Causes of the Second World War
Canadian War Memorial, Ottawa
Let’s think about:
Consequences
How was
the world changed
by the First World War?
The Roots of WWII
QUESTIONS FOR THE ABOVE VIDEO
1. How did the German soldiers feel when they
returned from WWI?
2. To understand Hitler, we must first understand this.
3. What did Hitler do when he first took power in
1933?
CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE
Handout:
The Treaty of Versailles
and
the Rise of Hitler
Japan
• Japan felt justified in expanding its colonial empire, just as
other European empires have done historically. (Britain,
France)
• In 1931,
Japan takes
Manchuria, a
Chinese
region, for
its carbon
and iron
resources.
• The League of Nations did not come to China’s aid.
• In 1937, Japan began a strong attack on China, eventually
further conquering Korea and French-Indo China (Vietnam)
The Violation of the Treaty of
Versailles
• Hitler assumes control on
January 30, 1933. His political
ideologies appeal to the much
of the German public.
– High level of unemployment and
frustration
– A weak Weimar government
– Impressive Nazi propaganda =>
• Hitler immediately begins to
violate the Treaty of Versailles
by rearming Germany.
Violation of the Treaty of Versailles
Creation of the
Luftwaffe
Germany’s army
doubles with
conscription.
Violation of the Treaty of Versailles
June 1935
Anglo-German Naval Accord
• England acknowledges the end of the Treaty and allows
Germany to have a naval force 1/3 the size of their own to
avoid an arms race similar to prior WWI.
Rearmament
• Great Britain and France begin to increase
their own militaries in fear of the German
threat.
• Russia too, under Stalin, begins to
increase their military strength to protect
their Communist regime.
Italian Imperialism
October 1935
Fascist Italy under
Benito Mussolini
invades Abyssinia
(Ethiopia) to extend
their empire and
establish an African
presence.
New BFF…
The Fascist
dictators
Mussolini
(left) and
Hitler
(right)
become
friends
(photo prise par Eva Braun, 1940)
The Violation of the Treaty of Versailles continues...
March 1936
German forces
establish their
presence in the
Rhineland,
between France
and Belgium.
The Violation of the Treaty of Versailles….
March 1938 – Anschluss
German-Austrian Union
June 1938
Germany takes the Sudetenland,
A region belonging to Czechoslovakia.
A Sudeten Woman
crying tears of joy at the
German annexation.
« Peace in our time » - Chamberlain
September 1938 – At the Munich Conference, Hitler invites the
leaders of the world to reassure them he does not want any more
territory… (Would you trust Hitler at this point?)
Prior to signing the Munich Agreement. Left to Right: Chamberlain,
Daladier, Hitler, Mussolini, Ciano
* Britain and France
ceded to Germany’s
word, hoping to avoid
another war. This
political move is now
known as
Appeasement
Soviet Poster of the
1930s by Kukryniksy
on the Munich
Agreement
In March 1939,
Germany invades
the rest of
Czechoslovakia
Stalin andHitler
August 1939
Hitler and Stalin
make an agreement to
not attack one
another, known as the
Nazi-Soviet
Non-Aggression Pact.
Furthermore, Stalin and Hitler agree to divide eastern
Poland and Eastern Europe amongst themselves.
September 1st, 1939
Germany invades Poland
without fear of Soviet response.
September 3rd, 1939
Great Britain and France
declare war against Germany.
September 10th, 1939
Canada declares war against Germany.