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World War II – Origins Unit 12 Lesson 2

Essential QuestionWhat were the main causes of WWII?

Dictators

• Benito Mussolini– Country: Italy– “Il Duce”– Fascist

combined feelings of intense nationalism, obedience to the party leader, racism, protection of the common people, worship of violent action

Why were people interested? • monarchies replaced by weak democracies

following WWI• People feared for their future, were willing to

surrender their political power to dictators who promised prosperity and expansion

• Joseph Stalin– USSR– Dictator– Gov’t: Socialism– Collectivization – Gulag

• Adolf Hitler– Germany– Title: Der Fuhrer (“the

Leader”)– Aryan Race– Nazi Party

Hitler makes demands…• …to expand military• …to build an air force• …to unite all German-

speaking regions

• Appointed Chancellor (head of the German government)– Conservative politicians believed they could control

him• Reichstag fire

full control

• Nazi control of German Institutions

• Opposition newspapers and political parties were banned

• German army took an oath of allegiance to Hitler

Failure of the League of Nations

• Powerless• Based on the idea of

collective security• No army of its own• Hitler defies Treaty of Versailles

– Rebuilt German military power, sent troops to the Rhineland

• League of Nations failed to stop him U.S., Britain, France even participated in 1936 Olympics

• Failed to halt aggression

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Failure of Appeasement

• Annexation of Austria• Anschluss

• Sudetenland• part of Czechoslovakia• large number of German

speaking people• Munich Conference Appeasement

• giving into the demands of a potential enemy• Neville Chamberlain “peace in our time”• Hitler encouraged further demands, Britain and

France were weak and would do almost anything to avoid war

Kristallnacht“Night of Broken Glass”

November 9, 1938

• German diplomat assassinated in Paris by Jewish refugee• Excuse to attack Jewish synagogues, stores

• Jews were attacked (90+ killed)• businesses were closed• Synagogues destroyed• communities were forced to pay a large fine for the

assassination• Thousands arrested, sent to concentration camps

• Turning Point• Nazis moved from propaganda and discrimination against Jews

to more active measures of persecution • World Reaction: shocked, US withdrew ambassador from Berlin

War Begins!• March 1939- Hitler sent German

army to occupy Prague, made new demands on Poland and claimed Danzig

• British, French leaders knew now that Hitler’s goal was conquest of Europe

• Resisted new demands and promised to protect Poland

• Hitler and Stalin negotiate a secret treaty Nazi-Soviet Pact (Aug 1939)

Blitzkrieg• New technology!• Airplanes, tanks, radio communications, motorized

artillery, motorized troop carriers all applications of internal combustion engine

• Advantage in combat on shifted to offense • Where we get the name: lightening warfare

The Fall of France

• France and Britain declared warbut did little to help Poland

• April 1940 Germany invaded Denmark and Norway

• May 1940 Germany attacked Netherlands, Belgium, France, Luxembourg• Avoided the strong French barrier Maginot Line by

marching through Belgium• June 1940 French were

forced to surrender• British expeditionary force,

cornered in Dunkirk withdrew across the English Channel

The “Battle of Britain”• Luftwaffe

• German air force• Attempted to force British into

submission• Bombed London and other British

cities• Tried to create a sense of terror

• RAF shot down many German planes

• civilians would crowd into bombshelters or the London Underground

• British used new tech of radar

1. What objects or symbols does the cartoonist use and what does each represent?2. Explain the message of the cartoon.3. How would this cartoon have affected views at the time is was created?4. What special interest groups would agree/disagree with the cartoon’s message? Why?