Political system where the state holds total authority and controls all aspects of public and private life.

Extreme nationalism. Considers the nation to be more important than the individual.

Value of a country’s exports minus its imports.

Trade Deficit (Negative Trade Balance) = Less exports than imports.

Trade Surplus (Positive Trade Balance) = More exports than imports.

Benito Mussolini(“IL Duce” – “The Leader”)

1922- Became Dictator of Italy

Founded the Fascist Party in Italy

Supported by many influential Italians who were seeking an end to strikes and riots within the country.Industrialists, landowners, and even the Catholic

Church supported his rise.Pledged to restore Italy to the glories of the

Roman Empire.

Mussolini’s FascistsAble to gain power by exploiting fears of a

Communist take over.Fascists = Strong anti-communists

Believed order in society came only through a dictator who led a strong government.

Supported empire building.

Blackshirts - Fascist militia who supported Mussolini.

Joseph StalinDictator of the

Communist U.S.S.R. (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics).

Seized power in 1926 after the power struggle which followed the death of Revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin in 1924.

Began rapidly industrializing Russia.Increased steel production from 4 million to 18

million tons.However, at the same time, industrial worker

wages were cut 43%.Also began taking away family farms and

turning them into collectives (government run farms).

Those who resisted takeover were tried or even starved to death.Approximately 10 million Russian peasants

were starved to death from 1932-1933.

GulagsSoviet concentration camps.

Mostly located in the Arctic/Siberia.Prisoners (mostly political “threats”) were

used as slave labor.

Stalin crushed all opposition. By the time of his death in 1953, historians

estimate that Stalin’s regime had led to the deaths of more than 20 million of his own people.

Japan’s Militaristic Leadership

1920’s – Japan’s economy struggling.Not making enough money on exports to pay

for all the imports it needed.Resulted in a negative trade deficit.

Problem: Japan is an island nation, therefore had to import almost all resources needed for industries.

Military leaders blamed corrupt politicians for Japan’s problems.

They believed Japan was destined to dominate East Asia.

Invasion of ManchuriaSeptember 1931Japanese army invades Manchuria.Military leaders wish to claim the rich natural

resources in this northern province of China.When Japan’s own Prime Minister attempts

to negotiate a peace treaty, his own officers assassinated him, placing one of their own in his place.

Emperor Hirohito Prime Minister Tojo

Hatred and discrimination towards Jewish people.

Adolf HitlerNazi Dictator of GermanyNative Austrian, but had fought for Germany

during World War I.Hated the victorious Allies and the German

government for accepting the Treaty of Versailles.After WWI, Germany was in political and economic

chaos, opening the door for Hitler’s radicalism.More than 20 political groups were fighting for

power.Inflation was crazy high. (Pg. 456)

The Nazi PartyNazi = short for “National Socialist German

Workers’ Party”.Nazis were extremely nationalistic (Fascist)

and anti-communist.Called for an expansion of German territory.Rejected the Treaty of Versailles.Anti-SemiticHitler was an early convert.

Mein Kampf – “My Struggle”

Hitler’s book calling for unification of Germany, and presenting his argument that Germans (especially blond haired blue eyed Germans) were a “master race”.

Written while in jail after a failed attempt by the Nazis to seize power by force in 1923.

Proposed that Germany needed to invade Poland and Russia and enslave the inferior Slavic Peoples.

Strongest hatred reserved for Jews, who he blamed for Germany losing WWI.

Der FuhrerAfter being released from jail, Hitler worked to

convince Germans to vote Nazi members into the German parliament (Reichstag).

When a depression hit, many Germans voted for radical parties, seeking change.1932 – Nazis had become the largest political

party in the Reichstag.Hitler was appointed Chancellor (Prime Minister).Proceeded to call for new elections, using storm

troopers (paramilitary units) to intimidate voters.Nazis seized power and gave Hitler dictatorial

powers.Hitler named himself Der Fuhrer – “The Leader”.

Overarching Question???How did economic conditions in Europe and

Asia, help lead to WWII?After World War I, many nations experienced

depressions due to poor economic conditions and debts following World War I. These desperate times helped radical leadership gain control in Germany, Italy, and Japan.

Policy of avoiding involvement in world affairs.

Philosophy that trade/interaction between countries leads to prosperity and helps prevent wars.

American ReactionsEvents overseas cause many to feel they had

sacrificed much for nothing in World War I.American public opinion moved towards

isolationism.

Neutrality Acts of 1935, ‘36, ‘37Banned sale of arms (weapons) by Americans to

countries at war or civil war.Required warring nations to pay for nonmilitary

goods from America with cash, and to send their own ships to pick them up. “cash and carry”

Why “cash and carry”?Many European nations had stopped paying off

WWI debts.Sinking of American passengers and cargo ships

in WWI had helped bring America into that war so…..come get your own dang supplies.

