The Causes of World War II

CHC2D

The Treaty of Versailles

• Woodrow Wilson’s “Fourteen Points” – plan to help reconstruct Europe in the aftermath of War
• Wilson proposed disarmament, the abolishment of secret treaties, restored sovereignty of some occupied lands and right of other countries for national self-determination.
• Many of these ideas became the basis for the Treaty of Versailles and the precursor to the League of Nations.

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Terms of the Treaty

According to the Treaty of Versailles, Germany had to accept the terms of the armistice and:

• Evacuate the Rhineland (Germany west of the Rhine River).
• Demilitarize the above area and allow it to be occupied by Allied troops.
• Reduce its army and abolish conscription
• Abandon its air force
• Reduce its navy
• Admit responsibility for causing the war. This was called the War Guilt Clause
• Pay damages (reparations) to the Allies.
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• Germans submitted to the terms only because the Allies threatened to resume war
• Since the Treaty was so harsh, it brought a fragile peace.

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The League of Nations

• The League's goals included disarmament, preventing war, improving global welfare.
• Basically - a government of governments whose purpose was to settle disputes between individual nations in an open and legal forum.
• Trade boycotts (refusal to deal or interact) against aggressor countries would help stop imperialism and prevent future wars.
• US never joined League, greatly weakening its reputation, authority and power.

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Japan Tests the League – �The Invasion of Manchuria 1931

• Manchuria = Resource-rich Chinese province
• China appealed to the League to stop the aggression, but League did nothing.
• League nations far away from Asia, suffering from Depression, therefore, not concerned with aggression of Japan.
• Manchuria came under Japanese control.

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Italy Tests the League – �The Invasion of Ethiopia 1935

• Mussolini = dictator of Italy “Il Duce” – The Leader, determined to make country a world power, wanted to create a modern Roman Empire.
• Doubtful that the League would take action, Mussolini invaded Africa
• League nations far away from Africa, suffering from Depression, therefore, not concerned with the aggression of Italy.

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Invasion of Ethiopia continued . . .

• King – refused to agree to any trade or military action against Mussolini, afraid of the possibility of another world war.
• League eventually imposed economic sanctions (not oil, coal or steel), believing that restricting exports of these products to Italy would have prevented more military aggression.
• Ethiopia fell to Italy in May 1936.

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Italian magazine cover from 1936 illustrating Italian parachutists dropping on Ethiopia

The Rise of Fascism

• Fascism – the belief that the state should harness control over all aspects of its citizens’ lives.
• Fascists possess totalitarian world views- they successfully mobilize entire populations in support of the state.
• Fascists do not tolerate activities by individuals or groups such as labour unions, churches and political parties.
• They maintain power through the existence of secret police and propaganda that is distributed by state controlled mass media. They also establish strict regulations and impose restrictions regarding free discussion and criticism.
• Fascists often use terror tactics to keep the people in line.

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Propaganda

• Propaganda – a specific type of message presentation aimed at serving an agenda or greater purpose. What separates propaganda from normal communication is in the subtle, and often insidious ways that the message attempts to shape opinion.

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Italian Propaganda – World War II

Fascism in Italy

• Mussolini used these tactics in Italy in the 1930s. He wanted people to believe that Fascist militarism and imperialism would create a new Roman Empire.

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Adolf Hitler - Background

• Originally from Austria, moved to Germany in 1913 and served four years on the Western Front during WWI. Joined the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi Party) in 1919 and soon became its leader. He (similar to Mussolini in Italy) was determined to restore German greatness and dominate Europe.

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Post-WWI Germany

• As a result of the Treaty of Versailles, the Germany economy suffered greatly.
• German currency (the mark), drastically lost value as did worth of German goods.
• German people unemployed, living in poverty, dissatisfied with current political parties (1931- unemployment in Germany reached 6 million, 33% of work force).
• In search of solutions, Germans looked to extremist parties.

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Hitler’s Rise to Power

• Hitler made promises of full employment, improved economic conditions, and therefore, rose to power.
• Hitler quickly became Chancellor of Germany (like PM), took complete control of gov’t and transformed Germany into a Nazi state.
• Hitler:
• Abolished strikes, unions, political parties.
• Forbade economic activity that didn’t directly benefit the state.
• Imposed censorship
• Created youth organizations to teach young people the beliefs/values of the Nazi party
• Enforced strict beliefs re: racial superiority - Aryans (Caucasian, non-Jewish) were the most superior race.
• This contributed to anti-Semitism (hostility or prejudice towards Jews/Judaism).

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Nazism and The Final Solution

• Under the Nazis, Jews could not participate in certain professions, not considered German citizens. Synagogues, Jewish businesses looted, destroyed.
• Hitler’s plan to “fix the Jewish problem” was called the Final Solution – the complete extermination of the Jewish people.

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Letter of a Nazi official regarding the Final Solution

Hitler’s Plan for Domination

• 1933-1935 – Hitler began to re-arm the German military forces, created the Luftwaffe. 1936 – Hitler reoccupied the Rhineland. 1938 – German troops marched into Austria, Hitler created a political union between Germany & Austria. (These actions all directly violated the Treaty of Versailles, but were not protested by Britain, France or League of Nations)
• 1938 – Hitler demands Czechoslovakia turn over the Sudetenland (area of Czech., 3.5 M German-speaking people), wanted area to be a part of the Third Reich (reich = [German] empire). French, British and Soviets warned Hitler not to attack, but he did not intend to heed their warnings.

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Appeasement

• Appalled by the prospect of another war, world leaders thought the policy of appeasement (giving in to some of the demands of an aggressive nation) might placate Hitler.
• 1938 – Munich Conference - British, French, Italians, Germans agreed to let Germany have the Sudetenland (called the Munich Agreement).

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Hitler signing the Munich Agreement

Why Appeasement ?

• Why did Britain, France, Italy, Canada all support the concept of appeasement?
• Memories of WWI
• Fear of Strategic Bombing (wiping out entire cities)
• Flaws in the Treaty of Versailles – (created Poland and Czechoslovakia on the basis of self-determination, why not Austria and Sudetenland?)
• The Threat of Communism – at the time, Stalin’s Soviet Union was considered to be a growing threat to democracy and world peace.
• Failure to Recognize the Power of Nazism in Germany

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View clip titled “Hitler and Appeasement” from The World at War, episode 1

View the video clip titled "Hitler, The Sudetenland and Appeasement". The video is embedded on the next slide of this presentation and below this PPT lesson on the WWII Lessons webpage.