The World at War:
1920-1941
Mr. Phipps
Santa Teresa High School
Part I:
The Background
The “Interwar Period” was
considered an era of American
isolationist policy.
The Age of American
Isolationism
Senator Henry Cabot Lodge,
passed the “Lodge Reservations”
an angry and rousing indictment of
Wilson’s postwar policy.
• Senate refused to ratify Treaty
of Versailles
• Congress rejected treaty with
France
• 1921-Congress passes
independent resolution ending
The Great War
• World disillusioned with the
horrors of war
• People wanted a “return to
normalcy”
Multi-Lateral Peace
Agreements
The early 1920s witnessed a
profusion of peace accords, each
of which was designed to prevent
another global military
catastrophe.
The Treaty of Versailles
• Brokered at the Paris
Peace Conference in
the fall of 1918
• Started prior to the end
of the war by Woodrow
Wilson
• Britain and France
wanted revenge,
reparations, and
complete disarmament
from Germany and
Austria-Hungary
Conspicuously absent from the Paris
Peace Conference was Germany
and Austria-Hungary, neither of
whom were invited because they
were the belligerents in the war.
The League of Nations
The Fourteen Points
• Abandon secret diplomacy,
treaties, and alliances
• Reduce arms and ensure
freedom of the seas
• Decolonize and recognize
sovereignty of nations
• Establish League of Nations
The League of Nations
Wanting “Peace without victory” and
to “Make the world safe for
democracy”, Wilson alienated
Congress while pushing his agenda
for an international peace-keeping
body.
• Voluntary membership
• No enforcement or peacekeeping troop force
• Non-binding resolutions
• Nice idea, but totally ineffective
The Results
For Germany
Consequences
• Germany lost all colonies
• Forced to sign war-guilt
clause
• Complete disarmament
• Map of Germany redrawn
• Forced to submit to the
League of Nations
• Forced to pay war
reparations to England and
France
• German economic
collapse
• Inability to pay debts
contributes to the Great
Crash
• Destroyed German
middle class
• Built resentment toward
the Allies
• Woodrow Wilson
discredited
Global Disarmament
• Four Powers Pact (Dec. 1921)
– Britain, France, Japan, and the U.S.A.
– Pledged mutual respect for territorial possessions
– Created a forum for international diplomacy
• Five Powers Naval Treaty (Feb. 1922)
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–
–
Britain, France, Japan, Italy, and the U.S.A.
Limited number of naval vessels (1 U.K. :3 Japan: 5 U.S.)
Americans get more because they had two coasts
Established submarine use and banned use of poisonous
gas
• Nine Powers Treaty (Feb. 1922)
– Pledged support of Open Door Policy, Chinese
sovereignty, and open trade
Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928)
• Outlawed war as an
“Instrument of national
policy”, except in cases of
“defensive wars”
• Signed by more than 60
countries
• U.S. Congress ratified
treaty, because it did not
contradict Monroe
Doctrine
As excellent an idea as the League of
Nations, the Kellog-Briand Pact had
no enforcement body nor any binding
force.
Goals
The Dawes and
Young Plan
• To assist Germany in
repaying war debt to England
and France
• To promote circulation of
money and credit between
Europe and the U.S.
Problems
• Money didn’t circulate
• High trade tariffs kept
England and France from
buying American goods,
thereby stopping the
circulation of money
Part II:
The Players
The 1930’s marked the rise of very powerful
individuals. Each individual responded to the
global depression, widespread poverty, and
internal political divisions by consolidating
their authority, expanding the role of
government, and using the media to influence
public opinion.
