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Aggressors Invade Nations

MAIN IDEA WHY IT MATTERS TERMS & NAMES
NOW
POWER AND AUTHORITY As Many nations today take a more • appeasement • isolationism
Germany, Italy, and Japan con- active and collective role in world • Axis Powers • Third Reich
quered other countries, the rest affairs, as in the United Nations. • Francisco • Munich
of the world did nothing to stop Franco Conference
them.

31.4 Aggressors Invade Nations

-Key Terms:
1. Appeasement: giving in to an aggressor to keep peace. It was used by the British and French, not
wanting to risk and fight, fearing from another war as they were still recovering from WWI, when Hitler
violated the Treaty of Versailles that had forbidden German troops to enter a 30-mile-wide zone on either
side of the Rhine River. Known as the Rhineland, the zone formed a barrier between Germany and France.
On March 7, 1936, German troops moved into the Rhineland. -March 1936: Germany occupies
the Rhineland
2. Axis Powers: include powers of three countries which are Germany, Italy, and Japan and these
countries all are alike in one thing that they all invaded whatever countries they wanted without being
threatened by the League of Nations and other were faced with appeasement by the other countries. Hitler’s
growing strength convinced Mussolini that he should seek an alliance with Germany. In October 1936, the
two dictators reached an agreement that became known as the Rome-Berlin Axis. A month later, Germany
also made an agreement with Japan.

3. Isolationism: Many Americans supported this belief that political ties to other countries should be
avoided. Isolationists argued that entry into World War I had been a costly error.
4. Munich Conference: Hitler went to the land of Czechoslovakia and demanded Czechoslovakia to
give part of its land and his justification was of German people living there. This is when Britain, France,
Italy, and Germany made the Munich Conference in September of 1938 without Czechoslovakia being
invited, and there the countries agreed to allow the Germans to take the land and in return Hitler promised
to respect the new borders of Czechoslovakia. However, 6 months later, Hitler violated the Munich
Conference by taking the whole country of Czechoslovakia.

31.4 Aggressors Invade Nations

Making
Inference
s
What was the
major weakness of
the League of Natio