LEADING INTO WWII
Post-WWI
Germany Faces Economic Despair and Political
Instability
Economic and Political Issues

Why?

Treaty of Versailles forced them to give up land, limit its military and
pay $32 billion for cost of war

REVENGE!: Many European nations were on the verge of bankruptcy
and refused to make the treaty more just

Germany started printing more money- creating terrible inflation

Weimer Republic: post-WWI German government
WEIMER REPUBLIC
•Unable to deal with post-war
problems
•German people were looking for
someone to blame! And those Weimer
guys had signed the Treaty!
INFLATION
Money became worth less and less, so –
by the fall of 1923 one US dollar was
worth one BILLION German marks!
2 millions marks
4 millions marks
So how does America respond?

ISOLATION! Leave us out of it!


BUT – our relief agencies did deliver over $500,000,000 in
food and other relief materials.
But we need our money!
 Dawes
 we
Act (1924)
give money to Germany 
 Germany pays back England and France 
 England and France pay us back (essentially we’re paying
ourselves back!)
The Rise of Adolf Hitler
Background on Adolf Hitler


Born in 1889 in Austria
WWI
 Enlisted
in German army
 Emerged from war an
extreme nationalist- giving
wildly emotional speeches
attacking WR and promoting
Nazism
Hitler speaking in 1933

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q6H4xOUrs&feature=related
Hitler’s Power Increases


1923- Hitler led an uprising
and was jailed for a year, he
wrote:
Mein Kampf (“My Struggle”)
 German
people are of a
superior “Aryan” race that was
meant to control others and rule
the world
 Blamed Jews for Germany’s
economic problems and defeat
in WWI
Hitler’s Power Increases



Nazi party grows and gain more seats in the
Reichstag (German legislature)
1932- several events occur that quickly increase the
power of Hitler and his Nazi party
1934- He becomes FUHRER (“leader”) and creates
a fascist state
 Army
takes oath to obey Hitler
 Took control of all aspects of government- outlawed
opposition and dissent
Hitler’s Policies
Anti-Semitic Policies

Starts with limiting
Jewish professions (no
teaching, law, medicine…)

Nuremberg Laws, 1935
 No
citizenship
 Banned marriages
between Jews and nonJews
 Register with
government and wear
yellow Stars of David
Anti-Semitic Policies

Kristallnacht
 “Night
of Broken Glass”
 15 hours:
 200
synagogues destroyed
by fire
 7,500 Jewish-owned stores
looted
 over 100 Jews killed,
 30,000 Jews were arrested
and interned in prison camps
Domestic and Foreign Policies



Military buildup (ignoring
Treaty of Versailles) is
necessary for recovery and
national pride
“Aryan master race” means:
Germany has the right to
expand and win territory!
Increased taxes and
controlled wages and prices
 Built
housing, highways and
sports arenas
Our economy will
be awesome! We
will gain new
territory! We
deserve it!!
Domestic and Foreign Policies
So how does the US respond?



FDR and Hitler came into
power in the same year
(1932)
So we focus on domestic
concerns! New Deal!
Americans did not want
to get militarily involved,
instead we encourage
disarmament What’s going
on in the US at
that time?
Italy, Spain and Japan
What’s going on in other nations at this time?
Issues In Italy


Severe social and economic problems (much like
Germany)
Benito Mussolini and fascism to save the day (so
they said)
 Inspired
patriotism, obedience to authority and
militarism
 Fascists controlled or regulated social, political and
economic aspects of Italy
 If problems continue- it’s the world’s fault!!
Remind you of anyone?
Issues in Italy

Imperialism!
 Pursued
territorial
expansion
 Ethiopia fell to Italian
military and the League
of Nations did nothing
effectively to stop it
Issues in Spain

Spanish Civil War
 Franco
and Nationalist Party vs. Republicans
 Franco
wins!
 Mussolini

and Hitler back him up!
Rome-Berlin Axis
 Military
alliance- hey and maybe we’ll interfere in
other countries too!
Issues in Japan


Economic problems!
Nationalism rising
Militarism



Military leaders rose to
power
Arrested government
critics, preached total
obedience, glorified war
and empire
Imperialism


Attacked Manchuria and
wanted to continue
aggressive policies in Asia
Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis
Fears?
US Response

Neutrality Acts- 1935, 1936, 1937
 Cannot
trade with military aggressive nations, travel on
ships of countries at war or loan them money

“Moral Embargo” with Italy
 Responding
economically to Italy’s aggression (so
instead of selling them munitions, we sold them oil,
copper and scrap metal so that Italy could make war
materials themselves)
US Response


Trying to maintain neutrality as Franco takes power
in Spain
Issued Stimson Doctrine to Japanese
 “We
don’t like what you’re doing Japan! But we’re
staying out of it.”

