THE ROAD TO WAR

WORLD WAR II BEGINS

Essential Question:What caused World War II?

In the 1930s, events throughout the world led to conditions that started World War II

High unemployment, desperation, and feelings of betrayal led to the rise of

totalitarian dictators

Fascist dictators

Mussolini and Hitler

threatened to conquer new territories for

Italy and Germany

Extreme nationalism

and a need for raw materials led to a desire to expand in Japan under Hideki Tojo

Britain and France were the leaders of the League of Nations, but both wanted to avoid

another bloodbath like World War I

By the 1930s, the world was moving towards another war but few

nations were in a position to prevent war

The USA was focused on the Great Depression and wanted to avoid foreign affairs

Japan, Italy, and Germany aggressively expanded in Africa, Asia, and Europe

In 1936, Germany, Italy, and

Japan formed an

alliance called the

Axis

In 1931, Japan invaded Manchuria in order to seize its iron and coal mines

In 1937, Japan conquered northern China, then murdered about 300,000 unarmed soldiers and

civilians during the “Rape of Nanking”

HOW DOES THE WORLD RESPOND TO THIS BLATANT AGGRESSION BY THE JAPANESE?

ᆒThe League of Nations officially condemned the Japanese invasion, but took no military action

ᆒJapan’s response? They withdrew from the League of Nations and continued to take over Manchuria

ᆒBy 1934, Japan was issuing threats, warning other nations to not try to assist China in its conflict with Japan

This cartoon shows what Japan now thinks of the various peace

treaties it had signed in the past

THE RAPE OF NANKINGThe Japanese took over the Chinese capital

city of Nanking, driving out Chinese forcesNearly 500,000 Chinese civilians were

trapped in NankingStarting in December 1937 and

ending in January 1938, the Japanese Army embarked on a six-week reign of terror: torturing, raping, mutilating, and murdering as many as 300,000 Chinese civilians (including children and babies)

JAPANESE ATROCITIESJAPANESE ATROCITIES

JAPANESE ATROCITIESJAPANESE ATROCITIES

JAPANESE ATROCITIESJAPANESE ATROCITIES

JAPANESE ATROCITIESJAPANESE ATROCITIES

JAPANESE MILITARY CULTUREJAPANESE MILITARY CULTURE

Japanese Japanese soldiers soldiers

followed the followed the Samurai’s Samurai’s

warrior code called called

“Bushido”;“Bushido”; it it demanded demanded

unquestioning unquestioning loyalty to the loyalty to the

divine emperordivine emperor

Death in battle was seen as a Death in battle was seen as a dutyduty and was welcomed and was welcomed

Part of Japanese Army training was often the killing of helpless prisoners to drive away any feelings of humanity

As a Japanese soldier put it: “Our training turned human beings into murdering demons.”

Surrender was unthinkable for the Japanese Surrender was unthinkable for the Japanese soldier: they felt that citizens or soldiers who soldier: they felt that citizens or soldiers who

surrendered were surrendered were less than human and deserved and deserved nothing but humiliation, torture, and nothing but humiliation, torture, and death

THE SPANISH CIVIL WARA fascist leader in Spain,

Francisco Franco, started a rebellion against Spain’s

governmentHitler and Mussolini sent

weapons, planes, and troops to assist Franco

Hitler and Mussolini saw this as an opportunity

test their newest weapons (and help a

fellow fascist, too)

For this reason, the Spanish Civil War is called a “dress rehearsal” for World War II

BOMBING OF GUERNICA

“Condor Legion” was the code name for the Luftwaffe in Spain. Some of Germany’s leading pilots in World War II sharpened their skills in the Spanish Civil War, especially in the art of

divebombing (as you can see from the ruins of Guernica)

GUERNICA

In 1935, Mussolini began his

campaign to create a new

Roman Empire for Italy by invading

Ethiopia

The Italian army easily defeated the Ethiopians

The spears, swords, and antique guns

of the Ethiopians

were no match for

Italian airplanes,

tanks, guns, and poison

gasEthiopian soldiers defending their country from the Italian military

How did the League of Nations respond?

