20th Century
Ms. Shen
Name: ____________________________
The Causes of WWII Powerpoint
I.
WWI Recap:
a. Who? Central (Germany, Austria-Hungary) vs. Allied Powers (U.S., England, France, Russia, Italy)
b. Why fighting? Underlying problems over who controlled African colonies, nationalism, a complicated
alliance system, and large militaries.
c. Outcome? Allies won, Germans forced to accept war guilt (responsibility for the war) and were told to
pay reparations totaling $30 billion to the Allies. German military was also stripped down to bare
bones. A-H was divided into a number of new nations. League of Nations was created to ensure peace
and security for all member nations.
d. How did the Treaty of Versailles set the world up for WWII?
II. The Rise of Fascism and Nazism
a. Nations weakened after WWI turned to the idea of fascism, or a political philosophy that
values________________________________________, to renew their strength and spirit.
III. Benito Mussolini and Italy
a. Mussolini felt Italy had been shortchanged by the Treaty.
b. He declared himself dictator in 1925, suspended elections, centralized the economy under state
control, and began modernizing the military.
c. Wanting to create a modern-day Roman Empire, he aggressively invaded and took over Ethopia.
IV. Adolf Hitler and Germany
a. The Versailles Treaty ticked Hitler off A LOT.
b. He joined the Nazi Party, which tried to seize Munich in 1923. The rebellion was put down quickly
and Hitler was thrown in jail for his participation. While in prison, he wrote a book called Mein
Kampf.
V. The Nazis gave the German people hope.
a. The Great Depression in the U.S. during the 1930s exacerbated German unemployment and inflation.
b. Hitler promised to do what?
VI. By January of 1933, the Nazi Party had the majority in the Reichstag.
a. In pretty much one foul swoop, Hitler was soon named chancellor, he got rid of his opponents in the
Reichstag, and suspended civil liberties in Germany.
b. He gained dictatorial powers. He called himself Der Fuhrer (the leader) of the Third Reich.
VII. The backbone of Hitler’s power was what? ____________________________________
a. Hitler blamed Jews for Germany’s problems, and praised Aryans (blond-haired, blue-eyed Germans)
as belonging to what he called the “master race.”
b. He soon ordered a boycott of Jewish shops, the burning of books by Jewish authors, and the
_______________________________________________.
VIII.
Determined to return the German Empire to its former glory, Hitler pursued an aggressive foreign policy.
a. German aggression began with their seizure of the ___________________ in 1936.
b. Germany and Italy formed an alliance in 1936.
c. Two years later, in 1938, Hitler annexed Austria. Later that year, he demanded possession of the
Sudetenland.
d. In 1939, the Germans and Russians signed the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact, which pledged
what?
e.
England and France, reluctant to get involved in another big conflict, adopted a policy
of_____________________________________. Meaning?
f. In 1939, Germany invaded Poland.
g. Two days after Germany invaded Poland, France and England declared war upon Germany!
IX. Meanwhile, across the pond (in America)….
a. America was busy minding its own business (pursuing
a policy of ________________________________.
i. In the 1930s, the U.S. turned inward and
focused on rebuilding the American
economy during the Depression.
b. America First Committee
i. The America First Committee, founded in
September 1940, was the most powerful
isolationist group in America before the
United States entered World War II.
ii. Goal? ______________________________
___________________________________
________________________________________________________________________.
iii. Why did they oppose American intervention? (LIST 2 reasons)
iv. The America First Committee had over ____________________ members, who wanted to
keep America neutral. It tried to influence public opinion through publications and speeches.
v. America First was dissolved four days after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7,
1941.
c.
Where was FDR in all of this?
i. Not an isolationist but did want to stay out of European war. Believed that war solved few
problems.
1. In the words of FDR, “we shun political commitments which might entangle us in a
foreign war; we are not isolationist except so far in as we seek to isolate ourselves
completely from war.” (1936) Meaning?
d. American “Neutrality”
i. Congress passed three neutrality acts in the 1930s, which are
collectively known as the
______________________________________, which stated:
1. The U.S. would withhold weapons and loans from all
nations at war and would sell other good to warring powers
only if they _____________________________________
_____________________________________________.
ii. In August 1939, Einstein warned FDR that German researchers
were working on an atomic bomb. In response, FDR authorized a
top-secret American bomb project.
X. Even though ______% of the American people opposed the war in 1941, things were getting pretty bad.
a. Between September 1939 and June 1940, the Axis Powers defeated Norway, Poland, Denmark,
Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. In Asia, Japan was swallowing up French and Dutch colonies.
b. And England was all alone to defend herself and the rest of Europe.
XI. So Roosevelt moved to help _________________________.
a. FDR repealed the arms embargo section of Neutrality Act and got approval to sell arms on a cash and
carry basis to Britain and France (wanted to support them vs. Hitler but also ensure that the U.S.
stayed out of the war and that the economy was not disrupted)
b. Roosevelt traded 50 old American ships in return for sites on which to build naval and air bases in
Britain.
c. In March 1941, FDR amended our neutrality policy and instituted the Lend-Lease Act, whereby the
U.S. provided ____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________.
d. Roosevelt said it was like “lending a garden hose to a neighbor whose house is burning down.”
XII.While all of this was going on in Europe, in Japan…
a. Japanese leaders, also trying to make Japan into a world power, were busy attempting to take
over_________________________.
b. Japan formed an alliance with Germany and Italy, known as the Tripartite Pact. They were known as
the Axis Powers.
c. Then they promptly invaded Indochina, which was ruled by France.
d. Tension between the U.S. and Japan increased.
i. Japan was mad at the U.S. because of high tariffs in the U.S., the U.S.’ refusal to sell planes
and other crucial items (scrap metal & oil) to Japan.
ii. After Japan attacked Indo-China, the U.S. froze Japanese assets in the U.S.
XIII.
Only the U.S. naval fleet based in Hawaii stood between Japan and total domination of eastern Asia and
the Pacific. So, on December 7th, 1941…
a. Japan launched a surprise attack on the American naval base at _____________________.
b. Nearly ___________ people died, and the attack destroyed five battleships and three cruisers.
XIV.
Soon after, Roosevelt called on Congress to declare war on Japan.
a. Congress quickly complied.
b. Three days later, Japan’s allies, Germany and Italy, declared war on the U.S., thus involving the U.S. in
one of the most destructive wars to have ever been waged.
XV. Why did U.S. get involved in the war?
a. To support our Allies against Nazi and fascist aggression and to respond to Japanese aggression in the
Pacific
b. Roosevelt saw war as a way to end the economic depression in the U.S.
c. Roosevelt knew our involvement in the war would guarantee the U.S. a key role in the postwar peace
process.