Chapter 11 McGraw Hill- Smith
I.
NATIONALISM AND MILITARISM
Massive Reparations The Allies blamed Germany for World War I and wanted to punish the country. They
demanded that Germany pay $33 billion in reparations to the Allies.
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Military Limitations The treaty reduced the size of Germany’s armed forces and prohibited them from crossing
west of the Rhine River.
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Territory Reductions German territory was divided to reestablish Poland, giving it access to the Baltic Sea. In
addition, territories were seized in the west by France and in the south to help create Czechoslovakia.
How did the terms of the Treaty of Versailles lead to hardship and discontent in Germany? The treaty mandated
that Germany pay severe reparations, totaling around $33 billion, a sum the country could not hope to pay in one
installment. With an infrastructure already devastated by the war, Germany’s economy was crippled by the treaty’s steep
terms. Anger, resentment, and desperation began to fester among German citizens now overcome with economic
depression, poverty, and suffering.
The Rise of Dictators
A. The treaty that ended World War I and the economic depression that followed contributed to the rise
of dictatorships in Europe and Asia.
B. Italy developed the first major dictatorship in Europe. In 1919 Benito Mussolini founded Italy’s
Fascist Party. Fascism was a kind of aggressive nationalism. Fascists believed that the nation was more
important than the individual, and that a nation became great by expanding its territory and building its
military. Fascists were anti-Communist.
C. Backed by the militia known as Black shirts, Mussolini became the premier of Italy and set up a
dictatorship.
D. In 1917 the Bolshevik Party, led by Vladimir Lenin, set up Communist governments throughout the
Russian empire. The Russian territories were renamed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1922.
The Communists set up a one-party rule.
E. By 1926 Joseph Stalin had become the new Soviet dictator. In 1927 he began a massive effort to
industrialize the country. Millions of peasants who resisted the Communist policies were killed.
F. After World War I, the political and economic chaos in Germany led to the rise of new political
parties. The Nazi Party was nationalistic and anti-Communist. Adolf Hitler, a member of the Nazi Party,
called for the unification of all Germans under one government.
He believed certain Germans were part of a “master race” destined to rule the world. He wanted Eastern
Europeans enslaved. He felt Jews were responsible for many of the world’s problems. In 1933 Hitler was
appointed prime minister of Germany. Storm troopers intimidated voters into giving Hitler dictatorial
powers.
G. Difficult economic times in Japan after World War I undermined the country’s political system. Many
Japanese officers and civilians wanted to seize territory to gain needed resources. In 1931 the Japanese
army, without the government’s permission, invaded the resource-rich Chinese province of Manchuria.
The military took control of Japan.
What dictatorships were established in Europe and Asia after World War I?
The Rise of Dictators
Italy
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USSR
1919: Benito Mussolini started the Fascist movement in Italy.
Mussolini promised to protect Italy from communism and restore prosperity.
1922: Mussolini threatened to march on Rome with the Fascist militia known as the Blackshirts.
The king appointed Mussolini premier. Mussolini assumed the title of Il Duce, meaning “The Leader” and set
about pressing a Fascist agenda.
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1922: The Communist Party declared the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics following the Russian Revolution.
1924: Joseph Stalin took power following the death of Communist leader Vladimir Lenin.
Stalin imposed a series of Five-Year Plans designed to industrialize the country and encourage economic growth.
Stalin held absolute power and sought to eliminate all political and social opposition.
Nearly 2 million people were imprisoned in concentration camps by 1935.
Germany
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The Nazi Party, led by Adolf Hitler, demanded an end to conditions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles and
sought to expand German territory.
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1923: Nazis marched on city hall in Munich in an attempt to seize power. Hitler was arrested, and the party was
banned.
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In prison, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf (“My Struggle”), in which he claimed that Germans belonged to a master race
called Aryans and that Slavic and Jewish peoples were inferior.
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Once out of prison, Hitler pursued political power. Economic depression often results in support for more radical
parties.
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1932: The Nazi Party held the most seats in the Reichstag, or German Parliament.
1933: Hitler was appointed chancellor and called for new elections.
1934: Hitler gave himself the title of Der Führer, or “The Leader.”
Predictable Misunderstandings
Some might think that Hitler was the leader of the Fascist Party. Actually, Adolf Hitler was the leader of the National
Socialist German Workers' Party—The Nazis—which was a Fascist party.
Japan
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The Japanese military blamed the country’s economic woes on government corruption.
