were
Red denotes maximum extent of Italian Empire, pink are areas
held by Italian forces for brief periods of time.
Italy:
Led by Benito Mussolini, the Italian Fascist Party seized power in
1922. The Italian fascists appealed to dissatisfied World War I
veterans, nationalists, and those in Italy that were concerned with
the growing influence and spread of communism. Beginning in
1935, Italian forces commence an aggressive military campaign in
Africa and the Balkan Peninsula. The League of Nations failed to
address this aggression, which is largely motivated by nationalism,
militarism, and a need for natural resources.
Germany:
The German fascist party was known as the German Socialist
Workers’ Party or NAZI Party. Rising out of the ashes of post-WWI
German frustration and resentment of the Versailles Treaty, Nazi
leader Adolf Hitler used bullying tactics against Jews and fears of
communism to increase his popularity with disgruntled,
unemployed, and increasingly desperate Germans. Hitler seized the
opportunity presented by the depression to play upon the
widespread anti-Semitism that existed in Germany. With growing
political support from the masses and the help of his private army
known as the SA or “Brown Shirts”, Hitler’s Nazi Party gained control
of the German legislature or Reichstag and Hitler became chancellor
in 1933. Once in power, Hitler put the German people back to work
on massive public works projects and rebuilding the German war
machine in direct violation of the Treaty of Versailles. In 1936,
Hitler begins an aggressive campaign to reclaim territory lost during
WWI.
1936
Germany reoccupies the Rhineland, which had been
controlled by France since 1919.
1938
Germany “unifies” with Austria as part of his plan to
unify all “German” peoples of Europe.
1938
Germany is allowed by Britain & France to annex the
Sudetenland (Western Czechoslovakia) as part of the
infamous “appeasement of Hitler”. Hitler promises to
take no more territory.
1939
In the spring, Germany invades the rest of
Czechoslovakia.
*In the fall, Germany invades Poland. In response,
England and France declare war on Germany.
In the end, it was growing nationalism, militarism, and a need for
natural resources and living space that motivated German
aggression.
Japan:
Nationalists and militarists in Japan increased their power in the
1920s and 1930s. As economic conditions worsened, they
persuaded Japan’s monarch, Emperor Hirohito, that the best way to
ensure access to basic raw materials like oil, tin, and iron, which
Japan had none of, was to begin an aggressive military campaign to
occupy regions of Asia and the Pacific that possessed them. For over
half a century, Japan had been competing with European powers for
spheres of influence in Asia. However, by the 1930s, their biggest
rival for power in the Pacific was the United States. Military action in
the 1930s put Japan on a collision course with the U.S. Hideki Tojo
was the political and military leader of Japan for much of the war.
1931
Japan invades the northern Chinese state of
Manchuria.
1937
Japan begins a larger campaign to conquer the
rest of China.
1940
Japan joins the Axis Alliance with Germany & Italy.
1941
Spring. Japan invades French Indo-China
(Vietnam). The U.S. issues an ultimatum and
threatens to cut off Japanese assets and
resources.
*Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese Navy attacks U.S.
forces at Pearl Harbor. Within days, Japan has
also launched as series of attacks across the
Pacific on other U.S., British, and Dutch colonies.
Emperor Hirohito
General Hideki Tojo
The Rise of Totalitarian Fascism:
The worldwide depression of the 1920s & 1930s proved to have
alarming consequences for world politics. Combined with
nationalist’s resentments after WWI, economic hardship gave rise to
military dictators in Italy in the 1920s and Japan & Germany in the
1930s. In 1940, these three countries formed an alliance called the
Axis Powers.
Characteristics of Totalitarian Regimes: Once in power they…
 eliminate their political opposition
 curtail or end most freedoms like the freedom of speech & press
 create a secret police force to instill terror and obedience
 build up and glorify the military
 often engage in a racial or ethnic purification project