Unit 8: Interwar Years & World War I

Great Depression

the economic crisis beginning with the stock market crash in 1929 and continuing through the 1930s

what were the key features of the great depression?

Mass unemployment: Global unemployment ~20-30%
Bank failures: Banks collapse → savings WIPED
Widespread poverty

Totalitarianism

A form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)

Adolf Hitler

Leader of National Socialist Party (NAZI) and dictator of Germany

What happened to the German economy after WW1?

-They lost 33 billion from the war
-inflation increased by 700%
-30% of pop is unemployed

Weimar Republic

Post-WWI Democratic GOVT in Germany
FAILS to address economic/social problems in Germany

What were Adolf Hitler main ideas?

anti-semitism, Anti-communism, Pro-nationalism

Why was Italy unhappy after WWI?

Italy received very little territory from the Treaty of Versailles. This failure to gain from the war caused discontent in Italy.

The rise of facism italy

A totalitarion form of government which:
Glorifies the state.
Has one leader and one party
All aspects of society are controlled by the government
No opposition or protests are tolerated
Propaganda and censorship and widely practiced

Who was Benito Mussolini?

Italian leader.

What political party did Benito Mussolini found?

The Italian Fascist Party.

What did Benito Mussolini promise to restore?

Glory to Rome.

Which country did Mussolini side with during World War II?

Germany.

What happened to Mussolini in 1945?

He was overthrown and assassinated by the Italian Resistance.

What is Japan known for in East Asia?

A growing industrial power

What drives Japan's imperialism?

Need for raw materials

What type of nation did Japan develop into?

A military nation

Emperor Hirohito

emperor of Japan during WWII. his people viewed him as a god

Soviet Union(USSR)

A group of countries, led by Russia, that joined together as a communist government.

Who was Joseph Stalin?

A Bolshevik revolutionary and head of the Soviet Communists after 1924.

Hideki Tojo

Japan's prime minister. ordered attack on pearl harbor

What position did Joseph Stalin hold in the Soviet Union?

Dictator of the Soviet Union from 1928 to 1953.

What economic strategy did Joseph Stalin use to increase industrial production?

Five-Year Plans.

How did Joseph Stalin maintain control over the Soviet Union?

By using terror to crush opposition.

Treaty of Versailles

- ends WW1 BUT causes MORE issues → WWII
Germany treated TOO harshly
-Treaty ignores demands of nations who aren't G.B., France, or U.S.A.

Aggression of Totalitarian powers

Totalitarian nations begin territorial expansion:
Italy → Ethiopia
Japan → Manchukuo(China), SE Asia, Korea
Germany → C. Europe for Lebensraum ("Living space")s

Anti-Comintern [communism] Pact

Japan + Italy + Germany
FIGHT soviet Communism
Do NOT interfere in expansion plans

Nationalism(Extreme)

Making enemies out of "others" → race/ethnicity/religion
Unwavering pride in one's Nation

Anti-semitism

Hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews.

How does the U.S. view growing conflict during its isolationism?

As a 'European problem/affair'

What status does the U.S. return to during its isolationism?

Neutral nation

What is required for the U.S. to get involved in a conflict during its isolationism?

A direct attack

League of Nations

an international organization formed in 1920 to promote cooperation and peace among nations

What were the problems of the League of Nations?

U.S. does NOT join
No military "wing" → NO enforcement power
NO intervention in major conflicts

What is appeasement?

To give into the demands of an aggressor in order to keep peace and prevent war.

What was the response of Western Democracies to aggressors violating the League of Nations and the Treaty of Versailles?

They did nothing.

What approach did Western Europe adopt after being exhausted by war?

Pacifism.

What does pacifism mean?

Opposition to all war.

What is the Rhineland known as in terms of military status?

Demilitarized Zone

What does the term 'Demilitarized Zone' imply?

No weapons

Can France react with force against a violation of the Rhineland's status?

Yes

Will France act without British support regarding the Rhineland?

No

What action did Germany take regarding the Rhineland?

Reoccupies Rhineland with military

What treaty did Germany violate by reoccupying the Rhineland?

Treaty of Versailles

What was Britain's response to Germany's reoccupation of the Rhineland?

British refuse to engage

How did Germany justify its reoccupation of the Rhineland?