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1937: Japan invaded Nanjing, killing as many as 300,000.
Japan imported most of its resources and faced high tariffs as a result of global depression.
The military pushed for territorial expansion to acquire more resources.
1931: Japan invaded Manchuria in northern China. In response to U.S. pressure, Emperor Hirohito ordered troop
withdrawals, but Minister of War Hideki Tōjō refused.
1941: Tōjō became prime minister.
I. NEUTRALITY AND ISOLATIONISM
American Neutrality
A. The rise of dictatorships in Europe and Asia after World War I, the refusal of European countries to
repay war debts owed to the United States, and the Nye Committee findings that arms factories made
huge profits caused Americans to support isolationism. Many Americans wanted to avoid international
commitments.
B. Congress passed the Neutrality Act of 1935 making it illegal for Americans to sell arms to any
country at war.
C. Congress passed the Neutrality Act of 1937, which continued the ban of selling arms to countries at
war and required warring countries to buy nonmilitary supplies from the United States on a “cash and
carry” basis.
D. President Franklin D. Roosevelt supported internationalism. Internationalists believe that trade
between nations creates prosperity and helps to prevent war.
E. Japan aligned itself with Germany and Italy, and these three countries became known as the Axis
Powers.
F. After Japan launched a full-scale attack on China in 1937, Roosevelt authorized the sale of weapons to
China, saying that the Neutrality Act of 1937 did not apply, since neither China nor Japan had actually
declared war.
Discussion Question
Chapter 11 McGraw Hill- Smith
What factors led many Americans to support isolationism after World War I?
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War Fatigue World War I had cost the United States many lives and a great deal of money. Many Americans did
not understand what purpose World War I had served and did not want to get involved in another world war.
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International Debt Former allies from World War I had not repaid much of the war debt owed to the United
States. Internationalism seemed costly.
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Nye Committee Led by Senator Gerald Nye, Republican from North Dakota, the committee reported that many
arms manufacturers had profited greatly from World War I. This led many Americans to think that they fought in
World War I to benefit arms companies and disinclined them to support World War II.
Neutrality Acts
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1935: In response to the findings of the Nye Committee, this first act prohibited Americans from selling arms to
countries at war.
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1936: Following the onset of the Spanish Civil War, this act prohibited Americans from selling arms to either side
fighting in a civil war.
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1937: After Germany, Italy, and Japan allied as the Axis Powers, this act allowed the sale of non-military
supplies on a cash-and-carry basis.
Roosevelt’s Internationalism
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During the 1930s, Roosevelt was focused on leading the United States out of the Great Depression with his New
Deal legislation.
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However, Roosevelt supported internationalism, believing that international trade generated prosperity and
encouraged peaceful resolution to conflicts.
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Roosevelt opposed but did not veto the Neutrality Acts.
Roosevelt authorized the sale of arms to China when Japan invaded the country in 1937. He claimed the
Neutrality Acts did not apply because Japan had not declared war on China.
What economic considerations might have supported an isolationist stance? What about an internationalist
position? Economic depression, recovery from World War I, and unpaid debts might encourage isolationism; a diversion of
resources from domestic need might also encourage isolationism; potential prosperity to be gained from international trade
by supporting trading partners might encourage internationalism
What geographic factors might have encouraged the United States to remain isolationist? The United States was
buffered from events in Europe and Asia by the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It was not in danger of ground attack, and air
assaults would have been highly unlikely. It did not have to become involved to defend its territory
What moral arguments might internationalists have made? Those who could help prevent death and destruction
have a moral responsibility to do so; a powerful, aggressive Germany is a threat to world stability, not just Europe
II. THE PATH TO WAR
World War II Begins
How did European nations try to prevent war?
German Violations of the Treaty and Expansion
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1935: Hitler initiated draft to expand Germany's army and build a new air force.
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1937: Hitler called for the reunification of German-speaking peoples.
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March 1939: Despite promises, Hitler invaded and divided Czechoslovakia.
1936: Hitler ordered the German military to occupy the Rhineland, a stretch of German territory that had been
demilitarized under the treaty.
March 1938: Hitler invaded Austria and announced Anschluss, or unification, of Austria and Germany.
September 1938: Representatives of Britain, France, Italy, and Germany met at the Munich Conference to
resolve German claims to the Sudetenland, a region in Czechoslovakia. In exchange for peace, the Sudetenland
was ceded to Germany. This policy became known as appeasement.
