Dictators Threaten World Peace!
Chap. 24
I. Nationalism Grips Europe and Asia…
A. Failures of the WWI Peace Settlement
1. Remember the Treaty of Versailles caused
anger and resentment.
2. Problems now overwhelmed the Weimar
Republic the govt set up in Germany after
WWI.
3. New democratic governments floundered in
Europe – giving rise space and rise to new
totalitarian regimes.
B. Joe Stalin Transforms the Soviet Union
1. Russia gives way to civil war which now would
result in a Communist estate called the Soviet
Union.
2. Lenin dies in 1924, Joseph Stalin takes control..
a. Made both agricultural and industrial
growth prime economic goals.
b. abolished all private farms replaced them
with collective farms – large government owned
farms were worked by hundreds of families.
c. Moved to transform Russia into a strong
industrial nation with “five – year plans” where all
economic activity was placed under government
control.
d. Human cost for this “transformation” was
enormous.
e. Responsible for the death of 8 to 13 million
people.
3. By 1939, Stalin had established a totalitarian
government that controlled complete control over
its citizens.
C. The Rise of “Fascism” in Italy
1. Benito Mussolini was also established a
totalitarian regime over in Italy.
a. Unemployment and inflation was
producing bitter strikes – therefore middle and
upper classes demanded stronger leadership.
b. A powerful speaker, knew how to appeal
to Italy’s national pride and won the support of
many Italians.
2. By 1921, had established a Fascism Party –
where their interest of the state are placed above
the interests of the individual.
3. Believed power must rest with a single strong
leader and a small group of devoted party
members.
4. Became known as the Black Shirts when they
marched on Rome – called himself “Il Duce” – or
“The Leader”.
D. The Nazis Take Over Germany!
1. Hitler created his power similar to how
Mussolini had taken over.
2. Called himself “The Der Fuhrer” and promised
to bring Germany out of chaos.
3. Wrote Mein kampfh (My struggle) and set
forth beliefs of Nazism that became the plan
of action for the Nazi Party/
a. Nazism was the German brand of fascism
based on extreme nationalism.
b. Wanted to unite all German speaking
people in a Huge German Empire.
c. Also wanted to enforce racial “purification” to
form a “master race” – Inferior races - Jews Slavs,
and all non whites were deemed only fit to serve
Aryans.
d. 3rd element was national expansion – believed
that for Germany to thrive – they needed more
living space.
4. The Great Depression helped the Nazis come to
power:
a. Because of war debts and dependence on
American loans and investments, Germany’s
economy was hit very hard.
b. Therefore, German people were desperate and
turned to Hitler for hope.
5. By 1932, Nazis became the strongest political
party in Germany – quickly established the Third
Reich – he promised the Third Reich would be the
“Thousand Year Reich”
E. Militarists Gain Control IN Japan
1. Halfway around the world – many military
leaders were trying to take over in Japan many of these leaders shared the same need
for more living space for them to expand.
2. Militarists in Japan seized control of the
Chinese province in Manchuria – which was t
wice the size of Texas,
II. The U.S. Responds Very Cautiously
Most Americans were very alarmed by these
overseas conflicts – but still believed they should
NOT get involved.
A. Clinging to Isolationism:
1. By the 1930’s a flood of books argued that the
U.S. should have never gotten involved in WWI
- were dragged in by bankers and greedy arms
dealers.
2. Led to a creation of a congressional committee
by a Senator named Gerald Nye.
3. The Nye Committee fueled the belief and
documented large profits that banks and
manufacturers made during the war.
4. Made Americans more determined to stay out.
5. Congress passes a series of Neutrality Acts to
keep the U.S. out of war:
a. 1st 2 acts outlawed arms sales to other
nations for war.
b. 3rd act banned arms sales to countries
engaged in civil wars.
F. Neutrality Breaks Down
1. Roosevelt found it impossible to remain
neutral…..why?
War in Europe
I. Austria and Czechoslovakia Fall
In 1937, Hitler secretly met with advisors –
declaring that to prosper they needed the
land of its neighbors – Austria and
Czechoslovakia – or “annexing” these
countries and absorbing them into the Third
Reich:
A. Union with Austria
1. Was Hitler’s first target – majority of the 6
million people were actually Germans who
favored unification with Germany.
