World War II

1. World War II Test #7 Lecture Notes VUS.11-12

2. Axis Powers

3. Axis Powers • 1.) Italy • Mussolini and the Fascist Party • 2.) Germany • Hitler and the Nazi Party • 3.) Japan • Emperor Tojo and General Hirohito

4. 1.) Fascism in Italy • Most people in Italy felt dissatisfied after WWI • Italy had entered the war late on the side of the Allies during WWI—hoping to gain some land • Italy did not get what it had hoped for after the war • Italy only received a small piece of Austrian territory • This made Italy very bitter with the rest of the Allies

5. Italy also suffered from heavy debts caused by WWI • Soldiers coming home could not find work • Italian industries had not raw materials • Italian industries had no markets for their goods • Italy’s largest buyers before the war were Austria and Germany—now they both had been defeated in WWI and had no $ to buy goods from Italy

6. Benito Mussolini: • Born in 1883 to a working class family • A journalist and very active in socialist politics before WWI • After WWI, he left his socialist ideas and became a nationalist • 1919: Mussolini created a new political party in Italy—FascidiCombattimento(Fascist Party)

8. Mussolini’s FascidiCombattimento: • Glorified the state, a strong single ruler, and totalitarian government • The state had absolute authority • The party defended private property and class structure • War and conquest were glorified to achieve national goals • An attempt to recreate the old glory of ancient Rome

9. 1920s: Italy experience lots of economic problems • Value of the Lira (Italian $) declined • Bread prices increased • A coal shortage occurred • Workers began to strike • Peasants started seizing land from the wealthy land owners • The Middle and Upper classes feared a communist revolution like that which occurred in Russia

10. Mussolini tried to win the favor of the landowners by vowing to end all of the unrest and protect private property—what the middle and upper classes wanted • By 1921: fascism was a major force in Italy • Mussolini’s Blackshirts—his followers—physically attacked political opponents and drove officials out of office

11. Mussolini and his Blackshirts

12. The democratic government of Italy did nothing to stop the Blackshirts • The government’s apathy caused Mussolini to do more • October 1922: the Fascists marched on Rome • King Victor Emmanuel II named Mussolini Prime Minister of Italy • Mussolini legally assumed power in Italy

13. Mussolini’s Dictatorship: • As Prime Minister of Italy, Mussolini quickly put an end to the democracy in Italy • In the elections of 1924, the Blackshirts used violence to make people vote for fascist candidates • Fascists won the majority of seats in the Italian Parliament • The party’s victory gave Mussolini lots of power in Italy

14. With his new power, Mussolini began calling himself “Il Duce”—The Leader • He reorganized the government into a cooperate state • The majority of people in Italy supported Mussolini • Those people that opposed fascism and Mussolini were arrested, assaulted, and murdered • The people believed he had done good for Italy • He had prevented a communist revolution • He had brought order to Italy

15. 1935: Benito Mussolini wanted to test his powers • He “flexed his muscles” by invading Ethiopia (Africa) • Ethiopian soldiers had no chance against Mussolini’s mechanized military • Ethiopians were fighting on horseback with outdated weapons • By the Spring of 1936, Italy had control over Ethiopia

16. 2.) Germany • Weimar Republic: • The Allies wanted to make sure Germany would never threaten European Peace again • The Versailles Treaty put heavy restrictions on Germany • Limiting Germany’s size • Forced a democratic government on Germany

17. 1919: the German people voted for delegates to go into the new democratic national assembly • The new assembly met in Weimar, Germany • The new assembly drafted a democratic constitution that created a democratic republic in Germany • From 1919 to 1933, the Weimar Republic—the assembly—ruled over Germany

18. From very early on, the Weimar Republic met with lots of opposition • 1920: nationalist army officers attempted to overthrow the Weimar government by staging a coup d'état • The officers believed the Weimar leaders had betrayed Germany by accepting the Treaty of Versailles • The Weimar leaders were able to squash the revolt

19. Reparations: • The governments of Great Britain and France had promised their citizens that Germany would pay for WWI • The Allies set the cost of the war at $35 billion • 1922: German government said it could not pay for the war because the nation had NO $ • France still insisted that Germany pay off the debt • 1923: French troops marched into the Ruhr Valley and took control of the coal and steal mills

20. Inflation: • To pay off the war debt, the German government began printing more money—the money had no backing • Printing more $ without backing led to high inflation in Germany • The German Mark lost nearly all of its value • 1923: 1 trillion Marks=$1 (US) • German money had no real value at all

23. France eventually backed off a little from Germany • Germany began getting loans from the US, allowing Germany to slowly regain its economic strength • This will, of course, end when the US enters a depression and cannot loan money to Germany any longer

24. Nazism & Hitler: • Many different political parties began challenging the Weimar Republic • One party in particular was the National Socialist Workers’ Party—Nazi Party • Adolf Hitler became a member of the Nazi Party • Hitler had tried to enter an Austrian art school but failed the entrance exams • He had served in the military during WWI—becoming wounded in the war • After his failed art career, he decided to go into politics

25. Hitler’s Art Adolf Hitler

26. Hitler formed a private army—Brownshirts • The Brownshirts were mostly street thugs and Hitler’s friends • 1923: Hitler was arrested and put in jail for a drunken attempt at to create a coup d'état against the Weimar Republic • While in jail, he wrote Mein Kampf—”My Struggle” • The book outlined Hitler’s views on Germany and why Germany had suffered so greatly during and after WWI • He blamed the Jews and Communists for Germany’s defeat in WWI