Chapter 11 McGraw Hill- Smith
Movement Toward War
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March 1939: Hitler demanded the return of Danzig, Poland, to German control. With British and French support,
Poland refused.
Summer 1939: Hitler prepared to invade Poland and entered negotiations with the USSR to prevent doing battle
on two fronts.
August 23, 1939: Stalin agreed to a nonaggression treaty with Hitler. Germany and the USSR signed the NaziSoviet Pact. Stalin believed conflict among Europe’s capitalist nations would benefit the USSR. Hitler also
promised to divide Poland between Germany and the USSR.
How was Germany's occupation of the Rhineland and other territories a test of the Treaty of Versailles? The
region had been demilitarized under the treaty, so by occupying the region with the German military, Hitler was testing the
strength of the treaty and the resolve of the former Allies to enforce its terms
In what way might the early diplomatic stance of Britain and France have encouraged Hitler’s militarism and
expansion? The lack of a forceful response early on might have convinced Hitler that his aggression would go unchecked
and that he would be able to continue building his military and acquiring more territory
III. GERMAN VICTORIES AND BRITISH DEFIANCE
Peace in our Time
A. In February 1938, Adolf Hitler threatened to invade Austria unless Austrian Nazis were given
important government posts. In March 1938, Hitler announced the Anschluss, or unification, of Austria
and Germany.
B. Hitler claimed the Sudetenland, an area of Czechoslovakia with a large German-speaking population.
Czechs strongly resisted Germany’s demand for the Sudetenland.
C. France, the Soviet Union, and Britain threatened to fight Germany if it attacked Czechoslovakia. At
the Munich Conference on September 29, 1938, Britain and France, hoping to prevent another war,
agreed to Hitler’s demands in a policy known as appeasement.
D. In March 1939, Germany sent troops into Czechoslovakia, bringing the Czech lands under German
control.
E. Hitler demanded the return of Danzig—Poland’s Baltic Sea port. He also wanted a highway and
railroad across the Polish Corridor. These demands convinced the British and French that appeasement
had failed.
F. In May 1939, Hitler ordered the invasion of Poland by the German army.
G. On August 23, 1939, Germany and the USSR signed a nonaggression treaty, with a secret agreement
to divide Poland.
Discussion Question
Why did Britain and France agree to Hitler’s demands for the Sudetenland?
II. The War Begins
A. On September 1, 1939, Germany and the USSR invaded Poland. On September 3, Britain and France
declared war on Germany—starting World War II.
B. The Germans used a blitzkrieg, or lightening war, to attack Poland. The Polish army was defeated by
October 5.
C. On April 9, 1940, the German army attacked Norway and Denmark. Within a month, Germany
overtook both countries.
D. After World War I, the French built a line of concrete bunkers and fortifications called the Maginot
Line along the German border. When Hitler decided to attack France, he went around the Maginot Line
by invading the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. The French and British forces quickly went into
Belgium, becoming trapped there by German forces.
E. By June 4, about 338,000 British and French troops had evacuated Belgium through the French port of
Dunkirk and across the English Channel, using ships of all sizes.
F. On June 22, 1940, France surrendered to the Germans. Germany installed a puppet government in
France.
Chapter 11 McGraw Hill- Smith
Discussion Question
Why did France fall to the Germans?
Blitzkrieg (More details on this type of war0
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September 1939: Germany invaded Poland in a powerful, swift attack known as blitzkrieg, meaning “lightning
war.” While the army attacked across land, the Luftwaffe, or German air force, bombed cities, railroads, bridges,
and other key targets from above. Meanwhile, the USSR invaded from the east. Within weeks, the country was
divided between Germany and the USSR.
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May 1940: Hitler began a new blitzkrieg, invading the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Belgium. British and French
troops rallied to defend Belgium, but German forces swept through French lines into northern France.
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June 1940: The Allied forces of Britain and France became trapped in Belgium. The Nazis pressed the Allies
toward the English Channel but stopped before they reached Dunkirk. Allied forces successfully evacuated from
Dunkirk. Meanwhile, German forces overwhelmed France.
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June 22, 1940: France surrendered. Hitler installed Marshal Philippe Pétain as leader of the new Vichy
government.
Britain Remains Defiant
A. Hitler thought that Britain would negotiate peace after France surrendered. He did not anticipate the
bravery of the British people and their prime minister, Winston
Churchill. On June 4, 1940, Churchill delivered a defiant speech that rallied the British people and
alerted the United States to Britain’s plight.
