World War II Unit 7: The Great Depression and World War II Part 5: Dictatorship and Aggression
ObjecQves: 1. Describe how dictators take away people s freedoms. (7.4.4.21.4) 2. Explain how dictators threatened world peace during the 1930 s. (7.4.4.21.4) 3. Explain how the United States responded to the rise of dictators.
I. A Dictator in the Soviet Union A. In 1917, Vladimir Lenin set up a communist government in the Soviet Union. B. AWer Lenin s death in 1924, Joseph Stalin gained power. He ruled as a totalitarian dictator. In a totalitarian state, a single party controls the government and people s lives. 1. CiQzens do not ask quesqons, they obey the government. 2. CriQcism of the government is severely punished. Vladimir Lenin
I. A Dictator in the Soviet Union (con t) C. Stalin modernized industry and agriculture, but his methods were brutal. 1. Peasants had to hand over land and animals to government- run farms called collecqve farms. Millions who resisted were executed or sent to labor camps. 2. Stalin staged trials and executed his poliqcal enemies. Joseph Stalin
II. Fascists in Italy A. Benito Mussolini and his Fascist party seized power in 1922. Fascism combined militarism, extreme naqonalism, and blind loyalty to the state. 1. Fascists were supported by business leaders and landowners. 2. Mussolini played on Italian anger over the Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I, because it hadn t given Italy all the territory it wanted awer that war ended. Benito Mussolini 3. He also used economic unrest and fears of communist revoluqon.
II. Fascists in Italy (con t) B. Mussolini outlawed all poliqcal parqes except his own. 1. He controlled the press and banned criqcism. 2. CriQcs were jailed or murdered. C. Mussolini promised to restore the greatness of ancient Rome. 1. He began a program of military aggression. Aggression is a warlike act by one country against another without just cause. 2. In 1935, Italy invaded Ethiopia. The Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie asked the League of NaQons for help, but the League responded weakly. Unable to obtain help, Ethiopia fell.
III. Rise of Nazi Germany A. Adolf Hitler brought the NaQonal Socialist German Workers Party, or Nazis, to power in Germany. 1. Hitler also played on anger about the Versailles Treaty, which blamed Germany for World War I and made them pay heavy war costs. 2. Hitler blamed Jews and other traitors. Hitler was using Jews and others as scapegoats a person or group on whom to blame one s problems. Adolph Hitler
III. Rise of Nazi Germany (con t) B. In 1933, Hitler became head of the German government. 1. He ended democraqc rule and created a militarisqc totalitarian state. 2. The government controlled the press, schools, and religion. Discussion QuesQon: What are the dangers of a government having control of of the press, schools, and religion?
III. Rise of Nazi Germany (con t) C. Hitler preached that Germans belonged to a superior Aryan race. He also blamed Jews, Gypsies, and communists for Germany s troubles. 1. The Nazis singled out Jews for special persecuqon. The Jews were deprived of ciqzenship, forbidden to use public faciliqes, and driven out of their jobs. 2. Later, Jews were sent to concentraqon camps prison camps for civilians who are considered enemies of the state. 3. In Qme, Hitler would unleash his plan to kill all European Jews, this was called the Final SoluQon.
III. Rise of Nazi Germany (con t) D. Hitler claimed that Germany had a right to expand to the east. E. He began to rebuild Germany s military. F. In 1936, German troops moved into the Rhineland, near the borders of France, Luxembourg, and Belgium.
IV. Military Rule in Japan A. Japan suffered in the Great Depression. People grew impaqent with their democraqc government, as a result military leaders took power. B. Military rulers set out to expand into Asia. 1. In 1931, Japanese forces seized Manchuria in northeastern China. Manchuria was rich in coal and iron. 2. The Japanese set up a state in Manchuria called Manchukuo.
IV. Military Rule in Japan (con t) C. China called on the League of NaQons for help. 1. The League condemned Japanese aggression but did liile else. 2. The United States refused to recognize Manchukuo but took no acqon.
V. American Foreign Policy A. In the United States, especially during the Great Depression, the isolaqonist mood of the 1920s conqnued. Americans were determined to keep from becoming involved with any poliqcal turmoil in Europe. B. In order to ensure the U.S. remained out of the affairs of warring naqons Congress passed the first of a series of Neutrality Acts, in 1935, which banned arms sales and loans to countries at war. C. Congress also warned Americans not to travel on ships of countries at war.
V. American Foreign Policy (con t) D. In 1930, President Hoover had rejected the Roosevelt Corollary. He said that the United States no longer claimed the right to intervene in LaQn American affairs. E. Franklin Roosevelt moved toward building friendlier relaqons with LaQn America. Under his Good Neighbor Policy, American troops withdrew from Nicaragua and Hai;. F. The United States also canceled the Pla= Amendment, which had limited Cuban independence. G. As tensions grew around the world, it was important for the U.S. to maintain good relaqons with naqons of the Western Hemisphere.