Rise of Dictators and Impacts of the Great Depression.

Why did dictatorships become more prominent in the 1930’s?

Most countries were in depression, this gave the dictators political parties a way to play on the citizens needs. They did this by promising to create jobs in construction and road laying and they argued that due to them being in complete control of the government they could spend money on whatever they chose.

Who is Benito Mussolini and what did he believe in?

Benito Mussolini was the Italian dictator, he came to power in 1922 and believed in a type of politics called fascism, which included intense patriotism and nationalism. He wanted to rebuild the Roman Empire in modern times.

Who is Joseph Stalin and how did he rule?

He was the dictator of the USSR. He controlled every aspect of his peoples lives and was convinced that non - communist states would try to crush the USSR. He eliminated all competition in order to stay in power.

Who is Adolf Hitler and what were his goals?

Adolf Hitler was the dictator of Nazi Germany, he offered radical solutions to Germany’s economic problems such as a massive rearmament programme. He often spoke about German racial superiority. He wanted revenge for Germany’s loss in WW1 and to destroy the ToV

Disarmament conference 1932 - 1934

Germany complained that they were the only country that disarmed. Following this, the League tried to get other members to disarm but none of them did as they were afraid of an invasion from Germany or other countries.

Due to the Leagues failure, Germany left the LoN.

Manchurian Crisis, 1931 - 1933

The Japanese army controlled the South Manchurian Railway in Manchuria, China.

The Japanese claimed that Chinese troops had attacked the railway and used this as an excuse to invade, and set up their own military government in Manchuria.

China appealed to the LoN and they responded by sending Lord Lytton, a British League official, to investigate what happened in Manchuria. They took a whole year the present their report in September 1932. The report stated that Japan was in the wrong.

However, Japan announced that it was going to invade more of China.

This event gave countries around the world doubts about the LoN.

Abyssinia Crisis 1934 - 1936.

In December 1934, Mussolini took advantage of a dispute over who owned the land around the Wal-Wal Oasis and prepared to invade Abyssinia.

Following this, the Abyssinian emperor, Haile Selassie, appealed to the LoN for help.

In public, Britain and France were seen to be representing the League in trying to negotiate a deal with Mussolini. However, behind the scenes; Italy began dispatching troops to Africa, Britain and France were trying to stay on good terms with Mussolini because they believed that he was a possible ally about Hitler.

In April 1935, the British and French prime ministers met with Mussolini and agreed the Stresa Pact. This was a formal statement against German rearmament and a commitment to stand against Germany. They didn’t discuss Abyssinia in their meeting.

The LoN report concluded that neither side could be blamed and suggested that Abyssinia should give Italy some of its territory.

Mussolini rejected all of the Leagues proposals and invaded Abyssinia in October 1935. After a long delay that allowed Italy to build up supplies, the League responded by imposing sanctions on Italy like banning arms sales and financial loans towards Italy along with many exports.

In December 1935, British and French foreign ministers, Samuel Hoare and Pierre Laval made a plan to give Mussolini two-thirds of Abyssinia in return to calling off his invasion. However, details of the Hoare - Laval Pact (The name of the plan) were leaked and both foreign ministers were sacked.

This action greatly damaged the reputation of the LoN and further gave countries around the world doubts about the LoN.

How did the Great Depression help Hitler come to Power in Germany?

In 1929 USA called in all of its international loans and this caused the German economy to collapse and unemployment skyrocketed.

Many people turned to extremist political parties like the Nazi Party. Hitler promised the German civilians that he would rebuild the German economy (among other things) and stop unemployment. He achieved this by persuading his citizens that if his party won, he would have extensive control over the industries and he would be able to invest large sums of money into projects like road building to create jobs.

The USA pulling back its loans and the unfair terms in the ToV also allowed Hitler to unite the country by depicting the Western countries as the true enemy. - Not necessary for this question but helpful to know.

What is economic nationalism.

Some countries tried to protect their industries during the depression by introducing tariffs to limit or stop imports, however their trading partners did the same thing so trade just worsened leading to greater unemployment and more businesses going bust.