The Road to World War Two

1931-1939
 Discussion Question
•  Think back to last unit. With your partner
come up with 3-4 events that you think
might pave the way for WWII to happen.

•  What was the name of the international

government agency that was formed after
WWI and what was its job?
Japanese Attack Manchuria
1931
 Japan Invades Manchuria
•  When? 1931

•  What? Japan
invades and takes
control of
Manchuria to gain
resources.
 Japan Invades Manchuria
•  Consequences: •  Importance:

Japan gains Japan gains valuable

Manchuria. resources. League of
Nations looses face,
League of Nations shows they have no
power to enforce
impose sanctions.
anything.
Germany Weimar
Republic During the
1920s and early 1930s
 Hitler at a political rally 1932

Nazi Party gains majority of popular votes in German

open elections (37.3%)
 Discussion Question

•  What is fascism?
January 1933 Adolf Hitler is named Chancellor
(prime minister) by President von Hindenburg
1933 Japan withdraws from the
League of Nations protesting
economic sanctions
 Japan Walks Out
•  Date: Feb. 1933

•  What: Japan is the

1st country to leave
the League of
Nations
 Japan Walks Out
•  Consequences: •  Importance:
Economic sanctions League of Nations
imposed on Japan weakened,
(but not really embarrassed.
enforced).
•  Japan no longer
accepting oversight
by other nations.
 German
Reichstag
Building
1933
 Reichstag Fire
•  When: Feb. 27,
1933

•  What: German
govt. building set
on fire by Dutch
communist.
 Reichstag Fire
•  Consequences: •  Importance:
Eliminates Nazi’s
Civil rights of political rival
German citizens (communists), and
suspended, mass consolidates Nazi power.
arrest of communists. Eliminates many civil
rights of German
citizens.
 After the
Reichstag
Fire and
Enabling
Acts of
1934 …
Hitler
rules alone
 Enabling Act
•  When?
–  March 23, 1933

•  What?
–  Act that allowed Hitler to make and pass laws
without the consent of the Reichstag.
 Enabling Act
•  Consequences:
–  Reichstag no longer has any political power.
–  Hitler gains the power of a dictator.
 Enabling Act
•  Importance:
–  Hitler becomes de facto dictator of Germany.
1933 Germany withdraws from the League of Nations
protesting reparation payments
 August 1934,
President von Hindenburg
dies, Hitler becomes
"Reichfuhrer" absolute
leader
1934 all government officials and members of the armed
forces swear "Fuhrer Oath” to Hitler
Nazi SA
leaders
around
1930
SA harassing Jewish citizens 1933
SA arresting communist party
members 1933
 E r nst
Ro hem
Lea d er o f
t he SA 1934
1934 Ernst Roehm
and SA leadership
murdered in
"Night of the Long
Knives

Er
 Its okay
folks, the
crisis is over,
party on!
 Night of the Long Knives
•  When?
–  June 30-July 2, 1934

•  What:
–  Arrest and assassination of SA leaders and
other political/military figures Hitler viewed as
a threat.
 Night of the Long Knives
•  Consequences:
–  Hitler eliminates competition.
–  Army swears loyalty to Hitler.
–  SA loses power.
 Night of the Long Knives
•  Importance:
–  Hitler eliminates enemies and gains allies.
–  SA loses power.
–  Hitler makes it clear that any threat to his
power will be swiftly eliminated.
 Discussion Question
•  Think back to yesterday. In what major
way was Hitler’s road to power in the
mid-30’s different than his first attempt with
the Beer Hall Putsch?

•  Give 2 reasons why the Night of the Long

Knives was important.
The SS: Hitler’s
Enforcers
SS Leaders 1934
Heinrich
Himmler:
Leader of
the SS
 Hitler and
Himmler 1932
1935 first of a series of Nuremburg Laws enacted
in Germany, purpose to exclude Jews
 Nuremburg Laws
•  When:
–  September 1935

•  What: series of laws aimed at excluding

Jews from German society.
 Nuremburg Laws
•  Consequences:
–  Jews lose citizenship
–  Jewish marriages deemed invalid
–  Jews deemed racially impure
 Nuremburg Laws
•  Importance:
–  Major step in separation of Jews from German
society.
–  Step toward the Holocaust.
 Discussion Question
•  The Nuremburg laws were one of the first
major steps in separating out the Jewish and
other “undesirable” races from the German
people. Why do you think it is important to
separate them out and make them different
from “regular” Germans? What does
“othering” them help promote?
1935 Hitler begins rearmament program
in defiance of Treaty of Versailles
1935 Japanese military gains control over the
civilian government
 Military Takes Control
•  When: 1935
•  What: Japanese military takes control of
government.

•  Consequences: Militarists who are hungry for

expansion & power gain control. Moderates in
govt. silenced.

•  Importance: No one left in Japan that is willing to

advocate for peace.
 1936 League of Nations begins economic
sanctions against Italy, Italy walks out of League
1937
 Discussion Question
•  Japan, Germany, and Italy have all now left
the League of Nations. Why do you think
this is important?
Rome-Berlin Pact
•  October 25, 1936

•  Italy and
Germany become
allies.

•  On map shade Italy

and Germany RED.
 Germany’s Takeover
•  List the Rhineland, 1936 on line 1/question
1 of your notes.
1936 Spanish Civil War begins, Germany and Italy
help Fascist revolutionaries under Franco
 Spanish Civil War
•  July 1936-April 1939

•  Fought between Spanish

Nationalists (Franco/Fascist) and
Spanish Republicans (socialists)

•  Hitler and Mussolini support the

Nationalists. Send in troops and
weapons.

