interwar years

Depression and the Rise of Fascism

WWII: Long-term FACTORS

• Treaty of Versailles (1919) • League of Nations (1920) • Depression (1920s-1930s) • Rise of Fascist Dictatorships (1920s-1930s)

Treaty of versailles

• What was this?

• How did it lead to WWII?

treaty of versailles

• Treaty between Germany and the Allied Powers after WWI 1. Germany had to accept blame for starting the war.

2. Germany had to pay $33 billion USD in

reparations

the damage done during the war.

for 3. Germany was forbidden to have submarines or an air force. Their navy was limited to six battleships and their army to just 100,000 men. Germany could not plan any troops in the

Rhineland

(the strip of land next to France.) 4. Germany lost territory in Europe and all colonies were given to Britain and France.

league of nations

league of nations

worldwide depression begins in germany

• 1920s-1930s (U.S.: 1929) • Germany currency loses value after they lose WWI • Germany prints more and more money to pay reparations 

hyperinflation

• Why would this lead to WWII?

rise of dictatorships

Mussolini

becomes Prime Minister of

Italy

(1922)

Hitler

becomes Chancellor of

Germany

(1933) Hideki

Tojo

becomes Prime Minister of

Japan

(1941)

what is fascism?

causes of WWII (1930s)

• •

Appeasement

by Europe and the United States Appeasement: to give in or allow something to happen in order to “keep the peace” •

Aggression

by Germany

appeasement

• • • • •

Appeasement

– Britain and France wanted to avoid war so they continually give in to Hitler’s demands Britain – realized the Treaty of Versailles was too harsh towards Germany and was sympathetic France – would not do anything without Britain U.S. – dealing with the Great Depression and trying to return to its isolationist stance Russia – undergoing the “Great Purge” under Stalin • Consequence: Hitler becomes confident that the Allies were weak and would not fight – no matter what he does

AGGRESSION

• Germany needs lebensraum (“living space”) to build its civilization of the “Master Race” • 1936 – reoccupies the demilitarized Rhineland • 1938 – annexes Austria • 1938 – Munich Pact gives Germany control of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia • • *High point of Western appeasement: Pact signed by Britain and France Chamberlain (Britain): “The agreement establishes peace for our time.” • 1939 – signs a nonaggression pact with USSR (and agree to divide Poland between the two countries) • 1939 – invasion of Poland • •

Official beginning of WWII: September 1, 1939 Blitzkrieg

(“lightning war”)

World War II

The Deadliest Conflict in Human History 1939 WWII begins in Europe 1941 U.S. and Japan enter war 1945 WWII ends

Key Players

Allied Powers Chamberlin Churchill

Britain – early/appeasement – later/aggressive France (

de Gaulle

) U.S. (

FDR

) Soviet Union (

Stalin

) China (fighting a war against Japan – their war gets pulled into WWII) 15+ other countries…

Axis Powers

Germany (

Hitler

) Italy (

Mussolini

) Japan (

Tojo

)

European theater

Pacific theater

the war (overview)

• 1940 – The Axis advances • 1941 – The War becomes global (U.S. and Japan enter) • 1942 – Axis advance is stopped by the Allies • 1943 – Axis retreats • 1944 – Allies close in on Axis territory • 1945 – Axis collapses

1940 axis advances

• May-June 1940 –

Battle of France

• 3/5 of France is conquered by the Axis • September 1940 – May 1941 – 1 million houses destroyed 40,000 civilians killed

The Blitz

German bombing of the United Kingdom Bombing every night for 57 days straight

1941 war becomes global

• June 1941 – Germany breaks pact with USSR and

invades Soviet Union

• (Hitler convinced that the only reason Britain was remaining in the war was because they were hoping for Soviet support.) • • •

December 7, 1941

– Japanese attack on

Pearl Harbor

US enters WWII Japanese simultaneously attacked across the Pacific and creates the Greater East-Asia Co-prosperity Sphere (ruled by Japan)

1942 Axis advance stopped

• Japan loses series of battles in the Pacific •

Battle of Midway

(June 1942) • (DE Video) • Germany halted in the Soviet Union • Did not learn lesson from Napoleon – invading Russia is never a good idea!

• No winter uniforms • Supply line stretched thousands of miles •

Battle of Stalingrad

• Germans surrounded and cut off in frigid winter conditions – the best of the German troops (German Sixth Army) forced to surrender

1943 axis retreats

• Allies agree to fight until the Axis Powers surrender

unconditionally

• May 1943 – Axis troops surrender in North Africa • July 1943 – Soviet counteroffensive into eastern Europe • September 1943 – Allied invasion of Italy • Mussolini removed from office

1944 Allies close in

• • •

June 6, 1944

France –

D-Day

– Allied invasion of 2 million men and 500,000 vehicles landed in France and pushed inland August 1944 – Allies liberate Paris • December 1944 – January 1945 – Allied victory at the

Battle of the Bulge

1945 axis collapses

• March 1945 – Allies cross the Rhine River into Germany and link up with the Soviets • April 28, 1945 – Mussolini shot by resistance fighters • April 30, 1945 – Hitler commits suicide • May 7, 1945 – Germany surrenders • Japanese continue to fight in the Pacific • • August 1945 – U.S. drops two atomic bombs on

Hiroshima

and

Nagasaki

September 1945 – Japan surrenders

Wwii deaths

Country

China France Germany Italy Japan Soviet Union

Military

3-4 million 217,600 5.5 million 301,400 2.1 million 8.8-10.7 million United Kingdom 383,800 United States

TOTAL

416,800

22.4-25.5

million Civilian

7-16 million 350,000 1.1-3.1 million 153,200 0.5-1 million 12.7-14.6 million 67,100 1,700

37-54 million Total

10-20 million 567,600 6.6-8.6 million 454,600 2.6-3.1 million 23.4 million 450,900 418,500

62-78 million

Major consequences of the war

• Deadliest conflict in human history • Cost of war caused the decline of European power –

decolonization

in Asia and Africa •

United Nations

(UN) created to replace the League and prevent a future conflict • U.S. and Soviet Union emerge as the two superpowers – leading to the

Cold War