- leaders
- Adolf Hitler - Germany
- FDR
- Benito Mussolini - Italy
- Winston Churchill - Great Britain
- Tojo - Japan
- Joseph Stalin - Soviet Union
- Vladimir Lenin - USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) (first leader)
- very different from Stalin
- Russians dropped out of WWI because of they became Communist during the Bolshevik Revolution
- put them into a civil war
- Treaty of Versailles
- ended WWI
- caused everything that would happen later on in WWII
- a lot of new land was formed
- Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania taken from Soviet Union
- Poland taken from Germany and Soviet Union
- Yugoslavia was formed
- after that Hitler wanted to get his land back, that's why he invaded certain countries. Because his land was given to them.
- 3 main countries that signed it
- US, Great Britain, France
- Military Consequences
- Germany's army was reduced to 100,000 men
- not allowed an air force
- army was not allowed tanks
- only allowed 6 capital naval ships and no submarines
- they got around it though
- trained pilots in other countries
- they would train 100,000 men and then let them go and then the cycle repeats
- Rhineland is near the Rhine River, was going to be located between France and Germany,also known as a Buffer Zone, but it didn't become an independent country
- Financial Consequences
- the loss of vital industrial territory would be a severe blow to Germany's economy. Coal from the Saar and Upper Silesia in particular was a vital economic loss
- Combines with the financial penalties link to reparations ($33 billion), it seemed clear to Germany that the Allies wanted nothing else but to bankrupt them. They went into a depression
- Germany was also forbidden to unite with Austria to form one superstate
- Austria wanted to join with Germany, but they couldn't
- Other basic things
- 1. Germany had to admit full responsibility for starting the war. This was Clause 231 - the infamous "War Guilt Clause."
- 2. Because Germany is responsible for the war, they had to pay $33 billion.
- 3. League of Nations was set up to keep world peace.
- German Reaction to the Treaty
- there was anger throughout Germany when the terms were made public
- the Treaty became known as a Diktat - Germans had no choice but to sign it
- many in Germany did not want the Treaty signed
- German representatives there knew that they had no choice as Germany was incapable of restarting the war again
- The Allies Reaction to the Treaty
- at first, the treaty seemed to satisfy the Big Three(US, GB, France)
- Allies believed it was a just peace as it kept Germany weak yet strong enough to stop the spread of communism
- kept the french border with Germany sage from another German attack and created the League of Nations that would end warfare throughout the world
- when Wilson brought treaty back to the US Senate for ratification, the Senate refused to sign it because then they would have to join the League of Nations. They were fearful of the League of Nations because they thought they would be at war constantly.
- most countries ultimately were unhappy with the treaty and the results of WWI because US never signed it, US thought it would put us in a war. France thought it should have been more tougher on Germany. GB wanted to forgive and forget, and they thought a strong Germany would help them (trade with each other), Soviet Union didn't like it because they lost a lot of land.
- Weimar Republic
- government was set up in Germany after WWI
- was a democracy (people have a say in the government)
- Chancellor (head of government) runs the country
- failed because they were in a depression with high inflation and high unemployment
- also failed because it was the first time Germany ever had a Democracy
- League of Nations
- the countries that signed the Treaty of Versailles would come together and talk out their problems instead of going to war
- Could condemn the action and could put economic sanctions (wouldn't trade with a country) on a country
- one weakness was that they didn't have a military force
- another weakness was that the US never joined it
- another weakness was that every country had to agree to pass something
Three Great WW II Dictators
- 1. Adolph Hitler-Germany
- 2. Benito Mussolini-Italy
- 3. Iosif Dzhugashvili(Josef Stalin)
Define totalitarianism.
the gov't or one person has all of the power.
Why did totalitarianism come about in the 1920’s and 1930’s?
