Political and economic
conditions in Europe
following World War I
led to the rise of
fascism and to World
War II. Germany was
devastated by the
Terms of The Treaty of
Versailles. In the
Treaty they were
blamed for starting the
war, they had to pay 6
million for damage
caused by the war and
they had land taken
away. The Germans felt
that the Treaty was
unfair.
There were 2 main causes of
World War II
1. Political instability and economic
devastation in Europe resulting from
World War I
2. The Rise of Fascism
The causes of World War II
1. Political instability and economic devastation in Europe
resulting from World War I
 World wide depression
 High war debt owed by Germany
 High inflation
 Massive unemployment
Causes of WWII
World wide Depression
The Great Depression was a severe
worldwide world wide depression in
the decade preceding World War II.
The timing of the Great Depression
varied across nations, but in most
countries it started in about 1929 and
lasted until the late 1930s or early
“Diligent young man
1940s. It was the longest, most
seeks work"
widespread, and deepest depression of
the 20th century, and is used in the
21st century as an example of how far
the world's economy can decline. The
depression originated in the United
States, starting with the stock market
crash of October 29, 1929 (known as
Black Tuesday), but quickly spread to
almost every country in the world. “Bennett buggies,” or "Hoover wagons", cars pulled
by horses, were used by farmers too impoverished
to purchase gasoline
Causes of WWII continued
High war debt owed by Germany
World War I reparations refers
to the payments and transfers of
property and equipment that
Germany was forced to make
under the Treaty of Versailles
(1919) following its defeat during
World War I. In January 1921,
the total sum due was decided by
an Inter-Allied Reparations
Commission and was set at 269
billion gold marks (2,790 gold
marks equaled 1 kilogram of pure
gold), (roughly equivalent to
$393.6 Billion US Dollars as of
2005), a sum that many
economists at the time deemed
to be excessive. This economic
burden was deemed unfair by
most Germans
Causes of WWII continued
High Inflation
Inflation is a rise in the
prices (cost) of goods and
services in an economy
over a period of time.
When the price level
rises, each unit of money
buys fewer goods and
services; so, annual
inflation is also an erosion
in the purchasing power of
money. When inflation is
high people can only
afford less.
Causes of WWII continued
Massive Unemployment
Unemployment occurs
when a person is available
and willing to work but
currently without work.
The prevalence of
unemployment is usually
measured using the
unemployment rate,
which is defined as the
percentage of those in
Data for (February 2010) showed a decline in
the number of Americans who have submitted the labor force who are
the first applications for unemployment
unemployed.
benefits up from 625 000 to 627 000 in the
previous week
Causes of World War II
1. Political instability and economic devastation in Europe
resulting from World War I
World wide
depression
High War
Debt owed by
Germany
Massive
Unemployment
2. The rise of fascism
High
Inflation
Causes of World War II
2. The Rise of Fascism threatened peace in Europe and Asia
Fascism is a
political
philosophy in
which total power
is given to a
dictator and
individual
freedoms are
denied and
nationalism and,
often racism are
emphasized.
Fascism
Fascist Dictators of WWII
Adolf Hitler
Germany
These dictators led the countries that became known
as the Axis Powers
The two sides of the conflict in WWII
were the Axis countries and the Allied
Countries.
The Axis countries were:
 Germany
 Italy
 Japan
The Allied countries were:
 Great Britain
 United States
 Soviet Union
Allied Leaders
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Winston Churchill
Harry S. Truman
Joseph Stalin
There was a gradual change in American Policy
from neutrality to direct involvement
 Isolationism (The Great
Depression, legacy of WWI
Isolationism is a national policy of avoiding
political or economic entanglements with other
countries
 Economic Aid to Allies
Americans did not want to become directly
involved in the war but they started giving
economic aid to Allied countries
 Direct involvement in the war
December 7, 1941, Japan attacked American
forces at Pearl Harbor Hawaii and forced
America to go to war
War in the Pacific
 Rising tension developed
between the United
States and Japan because
of Japanese aggression in
East Asia (China)
 On December 7, 1941,
Japan attacked the
United States at Pearl
Harbor without warning
 The United States
declared war on Japan
 Germany declared war on
the United States
Causes of World War II