Rise of Dictators

Objective: Summarize the events that led to the rise of dictators in

Europe

WWI – Treaty of Versailles

• Signed June 28, 1919

• Germany had to:

• Pay billions of dollars in reparations

• Completely disarm

• Give up overseas colonies

• Give up some land in Europe

Great Depression- 1929 - 1942

• Severe economic crisis

• Business activity slowed sharply

• Unemployment rose

Mussolini - Italy

• First dictator in Europe after WWI

• Fascist – a non-democratic form of government that stresses the greatness of a race or nation

• Called Il Duce – the leader

• Outlawed all other political parties

• Took away people’s rights

• Stopped newspapers from reporting any news that he didn’t like

• Built up the military and attacked other countries; Ethiopia in 1935

• League of Nations mildly protested

• 1939 – Italy invaded Albania

Hitler - Germany

• Played on people’s emotions like Mussolini

• Led the National Socialist Party (Nazi Party) – believed that Germans were superior to others

• Blamed Jews for Germany’s problems

• Anti-Semitism, hatred of Jews, had many terrible results

• Gained power in 1939 and ended democracy

• Set up totalitarian rule – gets rids of all opposition and government controls every aspect of life

• Sought to dominate other nations as well as Germany

• Breaks treaty and rebuilt Germany’s military

• Formed an alliance with Italy in 1936

Soviet Union

• Joseph Stalin rose to power in late 1920s

• Communist leader – killed rivals and sent millions he thought were disloyal to labor camps

Japan

• Lacked jobs and food during the depression

• Military leaders believed Japan needed more land and resources.

• September, 1931 – invaded Manchuria in northeastern China

• League of Nations criticized Japan but did nothing else

• Hideki Tojo – one of the generals who led the invasion later become Prime Minister

• 1937 – Japanese army invaded China

• 1940 – joins Germany and Italy in the “Axis” alliance

United States

• Between 1935 and 1937 Congress passed the Neutrality Acts

• Laws said that the US could not lend money or sell weapons to nations at war

• European nations still had not paid back WWI loans

• Most Americans wanted to stay out of problems in other lands

Summary

• What were some of the problems that led to the rise of dictators in Germany and Italy?

• Why did people in the United States think the country needed the Neutrality Acts?

Summary: illustrate problems leading to the rise of dictators; create political cartoon explaining Neutrality Acts