The Rise of Totalitarianism
Causes
• Economic--high
unemployment and
rampant inflation
• Political-governments could
not solve economic
problems
• Fear and uncertainty
The 5 Qualifications for
Dictatorship
• Big personality
• Big easy plan
• Power (secret
police kind)
• Scapegoat
• Righteousness
Germany: Adolf Hitler
• Viennese bastard-• Early artist, rejected by the
Vienna Academy of Fine
Art
• Blamed Jews for his failure
• Enlisted in German army
during WWI, where he was
honorably discharged
because of blinding by
chlorine gas
• Joined the National
Socialist German Workers
Party in 1919 (NAZI)
The Beer Hall
Putsch
• Blamed England and the
United States for the
Treaty of Versailles and
the problems of Germany
• Tried to seize power in a
failed coup (the Beer Hall
Putsch of 1923)
• Sentenced to prison,
where he wrote Mein
Kampf
Mein Kampf is Hitler’s blueprint for a new
Germany. In it, he contends that Germany
must rebuild itself to its former glory, and
create the Third Great Empire, or the Third
Reich. Also, Mein Kampf outlines Hitlers race
policy: the supremacy of the Aryans and the
inferiority of the Jews, Slavs, and Gypsies
The Big Easy Plan:
Lebensraum
Goals for Living Space
• Germany too
overcrowded
• Unite all German
speaking people
• Conquer Eastern
Europe, Russia, and
the Urals as a “buffer
zone” against future
invasion
Hitler’s Rise to Power
• Granted Chancellorship
in 1933
• Won slim majority in
Reichstag (the German
congress)
• Asked for dictator
power for four years (to
combat the
Communists in
Germany
Herman Goering, Joseph Goebbels, and
Heinrich Himmler were Hitler’s top
advisors. Goering, a former WWI ace
and morphine addict, was Chief of the
Luftwaffe. Goebbels, a failed actor and
writer, became Minister of Propaganda.
Himmler, a former part-time chicken
farmer, was Chief of the Schutzstaffel, the
SS secret police.
Nazi Progress
• Banned labor unions
• Gave authority over
business
• Dropped unemployment
from 6 million to 1.5 million
• Controlled all media
• Burned controversial
literature, including Freud,
Mann, and all Jewish works
• Initiated Hitler Youth
Movements to further
indoctrinate the German
youth
Postwar Italy
• Italy denied territorial
gains in the Treaty of
Versailles
• Cost of living
increased 500%
• High unemployment
The Fascist symbol, an axe
bundled in reeds. This was a
symbol of power used during
the Roman Empire.
Italy: Benito Mussolini
• Head of Fascist Party
• Former editor of an
inflammatory
newspaper, criticizing
the Italian government
• Promised to revive the
economy and rebuild
military
• Motto: Believe, Obey
and Fight
Mussolini’s Rise
• King appointed
Mussolini as Prime
Minister
• Used executive
authority to abolish
political parties,
Parliament
• Censored all media
Mussolini strikes against law. Teachers
were ordered to compare him to Aristotle,
Michelangelo, and Napoleon. Nicknamed
“Il Duce.”
Japan: Hirohito and Tojo
• Divine Imperialism and
Militarism--The Cult of the
Emperor
• Dreamt of Asian territorial
expansion (through China,
Southeast Asia, and the
South Pacific)
• Hoped to create an
Industrial Revolution
• Required enormous
amount of raw materials,
especially oil
Josef Stalin
• Gained control of the U.S.S.R.
in 1924, following Lenin’s
death
• Responded to the economic
depression of the post-war,
post-Revolution
• Began collective farms--a way
of organizing Russian industry
and emphasizing communal
production
• Started series of 5 Year Plans
• Began purges of Slavics,
Cossacks, and political
dissidents--approx. 12 million
killed or deported to Siberia
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
• Elected in 1932 in
response to the American
Great Depression
• Would be re-elected in
1936, 1940, and 1944
• Expanded the federal
government to increase its
authority in dealing with
the Depression
• Established series of
government spending
programs called “The New
Deal”
The Sides
The Axis Powers
• Germany (Hitler)
• Italy (Mussolini)
• Japan
(Hirohito/Tojo)
• Spain (Franco)
• U.S.S.R. (Stalin)***
– Until 1941
The Allies
• Great Britain
(Chamberlain,
Churchill)
• U.S.A (FDR)
• U.S.S.R (Stalin)***
– After 1941
• China (Chaing Kai
Shek, Mao)
• France (in exile, De
Gaulle)
Part III: The Path to War
The degeneration of the world into war was
precipitated by acts of violence and
aggression by the Germans, the Italians, and
the Japanese. It is also marked by the policy
of appeasement by England and public
proclamations of neutrality.
1931
Japan Invades Manchuria
September 1931
• Japan invades
Manchuria, a province
of China, to take natural
resources
• Invasion is a violation of
the Treaty of Versailles
• League of Nations does
nothing, except strong
reprimand
1932
Japan firebombs Shanghai,
prompting NO international
reaction.