The League of Nations condemned Japanese and Italian aggression but did nothing to stop the

attacks in an effort to maintain peace in the world

In 1935, Hitler defied the

terms of the Treaty of

Versailles and expanded the

size of the German military

The failure of the League of Nations to stop Italy or Japan encouraged Hitler to expand Germany as well

In 1936, Hitler moved his army to the Rhineland (which was

supposed to be demilitarized)

Both times, the League of

Nations refused to take action

against Hitler in order to avoid war

At this At this point, the point, the German German

military was military was not yet not yet strong

enough to to defeat defeat

France, if it France, if it came to warcame to war

Hitler’s move to reoccupy Hitler’s move to reoccupy the DMZ of the Rhineland the DMZ of the Rhineland was a was a blatant violation blatant violation of of

the Treaty of Versaillesthe Treaty of Versailles

WORLD WAR I SOLDIERS

The horrors and The horrors and endless endless slaughter

of of World War I were still fresh on were still fresh on the minds of the the minds of the

French; they were French; they were not willing to fight to fight over the Rhinelandover the Rhineland

Hitler took a Hitler took a risk,risk, but he was correct but he was correct

in guessing how in guessing how badly the French badly the French (and their allies) (and their allies)

did did not want not want warwar

HITLER’S AGGRESSIVE EXPANSION CONTINUES

In 1938, Hitler

annexed Austria

Next, Hitler demanded that the western border of Czechoslovakia, an area known as the Sudetenland, be given to Germany

The Sudetenland

contained many ethnic Germans; Hitler wanted all

Germans (and the land they

lived on) to be ruled by Germany

The Czechs asked Britain

and France for help

HITLER’S AGGRESSIVE EXPANSION CONTINUES

In 1938, leaders from England and France met with Hitler and Mussolini at the Munich Conference in

order work out an agreement to avoid war

Britain’s Neville Chamberlain, France’s Edouard Daladier, Germany’s Adolf Hitler, and Italy’s Benito Mussolini

Where is the Czech representative?

Germany was allowed to keep the Sudetenland when Hitler promised to

stop expanding This so-called

“peace for our time” came at the

expense of Czechoslovakia, but

the democratic nations wanted to

deter Hitler’s aggression without

provoking it

THE FAILURE OF APPEASEMENTAs one historian put it: As one historian put it:

“Munich was “Munich was surrender on an surrender on an

installment plan. It installment plan. It was like giving a was like giving a

cannibal a finger in cannibal a finger in hopes of saving an hopes of saving an

arm.”arm.”Within weeks, Hitler Within weeks, Hitler told his generals to told his generals to prepare prepare plans for for

taking over the rest of taking over the rest of CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia

British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain after the Munich Conference, declaring that he gained

“peace for our time.”

A GRIEVING CZECH WOMAN GREETS NAZI TROOPS MARCHING INTO

PRAGUE

Britain and France used appeasement

with Hitler: they gave in to his demands in order to avoid war

Six months after the Munich Conference,

Hitler broke his promise and annexed ALL of Czechoslovakia

THE FAILURE OF APPEASEMENT

The League of Nations, led by

Britain and France, still did nothing. However, they promised that

ONE MORE aggressive move by Hitler would

lead to war

Hitler did not believe them

THE FAILURE OF APPEASEMENT

In 1939, Hitler demanded that

western Poland be returned to

Germany, but he did not want to provoke a war with the Soviet Union before he was ready to do so (one of Hitler’s long-term goals was taking over

the USSR)

Stalin and Hitler agreed to the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact, promising never to attack

each other

Secretly, Germany and the USSR agreed to divide Poland

On September 1st, 1939, Hitler ordered the German military to attack Poland

HITLER’S PLAN FOR POLANDIn a speech to his military leaders, Hitler

leaves no doubt as to his intention with Poland: “Kill without pity or mercy all men, women, and children of the Polish race or language.”

He also said in a public speech: “I shall strike like lightning with the full force of a mechanized army, of which the Poles have no conception.”

On September 3rd, 1939, Britain and

France declared war on Germany

World War II had begun

WORLD WAR II BEGINS

WHAT WERE THE CAUSES OF WORLD WAR II?

Many factors played a part in the outbreak ofMany factors played a part in the outbreak of

World War II, but it can be broken down to World War II, but it can be broken down to

FOUR MAIN CAUSES:FOUR MAIN CAUSES:

1. The conditions of the Treaty of Versailles2. The aggression of totalitarian dictators3. The failure of the League of Nations4. The failure of appeasement