Road to War: WWII
Nationalism and Imperialism in Europe and Asia
Causes of WWII
How did we get to this point?
Reflect:
What event (s) happened 15 years ago that
still seems ‘recent’ in your family or society’s
mind?
REVIEW
1. Name 3 new countries created during the Paris Peace
Conference
2. What was the name of the Treaty signed at the Paris
Peace Conference?
3. What was the ‘War Guilt Clause’ (Article 231)?
CAUSES OF WWII
1. Terms of Treaty of Versailles
Reparation payments crippled Germany
Bitterness and anger led to support for political parties like
the National Socialists who wanted revenge
Strict terms like the de-militarization of the Rhineland
region set up the League of Nations for confrontation
when Germany would break the terms
Creation of new countries like Czechoslovakia and Poland
meant that many Germans were left living as minorities in
new countries - ex. Sudentenland
2. Great Depression
Massive unemployment, many people that felt alienated,
isolated and inferior because they could not support their
families
Many unemployed were the biggest supporters of dictators
like Hitler and Mussolini because the army, fascists groups
offered them opportunity & someone to ‘blame’ scapegoats
Poverty + Unemployment = Instability ~ Increased
likelihood that extremist governments would emerge
German Hyperinflation
3. Rise of Totalitarianism Dictators
Totalitarian dictators control all aspect of society - the only
true freedom you have would be freedom of thought.
Dictatorships were not new to the 20th century, however
advances in technology allowed them to be able to control
their populations more fully
They allowed no dissent, opposition groups, and all had
forms of secret police to terrorize the population
Current Totalitarian Dictators
Kim Jong Un – N. Korea
Assad - Syria
Totalitarian Dictators
Mussolini - Italy
Gen. Franco - Spain
More dictators…

Hideki Tojo - Japan
Josef Stalin - USSR
And finally, Hitler’s version of
fascism ~ Nazism
Totalitarian Alliances
There are still many disputes
as to whether Japan ever was
officially 'fascist'
However, Tojo did align
himself with both Hitler
and Mussolini during
World War Two
1936 – Rome-Berlin Axis
1939 – Nazi-Soviet Pact
So… how did a bully like Hitler
become fuhrer of Germany?
1. Failure of Weimar Republic
•
Promise to ‘restore’ fallen
Germany
2. Propaganda and Pageantry
3. Series of events
Hitler Youth & the Aryan Race
Concept Attainment
Bob’s manager at McDonald’s is
mean- if he ever catches anyone
not doing their job exactly as he
wants it done, he’ll fire them on the
spot.
Ms. Sawatsky gets sick, and a new teacher
is appointed to teach. The first thing the
teacher does is institute a no-talking in
class policy. The next day, he takes all the
students lunches and money. Finally, he
requires all students to come in after class
and either clean, plan his lessons, or
babysit his children.
In Syria, President Bashar Assad
rules with an iron fist- tens of
thousands of civilians have been
killed over the past 2 years
Venezuela elects a new
government. As a new
government, they pass a law that
cuts off all funding to other political
parties. They then nationalize all
major media outlets. Meetings of 4
or more people becomes illegal.
And the Concept is…
Consolidation
To unite into one system or whole
To make strong or secure
Consolidate Power:
To enact certain measures or laws that will focus power in
the hands of the governing person
Sequence of Events
1. Hitler was able to pass the Enabling Act which gave him
absolute authority to pass any law he chose. He did this
by alienating the communist party.
2. Night of the Long Knives – Hitler ordered the murder of
over 1000 people over the course of one weekend. These
were all political opponents and military and police
members who were potential threats
3. Nuremburg Laws – Hitler enacted discriminatory laws
against Jews including the wearing of the Star of David,
loss of property and careers, loss of citizenship, and the
creation of ghettos where Jews were forced to live
Sequence of Events
4. Kristallnacht – The Night of Broken Glass: Nazis
encouraged citizens to attach and vandalize Jewish shops
and property. People were beaten in public, and
imprisoned
5. The Gestapo (German secret police) and the SS became
all-powerful. Children were also encouraged to join Hitler
Youth
6. All trust in society was lost, children were encouraged to
spy and report their parents for crimes, and anyone could
be imprisoned without reason
THESIS PRACTICE
Develop a statement or opinion based on the topic
THAT YOU CAN AND WILL DEFEND
*Pay attention to the ‘command terms’ at the start
Describe is considered the most brutal dictator in history.
Ex. Joseph Stalin has proven himself to be the most brutal
dictator in history.
To what extent is Kanye West a role model for adolescents?
Ex. “Kanye West should be considered a role model to a
minimal extent. (or significant/minimal)
Your turn:
Make a thesis statement from the
following topics
Explain whether youth should be held accountable for
their actions if they are indoctrinated
To what extent should the public be held responsible
for the actions of a leader they elect?
To what extent did Hitler blame Germany’s problems
on people other than the German people?
To what extent did Hitler ‘help’ the Germany?
League of Nations (1920)
A new era of ‘Collective Security’ and ‘just
and lasting peace’……. Or is it??
•Predict: Which countries from the PPC
will be stirring up the most problems?
•Question: What is the best way to ‘deal’
with bullies?
4. Imperialism
Imperialism is the desire to conquer other nations and
territories in order to gain access to resources, land and
financial wealth.
Imperialism was visible in the lead-up to WWII:
1. Japan – Greater East-Asia Co-prosperity Sphere
2. Italy – Invasion of Abyssinia
3. Germany – Lebensraum (living space)
Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere


