Modern US History “The War Begins”

1. Modern US History“The War Begins” Chapter 26, Section 1

2. A Global Depression • When depression hit the U.S., American bankers demanded loans to Europe be repaid, U.S bought fewer goods from Europe, and U.S. raised tariffs on goods from Europe (all of these hurt Europe’s economy) • Other nations raised their tariffs, too, and world trade dropped 65% • Nations with war debt hit especially hard (Germany, Austria) • Prices dropped on far exports around the world as demand fell

3. Rise of Dictators • Desperate to end the hard times of the worldwide depression, people were willing to give up individual rights to powerful leaders • Totalitarianism – a political system adopted by many European nations in the 1920s and 1930s in which the gov’t controls every aspect of peoples’ lives • By the mid-1930s, Germany and Italy seemed bent on military conquest • The major democracies—Britain, France, and the United States—were distracted by economic problems at home and longed to remain at peace • With the world moving toward war, many nations pinned their hopes for peace on the League of Nations

4. TOTALITARIANISM(a govt. that has total control over its people) • Shared • Characteristics • extreme • nationalism • one strong leader • one political party • strong military • secret police • censorship • propaganda • indoctrination • (teaching young • people accepted • ideas of the govt.) • Fascism • individual people own the businesses and land • Germany, Italy Communism government owns the businesses and land Soviet Union

5. Mussolini Rises to Power in Italy • Benito Mussolini – a newspaperman and politician began the Fascist Party in 1919 • His black shirt supporters fought with communists on the streets • He won the support of the middle class by playing upon their fears of a communist workers revolt • In 1922 Mussolini became leader of Italy as Italians looked for a strong leader to bring stability during the rough economic times

6. Mussolini as Leader of Italy • Mussolini became known as “Il Duce” – the leader • Fascism – political system 1st put into place in Italy under Mussolini in which the state (gov’t) is seen as more important than individuals • Mussolini’s fascist gov’t restored order, improved the economy, through public works projects, and crushed opposition • Abolished democracy and had a secret police • Outlawed all political parties except the Fascists • Used censorship and propaganda • Outlawed strikes • As strong as his Fascist gov’t was, Mussolini never had total control like Hitler or Stalin

7. Mussolini Attacks Ethiopia • Ethiopia was one of Africa’s three independent nations • Mussolini attacked Ethiopia in revenge for a failed attempt of Italy so set up a colony in the 1890s • The Ethiopian emperor, Haile Selassie, urgently appealed to the League for help • The League condemned the attack, but did nothing • Britain controlled the Suez Canal, but let Italy through with ships and supplies in order to keep the peace

8. Hitler Before Nazi Party • He was born in Austria • His mother died in 1907 and Hitler was broke and homeless • He moved to Munich, Germany and volunteered to serve in the German Army during WWI • He earned the Iron Cross for bravery twice during the war • He believed the German army was not defeated on the battle field but had been stabbed in the back by politicians who signed the armistice and the Treaty of Versailles • He stayed in the army for awhile and got involved in minor political groups when he got out (and soon joined the Nazi Party)

9. Nazi Party • The Nazis were a tiny right-wing political group centered in the city of Munich • They were named the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazis for short) • Nazis believed Germany had to overturn the Treaty of Versailles and combat communism • They built up a private militia called the storm troopers or Brown Shirts • They created a German brand of fascism • Used the Swastika as their symbol • Adolf Hitler quickly became its leader (der Fuhrer) due to his skill as an organizer and speaker

10. Stalin Soviet Russia • The founder of the Soviet Union, Vladimir Lenin, suffered a stroke in 1922 and died in 1924 • Two leaders emerged that vied for power in the USSR after Lenin • Joseph Stalin – became general secretary of the Communist Party • Leon Trotsky – leader of the Red Army during the Russian Civil War • Stalin worked behind the scenes to put supporters into positions of power • After Lenin died Stalin gradually took control of the party • Trotsky was sent into exile in 1929 (assassinated in 1940 in Mexico on Stalin’s orders) Trotsky

11. Japan’s Democratic Government • During the 1920s, the Japanese government became more democratic • In 1922, Japan signed an international treaty agreeing to respect China’s borders • In 1928, it signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact renouncing war • Japan’s parliamentary system had several weaknesses, • strict limits on the powers of the prime minister and the cabinet • civilian leaders had little control over the military • Military leaders reported only to the emperor Campaign Poster for a 1928 election In Japan

