chapter_16_section_1_notes.ppt | |
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What caused World War 2?
Most people agree that the reason World War 2 occurred was a direct result of how World War 1 ended. The Treaty of Versailles placed full blame for the war on Germany . It required Germany to:
a. pay over 30 billion $$$ in damages to England and France
b. limit the size and strength of its military
c. give up control of its colonies around the world
d. give up some of its own territory for the formation of Poland
e. promise in wouldn't try to take add the newly separated areas of Austria and Hungary, Poland, or
Czechoslovakia in the future. Many of the residents of these countries were of German ancestry and wanted to be
part of Germany.
The German people believed that the armistice (cease-fire) to end World War I had been agreed to based on US President Woodrow Wilson's more lenient Fourteen Points speech which didn't call for many of the above provisions. This led to a lot of German citizens feeling like they were tricked by their newly established government for going along with the Treaty instead of breaking off the armistice and resuming WWI. These people wanted the new government replaced with leadership that would better represent their interests. Matters only became worse when the Great Depression and all of its problems (very high unemployment, high poverty rates, etc...) hit Germany very hard. By the mid to late 1920s, most German citizens demanded a radical change in government that would improve their lives considerably.
Many German people began to see hope in a political group that became commonly referred to as the Nazi Party, which was formed after the Treaty of Versailles was settled in 1919. It began as a group of unemployed workers and WWI veterans upset with how Germany had become disgraced on the international scene. They believed in Fascism, which is a combination of:
a. extreme pride in your country and heritage, believing its interests are way more important than your own. This belief
is drilled into people's heads from the time of birth throughout their entire lives.
b. expanding your territory to include all people of your ancestry and provide living space for your own people.
c. a large military
d. strong leadership concentrated in one person (a dictator)
e. private ownership of property to benefit the country.
In addition to all of these things, Nazis believed in extreme racism. They felt Aryans (Blond-Hair, Blue Eyed Germans) were superior to everyone else (Jews, Blacks, Slavs, Poles, Russians, etc...) and should be treated way better.
Within 2 years, the Nazi Party became led by a WWI veteran named Adolf Hitler. He rose his way through the party mainly due to his natural abilities with public speaking. In 1923, he was sent to prison for what was supposed to be 5 years for his role in leading a Nazi Party rally that got out of hand. While in prison, he wrote Mein Kamph (which means my struggle). The book discusses his life, but also outlines all the major principles of the Nazi party listed in the above paragraph and that it was their duty to bring about a Third Reich (like an empire) for the German people. His prison sentence was ultimately reduced to about 9 months due to pressure from other members of his party. He emerged from prison as the unquestioned leader of a political party that was continuing to grow in popularity due to the difficult times people were experiencing.
Over the course of the next 8-9 years, his book grew in popularity and so did the Nazi Party. The Nazis gradually became more and more popular with unemployed WWI vets. These indivuals were given uniforms, equipped with weapons, and frequently marched in support of the Party at rallys. They became referred to as Brown Shirts and were pretty darn intimidating.
By 1933, the Nazis held more seats in Germany's democratically elected Parliament than any other political party and Hitler was appointed 2nd in Command of the German Government. When the leader (His name was Hinderburg... yep... the zeppelin that was destroyed by fire was named after him) died in August of 1934, Hitler became Germany's leader. In a special election 2 weeks later that would determine if he remained leader, 85% of voters believed that he should. Shortly after this election, Hitler did away with everything associated with democracy. No more elections, no more opposition from other political parties in Parliament, no courts that could tell him he was wrong. He became The Fuhrer (All time ruler, leader, and president of Germany) and was not subject to being questioned in any way going forward.
Section 1 describes how Italy, Russia, Spain, and Japan all became militaristic and led by power hungry leaders. You are responsible for knowing about each of those situations (they are described in your textbook). I felt it was important to give you the short version of how the biggest villain in modern history came to power. I hope you took the time to read it.
Stalin
Mussolini
Hitler
Hirohito and Japan
U.S. Neutrality
show from 20 seconds to 5:45. Good summary of the end of Sec 1 (Spanish Civil War, U.S. Neutrality in 1930s)
WWII In Color - The Gathering Storm
The 51 minute video discusses the content contained in this Section and the 1st part of Section 2 (up to the German invasion of Poland) in much greater detail then we will cover in class. It begins with the consequences of the Treaty of Versailles(1:17 - 4:45), the rise of Hitler in Germany (4:45 - 10:35), Japanese aggression in Manchuria and China, the lack of any action by the League of Nations, and a bit of content about the U.S. Depression, the rise of Mussolini in Germany and its occupation of Ethiopia , the impact of the Depression and WWI on England and France, Civil War in Spain, and Hitler's military buildup of Germany (tanks, planes, size of army) combined with his territorial ambitions leading to the invasions of Austria, the Sudedentland, the rest of Czechoslovakia, and the eventual invasion of Poland.
REVIEW CLIP #1: What happened in Europe between WWI and WWII?
This 8 and a half minute clip does a great job describing how Europe evolved after the Treaty of Versailles at the end of WWI to what it was like by the time WWII started. It discusses Stalin's rise fo power in Russia, Mussolini's rise to power in Italy, Hitler's rise to power in Germany, and Hirohito's rule in Japan (including their invasion of Manchuria).
This is the 1st video clip that I showed in class with questions.
This is the 1st video clip that I showed in class with questions.
REVIEW CLIP #2: The beginning of hostile actions in Europe
This 3 and a half minute clip covers content in sections 1 and 2. The first minute and a half show Mussolini invading Ethiopia, Civil War in Spain, and Hitler disregarding provisions of the Treaty of Versailles by building up and rearming the military. The last 2 minutes includes the adding of Austria and the Czechoslovakia
This is the 2nd video clip that I showed in class with questions.
This is the 2nd video clip that I showed in class with questions.
REVIEW CLIP #3: America staying Neutral in World Affairs during the 1930s
This 3 minute clip discusses the U.S. staying out of foreign affairs and more concerned with the Great Depression.
This is the 3rd video clip that I showed in class with questions.
This is the 3rd video clip that I showed in class with questions.
Disney Animated Short - Education for Death
This 10 minute animated short (made by Disney in 1943... after the U.S. got involved militarily in WWII) would have been shown before a movie as propaganda for our war effort against Germany. It supposdly shows what it was like for your average German to grow up as a Nazi (from the perspective of the Allies). Propaganda was key to maintaining support for the war inside the U.S. It will be discussed a bit more in Chapter 17 Section 1, but you should know that plenty of footage (shorts, animated, newsreel, and full length feature films) was shown on movie screens throughout the country during the 3 and a half years the U.S. was at war against the Axis Powers.