FDR’s Stance

Not for isolationism

Supported internationalism, believing trade between nations leads to prosperity and prevents wars.

Also believed the U.S. should help keep the peace.

Authorized the sale of weapons to China to help them against Japanese aggression.

The Axis PowersGermany – Italy – JapanFormed an alliance in the late 1930’s,

pledging to cooperate on many international issues.

For example, keep tabs on Communists in U.S.S.R.

Each one was gearing up to fulfill its own ambitions.

Overarching Question???Why did many Americans support an

isolationist approach to world events prior to WWII?1. Many felt World War I had been a wasted

effort, failing to resolve anything.2. We had our own depression to deal with.

Making concessions in exchange for peace.

Appeasement1935 – Hitler began violating the Treaty of

Versailles.Building a new air force.Military draft to expand the army.

Because WWI still weighed heavy on their minds, European leaders attempted to negotiate rather than enforce the treaty.

This gave Hitler time to build. (could WWII have been prevented right here?)

Hitler’s First MovesAdolph Hitler wanted to unite all German

speaking peoples/lands.This included Austria and Czechoslovakia.

The Austrian AnschlussHitler threatened to invade Austria unless

Nazis were put into important government placements.

Austrian Chancellor gave in, then tried to put it to a vote.

Hitler, fearing the outcome of a vote, sent troops into Austria and declared the Austrian Anschluss (unification).

The Munich Crisis/Agreement(September 1938)

Hitler demands German speaking portions of Czechoslovakia. (The Sudetenland)

France, and the Soviet Union pledge to fight for Czechoslovakia, England promises support for its ally France. (Alliances all over again).

Reps from England, France, Germany, and Italy meet in Munich, Germany to talk.

France and England decide on appeasement rather than war.

British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain declares upon his return to England “a peace with honor…peace in our

time”.

DanzigTown with an over 90% German speaking

population.Possessed by Poland after WWI.Hitler demands Danzig plus the right to a

railroad and highway through Poland to eastern German territory (East Prussia).

France and England now stand up to Hitler, pledge support for Poland.

Hitler prepares for war.

The Nazi-Soviet Pact (August 1939)

To avoid fighting a war on two fronts, Hitler proposed a non-aggression pact to Stalin.

Stalin accepted, seeing it as a way to turn the capitalist countries against each other.

Agreed not to fight each other, and to divide Poland.

Overarching Question??How did the Munich Agreement and

appeasement encourage Hitler’s aggressive actions?Because France and England were still

conscious of the destruction of WWI, they felt it was better to negotiate with Hitler. However, this only pushed Hitler to make more demands and gave him time to strengthen Germany.

“Lightning War”.

The Invasion of PolandSeptember 1, 1939 – WWII begins with the

invasion of Poland.Germany uses a new type of warfare called

“blitzkrieg”.Goal: End the fight before the enemy can get

organized.Using large numbers of modern tanks and planes,

Germany used speed and overwhelming fire power to break through and capture enemy positions.

Paratroopers dropped behind Polish lines to cut off their supply lines.

Poland Falls

Polish army stood little chance with some of their army still mounted on horses with lances against German tanks.

Poland fell in early October 1939.

The Fall of FranceThe Maginot Line

Built by France after WWI along the German border.

Line of concrete bunkers/fortifications.Problem:

1. France hid behind the line waiting for Germany instead of helping Poland at a time when Germany was still trying to build its military.

2. When Germany did attack France, they went around the Maginot Line, through Belgium.

Hitler Stays One Step AheadFrench and English raced north to block the

open plains of central Belgium where they felt German tanks would race through.

Hitler sends main force through the mountains of eastern Belgium instead.

Few troops had been left to guard this area since it seemed improbable that Hitler would take his tanks through the mountains.

Hitler’s forces move west towards the English Channel so fast that the French and English armies became trapped in Belgium.

The Miracle at DunkirkHitler began pushing trapped English and

French troops towards the English Channel.Their only hope was rescue by sea.Only one port had not been captured yet…

Dunkirk France.

The Miracle850 English ships (warships, fishing boats,

transport ships, sail boats), headed for Dunkirk.

They are joined by ships from the French, Dutch, and Belgians.

338,000 troops are saved from capture or death.

This amazing feat became known as the “Miracle at Dunkirk”.

France SurrendersJune 22, 1940 – The French government

surrenders.Hitler controls northern France, but puts a

puppet government in place which ran the rest of France and cooperated with the Germans.

Hitler now controlled a large portion of northern Europe.

Charles De GaulleFrench GeneralRefused to accept surrender.Fought on with free French troops who were

not in France when it fell, or who managed to escape.