•  Training ground for German and

Italian troops and battle tactics.
Hitler with Franco
•  Strengthens ties between Italy
and Germany.
Spanish civil war
 Jessie Owens
•  American athlete

•  Won 4 gold medals at

1936 Olympics in
Germany.

•  Crushed Hitler’s myth

of Aryan supremacy at
the games.
1936 Olympics-Jesse Owens
 Discussion Question
•  Jessie Owen’s victories during the 36
Olympics were inspirational to many people
during that time. Why do you think that is?

•  What other instances can you think of

where sports or athletes have helped to draw
people together and/or unify them?
 1936 Anti-
Comintern Pact
signed:
Germany, Italy &
Japan—
US and Brit.
alarmed
 Anti-Cominterm Pact
•  Signed by Japan,
Germany, and Italy

•  Aimed at containing
communism/Russia.

•  No one is to sign a
treaty with Russia.
Japan Invades China 1937
Rape of Nanking, US protests & begins embargo
 Rape of Nanking
•  Starts Dec. 13, 1937
•  Lasts 6 weeks

•  Japan invades China and

fights bloody battle to reach
capital city of Nanking.

•  Chinese surrender, Japanese

attack civilians, raping,
looting, and killing thousands.

•  Estimated death toll: 300,000

Chinese
A child next to the ruins of a destroyed railway station
Chinese prisoners are used as live targets during bayonet drills by their Japanese captors.
Dead children from Nanking in a pile
Chinese prisoners being buried alive
Dead bodies piled by the river
Pregnant woman raped and stabbed over 29
times. She later miscarried the baby.
Soldier poses with beheaded victims
Man shot in face, then burnt alive. He lived
for several days in agony.
 Discussion Question
•  Despite being one of the most violent and
horrific attacks on civilians during WW2,
many in the West have never heard of the
Rape of Nanking. Why do you think that
is? Does the Rape of Nanking change your
view of the war and/or of Japan? Why?
The USS Panay in China 1937
The 1937 Panay Incident, Japanese sink US gunboat
in China, Japan apologizes but US angry
 USS Panay
•  USS Panay is an American
ship stationed off of city
of Nanking.

•  Japanese attack and sink

the boat, killing 4.

•  Japan apologizes and

pays America a fine.
 Hitler tells his military leaders Germany
must be ready for war in four years (1941)
1938 The Austrian Anchluss takes place, Austria
becomes Nazi territory
 Austrian Anschluss
•  Germany takes over
Austria, March 12,
1938

•  Write Austria
March 1938 on
line 2 of question
1.
Austrian Anschluss Ballot
 Sudetenland Crisis
•  Hitler demands that
the Sudetenland
(Czech territory)
and all its German
citizens become
part of Germany.
1938 Munich Agreement: Hitler is “appeased”,
Czechs are sold out by Brits and France
 Chamberlain comes back to Britain with the Munich
Agreement in his hand, says it means “Peace in Our Time”
 Munich Agreement
•  Sept. 29, 1938 Prime Minister
Chamberlain of Britain gives
Sudetenland to Hitler in
exchange for his promise to
not take any more land or go
to war.

•  Write Sudetenland, Sept.

1938 on line 3 of quest. 1

•  Hitler gains:
–  3 million German people
–  70% of Czech’s natural
resources.
1938: Nazis step up actions against the
German Jews.
Nov 1938: Kristallnacht- (Night of the Broken Glass)
Anti-Jewish riots breakout in Germany
 Kristallnacht
•  Means night of the broken
glass.

•  Nov. 9-10, 1938

•  Mass attacks against the Jews

of Germany.

•  Further laws passed that strip

Jews of their wealth,
property, and few remaining
rights.
 Discussion Question
•  Kristallnact was another major step in the
“othering” of the Jews. Many Jews were
shocked that previously friendly neighbors
treated them so violently. Think back to our
previous discussions and describe the
gradual change in mindset of the German’s
toward the Jews that led up to Kristallnact.
Spring of 1939: Hitler disregards the Munich Agreement,
Germans occupy all of Czechoslovakia
 Hitler takes All of
Czechoslovakia
•  March 15, 1939

•  Hitler invades and

takes over all of
Czechoslovakia

•  Write
Czechoslovakia,
March 1939 on line 4
of quest. 1
 Hitler and
Stalin sign
Nazi Soviet
Pact, the
world is
shocked
 Nazi-Soviet
Soviets Pact 1939
Secretly
Germany Divides Up
Poland
1939 Britain and France sign guarantee of
mutual assistance to Poland
Germans Invade Poland Sept 1, 1939 –
World War Two Begins
 Germany Invades Poland
•  Sept. 1 1939

•  Germany invades
Poland

•  WW2 begins

•  Write Poland, Sept.

1, 1939 on line 5 of
quest. 1
 (5)1939
(1) 1936 Poland
Sudetenland
(3)1938

(4)1939

(2)1938
 European
Territory Hitler
Wants
5
Poland Spring 1938
Germany
Hitler and Stalin
1 Divide Poland
3 Aug 1939
4 Fall 1938

2
Rhineland 1936

Czechoslovakia Spring 1939

Polish Corridor Summer 1939