Introduction
to WWII
Which candidate will you
choose?
 On a Spring evening in the early 1930s during the
Great Depression, you are one of thousands of
Germans gathered at an outdoor stadium in
Munich. You are unemployed; your country is
suffering. Like everyone else, you have come to
this mass meeting to hear two politicians
campaigning for office Huge speakers blare out
patriotic music, while you and the rest of the
crowd wait impatiently for the speeches to begin.
Before long, you will cast your ballot.
First Candidate’s Platform
 Remember Germany’s long and
Second Candidate’s Platform
 Realize that there are no simple or
quick solutions to problems
 Replace out present indecisive
 Put people back to work, but
glorious past
leadership with a strong decisive
leader
economic recovery will be slow
 Rebuild army to protect against
 Provide for the poor, elderly and
 Regain the lands taken unfairly from
 Avoid reckless military spending
enemies
us
 Make sacrifices to return to economic
health
 Put the welfare of the state above all,
and our country will be a great power
again
1.
2.
3.
sick
 Act responsibly to safeguard
democracy
 Be a good neighbor country;
honor our debts and treaty
commitments
What strategy does each candidate have for solving the
nations problems?
Which candidate makes the stronger appeal to the listener’s
emotions?
Can you draw any comparisons with the 2012 election?
Setting the Stage for WWII
What were the flaws of the
Treaty of Versailles? (The
treaty that ended WWI)
Global Economic Turmoil
WWI left most of Europe in
shambles
Many countries were left with
bitter feelings and resentment
Global Depression
Germany
 Lost territory
 Stripped of colonies
 Lost military
 Had to pay $33 billion and assume fill
responsibility for WWI
 How does a country pay a $33 billion war
debt when their country suffered such
heavy losses?
Simple, they printed more
money. And more money.
And more money. To the
point of hyperinflation.
Rapper’s Dream
 Germany is bitter and wants to
be a great nation again. How
are they going to go about
doing this?
Italy
 Italy felt like they got the short
end of the stick in the Treaty of
Versailles
 They had hoped to gain more
territory in the treaty
 Italy was also struggling with
economic hardship and wanted
to expand
How does become a great
nation again?
Japan
Japan felt completely
ignored by European powers
and were virtually unnamed
in the treaty
This fostered feelings of
resentment and Japan
wanted revenge
 How does Japan become a
great nation again?
Post WWI Crises and Resentment
Led to Fascism and Dictatorships
Desperate conditions in these
countries and ill feelings after
WWI allowed powerful
dictators to rise to power
Origins of WWII Notes
 Treaty of Versailles left many nations
unsatisfied and looking for more power
(Germany, Italy and Japan)
 Dictators rose to power promising to
solve problems
 Fascism: a political movement that
promotes an extreme form of
nationalism, a denial of individual rights,
and a dictatorial one-party rule