1933
Hitler elected Chancellor
Hitler Elected Chancellor
• Hitler elected as
Chancellor of the German
people, nominated as the
National Socialist Party
(Nazi)
• Later given powers of
Dictator, emergency
authority to alleviate the
stress of the Depression
• Opens Dachau, as a
forced labor camp initially
for political enemies
1934
•Night of the Long Knives
•Hitler becomes Fuhrer
Night of the Long Knives
A Hostile Takeover
– June 30, 1934
– Hitler, with the Gestapo
(the Secret Police) and the
SS (the Nazi special
forces) murdered 60
political enemies
– Historians argue that over
400 were murdered
– Illustrates Hitler’s absolute
power
Hitler As Fuhrer
Hitler assumes broad
dictatorial powers
• Censors the media
• Mobilizes German industry
• Rebuilds the German
military
• Withdraws Germany from
the League of Nations
U.S. signs trade treaty with
England, lowering tariffs to boost
trade.
1935
•Invasion of Ethiopia
•Nuremberg Laws
Italy Invades Ethiopia
• Italy invades Ethiopia, a part
of North Africa
– To gain access to Egypt and
the Suez Canal
– Purpose to exploit natural
resources
– Uses modern machinery, tanks,
chemical warfare, and machine
guns
– Total slaughter of native
Ethiopians
• Prompts no response from
League of Nations
– Highlights that the League is
entirely ineffective
Nuremberg, Sept. 1935
Nuremberg Laws
• Forbids Jews to
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Hold office
Teach
Practice medicine
Fly the German flag
Inter-marry
Forced registration
Forced to wear the
Star of David
***The U.S. issues its First
Neutrality Proclamation, a
formal expression of its
isolationism.
1936
•Rome-Berlin Axis formed
•Summer Olympics
•Spanish Civil War
•Second Neutrality Act
Rome-Berlin Axis
• Hitler and Mussolini
formalize their
alliance in RomeBerlin Axis
• Each promise
mutual defense and
neutrality in the
other’s military
action
The Berlin Olympics
The 1936 Summer
Olympics
• Opportunity for Hitler to
showcase Aryan
athleticism
• Promoted by Leni
Reiffenstahl, Hitler’s
filmographer
• To not offend, the U.S. did
not send any of its premier
Jewish athletes
• Allowed black Americans
to participate, because
Hitler presumed their
inferiority
Jesse Owens, the
son of a poor black
sharecropper from
Alabama, won 4
gold medals for
Track and Field
Events. After the
first event, Hitler, in
attendance,
stormed out of the
stadium in disgust.
The Spanish Civil War
The Fascists
• Francisco Franco led
Fascist takeover of Spain
• Asked Hitler for German
military support and
funding
• Hitler granted both, as
long as he could
experiment with his new
technology on Franco’s
Spanish enemies
The U.S. issues 2nd
Neutrality Proclamation.
Painted by Pablo Picasso, the painting Guernica illustrated the
horrors of Franco’s betrayal of his own people. Innocent Spaniards
were butchered, using Hitler’s weaponry. The town of Guernica, for
which this painting is named, was destroyed: man, woman, and
child.
1937
•Japan takes Nanjing
•Soviets purge Red Army
•Germany begins pogroms
•Third Neutrality Act
The Rape of Nanjing
• Japanese military takes over
the rest of Manchuria
• Chinese government flees to
the mountains to pursue
defense
– Chang Kai Shek, leader of the
Chinese Nationalist Party
– Mao Zedong, leader of the
Chinese Communist Party
• 200,000 women estimated to
have been brutally raped and
murdered by the Japanese
army
– Considered to be one of the
worst war-time atrocities of the
20th century
1938
•Anschluss Announced
•Munich Conference
•Kristallnacht
The Anschluss
Announcement
• Hitler promises to
reunify German
speaking countries
– Divided by the Treaty
of Versailles
– Considered lost
brothers, torn by
English and
American aggression
after World War I
The Takeover of Austria
March 1938
• Hitler forces Austrian
chancellor to abdicate
his authority
• Nazis enters Austria to
“maintain order”
• Hitler subsequently
annexes Austria and
“re-unified” German
• Greeted with open arms
by the Austrian people
Hitler Appeased
The Munich Conference,
Sept. 1938
• Is prompted by Hitler’s vow
to take over the
Sudetenland, a chunk of
German-speaking
Czechoslovakia
• The territory was another
section “lost” at the Treaty of
Versailles
• Hitler, Neville Chamberlain,
and the French P.M. meet to
discuss the future of
Czechoslovakia
“Peace in Our Time”
• Hitler allowed to keep the
Sudetenland and
Czechoslovakia
• Hitler promises not to take
any other European
territory
• Chamberlain considers it a
victory for peace
• Chamberlain would lose
reelection campaign to
Winston Churchill because
Munich Conference didn’t
stop Hitler
Kristallnacht
The Night of Broken Glass
• Caused by the death of a
minor German diplomat in
Paris by a Jew
• Used as an example of
Jewish barbarity
• Nazi Germans rioted in
the streets of Germany,
destroying thousands of
businesses, killing
hundreds, and arresting
over 20,000 German Jews
1939
•Germans Take Czechoslovakia
•Soviet-Nazi Non-Aggression Pact
•German Invasion of Poland
•DECLARATION OF WAR!
