the build-up to war
DESCRIPTION
Global Depression and Rising Tensions. The Build-up to War. Japan in Trouble. Island nation dependent upon imports for many raw materials Makes it beholden to the whims of other countries Saw conquest as the surest means of securing materials China and Southeast Asia. Japanese Aggression. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
THE BUILD-UP TO WAR
Global Depression and Rising Tensions
Japan in Trouble Island nation dependent upon imports
for many raw materialsMakes it beholden to the whims of other
countries Saw conquest as the surest means of
securing materialsChina and Southeast Asia
Japanese Aggression Military spending ramped up
Helped ease depression in JapanAllowed for Japan’s expansion into Asian mainland
Took Manchuria in September 1931Clear violation of the Open Door policy and
covenant of the League of NationsEstablished puppet government
League of Nations passed a resolution, effectively did nothingIllustrated weakness of LoN, made it powerless
Italy Benito Mussolini took power in
1922 Fascist dictator
Fascism – the idea that people should glorify their nation and race through an aggressive show of force
From Italian word fascio, or bundle of rods, the symbol is meant to show strength in unity
Spain Spanish Civil War
Francisco Franco led fascist movement in Spain
Though the US sided with opposition Loyalist forces, the Neutrality Acts prevented interference
Franco established military dictatorship in 1939
Germany As a reaction to deplorable economic
conditions and resentment over Treaty of Versailles, Nazi party is born
Adolf Hitler gains control over German legislature in 1933
Charts course towards militarism and oppressive anti-Semitism
Appeasement Hoping to avoid open conflict with
Germany, the British and French adopted a policy of appeasementAllowed Hitler and Mussolini to get away
with relatively small acts of aggression and expansion
Italy invades Ethiopia Looking to prove fascism’s power,
Mussolini invades Ethiopia League of Nations protests, but does
nothing to stop Italy
Germany on the Move 1936 – Hitler invades the Rhineland,
demilitarized by the Treaty of Versailles 1938 – Sudetenland
German-speaking portion of Czechoslovakia, Hitler felt he had the right to take it over
Munich Conference In 1938 Russia, Germany, Britain, France, and Italy
met in Munich to decide what action, if any, to take concerning Germany’s aggression in Czechoslovakia. This conference came to be known as the Munich Conference. While there, the allies decided to enact a policy of appeasement, wherein they would allow Germany to erase the boundaries of the Versailles Treaty without taking military action. However, it was also agreed that the sovereignty of Poland would be protected, and thus a line was drawn that Germany would not be allowed to cross without risking full scale war.
What about America?