2. On March 12 of 1938, Hitler marched in
without opposition
B. Bargaining for the Sudetenland
1. About 3 million German-speaking people living
in the border regions called the Sudetenland
2. Hitler charged that the Czechs were abusing the
Sudeten Germans. –
3. Both France and G.B. promised to protect
Czechoslovakia - Hitler actually invites them to
meet in Munich – declaring this would be his
“last territorial demand”. – They believed him.
Neville Chamberlain
4. Chamberlain’s satisfaction was not shared by
his political rival in G.B. – Winston Churchill.
5. He believed that by France and G.B. signing
the Munich Agreement – they had adopted
the shameful policy of appeasement.
II. The German Offensive Begins…
As Churchill had warned, German troops poured
into what remained of Czechoslovakia – then
turned toward Poland…
A. The Soviet Union Declares Neutrality…..
1. Now….Poland had a sizable German speaking
population - but most thought Hitler MUST be
bluffing – consider where Poland is located:
2. An attack on Poland might bring them in
conflict with the Soviets – Poland’s next door
neighbors.
3. Also, such an attack would provoke war with
France and Britain – a 2 front war was the last
thing Germany could afford.
4. As tensions rose, Stalin surprised everyone by
signing a nonaggression pact with Hitler…
5. Publically signed a treaty to never attack each
other.
6. Secretly signed an agreement to divide Poland
between them…
C. Blitzkrieg in Poland!
1. The German Luftwaffe (or air force) roared over
Poland raining bombs on military bases, railroads
and cities.
2. At the same time, their tanks raced across the
countryside – it was their newest military
strategy called the blitzkrieg – or lightening war.
3. Blitzkrieg made use of advances in military tech –
take the enemy by surprise and then quickly
crush them.
4. 2 days following the terror in Poland – Britain and
France declare war on Germany – WWII had now
begun.
II. France and Britain Fight On
- Hitler’s generals sent their ranks through a region
of wooden ravines in Northeast France - snuck in to
France avoiding British and French troops.
A. The Fall of France
1. German Offensive traps almost 400,000 British
and French soldiers – had to ferry themselves to
safety across the British Channel.
2. Italy now enters the war on the German side and
invades France from the south as Germans closed
in on Paris from the north.
3. Germany now occupied northern part of France
and a Nazi-controlled “occupied” gov’t was set up in
Vichy – south France.
B. The Battle of Britain!
1. Summer of 1940, Germans began to assemble
along the French border to invade Britain.
2. The Luftwaffe began bombing raids over Britain.
3. On a single day, (August 15), approx. 2,000
German planes ranged over Britain and every
night for 2 solid months, Germans planes
bombed Britain - intended on destroying the
RAF.
4. The RAF fought back brilliantly!
a. With the help of a brand new device called
radar – they accurately plotted the German
planes and shot down over 185 – both sides still
carried on fighting – although Britain now had
the upper hand.
The Holocaust
Persecution Begins
A. Jews Targeted
1. Center of the Nazi target
2. IN 1935, the Nuremberg Laws stripped Jews
of their German citizenship, jobs and
property.
a. forced to wear a bright yellow star of
David attached on the clothing for identification.
B. Kristallnacht
1. November 9-10, 1938 became known as the
“night of broken glass”
2. Nazi troops stormed homes, businesses and
synagogues across Germany
3. “main streets were positively a litter of
shattered glass” – around 100 Jews were killed
and hundreds more injured.
4. Over 30,000 Jews were arrested and hundreds
of synagogues burned.
This would lead to a…
C. Flood of Jewish Refugees
1. Nazis tried to speed up Jewish emigration but
found a lot of difficulty:
a. Jews fleeing had trouble finding nations
that would accept them.
b. France already had 40,0000 didn’t want
more.
c. British already took in 80,000 – also
controlled Palestine and allowed over 30,000 to
settle there.
What about the United States?
A. Plight of the St. Louis
1. German Ocean Liner passed Miami in 1939
carrying 943 passengers - had U.S.
immigration papers – but forced to return to
Europe.
