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The Rise of Dictators and WWII

Oct 28, 2024

Chapter 16: World War Looms

Section 1: Dictators Threaten World Peace

Nationalism in Europe and Asia

  • Post-WWI struggles led to the rise of powerful dictators.
  • Nationalism fueled the desire for expansion.
  • Germany was resentful post-WWI due to territorial losses.

Soviet Union

  • Russia's civil war led to a communist state.
  • Soviet Union formed in 1922; Joseph Stalin took control in 1924.
  • Stalin's policies led to totalitarian control by 1939, with severe repression and lack of rights for the populace.

Italy

  • Benito Mussolini established a totalitarian government.
  • Italy became a fascist state by 1921.

Germany

  • Adolf Hitler rose to power within the Nazi Party, advocating for a German empire and Aryan supremacy.
  • Nazi Party became dominant in 1932; Hitler became Chancellor in 1933.

Japan

  • Japan's expansion led to the occupation of Manchuria in 1931.
  • Japan left the League of Nations.

Global Reactions

  • Italy's invasion of Ethiopia and Spain's civil war demonstrated the ineffectiveness of the League of Nations.
  • The Rome-Berlin Axis alliance formed between Italy and Germany.
  • The U.S. attempted neutrality but supported China against Japan.

Section 2: War in Europe

Early Aggressions

  • Germany annexed Austria in March 1938.
  • Munich Agreement allowed Germany to take Sudetenland without conflict.
  • Winston Churchill opposed appeasement.

Invasion of Poland

  • Nonaggression pact between Germany and the Soviet Union.
  • Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, initiating WWII.

Expansion of War

  • Germany occupied France and began the Battle of Britain in 1940.

Section 3: The Holocaust

Anti-Semitic Policies

  • 1933: Non-Aryans removed from government jobs.
  • Kristallnacht in 1938 marked intensified violence against Jews.

Final Solution

  • Jews were forced into ghettos and concentration camps.
  • The Holocaust involved mass murders, notably in gas chambers.
  • Despite the devastation, some Jews survived.

Section 4: America Moves Toward War

U.S. Preparation

  • Roosevelt anticipated U.S. involvement and prepared militarily.
  • Axis Powers formed by Germany, Italy, and Japan.
  • Roosevelt's third term emphasized the inevitability of conflict.

Involvement with Allies

  • The Atlantic Charter was signed by the U.S. and Britain in 1941.

Pearl Harbor

  • Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
  • The U.S. declared war on Japan, entering WWII.