This term was used during
the inter-war period to
describe Japan's dream of
taking over Asia
Japan wanted to gain access
to resources belonging to
China and surrounding
countries
'Asia for Asians'

Japan tried to justify their
imperialistic plans to take
over Asia by claiming that
they were 'saving' other
countries from being taken
over by the United States
League Response:
The Rape of Nanking



In 1937, Japan attempted to
take over Nanking, another
region of China
The Nanking Massacre is
considered to be one of the
worst war crimes of the 20th
century
The casualty estimates exceed
300,000 while historians
estimate that 80,000 women
were raped, including infants
and the elderly.
Italy invades Abyssinia
They want a piece of Africa too
Lebensraum – Living Space
 Hitler was voted into power in 1933, on a political
platform that was extremely nationalistic, anti-democratic,
anti-semitic (hatred of Jews), and a desire to restore
Germany’s military might
 Hitler also believed in the superiority of the Aryan race –
blond, blue-eyed, athletic (irony!)
 He also believed that the Slavic peoples of Eastern
Europe/Russia were inferior, and that Eastern Europe
should be taken over so that the Germans could have more
“living space”
 This explains why he invaded Czechoslovakia/Poland first
5. Appeasement –
Failure of the League of Nations
Hitler watched as the League of Nations did nothing to
stop Japan in Manchuria, or Italy in Abyssinia
From these experiences, he concluded that in the face of
aggression, the LON (Britain and France) would choose
appeasement at all costs in order to avoid war
As a result, once he had achieved full power as Fuhrer in
Germany, he set about expanding his empire and
preparing for war.
Hitler’s Steps to War…
 1. Remilitarization of the Rhineland
 2. Anschluss - Union of Germany and Austria
 3. Annexation (taking over) of the Sudentenland (border
region of Czechoslovakia) – Munich Pact
 “I have secured peace for all time” - Chamberlain
 4. Annexation of Czechoslovakia – Everyone now knew
that appeasement as a policy had been a failure
 5. Nazi-Soviet Pact – Alliance with Stalin
 Invasion of Poland – Start of WWII
If you had been Chamberlain…
In the 1930’s, would you have chosen the policy of
appeasement in dealing with aggressors?
1. Examine both sides of the argument “Why
Appeasement?” It becomes clear that
Chamberlain was in a tough predicament.
2. With a more thorough understanding of the
context, determine what you would have done if
you had been in Chamberlain’s shoes
Assignment:
Thesis: If I was Chamberlain, I would have…….
Because:
1.
2.
3.
ESSAY PREP ACTIVITY
The key to a strong essay is a clear intro paragraph with
a clear thesis.
1. Draw the reader in
2. Set the Stage – who, what, where, when
3. Hint at what’s to come – list 3 key points for essay
4. State your argument – THESIS
Use actual wording of question in your thesis
Order of Events ~ Practice
1. Examine the different cartoon boxes
and figure out the sequence of events.
2. Number the boxes from 1-12
3. Check your answers with someone else