CHAPTER 23 WORLD WAR II ERUPTSCH. 23-1 THE RISE OF DICTATORS

AMERICAN HISTORY

EUROPE AFTER WORLD WAR I

Economic problems, social change, and the threat of communism helped produce a RED SCARE—a fear of aliens and radicals

European economy was in ruins

PROBLEMS WITH PEACE Treaty of Versailles brought the war to an

end Many European nations dissatisfied with

result

France had hoped the treaty would severely weaken Germany

Italy had hope to gain territory because they were on the winning side but they were ignored

GERMAN OUTRAGE German people & military were

humiliated

Germany had to give up large industrial areas

Germany had to pay large war reparations Early 1920s—severe inflation occurred

(hyperinflation) (chart p. 739) Communists and Socialists tried to take

control of Germany 1918-1919 but failed Germany established a democratic

government Weimar (VY-mahr) Republic

Not a very strong government Opposition from political far left—

Communists—and the far right, which was antidemocratic

German military was reduced in size and power

TOTALITARIAN LEADERS ARISE New leaders began to emerge in

Europe They reflected to people’s bitterness

and anger They promised a return to greatness Their vision was so appealing that

people were willing to give up basic freedoms in return for hope of future glory

MUSSOLINI AND THE BIRTH OF FASCISM

Benito Mussolini (Italy)--socialist Unlike most socialists, he supported

Italy’s entry into WWI By wars end, he had move to the far

right of Italian politics and strongly opposed socialism and communism

Founded a new Italian political party—the National Fascist Party

FASCIST—comes from a latin word for “a bundle of rods tied together”

Ancient Romans used this bundle as a symbol of their state

Romans thought a single rod could be broken but a bundle of rods was very strong

Mussolini thought that FASCISM was a system of government that stressed the glory of the state

Slogan—”Everything in the State, nothing outside the state”

Rights and concerns of individuals were of little importance

Mussolini used a dynamic speaking ability to win a seat in Parliament

1922—He became leader of the government Mussolini established a DICTATORSHIP—

government by a leader or group that holds unchallenged power

He did not allow other political parties and he crushed opponents

His government controlled newspapers, schools, and businesses

All power flowed through Mussolini He was referred to as “IL DUCE”—the

leader TOTALITARIAN REGIME—Mussolini

controlled everyday life in Italy

HITLER’S RISE TO POWER Born in Austria Rejected by the Austrian military

because they thought he was to weak to carry a weapon

He volunteered with the German army in WWI and built a solid record as a soldier

He joined a small political party known as the National Socialists, or Nazis

It was during this period that Hitler found his talent for public speaking

1923—organized an effort to seize power in Germany by force

Hitler arrested and sentenced to 5 years in prison—he served 9 months

In prison he produced a book entitled MEIN KAMPF (My Struggle)

Hitler stressed nationalism and devotion to state

In Mein Kampf Hitler expressed a belief in the racial superiority of Germanic peoples that he called Aryans

He blamed Jews for many of Germany’s problems

He said Jews threatened the purity of the Aryan race

After prison Hitler wanted to gain power through peaceful means

1933—Nazi Party was the most powerful in Germany

Hitler became Germany’s chancellor Now he pushed to become a

totalitarian dictator Using political skill and violence he

eliminated opponents Hitler began a secret build-up of the

military

OTHER REGIMES Civil war erupted in Spain in 1930s This brought Fascist general Fransisco

Franco to power In the Soviet Union communism was

already established when Joseph Stalin came to power in the mid-1920s

Stalin violently crushed opponents Towns and cities were renamed after him

and portraits were displayed everywhere

In Japan military leaders used violence to gain control of the government

They were inspired by nationalistic dreams of greatness that would lead to war

TOTALITARIAN GOVERNMENTS AND MILITARY FORCE A common feature of the leaders of

this time was their willingness to use violence to gain power

JAPAN AND MANCHURIA A major problem in Japan was lack of

space Japan was led by a civilian

government but people were unhappy

1931—Some Japanese generals invaded the Chinese province of Manchuria without government approval

The government ordered the military to stop but the order was ignored

The League of Nations strongly criticized Japan so Japan simply withdrew from the League

ITALY INVADES ETHIOPIA The weakness of the League of Nations was

evident when Italy invaded Ethiopia Ethiopia was unable to resist Leader Haile Selassie asked the League for

help The League failed or refused to act American leaders spoke out against Italy President Franklin Roosevelt was unwilling

to take any other formal action

THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR 1930s—political turmoil in Spain Left (Communists) vs. Right (Fascists &

Nationalists) 1936—conflict led to civil war War attracted involvement from other

countries in Europe and North America Italy and Germany sent forces on the side of

the Nationalists Soviet Union and United States helped the

other side (aka The Republicans)

The fighting was brutal Hundreds of thousands of people

died This included several hundred

American volunteers 1939—Franco’s Nationalists defeated

the Republicans Spain was now under control of a

fascist dictator

HITLER TAKES ACTION

Hitler openly stated his plan to re-arm Germany in violation of the Treaty of Versailles

Hitler managed to convince Great Britain and France to tolerate his actions

1935—Britain allowed Germany to rebuild their navy & submarines

Hitler claimed the military was needed to resist communism

MILITARIZING THE RHINELAND Under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany

was required to keep its troops out of the area in the Rhine River valley along the French border

1936—Germany violated the treaty by sending in troops

Hitler claimed a recent military agreement between France and the Soviet Union threatened Germany

France was alarmed about the German troops Britain had no interest in going to war over

German troops Hitler grew bolder

THE ANSCHLUSS 1938—Hitler took action to gain control of

Austria He dreamed of uniting all ethnic Germans

including Austrians

1938—Hitler tried to force the Austrian government to agree to ANSCHLUSS—union with Germany

Austria refused Hitler sent troops into the country

THE SUDENTENLAND Hitler was confident no one would

stop him

His next move was to control of a German-speaking section of Czechoslovakia called the Sudentenland

He urged Germans to protest Czech rule Then he threatened a military attack British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain

and French Premier Edouard Daladier met with Hitler in Munich to avoid a crisis

Britain and France allowed Hitler to annex the Sudentenland

Czechoslovakia was not represented at the meeting and protested

Chamberlain boasted of having achieving “peace for our time.”

In reality, the world was on the verge of war

THE END