B. To invade Britain, Germany had to defeat the British air force. In the Battle of Britain, the German air
force, the Luftwaffe, launched an all-out air battle to destroy the British Royal Air Force. After German
bombers bombed London, the British responded by bombing Berlin, Germany.
C. The Royal Air Force was greatly outnumbered by the Luftwaffe, but the British had radar stations and
were able to detect incoming German aircraft and direct British fighters to intercept them.
How did the British stop the German forces from invading Britain?
French and British Defiance
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Charles de Gaulle refused to acknowledge French surrender. He led the French resistance forces to Algiers, where
they continued to fight.
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Winston Churchill declared that Britain would not surrender to German aggression.
The Luftwaffe began a bombing campaign against Britain and fought the British Royal Air Force. Following the
Battle of Britain, Hitler abandoned the planned invasion of the island.
Predictable Misunderstandings
Students might think the German blitzkrieg overwhelmed Polish defenses so completely that it led to the defeat of Poland
within a month’s time. While the German blitzkrieg did initially help overwhelm Polish forces, it was a combination of
factors that led to Poland’s quick defeat, including the technological advantages of the German military and the Soviet
invasion of Poland from the east on September 17, 1939.
Background:
The Maginot Line was a series of fortifications constructed across northeastern France to defend against German invasion.
Built from concrete, the barrier was designed to prevent attack and support French troops. It included arsenals, living
quarters, called bunkers, and underground rail lines. However, the Germans did not attack from the northeast. Rather,
they attacked through Belgium, skirting the Maginot Line and entering France from the north, where the French were
unprepared.
I. PERSECUTION IN GERMANY
Nazi Persecution of the Jews
I. Nazi Persecution of the Jews
A. The Nazis killed nearly 6 million Jews and millions of other people during the Holocaust. The
Hebrew term for the Nazi campaign to exterminate the Jews before and during World War II is Shoah.
Chapter 11 McGraw Hill- Smith
B. The Nazis persecuted anyone who opposed them, as well as the disabled, Gypsies, homosexuals, and
Slovic peoples. The Nazis’ strongest hatred was aimed at all Jews.
C. In September 1935, the Nuremberg Laws took citizenship away from Jewish Germans and banned
marriage between Jews and other Germans. German Jews were deprived of many rights that citizens of
Germany had long held. By 1936 at least half of Germany’s Jews were jobless.
D. Anti-Jewish violence erupted throughout Germany and Austria on November 9, 1938, known as
Kristallnacht, or “night of broken glass.” Ninety Jews died, hundreds were badly injured, thousands of
Jewish businesses were destroyed, and over 180 synagogues were wrecked.
E. Between 1933 and the beginning of World War II in 1939, about 350,000 Jews escaped Nazicontrolled Germany. Many of them emigrated to the United States. Millions of
Jews remained trapped in Nazi-dominated Europe because they could not get visas to the United States or
to other countries.
Discussion Question
What factors limited Jewish immigration to the United States?
More in depth explanation of Anti-Semitism, Nuremberg Laws, &Kristallnacht
Anti-Semitism
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The Holocaust refers to the Nazi effort to exterminate the Jewish population of Europe during World War II. Hitler
and the Nazis viewed Jews as an inferior race of people and blamed them for World War I and the economic
devastation that followed.
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During the Holocaust, the Nazis killed nearly 6 million Jewish people.
They also killed millions of other people, including those who opposed their rule. The Roma (formerly known as
Gypsies), homosexual individuals, and Slavic peoples were all victims.
Nuremberg Laws
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1935 Laws strip German Jews of citizenship and prohibit Jews from marrying Germans. Another law prohibits
Jews from voting or holding public office. Yet another law requires Jews with German names to adopt names
considered Jewish, and officials begin marking Jewish passports with a red “J.”
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1936 Jews are barred from working as civil servants, teachers, journalists, farmers, and actors.
1938 Jews are barred from practicing law and medicine or owning businesses.
Jewish Resilience Despite such laws, many Jews remained in Germany, where they had made their home. They
believed that, in time, conditions would improve.
Kristallnacht
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Assassination On November 7, 1938, Herschel Grynszpan, a Jewish refugee, killed a German diplomat in Paris
in response to the deportation of Polish Jews from Germany to Poland.