12. Militarists Take Control of Japan • During prosperity the civilian government kept power, but when the Great Depression struck in 1929, many Japanese blamed the government • Military leaders gained support, and took control of the country • Militarists wanted to restore traditional control of the government to the military • Militarists made the emperor the symbol of state power • Emperor Hirohito as head of state won popular support for the army leaders who ruled in his name • Japan’s militarists were extreme nationalists. They wanted to solve the country’s economic problems through foreign expansion

13. Japan Invades Manchuria & China • Pacific empire included a conquered China to get raw materials, markets and room for expansion • Japanese businesses had invested heavily in Manchuria (rich in iron and coal) • 1931—the Japanese army seized Manchuria and set up a puppet government • Japanese engineers and technicians began arriving in large numbers to build mines and factories • Four years after Japan took Manchuria Japanese forces swept into northern China • China’s army led by Jiang Jieshi was no match for the better equipped and trained Japanese

14. Hitler Gains Power Legally • Hitler was jailed for attempting to overthrow the gov’t in 1923 • After he left jail he revived the Nazi Party • The Nazis were mostly ignored during Germany’s postwar recovery • When the Great Depression hit the German economy collapsedand civil unrest broke out • Frightened and confused Germans looked for a strong leader to get them out of the bad economic times • The Nazis gradually grew in power at this time

15. Hitler Gains Power Legally • Nazis became the largest political party in Germany by 1932 • Conservative leaders thought they could control Hitler and use him for their purposes • These leaders advised President Paul von Hindenburg to name Hitler as chancellor, which he did in early 1933 • Hitler wanted to avenge Germany’s defeat in WWI and build an empire of German-speaking people in Europe • “Lebensraum” – living space • To do so he would need to conquer neighboring territories

16. Hitler’s Totalitarian Control • Banned all other political parties • Had opponents arrested and thousands murdered • SS – secret police loyal directly to Hitler (eventually carried out the Holocaust) • Gestapo – secret police for the Nazi Party • Censorship led to book burnings • Churches were forbidden to criticize the government • Schoolchildren had to join the Hitler Youth or the League of German Girls

17. Nazis Take Command of the Economy • Banned strikes and unions • Government closely regulated workers and businesses • Gov’t constructed factories and highways • Number of unemployed dropped from 6 million to 1.5 million by 1936

18. Hitler Defies Versailles Treaty • Hitler had long pledged to undo the Versailles Treaty • The treaty limited the size of Germany’s army • In March 1935, Hitler announced that Germany would not obey these restrictions • The League issued only a mild condemnation • Hitler then re-militarized the Rhineland (an industrial region on the border with France), which was forbidden by the Versailles Treaty to create a buffer between France and Germany

19. Importance of Re-arming the Rhineland • The German reoccupation of the Rhineland marked a turning point in the march toward war • First, it strengthened Hitler’s power and prestige within Germany • Second, the balance of power changed in Germany’s favor • France and Belgium were now open to attack from German troops • Finally, the weak response by France and Britain encouraged Hitler to speed up his expansion France

20. Appeasing the Axis Powers • Stunned by the German rearming of the Rhineland, the French and British were unwilling to risk war • Appeasement – giving in to an aggressor to keep peace • Hitler’s growing strength convinced Mussolini that he should seek an alliance with Germany • In October 1936, the two dictators reached an agreement that became known as the Rome-Berlin Axis • A month later, Germany also made an agreement with Japan • Together Germany, Italy, and Japan came to be called the Axis Powers

21. The German Reich Expands • On November 5, 1937, Hitler announced to his advisers his plans to absorb Austria and Czechoslovakia into the Third Reich , or German Empire • The Treaty of Versailles prohibited Anschluss, or a union between Austria and Germany • However, many Austrians supported unity with Germany • In March 1938, Hitler sent his army into Austria and annexed it • France and Britain ignored their pledge to protect Austrian independence

22. The German Reich Expands • Hitler next turned to Czechoslovakia • About three million German-speaking people lived in the western border regions of Czechoslovakia called the Sudetenland • This heavily fortified area formed the Czechs’ main defense against Germany • The Anschluss raised pro-Nazi feelings among Sudeten Germans • In September 1938, Hitler demanded that the Sudetenland be given to Germany • The Czechs refused and asked France for help AUSTRIA

