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.