Aggressors on the March; the road to WWII

I: Reactions to the Treaty of Versailles.
Several countries felt the outcome of the Treaty was “not good enough” or “unfair”.

• Italy - felt it deserved more for its role in fighting the Central Powers.
• Germany - felt the terms of the treaty were too severe and limited the countries ability to succeed.
• Japan - similar to Italian feelings.  Felt they deserved more as a reward for providing assistance to the Allies.

II:Italy, Germany, and Japan take aggressive steps.

A: Japan

• Japan - decided that a Pacific Empire was in the best interest of Japan as well as “Asia for Asians”.
• Removing foreign influence would finally let Asian lands be ruled by Asian people.
• 1931 - invade and conquer Manchuria
• 1934 - invade and conquer China

B: Italy

•Italy - Mussolini dreamed of an overseas colonial empire similar to Great Britain.

•1935 - invades and conquers Ethiopia.

•1939 - invades and conquers Albania

C: Germany

1.  Builds up German Military.

breaks the treaty of Versailles

2. Refuses to pay the Allies for WWI.

3. 1936 - occupies the Rhineland - a piece of land taken away from Germany after WWI.

**1937 Axis power Alliance created between Italy, Germany and Japan

4. 1938 - annex Austria known as Anschluss.  A political union

5. 1938 - take the Sudetenland (part of Czechoslovakia) from France.

6. 1939 - seizes Czechoslovakia.

III:  Europe's' response to Aggression

A: Appeasement- to give into an aggressor in order to avoid war and keep peace.

1. League of Nations does not stop Germany as the break the Treaty of Versailles

2. Many countries in Europe still recovering from WWI and want to avoid war at all cost.

3. The aggressive steps of Japan, Italy, and Germany go unchallenged.

4. The United States practices Isolationism.

B; Munich Conference: in 1938 after Hitler Seizes the Sudetenland. he claims there is a large German population living there and they must be united with Germany

(part of Czechoslovakia) european powers finally decide to do something.

1.September 29, 1938 - Munich Conference

2. Neville Chamberlain ( prime minster of England), Mussolini, Hitler,  Édouard Daladier (France)

no representative from Czechoslovakia.

C: Munich Pact: 

1. Hitler is given the Sudetenland in exchange he vows to respect the borders of Czechoslovakia.

2. peace is maintained no war

*Chamberlain claims "we have achieved peace in our time"

** 6 months later Hitler seizes all of Czechoslovakia

* sept 1939 less than 1 year after Munich he invades Poland. Starting WWII.

IV: NON-AGRESSION PACT

* Hitler makes a secret agreement with Stalin

*August 1939

*Hitler will invade Poland and split Poland with Stalin

***Shocks world because Hitler is Anti- communist

*Hitler and Stalin promise not to go to war against each other

IF YOU WERE STALIN WOULD YOU TRUST HITLER? 

"I wonder how long the Honeymoon will last"