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Topic 14 – World War II (1935 – 1945)

Lesson 14.1 – Aggression Overseas and Isolationism at Home

(Vocabulary& Notes)

Key Terms (Vocabulary)

1. totalitarian state - a country where a single party controls the

government and every aspect of people’s lives

2. fascism - a political system that is rooted in

militarism, extreme nationalism, and blind loyalty to the state

3. aggression - a warlike act by one country without just

cause

4. Nazi - a member of the National Socialist German

Workers’ Party

5. scapegoat - a person or group who is made to bear the

blame for others

6. concentration camp - a prison camp for civilians who are

considered enemies of the state

7. Neutrality Acts - a series of laws passed by Congress in 1936

that banned arms sales or loans to countries at war

8. Good Neighbor Policy - President Franklin D Roosevelt’s policy

intended to strengthen friendly relations with Latin America

Lesson 14.1 – Aggression Overseas and Isolationism at Home

Obj: to explain how fascist governments came to power in Italy and Germany; to identify the communist dictatorship Stalin set up in the Soviet Union; to describe how military rulers took power in Japan; to explain why the United States adopted a policy of isolationism as European and Asian nations moved toward war

In the 1930s, a storm was gathering around the globe.

New rulers had come to power in Europe and Asia.

These leaders drew on resentment about their countries’ fates after World War I.

They also aimed to spread their influence. The competition among these rulers would change the lives of millions of people and cause mass destruction around the world.

POLITICAL CHANGES IN ITALY AND GERMANY

Totalitarian leaders exerted complete control over the government and society.

• These dictators were fascists

o Rooted in:

▪ Militarism

▪ Extreme nationalism

▪ Blind loyalty to the state

o Vowed to create new empires

Communists: drew much of their support from the working class

Fascists: found allies in business leaders and landowners

Fascist Italy

1922 –

• Benito Mussolini

o Seized power

o Player on the anger about the Versailles Treaty

▪ Many Italians felt cheated because the treaty did not grant Italy the territory it wanted

o Used fear to gain power

▪ Economic unrest and fears of communist revolution plagued Italy

▪ Many looked to Mussolini to stabilize the nation

o Once in power:

▪ He outlawed all political parties except his own

▪ Controlled the press

▪ Banned criticism of the government

• Critics were jailed or simply murdered.

▪ In schools, children recited the motto:

• “Mussolini is always right!” every day

Mussolini Conquers Ethiopia

1930s –

• Mussolini used foreign conquest to distract Italians from economic problems

o Promised to restore the greatness of ancient Rome

• He embarked on a program of military aggression

o Warlike acts against other countries without just cause

1935 –

• He invaded Ethiopia

o The Ethiopians fought bravely

o Their cavalry and outdated rifles were no match for Italy’s modern tanks and airplanes

▪ Haile Selassie – Ethiopian emperor

• Asked the League of Nations for aid

• They responded weakly

o Britain and France were concentrating on their own economic problems and were unwilling to risk another war

• Without help, Ethiopia fell

Nazi Germany

Adolf Hitler –

• Brought the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazis) to power.

• Like Mussolini, he played on anger about the Versailles Treaty

o Germans bitterly resented the treaty because it blamed their country for WWI

o made them pay heavy war costs

Hitler’s Rise to Power

Hitler assured Germans that they had not lost the war.

Instead:

• Jews and other traitors had “stabbed Germany in the back”

o The argument was false, but in troubled times people were eager for a scapegoat

Hitler:

• Was a powerful speaker

• Skillful politician

By the time the Depression struck, many Germans looked to him as a strong leader with answers to their problems

1933 –

• He became chancellor (head of German government)

• Within two years (1935) he:

o Ended democratic rule

o Created a militaristic totalitarian state

o The government controlled:

▪ The press

▪ Schools

▪ Religion

In the following years:

• He organized a week-log rally in Nuremberg.

o Crowds chanted slogans praising Hitler

o Uniformed soldiers marched in endless parades and engaged in mock battles.

Persecution of Jews

Hitler preached that Germans belonged to a race that was biologically superior to Jews, Gypsies, and other peoples.