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
March 1939
• Hitler ignores
promises at Munich
Conference and
takes over
Czechoslovakia
Non-Aggression Pact
Signed
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•
•
•
•
Molotov-Rippentrob Treaty insured 5 year mutual neutrality
Neither side would prevent the other’s aggressions in Europe
Both agreed to divide Poland
Pledged mutual support in case of belligerent action
Hitler wanted the Danzig Corridor, land passage to the North
Sea
The Lights Go Out
Germany Invades
Poland, September
1939
• Prompts a declaration
of war by England and
France
• Polish government
flees, in exile, to
London
• Germany and Russia
agree to divide Poland
***U.S. declares 4th Neutrality Act,
but supports England with CashCarry Policy--money for guns, and
the Destroyers for Bases exchange.
1940
•The Fall of France
•Battle of Britain
•Lend-Lease Act
The Fall of France
• Hitler invades France
through neutral Belgium,
bypasses French defenses
(Maginot Line)
• Enters Paris in June
• French Nationalists flee to
London (led by Charles de
Gaulle)
• New French government
established--Vichy Regime
• France surrenders in 6
weeks
The Battle of Britain
• Hitler uses France as
base for the Luftwaffe to
begin blitzkrieg of Britain
• Hitler besieges the main
cities of England with
constant air attack to
erode their confidence
• Strengthens British
resolve and galvanizes
American support
The German invasion
plan, called Operation
Sea Lion, would prove
to be a failure for Hitler.
The British only lost
951 aircraft, to
Germany’s loss of over
1,700 aircraft. The
British Spitfire was
more maneuverable
than the German fighter
planes. For every city
Hitler bombed, Winston
Churchill authorized the
bombing of German
cities like Hamburg and
Dresden.
Tripartite Alliance Formed
• September 1940
– Japan seeks better relations with Hitler’s
Germany
– Germany orchestrates a mutual defense
treaty between Japan, Italy, and Germany
– Soviet Russia not invited, thereby nullifying
the Molotov-Ribbentrop Treaty
– Roosevelt actively fears a two ocean war
1941
•Invasion of Russia
•Atlantic Charter
•Pearl Harbor Bombed
Russia Invaded
June, 1941
• Hitler invades Russia along a 2,000 mile front
• Confident of success (because it was
unexpected), Hitler does not equip his army
with winter gear
• Germans advance rapidly, taking the Ukraine
and besieging Leningrad in September
• U.S. provides immediate aid in the form of
Lend-Lease
Atlantic Charter
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
• Formalized the alliance
between Great Britain and
America
• Established war-time
strategy--”Europe first”
• Developed post-war plans
– No territorial changes
– Self-Determination
– Establishment of the United
Nations
• Facilitated free trade
• Demilitarize
• Russia not invited, leaves
Stalin upset
A Day of Infamy
• December 7, 1941
• Japanese response to
American 1940
embargo of steel and oil
(a response to Japan’s
aggression in China)
• American’s crack code
indicating an attack on
American soil, but no
solid intel on location
America Attacked
• American government and military caught off
guard and unprepared, attack even surprised
Japan’s allies
• Japan officially declared war on America after
the attack, later on Dec. 7
• U.S. navy lost nearly 20 ships, 170 planes,
and sustained over 3,500 casualties
• Dec. 8--FDR asks Congress for a Declaration
of War
• Dec. 11--Germany and Italy declare war on
the U.S. (under the terms of the Tripartite
Alliance)
Summary
• Nazi Germany invades Austria --> Sudetenland -->
Czechoslovakia --> Poland --> France --> Britain
• Italy attacks Ethiopia and joins in alliance with
Germany, and later Japan
• Japan begins a war of conquest throughout China
and the Pacific
• The U.S. diplomatically declares neutrality, but
helps Britain in the Cash and Carry Policy,
Destroyers for Bases, and Lend-Lease
• The Atlantic Charter solidifies American-British
alliance
• Pearl Harbor forces America’s involvement