Steps to War

Prelude to World War II 1918-1941 Treaty of Versailles

Treaty of Versailles ended WW I. The United States wanted reconciliation with Germany, but England and France blamed Germany for the war and wanted to punish her. They also wanted to ensure that Germany would never be able to start a war again. Treaty of Versailles

The terms of the treaty were very harsh for Germany. They included: • Germany accepted responsibility for starting the war • Had to pay reparations, or restitution, to its former enemies totaling $33 billion • Germany lost territory to other countries, and lost its overseas colonies. • Could only have a small lightly armed army and navy. Treaty of Versailles

• The terms of the treaty humiliated Germany and left the country in an impossible economic situation. The Great Depression

Germany was hit hard by the Great Depression • Many people were unemployed • The government could not make its reparation payments. • Business failed, unemployment rose • Inflation made money worthless. Adolph Hitler Comes to Power

• Problems caused by the Great Depression opened the way for people such as Hitler to take power by promising to improve the economy and make Germany a great nation again. • Hitler appealed to people’s sense of national pride. – Said that all German people (Aryans) should be united in one nation. • Planned to make “inferior” people their slaves Adolph Hitler Comes to Power

• Hitler used public works such as building the Autobahn (freeways), and rearming the German military to create jobs and help the national economy. • Hitler also stopped payments of war reparations. Adolph Hitler Comes to Power

• Anti-communist, anti Jew • Played on the emotions of people; gave the German people someone to blame

German Anti-semetic cartoon of the Nazis removing jewish school teachers Adolph Hitler Comes to Power

• Adopted the swastika as his symbol with the aim of making a connection between the ancient Aryans and the modern German people. (The Swastika is an ancient Aryan symbol of the sun.) • Non-Aryan people tried to escape to various countries around the world. Benito Mussolini takes power in Italy

Established a nationalistic party called the Fascists. • Became a dictator in Italy in 1925 • In spite of his brutal treatment of his opponents, he was popular because things seemed to go well. • When corruption and other problems arose, he started a war in Africa to gain more territory and take attention away from problems. Tojo & Hirohito come to power in Japan

• Tojo was the leader of the military. • Hirohito was the emperor; the Japanese Emperor Hirohito in believed he was a god. 1928, was more than a figurehead in Japan.

Hideki Tōjō Prime Minister of Japan Tojo & Hirohito come to power in Japan

Japan needed raw materials and other resources to prosper. • Japan invaded Manchuria, a coal rich province of China for resources. • It planned to take over other territories in the Asian Pacific area as well. • They saw the United States as their most important rival in this area. U.S. Response

• Demanded Japan withdraw troops from China • Cut out trade with Japan • Embargo on oil shipments to Japan • This puts Japan in a position where they will need to fight against the United States. German Aggression

• In 1936, German forces enter the Rhineland on the border with France. Britain and France do nothing. • In 1938, Hitler conquers Austria. No action is taken. • Later in 1938, Germany invades the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia Policy of Appeasement

Britain and France wanted to stop Hitler, but they were not in a position to use force. • Their armies were not prepared • People did not want another war. They remembered the slaughter of World War 1 Policy of Appeasement

• At a conference in Munich, Germany, it was agreed that Hitler would be allowed to keep the Sudetenland. In return, Hitler promised this was “the last territorial claim I have to make in Europe.” The War Begins

• In 1939, Hitler conquers the rest of Czechoslovakia. Then Germany turns its attention to Poland. • In September of 1939, Hitler invades Poland, using “blitzkrieg” or “lightning war” tactics. • Great Britain and France declare war on Germany, and World War II begins. • Hitler then invades Belgium and France and quickly conquers both countries • Hitler attacks Britain in the Battle of Britain. The War Begins

• Great Britain and France declare war on Germany, and World War II begins. • Hitler then invades Belgium and France and quickly conquers both countries • Hitler attacks Britain in the Battle of Britain. Battle of Britain July to October of 1940

• This battle was fought by the British and German Air Forces • Germany tried to eliminate the British Air Force and Production Factories Battle of Britain July to October of 1940

• Day and Night bombing was to prepare for and invasion force from German occupied France • Britain was able to hold out and was not defeated. Battle of Britain July to October of 1940

• Britain was inspired by weekly and nightly radio broadcast from Winston Churchill. • This was considered Britain’s finest hour and Germany’s first great defeat Attack on the Soviet Union

• Hitler breaks an agreement with Stalin not to attack, and invades the Soviet Union. • Hitler wanted the farmland and oil fields to support his war effort. • German troops drive deep into Russia, to Moscow, when the severe Russian winter and long supply lines force them to retreat. American Isolationism

• The United States did not want to be involved in another foreign war. • America helped the allies by providing them with equipment and ammunition under the “Lend-lease Act” American Isolationism

• Business prospered by making war materials for Europe. • The war industry was very important in the recovery of the Depression Attack on Pearl Harbor

• Japan saw the United States as its major obstacle in the way of conquering Asian territories. Attack on Pearl Harbor

• They carried out a sneak attack at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, destroying much of the American fleet there. Attack on Pearl Harbor

• Admiral Yamamoto, who commanded the Japanese fleet, when he heard of the success of the attack, said, “I fear we have only succeeded in awakening a sleeping tiger.” The United States Declares War

• President Roosevelt asks congress for a declaration of war. He calls Dec. 7 “A day that will live in infamy.” • On December 11, Germany and Italy declare war on the United States The Battle of the Atlantic

U-boats • If Germany had prevented merchant ships from carrying food, raw materials, troops and their equipment from North America to Britain, the outcome of World War Two could have been radically different. • Britain might have been starved into submission, and her armies would not have been equipped with American-built tanks and vehicles. 1942; The Battle of the Atlantic

• If the Allies had not been able to move ships across the North Atlantic, it would have been impossible to put British and American forces ashore in the Mediterranean theatres or on D-Day. • Germany's best hope of defeating Britain lay in winning what Churchill christened the 'Battle of the Atlantic'.