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Social Studies 8 Date:

Steps to War

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Directions: Use the following readings, as well as the vocabulary bank, to answer the questions that follow. Be sure to HIGHLIGHT AND ANNOTATE where you found your answers.

The Rise of Dictators; Mussolini, Hitler & Stalin

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By the mid 1930s, dictators, or absolute rulers, had seized control in several countries. These countries included Italy, Germany, Japan, and the Soviet Union. Economic and political issues that dated back to World War I helped these dictators take power.

The treaties that ended the war left many nations unhappy. Germany was especially angry. The winners blamed Germany for the war and forced the Germans to pay for war damages.

The Great Depression of the 1930s ruined the economies of Europe. Many Europeans turned to new leaders to solve these problems.

One new leader was Benito Mussolini of Italy. Shortly after World War I, Mussolini began a political movement known as fascism. Fascists preached an extreme form of nationalism and often racism.

In Germany, Adolf Hitler was the leader of the fascist National Socialist German Worker’s Party, better known as the Nazi Party. Meanwhile, Josef Stalin led the Communist government in the Soviet Union.

Dictators seek to Expand Territory; Appeasement at Munich

A military dictatorship led by Hideki Tojo formed in Japan. In 1931, the Japanese attacked Manchuria, a region in northern China rich in natural resources. The Japanese conquered the region within months.

Both Italy and Germany also sought new territory. In 1936, Italy conquered the African nation of Ethiopia and Hitler moved troops into the Rhineland near the French border.

In 1936, Hitler and Mussolini formed an alliance, which became known as the Axis Powers. In 1938, Hitler invaded Austria and insisted that Austrians wanted to be a part of Germany since many German-speaking people lived there.

Adolf Hitler next set his sights on Czechoslovakia. Britain’s Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain quickly stepped in. The two reached a compromise – Germany gained control of part of Czechoslovakia (also known as the Sudetenland) and, in return, Hitler promised not to seek any more territory. The policy of meeting Germany’s demands in order to avoid war became known as appeasement.

Germany starts the war…

Hitler soon broke his promise. Within months, he conquered the rest of Czechoslovakia. Later, in 1939, Hitler invaded Poland. Great Britain and France promised to defend Poland. They quickly declared war on Germany and World War II had begun.

Poland quickly fell, however, and Hitler then conquered several more nations in Europe. In June 1940, German troops invaded France. In less than two weeks, they reached Paris. Days later, France surrendered. That summer, Germany attacked Great Britain.

By the fall, however, the Battle of Britain had left Hitler frustrated. Britain’s air force was holding off Germany’s fighter planes. The British faced constant bombing, but refused to surrender.

Germany attacks the Soviet Union

Before the invasion of Poland, Germany and the Soviet Union had signed a nonaggression pact. In other words, they agreed not to attack each other. However, Hitler and Stalin distrusted each other. Hitler feared that the Soviets wanted to control parts of Europe. He also wanted Soviet wheat and oil fields.

Hitler invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941. By the time German troops reached Moscow, they ran into a terrible winter. Many German soldiers suffered frostbite. German equipment broke down in the cold. The German attack stalled. The Soviets turned the Germans back.

The United States Aids the Allies; Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor

When the war began, the United States tried to help Britain and France. President Roosevelt proposed a program known as Lend-Lease. Under this program, the US lent or leased equipment and weapons to the Allied nations.

In 1941, President Roosevelt and the new British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, signed the Atlantic Charter. This document spelled out the hopes of the two leaders for a better world.

Soon after that, however, the US was drawn into the war. Japan’s rulers saw the United States as an obstacle to their effort to get resources from Southeast Asia. As a result, Japan attacked the US on December 7, 1941. Japanese bombers attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Many Americans died. Numerous planes and ships were destroyed. In response to the attack, the United States declared war on Japan.

1. Name four nations in which dictators came to power. Who were the dictators for each of these countries?

2. What is appeasement?

3. What did Hitler promise in exchange for the Czechoslovakia (the Sudetenland)? Did he live up to his word? Explain.

4. When did Germany conquer France?

5. Why did Germany fail to conquer Great Britain?

6. How did Germany start World War II?

7. How did Hitler break his word with Stalin? Why did he do this?

8. Where did the Japanese attack the United States? When?

9. Why did the Japanese attack the United States?

10. What did the Japanese attack on the US lead to?

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Vocabulary Bank

1. fascism: political movements that preached intense nationalism and racism

2. Adolf Hitler: Nazi dictator of Germany

3. Nazi Party: fascist party that ruled Germany from 1933-1945

4. Josef Stalin: leader of the Soviet union

5. Axis: name of alliance between Germany, Italy, and later, Japan

6. appeasement: policy of meeting a nation’s demands to avoid war

7. Lend-Lease: program in which the US sent war materials to the Allies

8. Pearl Harbor: site of Japanese attack on the US

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