The Battle of BritainEngland now stood alone.Led by new Prime Minister Winston ChurchillMost felt Great Britain would be forced to

surrender with its ally France no longer in the fight…….They Were Wrong.

English AdvantagesEnglish Channel a natural barrier.Royal Air Force (RAF) patrolled the skies.

Hitler’s Luftwaffe (air force) began an all out war against the RAF.

Hitler wanted to eliminate the air threat so he could invade across the English Channel.

Also wanted to terrorize the citizens of London with regular bombing raids. London’s citizens were forced underground.

Thanks to a secret weapon, radar, the RAF decimated the Luftwaffe.

Hitler called off his plans for invading England.

Churchill praised the RAF later stating..“Never in the field of human conflict was

so much owed by so many to so few.”

Overarching Question??Why was Hitler able to capture so much

territory so quickly?Using blitzkrieg warfare and unpredicted

tactics (invading around the Maginot Line) Hitler was able to seize key locations before an adequate defense could be mounted.

Someone who flees their country due to persecution and/or war.

Pastor Martin Niemoller (survivor quote)“First they came for the communists, and I

didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.

Then they came for the socialists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.”

Anti-Semitism had existed in Europe for hundreds of years before Hitler arrived on the scene.

Hitler and the Nazis took Anti-Semitism to a whole new level.

Persecution Begins

The Nuremberg Laws (1935)Took citizenship status away from German Jews.Banned marriage between Jews and other

Germans.Other decrees…

Defined a Jew as anyone with at least one Jewish grandparent.

Barred Jews from holding a public office or voting.Jews with German sounding names must adopt

“Jewish” sounding names.Jews were forced to wear armbands with the star of

David on them to identify them as Jews.

Difficult TimesBy 1936 more than ½ of the Jewish population in

Germany had lost their jobs.Jews were banned from being….

Government workersJournalistsFarmersTeachersActorsLawyersBusiness OwnersDoctors

Kristallnacht“Night of Broken Glass”

A young Jewish refugee in Paris shot a German ambassador after his father and 10,000 other Jews were deported out of Germany to Poland.

Hitler uses this opportunity to order attacks on Jewish communities.

November 9, 1938During the night, Nazi storm troopers raided Jewish

homes and businesses.They destroy 7,500 businesses and 180 synagogues.By morning, 90 Jews are dead, and hundreds more

injured.

The Gestapo and SSGestapo

Hitler’s Secret Police.Responsible for much of the violence and

persecution of Jews.SS – Schutzstaffel – Protection Squadron

Hitler’s personal bodyguard and elite forces.These two arms of the Nazis, were

responsible for carrying out most of the violence and persecution of Jews.

Jewish RefugeesEscalation of Nazi violence causes many Jews to

flee Germany.Between 1933-1939, 350,000 Jews escaped

Germany.Albert Einstein and many other scientists were

among them.3,000+ Austrian Jews applied daily for a visa to

the U.S.Many Jews were trapped in Nazi Germany due to..

American anti-immigrant/anti-Semitic feelingsLack of jobs due to the Great DepressionU.S. government immigration laws which set quotas

for each country.

The Warsaw GhettoAfter the Nazis overran Poland, the Jewish

population suffered greatly under occupation.In Warsaw, Poland’s capital, Jews were forced to

move into the Ghetto. This was a walled in section of the city about 1.3 square miles in size.

Over 400,000 Jews were squeezed into this confined prison.

Of these, 300,000 would be killed by either shipment to extermination camps, assassination in the ghetto, or during the ghetto uprising which resulted in the complete destruction of the ghetto by the Nazis.

The “Final Solution”Hitler’s intensified efforts to eliminate Jews.By 1942, Hitler and his Nazi leaders were looking to

figure out a “final solution of the Jewish question”.Previous attempts had included…

The Einsatgruppen Mobile SS killing squads who would round up Jews, Gypsies,

Slavs, and other “undesirables” and shoot them. They would then pile the bodies in mass graves. http://www.seligman.org.il/seduva_holocaust.html

Loading undesirables into trucks and piping the exhaust into the back to kill them.

Hitler felt these methods were too inefficient and slow.

The SolutionConcentration Camps

Gathering locations for Jews and other undesirables.

Prisoners who were healthy would be put to work as slave laborers until they died of exhaustion, sickness, disease, malnutrition, or at the hand of a guard.

Those who were not deemed useful for work, were sent to the extermination wings of the camps to be gassed.Elderly, mothers, children, and the disabled.