“Quarantine Speech” by FDR
 As
aggression continued in Asia and Europe, FDR
became more concerned- BUT no action accompanied
the speech.
“The epidemic of world
lawlessness is spreading. When
an epidemic of physical
disease starts to spread, the
community approves and joins
in a quarantine of the patients
in order to protect the health
of the community against the
spread of the disease..”
WWII
German Aggression
& Violation of the Treaty of Versailles
Territorial Expansion
 Reoccupied
Rhineland (‘36)
 Invaded Austria (’38)
 Demands Sudetenland (region
within Czechoslovakia)
 Munich Agreement, Sept. 28,
1938
 Hitler
and Chamberlain
 Hitler gets to keep Sudetenland
and promises he won’t try to
expand anymore
The US?


Encourages the Munich Agreement
Maintains neutrality
More German Aggression


Hitler invades Czechoslovakia
Nazi-Soviet Pact
 Pledged
not to attack each
other
 world is astonished! But Soviets
felt they had to act
independently because France
and Britain were hesitant to
join forces with Soviet Union!
I was kidding about the
Munich Agreement! I want
more land! Germany
deserves it!
WWII Begins
The Start

September 1, 1939
 Hitler
invades Poland
 Great Britain and France
declare war on
Germany
US Actions- Road to War


Debating neutrality at start of war- it’s becoming
more complicated
Cash and Carry
 FDR:
If we want to continue neutrality we need to help
Allies or we’ll be in danger!
 Sell weapons to Allies as long as paid in cash and the
Allies transport them across the Atlantic

American public thinks Hitler needs to be defeated
BUT they want to stay out of war
FDR State of the Union
January 6, 1941
In the future days, which
we seek to make secure,
we look forward to a
world founded upon
four essential human
freedoms. The first is
freedom of speech and
expression--everywhere
in the world.
FDR State of the Union
The second is freedom of
every person to
worship God in his own
way--everywhere in
the world.
January 6, 1941
FDR State of the Union
January 6, 1941
The third is freedom from
want--which, translated
into world terms, means
economic understandings
which will secure to
every nation a healthy
peacetime life for its
inhabitants--everywhere
in the world.
FDR State of the Union
The fourth is freedom from
fear--which, translated
into world terms, means a
world-wide reduction of
armaments to such a point
and in such a thorough
fashion that no nation will
be in a position to commit
an act of physical
aggression against any
neighbor--anywhere in the
world.
Are these worth fighting
for?
Do we fight?
January 6, 1941
US Actions- Road to War



Hitler is gaining power and territory
Britain was lone power fighting off Germany
Atlantic Charter- August 1941
 British
PM Churchill meets with FDR
 Stated no desire for territory and full support for rights
of all peoples to choose their government
US Actions- Road to War

Lend-Lease Act
 Isolationist
feelings
wavering as France fell to
Germany
 We’ll “loan” you weapons
(replace cash and carry)
 Oct. 1941- Germany sinks
2 ships killing about 100
Americans as we deliver
weapons
US Actions- Road to War



Japan, General Tojo
pursuing aggressive
expansion in Asia
Tensions increased and US
enacted some economic
sanctions
Japan attacks Pearl
Harbor
December 7, 1941
 Over 2,300 Americans
killed

Pearl Harbor

“Yesterday, December 7,
1941 – a date which will
live in infamy – the United
States of America was
suddenly and deliberately
attacked by naval and air
forces of the empire of
Japan…No matter how long
it may take us to overcome
this premeditated invasion,
the American people, in
their righteous might, will
win through to absolute
victory.”
US Declares War

Allied Powers
 US
 Great
Britain
 France

Axis Powers
 Japan
 Germany
 Italy