2. “The Cruise of the St. Louis cruise to high
heaven of man’s inhumanity to his fellow
man”
II. Hitler’s Final Solution
A. The Condemned:
1. Nazis concentrated on silencing their political
opponents – communists, liberals, socialists
were all considered “enemies of that state” –
also included:
Gypsies (inferior race)
Freemasons ( supporters of the “Jewish
Conspiracy)
Jehovah's Witnesses (refused to join Hitler’s
army)
• 2. Begin implementing his solution in Poland
with a special Nazi “Death Squad” called the SS
(Security Squadron)
a. Would routinely round up Jews – men
women children and babies and shoot them on
the spot.
B. Forced Relocation:
1. Jews were now ordered into overcrowded
ghettos, segregated Jewish areas in Polish cities
– sealed them off with barbed wires and stone
walls.
2. Bodies would pile up faster than they could be
removed – factories were built alongside where they
were forced to work for German industry.
C. Concentration Camps:
1. Finally, Jews in communities not reached by the
SS were dragged form homes and herded into
railroad (or cattle cars) to labor camps.
2. Were originally set up to imprison political
prisoners – however, the SS took over to house
“undesirables” – life usually always ended in
death.
• 3. Worked from dusk till dawn 7 days a week –
until they literally collapsed and died – those
too weak to work were killed on the spot.
III. The Final Stage:
Reached the Final state in 1942 at a meeting held in
Wannsee, a lakeside suburb near Berlin.
Began a new phase – a mass slaughter and
starvation they would add to a 3rd method of killing
– poison gas and ovens.
A. Mass exterminations:
1. Believed they weren't being killed fast enough –
built 6 death camps in Poland – could kill up to
12,000 a day.
2. Prisoners would arrive at camps such as
Auschwitz, and line up to be inspected by SS
doctors.
3. With a literal wave of the hand, they separated
those who could work and those who could not.
Both groups left all belongings behind and
promised they would be returned later.
4. Those destined to die were told they would be
taking showers and told to undress – were even
given bars of soap – into the chambers and
poisoned with cyanide gas that came from the
vents in the walls and ceilings.
- What was really disturbing…..
Mass exterminations were carried out with
cheerful orchestral music playing in the
background.
How would the Nazis try to get rid of this
“evidence”?
Crematoriums…
• Or ovens in which to burn the dead – the
smell was overwhelming -
America moves toward War
I.
A.
B.
C.
Moving Cautiously from Neutrality..
Roosevelt persuaded Congress to pass a “cash
and carry” provision that allowed warring
nations to buy US arms as long as they paid c
ash and transported it with their own ships.
Axis Threat: By this time, the C & C was “too
little, too late”.
Learned that Germany, Japan and Italy signed
a pact - the US would face a “military
nightmare” – if the were to declare war on any
of them, the would face a war on 2 fronts.
D. Building US Defenses: Roosevelt began to
mobilize
- boosted defense spending and passed the
nation’s first PEACETIME draft.
II. “The Great Arsenal of Democracy”
Over a fireside, Roosevelt explained to the nation
that avoiding war with Hitler is impossible. The US had to help defeat the Axis threat by
turning itself into this “Arsenal of
Democracy”
A. The Lend-lease plan:
1. By late 1940, Britain ran out of money – the
US had to do something…
Under the lend-lease policy, we would lend arms
to any country who defense was vital to the
US.
2. Supporting Stalin: Hitler broke his policy with
Stalin and invaded Russia anyway, US began to
send arms to Russia as well.
B. German Wolf Packs!
1. To ensure that lend-lease supplies would reach
these countries, they had to be protected on
the Atlantic Ocean…
2. German U boats began their “wolf-pack attacks".
sunk anything going over the Atlantic Ocean
III. FDR Plans for War..
A. The Atlantic Charter..
1. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill secretly met
aboard the battleship Augusta to discuss war..
2. Agreed on a joint declaration called the Atlantic
Charter.
3. Became the basis of a new document called the
“declaration of the United Nations”/
a. Term “United Nations” was top express the
commitment of common purpose of the allies –
signed by 26 nations.