Auschwitz-BirkenauMost famous concentration

camp/extermination facility.Approximately 1,600,000 people died in

Auschwitz.The gas chambers of Auschwitz at times

killed up to 12,000 people in a day.Those who were gassed, were immediately

cremated in the camp’s ovens.What appeared at first to be snow falling, was

actually ashes from the cremation chimneys.

FDR’s DilemmaFDR had declared U.S. neutrality 2 days

before war was declared by England and France.

Despite this, FDR was determined to help his fellow democracies.

The Destroyers-for-Bases Deal

FDR convinced congress to pass an altered Neutrality Act in 1939 to allow arms sales.

Congress demanded “cash-and-carry”.

1940 – Churchill asked FDR for some of our old destroyers.Britain had lost almost ½ its destroyers

already, and needed more to guard against subs and the German invasion attempt on Britain.

To get around the neutrality act’s requirement for cash to be paid, FDR gave 50 old U.S. destroyers in exchange for the right to build bases on English land in Canada and the Caribbean.

American Public Opinion Shifts

Many Americans supported the Destroyers-for-Bases deal.

Various groups began debating neutrality.

The “America First” CommitteeFirmly isolationist.Opposed any action or aid to the allies.

The “Fight For Freedom” CommitteeUrged repeal of neutrality acts.Wanted the government to take action against

Germany.

FDR Makes HistoryElection of 1940

FDR decides to break with George Washington’s precedent.

He is re-elected soundly to an unheard of third term.

The American people wanted trusted leadership for a new crisis.

FDR Increases SupportIn an address to congress, FDR laid out the

“four freedoms” that the U.S. and England stands for.Freedom of SpeechFreedom of WorshipFreedom from WantFreedom from Fear

Crosbyhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7_VYn4MCII

The “Lend-Lease Act” (1941)England was running low on funding.Neutrality Act required cash for supplies.FDR again gets around the Neutrality Act

with the “Lend-Lease” act .Stated that the U.S. could “rent” arms to any

country deemed vital to our own defense.Allowed the U.S. to “rent” war supplies to

England who would pay us back after the war.

Russia Joins the AlliesJune 1941 – Hitler violates the Nazi-Soviet

pact.Invaded the Soviet Union. (Operation

Barbarossa)Both FDR and Churchill dislike Stalin,

however both also feel that anyone fighting Hitler and the Nazis should have their support.

The “Lend-Lease” act is applied to the Soviet Union.

Overarching Question???What were the 3 main measures the U.S.

took to give aid to England?The Neutrality Act of 1939 allowed arms to be

sold if cash was paid.The “Destroyers-for-Bases” dealThe “Lend-Lease” act

Escalations in the AtlanticTo attempt to maintain neutrality and still

protect supplies going to England, FDR establishes a “Hemispheric Defense Zone”.Western half of the Atlantic ocean is part of the

Western hemisphere, therefore neutral territory.Allows U.S. ships to patrol and report German

sub positions to England. German subs fire on American ships for radioing

their positions.FDR gives a “shoot on sight” order for German

subs.

America and JapanEngland is not just defending its home island

from Germany, but also its colonies in India/Southeast Asia from Japanese aggression.

Japan posed a major threat to English territory.

FDR used economics to hinder Japan’s ability to threaten English territory.

Japan depended on the U.S. for…..Scrap ironSteel80% of its oil supplies

Restricting JapanFDR and Congress began to restrict “strategic

materials” (materials needed to conduct war).Extended “Lend Lease” to China.Froze Japan’s assets in the U.S.Douglas MacArthur was sent to the Philippines

to prepare its defenses.

False NegotiationsJapan put on a show of negotiating in

Washington D.C. even while its military prepared to attack.

As negotiations continued, the Japanese set out for Hawaii with six aircraft carriers and other support vessels.

U.S. intelligence knew an attack was coming but not where.

Pearl HarborKey American naval base for the U.S. Pacific

fleet at Hawaii.Sunday December 7, 1941

Surprise aerial attack from the Japanese aircraft carriers.

Japanese planes caught the American soldiers and sailors completely unprepared, going about their normal routine on a Sunday morning.

The Damage8 battleships sunk or destroyed.

USS Arizona, Oklahoma, West Virginia, California, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Tennessee.

3 cruisers4 destroyers188 aircraft and the army, navy, and marine air

bases.2,403 Americans are killed and 1,178 are injuredGrouping of planes and ships to prevent sabotage

had made destruction easier during the attack.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt13c3olXkU

The U.S. Declares WarFDR addressed Congress the next day.Delivered his famous “date which will live in

infamy” speech. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VqQAf74fsE

Congress voted to declare war..The Senate 88-0The House 388-1Germany and Italy declare war

on the U.S.

The Lines are DrawnAxis Powers

GermanyItalyJapan

AlliesEnglandFranceAmericaChinaU.S.S.R (Russia)