23. Munich Conference • France and Britain were preparing for war when Mussolini proposed a meeting of Germany, France, Britain, and Italy in Munich, Germany • The Munich Conference was held on September 29, 1938 • The Czechs were not invited • British prime minister Neville Chamberlain believed that he could preserve peace by giving in to Hitler’s demand • Britain and France agreed that Hitler could take the Sudetenland • In exchange, Hitler pledged to respect Czechoslovakia’s new borders

24. Britain and France Again Choose Appeasement • When Chamberlain returned to London, he told cheering crowds, “I believe it is peace for our time.” • Winston Churchill, then a member of the British Parliament, strongly disagreed. • He opposed the appeasement policy and gloomily warned of its consequences:

25. Germany Takes Czechoslovakia • Less than six months after the Munich meeting, Hitler took Czechoslovakia • Soon after, Mussolini seized Albania • Then Hitler demanded that Poland return the former German port of Danzig • The Poles refused and turned to Britain and France for aid • But appeasement had convinced Hitler that neither nation would risk war

27. Non-Aggression Pact • Nonaggression pact—Germans and Soviets agree not to fight each other. This was known as the “Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact” signed in 1939 • Stalin was upset he was left out of the Munich Conference • Agreement includes secret deal to split Poland, and allows the USSR to take Finland and the Baltic States Ribbentrop and Stalin at the signing of the Pact

28. Blitzkrieg on Poland • Germany’s Lightning Attack • September 1, 1939—Hitler launches invasion of Poland • Britain, France declare war on Germany, but Poland falls quickly • Blitzkrieg—lightning war—Germany’s new military strategy • Planes and artillery bomb ahead of tanks, infantry trucks • used to surprise enemy and quickly conquer • How different than WWI?

30. Territories Taken by Stalin (#3)

31. “Sitzkrieg” • The Phony War • French, British mobilize along French border, wait for German attack • Many months of no action along western front—the “phony war” • The period of in action ends in April 1940 when Hitler unexpectedly attacks and quickly captures Denmark and Norway

32. Western Front • Further Gains by Germans • May 1940—Germany conquers Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg • Meanwhile, another German force swings through the Ardennes Forest into France • Soon after, German army reaches French coast • The German force was extended in a long thin line, with the Panzer tanks ahead, and the infantry trying to catch up • The Germans decided to wait for the infantry to catch up before turning toward the north to cut off British and French forces at Dunkirk

33. Dunkirk Evacuation • Rescue at Dunkirk • German forces trap British, French on coast of Dunkirk • British Navy and civilians take ships across the English Channel to rescue soldiers British troops evacuating Dunkirk's beaches. Many stood shoulder deep in water for hours, waiting to board the warships.

34. The Fall of France • France Falls • After the evacuation of Allied forces at Dunkirk, the Germans could turn south toward Paris without resistance • Paris was taken by June 14, 1940 • France surrenders to Germany on June 22, 1940 • France was defeated in less than 2 months

35. France After Fall to Germany • After the surrender, the Germans took direct control of the northern portion of France • Vichy France – A puppet government was set up in the southern portion of France with the gov’t located in the city of Vichy, France • Charles de Gaulle – a French general who set up a government-in-exile in London (known as the Free French government) that organized opposition to Germany, including a new French army that eventually returned to fight the Germans when France was liberated • Résistance – an underground group that fought against German occupation of France

36. The Battle of Britain • Germany plans invasion of Britain; begins with air attacks in 1940 to knock out Royal Air Force (RAF) • Then Germany planned to invade with 250,000 soldiers • British use air force, radar, and code-breaking (with smuggled Enigma code machine) to resist Germany • Battle of Britain—Air war over Britain that lasted almost a year until May 1941 • Stunned by British resistance, Hitler calls off attacks A pair of British 264 Squadron Defiants

37. Aircraft spotter on the roof of a building in London. St. Paul's Cathedral is in the background.

39. The Battle of Britain

40. Standing up gloriously out of the flames and smoke of surrounding buildings, St. Paul's Cathedral is pictured during the great fire raid of Sunday December 29, 1940.

41. Children of an eastern suburb of London, who have been made homeless by the random bombs of the Nazi night raiders, waiting outside the wreckage of what was their home." September 1940.

42. Winston Churchill’s Leadership • Winston Churchill—becomes British prime minister and vows no surrender • His broadcasted speeches rallied the people behind the effort to defeat Germany Winston Churchill giving his famous 'V' for victory sign