B. “Shoot on Sight”..
1. German subs fired on a US Destroyer, sunk a
merchant ship – Roosevelt ordered the Navy
to “shoot on sight”.
2. Sank another destroyer, killing more than 100
sailors –
We still did not declare war..
IV. Japan Attacks the US..
A. Hideki Tojo, chief of staff of Japan’s Army,
launched an invasion into China – why?
1. French, Dutch and British colonies were
unprotected in Asia, Japan jumped to control these
colonized lands from Europe.
2. Decided then to take over the U.S. and the Pacific
islands..
B. Peace Talks Questioned..
1. Now Prime Minister, Tojo met with the Japanese
Emperor, Hirohito.
2. He assured him that they would preserve peace
talks with the Americans..
3. But on November 5, 1941, Tojo ordered the
Japanese navy to prepare to attack US soil.
C. Codes are BROKEN!
1. Our military broke Japan’s secret codes and
learned that Japan was preparing, we had no
idea where ..or when, however.
B. Attack on Pearl Harbor..
1. Early morning, Dec. 7, 1941, a Japanese dive
bomber swooped down over pearl Harbor,
followed by more than 180 warplanes.
2. For an hour and a half, Japan had devastated the
area.
Killed 2,403 Americans, sunk almost 21 battleships –
more than in all of WWI.
• MOBILZING for Defense
I. Americans join in the war effort:
A. Selective Service and the GI.
• Provided 10 million soldiers to the army – 8
weeks of basic training and sent off to one of 2
fronts.
• Expanded the military with the WASC – Women’s
Auxiliary Army Corps.
• Gave some official status and salary as well as full
benefits – what types of jobs?
- army nurses,
Drivers,
Electricians
Pilots!
II. A Production “Miracle”
A. Ended auto production for private use – auto
plants began to roll out tanks, planes, boats,
and command cars.
1. Pencil factories, toy companies and soft drink
companies began making bomb parts..
2. Built air craft carriers, destroyers and cargo
carriers.
B. Labor’s Contribution…
1. The Selective Service System did not allowed
enough workers in these factories – so who
would replace them?
6 million women and minority workers.
2. To protect the rampant discrimination in both
military and industry, A. Philip Randolph was the
most respected A.A. labor leader.
- Called on every A.A. to march on Washington on
July 1,s 1941..
“We loyal colored Americans demand the right to
fight for our country”.
What is Roosevelt’s Reaction?
C. Mobilization of Scientists…
1. Roosevelt created the Office of Scientific
research and Development – OSRD to bring
scientists into the war effort.. – why??
- new tech for locating subs under water.
- use of pesticides to fight off insects
- pushed development of penicillin
- development of new weapon – the atomic
bomb…
In 1939, German Scientists succeeded in splitting
uranium atoms, releasing masses of energy.
A German refugee scientists wrote Roosevelt
warning him of Germany’s possible
construction of an atomic weapon – who was
this scientist?
Albert Einstein 
2. Roosevelt created an intensive program called
the Manhattan Project to develop a bomb as
quickly as possible…
III. The Government Takes Control…
As war production increased, there were fewer
consumer products to buy..
A. Economic Controls..
1. Roosevelt created the OPA – Office of Price
Administration.
2. Froze prices on most goods
3. Raised income tax rates and extended these tax
rates to millions who had never paid it before –
higher taxes reduced consumer demand on
goods
4. Encouraged Americans to instead buy war bonds
B. Created the WPB – War Production Board,
decided what companies were convert their
“peacetime” goods to “wartime” goods
Also organized nationwide drives to collect scrap
iron, tin cans, paper, rages, and cooking fat for
recycling into war goods.
C. Also encouraged rationing –
Under this system, households received ration
books with coupons to be used for buying scare
goods as meat, shoes, sugar, coffee, and gas.
Couldn’t eat meat on certain days, couldn’t drive
your car on certain days
How would Americans react?
Most Americans accepted these rules as a
sacrifice for the war effort.
Workers car pooled or rode bikes to work.
Gave up toys, full dinners and going out to save
money..