Path to War

From Appeasement to War

Axis Powers

GermanyJapanItaly

Causes: Imperialism, Militarism, and Nationalism

Germany, Italy, and Japan• Imperialism- wanted more land.

• Militarism- glorified and built up their military.

• Nationalism- National pride. Interested in promoting own country’s interests.

• Versailles Treaty

Japan

• Tojo Hideki• Japan wants an empire equal to that of

Western Powers. • Invades Manchuria in 1931. • In 1937, overruns much of eastern China,

starting the Second-Sino Japanese War. • Captured then Chinese capital, Nanking.

Rape of Nanking

Italy

• Italy still rankled by their defeat in 1896 by Ethiopia.

• Invaded again in 1935. • This time, Ethiopian army is no match for

tanks and airplanes. – Italy conquers Ethiopia by 1936.

Germany

• Hitler immediately begins to rebuild Germany’s military.

• First Step– Sends troops to the “demilitarized” Rhineland.

• Second Step– Forces Anschluss, or union of Austria and Germany, by

sending in army. • Third Step– Germany annexes the Sudetenland and later, the rest of

Czechoslovakia.

Response

• Appeasement– Giving in to demands of an aggressor to keep the

peace. • Strongly condemned– But did nothing.

Why do you think other countries did nothing to stop Hitler, Tojo, or Mussolini?

Why not?

• Great Depression• Pacifism– Morally against violence or war.

• Feared another war like World War I. • Thought Fascism was a good defense against

Communism.

“Peace for our time”

Non Aggression Pact

• Nazis and Soviets sign a secret pact saying that they will not attack each other and that they will divide up Poland and Eastern Europe between themselves.

Invasion of Poland

• September 1st, 1939, one week after the Non Aggression Pact is signed, Germany invades Poland.

• Britain and France declare war on Germany two days later. World War II had begun.