World War II

1
World War II

• Could It Have Been Stopped?

2
The Great Depression 1929-1939

• Caused untold suffering, desperation and anger
  among many people around the world
  
• Governments of the world did nothing or the wrong
  thing such as the Hawley-Smoot Tariff that
  blocked foreign trade and fostered isolationism
  and economic warfare
• Encouraged people to listen to people with
  extreme solutions such as Adolf Hitler in Germany

3
Rise of Totalitarian Governments

• Arose in Germany, Italy and Japan
• United States and Western European countries like
  France and England did little or nothing to stop
  the rise of these militaristic dictators because
  they were exhausted from WW I

4
Capitalism

• Capitalistic leaders of the U.S. and England saw
  their major threat as the Communist U.S.S.R.
  
• Western leaders tolerated and even supported
  dictators because they were anti-Communist

5
League of Nations

• U.S. not a member
• League of Nations did not have enough power to
  stop the aggressive moves of Germany, Italy and
  Japan
  
• Dictators saw the League as weak and continued
  their aggression

6
The Treaty of Versailles

• Treated Germany unfairly
• Article 231- blamed Germany for starting the war
• Caused resentment and anger in Germany
• Reparations- caused terrible inflation in Germany

7
Violations of the Treaty of Versailles

• 1935- compulsory military training in Germany
• 1936- German troops into the Rhineland
• 1938- Germany takes Austria

8
Appeasement and the Nazi-Soviet non-aggression
Pact

• 1938-England and France give Hitler the
  Sudetenland with his promise of no further
  aggressive moves
  
• England and France satisfied
• 1939- Hitler takes the rest of Czechoslovakia