Transcript Buildup to World War II

Buildup to World War II
Mrs. Housenick
US History
2/25/10
Germany Faces Economic Collapse
(1920s)
 Germany on verge of economic collapse
 Had been punished harshly by Treaty of Versailles
 Forced to reduce military, admit guilt for war, pay 32 billion
dollars in reparations!
 Desperate, government prints money
 INFLATION!!!
 Democratic government—Weimar Republic—too weak to
do anything to fix problems.
Germany Faces Economic Collapse
(1920s) ctnd.
 US REPONSE:
 US goes back to isolationism, doesn’t want to get involved in European
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affairs
US tries to mend relationship with Latin America by withdrawing troops
from Haiti and Panama “Good Neighbor Policy”
Same time, US insists allies pay us back ALL the money owed, couldn’t since
Germany wasn’t paying them
Dawes Plan—US lent money to Germany, to pay allies, to pay US (really just
circling money around)
London Economic Conference—US wants to continue own inflationary
policy, not cooperate to stabilize currency
Did increase trade with Reciprocal Trade Agreements—decrease tariff
The Rise of Hitler (1934)
 Austrian, high school drop-out, served in German army in
WWI, angry at Treaty of Versailles
 Joins National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi Party)
in 1921
 Led an attempted uprising against government, thrown in jail
 Writes Mein Kampf (“My Struggle)
 Racist ideas of Aryan superiority, destroying inferior races
 Blamed Jews for Germany’s economic problems
The Rise of Hitler ctnd. (1934)
 After jail, rebuilds Nazi party, wins majority in German congress
 German president asked Hitler to become chancellor
 1934: Hitler declares himself Fuhrer (dictator) of Germany,
establishes a fascist state
 Passes Nuremberg Laws against Jews
 Had to move to ghettos, couldn’t practice law or medicine, had to
register with government and wear yellow star.
 Kristallnacht—(Night of Broken Glass)—Germans attacked Jewish
part of town, 100s killed, 30,000 arrested or sent to camps
The Rise of Hitler ctnd. (1934)
 US RESPONSE
 US focused on Depression and New Deal here at home
 Encouraged allies to agree to disarmament
 US decreases size of its military
 Washington Naval Treaty—creates ratio for battleships
 Signed Kellog-Briand Pact—62 nations condemn war, not
a way to solve problems
Fascism in Italy (1935)
 Italy also faced economic and political problems
 Mussolini rises to power after WWI
 Established fascist state—all about building Italy’s strength
and military
 Made it a goal to take over other countries
 1935 Italy invades Ethiopia and makes it an Italian colony.
 Wants more
Fascism in Italy (1935) ctnd.
 US RESPONSE:
 Neutrality Acts (1930s)—US won’t sell weapons or supplies
to any countries engaged in conflict
 Nye Commission—concludes WWII prompted by US
bankers and war manufacturers who want to make profit
 Roosevelt does call for a moral embargo against Italy
 Encourages American businesses not to trade with Italy until it
gives up land
 Not enforced or required!
The Spanish Civil War (1936-39)
 Fascist party led by Francisco Franco vs. Republicans
 Mussolini and Hitler helped Franco
 Franco wins, Spain becomes fascist dictatorship (until
1970s!)
 Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis forms (alliance between Italy,
Germany and Japan)
The Spanish Civil War (1936-39) ctnd.
 US RESPONSE:
 US government takes no official position
 3,000 US citizens volunteered and helped Spanish army
against Franco Abraham Lincoln Brigade
The Rise of Militarism in Japan (193141)
 Worldwide Depression brought Japan economic disaster
 People desperate, so group of military leaders took power
promising stability
 Broke treaty by constructing more battleships, quit League of
Nations
 Promise to expand Japan’s power through imperialism
 1931 Japan invades Manchuria—part of China
The Rise of Militarism in Japan (193141) ctnd.
 US REPONSE:
 Stimson Doctrine—US won’t recognize any land Japan
takes by force
 Roosevelt makes Quarantine Speech—argued that US and
other countries should put economic embargo on Japan
 No action to accompany speech
 Still US withdraws from Asia
 Tydings McDuffie Act gives Phillipines independence in 12
years
 US does nothing when ship Panay hit by Japanese
Violation and Appeasement (1936-38)
 Hitler invades Rhineland, violating Treaty of Versailles
 Invades Austria, declares it part of Germany
 Next, turns his eyes on Sudetenland, part of Czechoslovakia
 MUNICH AGREEMENT: Britain and France agree to let
Hitler take the Sudetenland, if he promises not to any more
land
 APPEASEMENT!
Violation and Appeasement (1936-38)
 US REPONSE:
 US supports Munich Pact, continues to stay neutral
The Invasion of Czechoslovakia (1939)
 Six months after Munich, Hitler breaks promise and invades
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all of Czech.
Announces he now wants Poland
Britain promises will go to war if Hitler tries to take Poland
Germany and Russia sign Nazi-Soviet Pact—neither
country will attack the other
Hitler now has a clear path into Poland!
The Invasion of Czechoslovakia (1939)
ctnd.
 US REPONSE:
 Roosevelt urged European leaders to negotiate for peace
World War II Begins (1939)
 Hitler invades Poland
 Britain and France declare war on Germany
 Poland collapses to Germany
 After this, next six month of war proceeded slowly
 “Phony war”
World War II Begins (1939)
 US RESPONSE:
 America First Committee forms—to encourage government
to stay out of war
 Government realizes we do have to assist Britain and France
in some way
 Begin cash and carry—Allies can buy supplies and
weapons from US as long as pay cash and transport
themselves.
US Support of Britain (1941)
 By 1940, Hitler had taken over almost all of Europe, except
Britain
 Britain is isolated and alone in fighting the Nazis
 Bombed constantly
US Support of Britain (1941)
 US RESPONSE:
 Increase US military budget and institue a draft to prepare for war
 Atlantic Charter—US and Britain sign this to agree on war
aims. Both say they aren’t interested in gaining territory. Lay out
plans for UN
 Lend-Lease Act/Destroyers for Bases Deal
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US agreed to lend military supplies to Britain and transport them
In exchange Britain gave us military bases
Deal extended to Soviets as well
US ships started to be attacked by Germans again
Bombing of Pearl Harbor (1941)
 Japan saw US as a threat to their desire to control the Pacific
 US had begun embargo against Japan in 1940
 Froze Japanese assets in US, stopped shipments of gasoline
 Japanese planned secret attack on US military base at Pearl
Harbor to crush American naval and air power in Pacific—
December 7, 1941
 2,300 Americans were killed
Bombing of Pearl Harbor (1941) ctnd.
 Congress declares war on Japan
 Germany and Italy declare war on US