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American Participation in World War II. SOL Review Materials for Unit Eight: World War II. The Rise of Fascist Dictators in Europe Between the Wars.
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American Participation in World War II SOL Review Materials for Unit Eight: World War II
The Rise of Fascist Dictators in Europe Between the Wars • The economic devastation of World War I caused widespread discontent in Europe, especially in Germany. The high reparations they were responsible for caused political instability in the country during the 1920s and 1930s. • A period of worldwide depression worsened the crisis – the Great Depression was not just an American affair. • High inflation in Germany made money almost completely worthless. • Massive unemployment in Germany crippled the nation’s economy.
The Rise of Fascism Caused WW II • Fascism is political philosophy in which total power is given to a dictator (totalitarianism and dictatorship are two characteristics.) • All individual rights were given up to the national government – or dictator. • Racism was common – Anti-Semitism , or hatred of Jewish people, in Germany. The Nazis considered “Aryans” – a fictional German identity - a superior race.
Fascist Dictatorships Benito Mussolini of Italy Adolf Hitler of Nazi Germany
Fascist Dictatorships Hideki Tojo of Japan Francisco Franco of SPain Franco did not participate in World War II, and won’t be on the SOL Test. (But’s he was still a hateful little fascist dictator!)
The Aggression of the Axis Powers: Nazi Germany Nazi Germany used its military power to attack surrounding nations, including Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. Nazi Germany acted out in violation of the Treaty of Versailles almost immediately, and began to expand it’s territory and influence. It occupied the Rhineland in violation of the treaty, annexed Austria in the Anschluss, took over the Sudetenland and later the remainder of Czechoslovakia, as well. In the meantime, Nazi Germany used it’s increasingly powerful military to support the fascist dictator Francisco Franco in Spain, and formed an alliance with Benito Mussolini – the original Fascist dictator – in Italy.
The Aggression of the Axis Powers: Fascist Italy Fascist Italy attacked nearby nations as well, including Albania, Libya, and Ethiopia. Under Benito Mussolini, Italy built up its military and empowered its government to control the people of the nation. Mussolini’s hope – he said – was to restore the greatness of Italy last felt during the period of the Roman Empire. By invading Albania, and such military lightweights as Libya, Eritrea, and Ethiopia, he hoped to restore Italy to a place of honor and international respect. Never mind that Italy was barely able to subdue a ferocious defense of their nation by Haile Selassie and his followers. Mussolini courted a partnership with Nazi Germany in the 1930s, after Hitler rose to power modeling Mussolini’s arbitrary and violent rule.
The Aggression of the Axis Powers: Japanese Aggression in Asia and the Pacific Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931 and mainland China in 1937. In 1941, they bombed and attempted to take over American possessions in the Philippines and Hawaii. During the early part of the 1900s, Theodore Roosevelt suggested to the Japanese Imperial government that he considered the nation the most powerful, influential, and fit to rule in the region. Japanese expansion into the continent of Asia and the islands of the Pacific had been a goal for some time, then, when the Japanese military made it a major priority starting in the 1930s. Korea was subjugated, and Manchuria was invaded in the early part of the 1930s. China was invaded in 1937, and coordinated attacks upon the islands of the Pacific – including American territories in 1941 – would bring on war.
The Allied Powers During WW II • England and the United States – who had promised to defeat the Nazi tyranny by signing the Atlantic Charter in 1941, were the first Allies. • The Soviet Union would join the Allies in 1941, when they were attacked by Nazi Germany. Many other nations, including France, Canada, Australia, and China, played vital roles in supporting the Allied Powers during World War II.
The Leaders of the Allied Powers The Big Three leaders of the Allied Powers during World War II were (from left to right): Joseph Stalin of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) Franklin Delano Roosevelt of the United States of American (USA) Winston Churchill of Great Britain, or England.
From Neutrality to War • After World War I, the United States rejected the Treaty of Versailles, refused to join the League of Nations, and adopted a policy of isolationism towards Europe between the wars. • During the 1930s, a series of Neutrality Acts were passed allowing Americans to provide only limited economic and military aid to the Allies. • When the Lend-Lease Act was passed, the United States gave Britain war supplies and old naval warships in return for military bases in Bermuda and the Caribbean.
The War Starts in Europe World War II began in Europe when Nazi Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. The United States DID NOT enter the war until much later – when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, setting off World War II in Europe. At the same time, the Soviet Union also invaded Poland and the Baltic nations from the East. Both England and France immediately declared war on Germany. Neither nation, however, declared war on the Soviet Union. The USSR and Nazi Germany had signed a non-aggression pact in 1939, promising not to invade one another, and dividing Poland roughly in half. Both France and England realized that the Soviet Union would be an important ally in the future, though. Hitler, they assumed, would double cross Stalin just as he had all of the nations of Europe with the Munich Pact.
The Nazis Capture Paris, and France Falls Germany invaded France and captured Parisin the summer of 1940. To the right, you can see Nazi soldiers marching through the Arc de Triumph in the center of Paris. For the United States and England, the liberation of France would become a major goal of the war going forward. The Soviet Union insisted that the United States and England should invade the West Coast of Europe to open a second front in the war. It was not until June 6, 1944, - D-Day – when the United States and the Allies opened a second front to fight the Nazis.
The Battle of Britain During 1940 and 1941, Germany began its bombardment of London. Although much of the city was destroyed, the people never surrendered. Winston Churchill delivered inspirational speeches to the people of England. The Battle of Britain was conducted mostly in the air, and the Royal Air Force defeated the Germany Luftwaffe despite being heavily outnumbered. Hitler soon turned his attention to the East and invaded the USSR.
The United States Goes to War with Japan After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States entered into World War II. Rising tension developed between the United States and Japan because of Japanese aggression in East Asia. On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor without warning. The following day, FDR declared the attack “a date that will live in infamy” and asked for a declaration of war against the Empire of Japan. Since Japan was a member of the Axis Powers, this choice inevitably led to American involvement in of World War II – in Europe and the Pacific.
