Prelude to World War II

German Invasion of Poland

• Date: September 1, 1939
• Event: German troops invade Poland, seeking quick victory
• Historical Context: About 20 years after Germany's WWI defeat

End of World War I

• Date: November 11, 1918
• Outcome: Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates; Germany defeated
• Myth: German army claimed betrayal by politicians, not defeat in battle

Treaty of Versailles and Formation of League of Nations

• Date: December 1918
• Key Figure: U.S. President Woodrow Wilson
• Goals: New world order, League of Nations to resolve disputes
• Consequences: Germany reduced, new nations formed (e.g., Austria, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, etc.)
• Reparations: Germany forced to pay massive reparations to France and Britain

Challenges for Weimar Republic (Germany)

• Street Battles: Nationalists vs. Communists
• Hyperinflation: 1923 economic crisis
• Rise of Nazis: Adolf Hitler seizes control, attempts coup in 1923

Adolf Hitler's Rise to Power

• 1923: Failed coup, writes Mein Kampf in prison
• Economic Conditions: Depression and U.S. stock market crash in 1929
• 1932 Elections: Nazis become the largest party in the Reichstag
• Chancellorship: January 1933, Hitler becomes Chancellor
• Reichstag Fire: February 1933, Hitler gains emergency powers, bans other political parties
• 1934: Hitler becomes President after Hindenburg's death

Rebuilding Germany

• Public Works: Autobahns, rearmament
• Versailles Treaty's Violations: Unveil Luftwaffe, reoccupy Saarland and Rhineland

Japan's Expansion

• Internal Issues: Economic and population problems
• Invasion of Manchuria: 1931, sets up puppet state Manchukuo
• China Conflict: 1937 invasion, brutal tactics
• U.S. Relations: Sinking of the American gunboat Panay in 1937

Italy Under Mussolini

• Rise to Power: Mussolini's fascist government in 1922
• Infrastructure: Improved economy and military
• Aggression: Invasion of Abyssinia in 1935

Spanish Civil War

• 1936: Franco's coup against the Republic
• Axis Support: Hitler and Mussolini provide support to Franco
• Outcome: Nationalists win; Spain under Franco

Germany's Aggressive Moves

• Austria: Annexed in 1938
• Czechoslovakia: Sudetenland crisis and Munich Agreement
• Poland: Hitler demands Danzig; invasion plans set

Alliance and Preparations for War

• Soviet Union Pact: Non-aggression agreement with Germany
• Invasion of Poland: Set to begin on August 31, 1939