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Response Hitler staged retaliatory attacks against Jews that would seem like a reaction to news of the murder.
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Ongoing Persecution After Kristallnacht, Germany’s secret police, called the Gestapo, arrested 30,000 Jewish
men. Only those who relinquished their property and emigrated were released. Insurance money owed to Jewish
business owners went to the government instead.
Night of Broken Glass On November 9, violence broke out against Jewish peoples in Austria and Germany.
More than 90 Jews were killed. Thousands of businesses and hundreds of synagogues were destroyed. The night
became known asKristallnacht, or “night of broken glass.”
What motivated the Nazi persecution of Jewish people? Racism; the Nazis viewed Jewish people as inferior;
economic hardship; the Nazis blamed Jewish people for World War I and the subsequent economic depression
Why did Jewish people stay despite persecution? Do you think you would have remained in Germany? Why or
why not? Many Jewish people considered Germany their home. They had been born, gone to school, opened businesses,
and raised families there. They also believed that conditions would get better, not worse
Why might Jewish people have believed that conditions would improve, not worsen? The likelihood that the
German government would seek to exterminate an entire race was probably very difficult to imagine or believe. After all,
Jews had lived in Germany among other Germans for generations
Chapter 11 McGraw Hill- Smith
II. INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Jewish Refugees
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Escape From 1933 to 1939, a quarter of a million Jews fled Nazi-controlled Germany. Among these were Anne
Frank and her family, who fled to the Netherlands. Unfortunately, the Nazis later took control of the Netherlands,
too, and she and her family were found after two years spent in hiding and sent to an extermination camp.
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United States Many Jews tried to immigrate to the United States. After Germany invaded Austria, thousands of
European Jews applied every day for U.S. visas. Most were denied. U.S. immigration law prohibited immigrants
who would become a public burden. Because Germany barred Jews from taking more than a small amount of
money out of the country, U.S. officials applied this standard to Jews, and most were refused on the basis of
becoming public burdens. The law also allowed only 150,000 immigrants each year, and had fixed quotas for
specific countries. The Great Depression and anti-Semitic attitudes did not encourage U.S. government to change
these laws.
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International Response Officials from the United States and countries in Europe and Latin America met in
1938. Though they expressed regret that they could not take in more Jewish refugees, they did not change their
laws.
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Turned Away Thousands of Jews fled on ships to the United States and countries in Latin America with forged
and illegal visas. These countries refused to admit them, and they were returned to Germany and Germanoccupied lands.
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U.S.S St. Louis Nearly a thousand Jews were aboard the U.S.S. St. Louis when it docked in Cuba in 1939. With
improper documentation, the refugees were refused entry into Cuba. The ship went on to U.S. waters, where it
circled the coast of Florida for several days before the U.S. government denied it entry. The ship was forced to
return to Europe, where its Jewish passengers were returned to their countries of origin.
Why might the Great Depression have been a deterrent to Jewish immigration from Europe? The Great
Depression caused great hardship for many Americans and American businesses. High poverty and unemployment already
stretched available resources. Increasing numbers of immigrants, especially those with little money, would have been a
greater burden on national, state, and local government, and possibly added to poor conditions in U.S. cities.
In light of all that happened, what responsibility does the United States bear in regards to the
Holocaust? Some students may say that the United States did not bear any responsibility for the Holocaust, as it was
ultimately American power and American lives that ended it. Others may say that by refusing to admit more Jews into the
country, the United States is partially responsible for the death of millions.
II.
THE FINAL SOLUTION
A. On January 20, 1942, Nazi leaders met at the Wannsee Conference to decide the “final solution” of
the Jews and other “undesirables.” The plan was to round up Jews and other “undesirables” from Nazicontrolled Europe and take them to concentration camps—detention centers where healthy individuals
worked as slave laborers. The elderly, the sick, and young children were sent to extermination camps to
be killed in large gas chambers.
B. After World War II began, Nazis built concentration camps throughout Europe. Extermination camps
were built in many concentration camps, mostly in Poland. Thousands of people were killed each day at
these camps.
C. In only a few years, Jewish culture had been virtually obliterated by the Nazis in the lands they
conquered.
Discussion Question
What factors led to the Holocaust?
Predictable Misunderstandings
Some might think that the extermination camps were built to kill Europe’s Jewish population. Although the German-built
extermination camps were used as part of Hitler’s Final Solution, the camps were used to murder millions of “undesirables”
of various ethnic, political, and social designations.