27. When Germany began to recover some in the 1920s, the Nazi Party began losing power and influence • 1929: after the American stock market failure and the stoppage of loans to Germany, the German people were ready for the Nazi message • Germans began to believe Hitler’s claims that the Jews were causing Germany’s problems • The people believed Hitler could solve all of Germany’s problems

28. 1932: the Nazi Party won 229 seats in the Reichstag (German Parliament) • The victories made the Nazi Party the largest party in the Reichstag • January 30, 1933: the German president—Paul von Hindenburg—asked Hitler to become German Chancellor • The Nazi’s and Hitler had gained power in a legal manor • Hitler Speech Video

29. Hitler in Power: • Hitler’s Primary goal when he came to power:to create a totalitarian state • He wanted the Nazis to have total control over the Reichstag • He wanted to hold new elections • One week before the elections were held, the Reichstag burned to the ground • Hitler blamed the communists for the fire, but Hitler probably had the fire started himself

30. New elections were held • Hitler’s Brownshirts forced German voters to vote for Nazi candidates • Once the Reichstag was under Nazi control, Hitler then set out to crush his opponents—especially the communists • Hitler banned all political parties except the Nazi party • Hitler banned freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press • All labor unions would be placed under Nazi control

31. Hitler and the Jews: • Hitler’s most vicious attacks were against the Jews in Germany • 1935: Hitler passed the Nuremberg Laws • The laws restricted Jews’ freedoms • Citizenship was stripped from the Jews • Jews were forbidden to hold public office • Jewish children could not go to school • Jewish businesses were burned • Jews were forced to wear yellow badges signifying their being Jewish

33. Kristallnacht: “the night of broken glass” • When Jews and Jewish business were vandalized by the Nazi Party

35. Gestapo: Hitler’s secret police • The Gestapo arrested Jews and Nazi opponents

36. Hitler even feared some of his own supporters • He feared the radical members of the Nazi Party • 1934: Hitler had hundreds of Brownshirts killed • Called Night of the Long Knives • Also called Operation Hummingbird

37. Once Hitler believed had had all power, he began calling himself Der Fuhrer (the leader) • Hitler called his government the Third Reich • He believed his government would last 1000 years • Once in power, Hitler began to ignore the Versailles Treaty • He began building a massive army and a huge supply of weapons—actually giving many Germans jobs • “Today Germany; tomorrow, the World.”—A. Hitler

38. 1938: Hitler marched into Austria and proclaimed Austria part of Germany • Hitler faced NO opposition in gaining Austria • 6 months later, Hitler’s troops marched into the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia • This region had a large German population • No one in Europe was willing to stand up to Hitler and challenge his taking over of Europe

39. France and Great Britain took on a policy of appeasementtoward Hitler • France and Great Britain were trying to avoid war with Hitler • They would give into Hitler’s demands in an attempt to keep peace

40. September 1938: a conference was held in Munich • British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and French Prime Minister Edouard Daladier agreed NOT to oppose Hitler’s advance into the Sudetenland • The 3 nations signed the Munich Pact—this allowed Hitler’s conquest of the Sudetenland to stand • Chamberlain believed war had been averted by the Munich Pact—”We have secured peace in our time.”

42. 3.) Japan—Prime Minister Hideki Tojo • Japan’s government shifted from a civilian controlled government to a military controlled government after the world wide depression struck in the 1920s and 1930s • The military government was looking to create an empire for Japan • Japan’s growing population placed heavy strains on the nation’s resources • Japan needed to find new places to get the resources it needed—especially land and raw materials

43. Japan was also tired of being dependent on other nations for much of the resources they needed • A Pacific Empire would make Japan more self-sufficient and less reliant on other nations • Japan started their quest for an empire even before their involvement in World War I

44. 1895: Japan had gained the island of Taiwan • 1904-1905: Japan had gained land in Korea and parts of Manchuria • Japan wanted the rest of Manchuria • 1931: Japan invaded Manchuria to get its iron and coal • Japan also wanted the land in Manchuria so that Japan could colonize the land to produce agricultural and industrial goods • By 1932, Japan had control over Manchuria • Japan installed a “puppet government” in Manchuria

45. The League of Nations looked down on Japan for Japan’s taking of Manchuria • Japan withdrew from the League of Nations • 1937: Japan moved its forces into Northern China • Japan executed over 200,000 Chinese citizens in their capture of the Chinese capital—called the “China Incident” • 1940: Japan signed the Tripartite Pactwith Italy and Germany—creating the Axis Powers • Each nation pledged to help one another if the U. S. attacked either Japan, Germany, or Italy

46. By the fall of 1941, Hideki Tojo had become Prime Minister of Japan • The U. S. had become very upset at Japan’s attacks on China • FDR cut off all fuel and metal shipments to Japan

47. Allied Powers • 1.) Soviet Union • Joseph Stalin and Communism • Had a pact with Germany, but the pact was broken when Germany invaded The Soviet Union • 2.) Great Britain • Neville Chamberlain and Winston Churchill • 3.) United States • Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman

48. Joseph Stalin

49. Hitler with Neville Chamberlain

50. Winston Churchill