• The Nazi government singled out the Jews for special persecution

o Jews:

▪ Were deprived of their citizenship

▪ Forbidden to use public facilities

▪ Driven out of almost every type of work

▪ Later:

• Were rounded up and sent to concentration camps

▪ in time:

• Hitler would unleash a plan to kill all the Jews in Europe

o The Holocaust

Germany Moves Toward War

Hitler claimed that Germany had a right to move east.

In defiance of the Versailles Treaty:

• He began to build up Germany’s armed forces

• The League of Nations condemned his actions

• Hitler predicted:

o The rest of Europe would “never” act

o They’ll just protest

o They will always be too late

1936 –

German troops moved into the Rhineland, near the border with France and Belgium

[pic]

The Versailles treaty banned German troops from this region.

France and Britain protested, but they took no action.

TOTALITARIAN SOVIET UNION AND MILITARIST JAPAN

Totalitarian leaders also came to power in the Soviet Union and Japan.

• Unlike Italy and Germany, these leaders were not fascist.

They did seek complete control.

They were unhappy with the terms of the Versailles Treaty

They hoped to bring new glory to their nations

As in western Europe, the political changes underway in these regions drew the world closer to war

Totalitarianism in the Soviet Union

Vladimir Lenin

• Set up a communist government in the Soviet Union

• After Lenin’s death in 1924:

o Joseph Stalin gained power

Joseph Stalin

• He ruled as a totalitarian dictator

• In a totalitarian state:

o A single party controls the government

o That party controls every aspect of people’s lives

o Citizens must obey without question

o Criticism would result in severe punishment

• He took brutal measures to modernize Soviet industry and agriculture

o He ordered peasants to hand over land and animals to government-run farms

▪ Millions who resisted were executed or sent to labor camps

• He stages trials and executions of his political enemies

o Many confessed to false charges under torture

Many millions of people were known to have perished by the hand of his ruthless dictatorship

[pic]

Military Rule in Japan

Japan’s economy also suffered severely during the Great Depression.

Many Japanese grew impatient with their democratic government.

• This opened the door for the military leaders to take power

Like Hitler:

• Leaders preached racial superiority

• Believed that the Japanese were purer than, and superior to, other Asians as well as non-Asians

The military rulers set out to expand into Asia

1931 –

• Japanese forces seized a region in northeastern China known as Manchuria.

o This region was rich with coal and iron

▪ Two resources that were scarce in Japan

o The Japanese set up a new state there and called it Manchukuo

o China called on the League of Nations for help

▪ They condemned Japanese aggression but did little else

▪ The US refused to recognize Manchukuo but took no action

ISOLATIONISM IN THE UNITED STATES

In the US:

• Strong isolationist mood continued

• Even though war look imminent overseas, Americans were determined to keep from becoming involved.

• 1935 –

o Congress passed the first of a series of Neutrality Acts

▪ Banning arms sales or loans to countries at war

o Congress also warned Americans not to travel on ships of countries at war

o Economic ties were limited with warring nations

• These Acts held the hope of isolationists to stay out of any foreign conflict

Relations with Latin America

Closer to home, the US tried to improve relations with Latin America

1930 –

• Hoover rejected the Roosevelt Corollary

• He declared:

o “The United States, no longer claimed the right to intervene in Latin American affairs.”

Concerned about the problems in Asia and Europe:

• Franklin Delano Roosevelt:

o Worked to build friendlier relations with Latin America

o The Good Neighbor Policy

▪ He withdrew American troops from Nicaragua and Haiti

▪ It emphasized trade and cooperation

▪ He cancelled the Platt Amendment, which limited the independence of Cuba

o As world tensions increased, the need to strengthen ties in the Americas became more pressing.

o During Roosevelt’s visit to Argentina he warned:

▪ “Any foreign aggressor will find a hemisphere wholly prepared to consult together for our mutual safety”

Relations with the Soviet Union

Roosevelt also improved relations with the Soviet Union.

• 1933 - Restored diplomatic relations with the Soviet government

• He did, however, remain wary about allying too closely with the communist nation

• In addition to benefiting the American economy, Roosevelt had hoped improved relations with the Soviet Union would decrease Japanese expansion in Asia.

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