Austrian leader into appointing German officials

Appeal to League does NOTHING

March 1938: Austrian Anschluss—proclaimed it part of Germany!

Sudetenland Crisis, Sep. 1938

Northwest Czechoslovakia

Hitler DEMANDS it, GB’s Neville Chamberlain accepts!

APPEASEMENT: “Make ‘em happy, shut ‘em up!”

Munich Conference

Mussolini’s compromise: give Germany Sudetenland, and they will promise not to take any more!

Britain and France wanted to avoid war

March 15, 1939: Hitler takes REST of Czechoslovakia ANYWAY!

Nazi-Soviet Pact…a curveball!

Hitler takes Lithuania, threatens Poland

Allies NEED USSR to defend POLAND

Suspicions between USSR and France/GB

Stalin begins secret talks with Germans!

Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact

Signed August 23, 1939 Would NEVER attack

each other Would remain neutral if

other involved in war Create spheres of

influence in Europe Split up Poland! Long-term enemies,

needed a short-term alliance

NOW, Hitler gets reassurance…

He can invade Poland without fear of USSR getting involved!

September 1, 1939: Hitler INVADES POLAND

September 3, 1939: GB and France say enough is enough!

Harassment of Jews

So that Germany did not officially seem the aggressor (which it was), Hitler needed an excuse for entering/attacking Poland. It was Heinrich Himmler who came up with the idea; thus the plan was code named Operation Himmler.

On the night of August 31, 1939, Nazis took an unknown prisoner from one of their concentration camps, dressed him in a Polish uniform, took him to the town of Gleiwitz (on the border of Poland and Germany), and then shot him. The staged scene with the dead prisoner dressed in a Polish uniform was supposed to appear as a Polish attack against a German radio station.

Hitler used the staged attack as the excuse to invade Poland.

Now GB and France will try to stop Hitler…

BUT IT IS ALMOST TOO LATE!!!

Hitler’s army is extremely strong

Hitler can now implement his “Final Solution” to the “Jewish Problem”