1. Post-war depression
-high inflation
-1923 420 trillion marks to one US dollar(in Germany)
-high unemployment
-democratic governments struggled to end depression
2. New nations had no experience with democratic governments
3. Democracy brought about a lot of political parties
- Germany had about 12 political parties
4. Unhappy with the results of WW I
-wanted revenge
Characteristics of Totalitarian Regimes
1. Tried to control people of country through fear and intimidation
-secret police force and military
2. Propaganda campaigns promoting the party
-press censorship and control of media
3. Educating the young in the ways of totalitarianism
-militarism, nationalism, imperialism, history of country
4. Government controlled the economy
-USSR completely
-Germany and Italy partially
5. All preached about the unfairness of WW I
6. Leader became iconized
-statues and painting
- Non-Aggression Pact
- Between Germany and Soviet Union
Benito Mussolini’s Italy
- Fascism
- Fascist movement began right after WW I
- -people were unhappy with the results and the economy
- was terrible
- -people were scared that the socialists might come to power so many turned to fascism
- -including King Victor Emmaneul
- Benito Mussolini( Il Duce)
- -hated the wealthy and catholic church
- -mother forced him to go to catholic school
- -expelled for stabbing a rich student
- -unsuccessful elementary teaching career
- -joined the socialist movement before during WWI
- -fought for Italy in WWI-injured
- -got involved in Fascist movement after the war
- -became the leader of the Fascist movement
- -King Victor Emmanuel asked him to be premier in 1922
- -by 1926 was complete dictator of Italy
- -killed political opponents
- Fascist Ideas
1. Hated communism and democracy
2. Government’s role is to protect the people of the country
3. Nationalism - extreme pride in one's country. "Nothing above the state, nothing against the state, nothing outside the state."
4. Militarism - build up of a big and powerful army and navy
5. Imperialism - a country goes and takes over other colonies/countries
6. Corporativism
- -industrial leaders and workers must work well together
- -detested capitalist’s greedy ways
7. Made Catholicism the national religion
- -Mussolini hated religion but realized he nneded an alliance with the Catholic Church
- -brought many Catholics to support Mussolini
8. Efficiency and order were very important
- -Mussolini “made the trains run on time”
- Mussolini’s fascism was not as strict as Nazism
- -allowed monarchy to continue
- -allowed the Catholic Church to continue
- -allowed capitalism and large landowners to exist
Washington Naval Conference
- 4 power pact - reduce naval size
- Great Britain
- US
- France
- Japan
- 5 power pact - respect possessions in Pacific
- China
- 9 power pact - open door policy
Adolf Hitler
- born in 1889 in Austria
- dropped out of school at 16
- wanted to be and artist and architect
- failed to get into art school
- moved to Germany in 1913
- joined German Army when WWI broke out
- was wounded twice (once by gas)
- won numerous medals
- accepted the “stab in the back” theory
- hated Weimer Republic
- joined the Nationalist Socialist German Worker’s Party (Nazi) after WWI
- voted Fuhrer (Leader) of the Nazi Party in 1921
- Nazi party attracted the following groups of people:
1. Manual laborers
2. Former soldiers
3. Adventurers and misfits
- The Nazi Party:
1. was violently nationalistic
2. was anti-Semitic (anti-Jew)
3. Hated the democratic Weimer Republic
4. talked of the Volk (German common people) superiority
Beer Hall Putsch (1923)
- Hitler and the Nazis tried to take over the German Gov’t
- Failed miserably
- Hitler was arrested for treason
- Got five years but only served 9 months
- While in prison he wrote his book Mein Kampf (My Struggle)
- Outlined Hitler’s ideas:
1. Aryans were the superior race
- Germans, Dutch, Belgians, Scandinavians and English
- No interbreeding
2. Anti-Semitic beliefs
- Hated Jews, inferior race
- Hitler associated them with the Weimer Republic and
Communism
3. Hated democracy
- Believed one person had to have the power to keep order and
Discipline
4. Undo the Treaty of Versailles
5. Re-unite German speaking peoples
- Austria, Sudetenland, Danzig, Poland
6. Lebensraum
- “Living space” in Russia for the German People
- Hitler also learned that he would have to come to power legally
- January 30, 1933, Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany
- Within 18 months Hitler had total power and created “The Third Reich”
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