Only going back into their own garden

Austria

German annexation of Austria → "Anschluss"

What region did Hitler demand in 1938?

The Sudetenland

What conference did European leaders hold to address the Sudetenland dispute? How did European leaders aim to settle the Sudetenland dispute?

Munich Conference. They wanted to negotiate peacefully

What was the outcome of the Munich Conference?

MORE APPEASEMENT
Germany receives the Sudetenland
Allowed to keep ALL previous possessions
Hitler promises to NOT take any more European territory

Czechoslovakia

Hitler breaks pledge → invades Czechoslovakia

Nazi-Soviet Non Aggression Pact

A secret agreement between the Germans and the Russians that said that they would not attack each other

Which ally did the USSR lose to Germany due to the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

The USSR lost its alliance with Poland.

What advantage did Germany gain in Western Europe from the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

Germany gains a 'free hand' in Western Europe.

What event is considered the beginning of World War 2?

The invasion of Poland by Germany.

Which countries declared war on Germany after the invasion of Poland?

Great Britain and France declared war on Germany.

What method did germany used to invade poland?

Blitzkrieg or "lightning War"
Attacks rely upon speed & mobility
"Combined arms offensive" → tanks + planes + infantry + artillery

Blitzkrieg

Rapid defeat of France, surrenders to Axis Powers

The battle of Great Britain

German bombing of Great Britain - GOALS:
DESTROY British Air Force (RAF)
CRUSH British morale
Launch amphibious (land → sea) invasion of G.B.

who won in the battle of Great Britain

The british won.

Winston Churchill

becomes Prime Minister of G.B.

Invasion of USSR

Hitler turned on Stalin to seize the Soviet supplies to defeat Britain.

Operation Barbarossa

Codename of German invasion of USSR

Did the invasion of USSR succeed?

No it did not.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

WANTS intervention → Germany's expansion endangers U.S.

Pearl Harbor

United States military base on Hawaii that was bombed by Japan, bringing the United States into World War II.

Tehran Conference

meeting of the Big Three to discuss the final attack on Germany

Who won the invasion of italy?

Allies

Dwight D. Eisenhower

leader of the Allied forces in Europe then was elected to be Pres. of the USA

D-Day

Allies launch amphibious invasion of Normandy, France
Cross channel invasion from Great Britain → France

Operation Overlord

Code name for D-Day invasion of Normandy.

What was the outcome of D-Day?

All five beaches in France were secured by the Allies.

Battle of Stalingrad

Battle during which the Red Army forced the Germans out of Stalingrad

Battle of Berlin

Final Battle of WWII european chapter. hitler commited suicide before the end of the battle which led allies to victory.

Battle of midway

United States destroys Japan's 4 aircraft carriers which led them to victory.

Douglas MacArthur

Commander of Allied Forces in the Pacific Theatre and developed island-hopping of plan attack.

The Manhattan Project

A secret U.S. project for the construction of the atomic bomb.

Why did Japan surrender?

U.S. drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

The Aryan Race

Nazi racial myth of a "pure" Germanic master race
Requirements: White, blonde-haired, blue-eyed Northern Europeans

Nuremberg Laws

Set of racist laws in Nazi Germany used to target non-Aryans

Ghettos

Walled-off districts where Jews were confined by the Nazis

The Final Solution

Nazi plan to exterminate all Jews in Europe

United Nations (U.N.)

international organization designed to promote peace, security and human rights

What happened to the nations after WW2?

they are ECONOMICALLY drained by WWII

The yalta conference

Meeting of "The Big Three" Allied leadership

The potsdam conference

The third meeting of the Big Three; this time including Truman

The iron curtain

a "curtain" split between the democratic nations and communist nations

N.A.T.O

North Atlantic Treaty Organization; an alliance made to defend one another if they were attacked by any other country; US, England, France, Canada, Western European countries

The warsaw pact

Soviet response to N.A.T.O
Created an alliance with "satellite states" of E. Europe
Deter "Western" capitalist expansion
Membership was NOT optional

George C. Marshall

Originator of a massive program for the economic relief and recovery of devastated Europe

The Marshall Plan

A plan that the US came up with to revive war-torn economies of Europe. This plan offered $13 billion in aid to western and Southern Europe.