Major Battles WW2 and End of The War

World War II
Causes
and Early
Warfare
Dan Ngabo G8A
Causes
1. Treaty of Versailles created a
bitter peace
2. World-Wide Depression
3. Rise of Totalitarianism
4. Weakness of the League of
Nations (Appeasement)
Treaty of Versailles and
the Bitter Peace
The Treaty of Versailles blamed
the War on the Germans –
created hardship and humiliation
for the German people.
The reparations payments to the
Allies created severe economic
problems for Germany, made
worse by the World-Wide
Depression.
Humiliation, along with Rampant
inflation and terrible
unemployment left the German
people completely dissatisfied
with their democratic government
(The Weimar Republic)
Economic
Depression
The World Wide Economic
Depression caused
Democratic governments
(such as that in Germany
and Italy) to fail, and in
their place, totalitarian
governments rose,
promising to end the
economic problems (or at
least the totalitarians
provided a good
scapegoat).
3. Rise of Totalitarian Regimes
In a Totalitarian country, individual
rights are not viewed as important
as the needs of the nationGERMANY
USSR Fascist
Communist TOTALITARIA Dictatorship
Dictatorshi NISM Fascism:-
p military
government
ITALY based on
Fascist racism &
Dictatorshi nationalism
5
p with strong
support from
Rise of Totalitarianism
In Germany Hitler joined and
manipulated the “National
Socialist Workers’ Party”
(which was not socialist),
preaching a doctrine of German
ethnic supremacy and
victimization.
In Italy the depression bred

civil unrest between fascists on
one side and communists and
socialists on the other. Mussolini
was named leader by the king
and ruled with an iron fist.
Joseph Stalin
1878 - 1953
Had a damaged left arm; abused
by father
Had tried to become a Russian
Orthodox priest but was expelled
from the Seminary
Turned to the Bolshevik party
and raised money for (during)the
Russian communist revolution in
through bank robbing,
kidnapping and extortion
Stalin came to power in 1924 and
proceeded to turn (force) his
nation into a modern industrial
economy
He was responsible for the deaths
of more than 20+ million of his
own people.
Benito Mussolini
1883-1945
Expelled from school for
stabbing a fellow student
Not baptized (surprising in a
catholic country)
Originally a socialist, but kicked
out of the party for supporting
WWI
Founded the fascist party and
became, through manipulating
legal means, the fascist leader of
Italy (“Il Duce”) in 1926
Adolf Hitler
1889 – 1945
Austrian; Did not become a German
citizen until 1932
Failed artist and expelled from
technical school…homeless or in “poor
housing”
Went through a further negative
personality change upon the death of
this brother
Probably became an Anti-Semite
somewhere in his early 20s, during his
stay in Vienna.
Found success as a soldier in the
German Army during WWI…message
runner
He was chancellor of Germany from
1933 to 1945 and dictator of Nazi
Germany (“the Führer”) from 1934 to
1945
So what did Hitler
want?
• To rebuild his army, navy, and airforce.
• The return of all German-speaking lands
(Anschluss) : Austria, The Sudentenland
(Western Czechoslovakia).
• Lebensraum (“living space”): The policy
of Lebensraum assumed the superiority of
Germans as members of an “Aryan master race”
who , because of their superiority, had the right
to displace people deemed to be part of inferior
races. The Nazis insisted that Lebensraum
needed to be developed as racially homogenous
to avoid intermixing with peoples deemed to be
part of inferior races. Peoples deemed to be part
of inferior races living within territory selected
to be Lebensraum, were subject to expulsion
and/or destruction.
 WORLD WAR II EXPLANATIONS
Weakness of the League
of Nations
• The League had no standing army, thus
no way to enforce international will.
• Because of WWI, and especially during
the Depression, the member nations
lacked the desire to go to war for any
reason
• Appeasement: The other nations tried to
give Germany (and to some degree,
Italy) some of what they wanted so that
the war would not happen.
• Thus, at The Munich Conference, (Sept,
1938), France, GB (and Italy) allowed
Germany to take the Sudetenland…
annexation of Austria had already
happened in March, 1938, with no
objection by the League.
Nazi-Soviet Non-
Aggression Pact
August 23, 1939: A Non-Aggression Pact was signed between
Germany and the USSR. It assured a non-involvement of the
Soviet Union in a European War (for 10 years – will be broken by
Germany in June, 1941).
Secretly, the USSR and Germany also agreed to split Poland .
What did each side stand to gain?
Germany invaded Poland on

September 1, 1939.
Soviets Stood by and watched, then moved into its
sphere of influence on Sept. 17.
Great Britain and France declared War on
Germany on Sept. 3, and World War II had begun.
The Major
Battles of the
Second World
War
Pacific Theatre
European Theatre

Major Battles WW2 and End of The War

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World War II

In Italy the depression bred

Germany invaded Poland on

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