RISING POWERS

The Rise of Joseph Stalin Stalin became a member

of the Social Democratic party in 1901 and plunged full-time into revolutionary work, he helped organize strikes and demonstrations

His actions had him exiled to Siberia, where he escaped and returned to his revolutionary work many times, and joined the Bolshevik party under Lenin.

The Rise of Joseph Stalin

He helped organize the Bolshevik newspaper, Pravda, which still exists, and became Lenin’s right-hand man because he was a fanatic, not for his intellect.

The Rise of Joseph Stalin

• Under Lenin, the Soviet Union suffered through Civil War, which established policies such as repression of freedom of expression, and harsh treatment for those who opposed the regime. Stalin would carry those policies forward ruthlessly.

• Stalin had a goal of creating the perfect Communist state. His first aim was to turn the Soviet Union into a world industrial leader.

The Rise of Joseph Stalin

Collective Farming State owns the land

and the people work on it for the good of the state

Stalin put most agricultural land under state control, forcing people to work land that they once owned for the state – many starved.

The Rise of Joseph Stalin

• Stalin initiated several 5-year plans to build massive factories, mills and plants that would turn the Soviet Union into a great industrial power. The USSR became 3rd largest industrial nation in the world.

• Stalin purged the Soviet Union of any person who was suspected of criticizing the government. They went to forced labor camps in Siberia or killed. Total deaths estimated at 8 to 13 million people!

The Rise of Joseph Stalin & Totalitarianism By 1939, the USSR

had developed a TOTALITARIAN government – the government had complete control of its citizens – they had no rights.

Benito Mussolini & Fascism

• Mussolini began the Fascist political movement – a centralized government headed by a powerful dictator.

• Mussolini had the support of those who feared Communism, veterans, jobless youth, and businessmen

• Mussolini’s Fascist party marched on Rome, forcing the Italian King to grant Mussolini the power to restructure the government.

Benito Mussolini & Fascism

• Mussolini called himself Il Duce, “The Chief.”

• Mussolini, like Stalin, ruthlessly crushed any opposition to his government, creating a TOTALITARIAN state.

Adolf Hitler & Nazism

In 1919, Adolf Hitler joined the National Socialist German Worker’s Party, the Nazi Party, and soon became their leader.

Nazism was not socialist, but fascist, and was based on extreme nationalism.

Hitler dreamed of uniting all German-speaking people into one empire, ruled by a master race of blue-eyed, blonde-haired Aryans.

Adolf Hitler & Nazism

Adolf Hitler believed that the German people needed room to thrive, so he planned to conquer Europe, by force if necessary.

Adolf Hitler & Nazism

Germany suffered greatly during the Depression. Hitler’s vibrant speeches convinced Germans that the Nazi Party could bring Germany back to its former glory.

Adolf Hitler & Nazism

Hitler quickly dismantled the German democratic Weimar Republic and put his plans of domination into effect.

Francisco Franco

• In 1931, the monarchy of Spain decided to hold the first democratic elections in more than 60 years. The overwhelming vote for a republic caused the monarch, Alfonso XIII, to leave in exile.

• The new government was left-wing. Their reforms included releasing former left-wing political prisoners and providing agrarian reforms that penalized the landed aristocracy.

Aristocrats fled, taking much of the money of Spain with them, which threw the Spanish economy into turmoil. Trade and tourism fell, and workers went on strike.

Francisco Franco

• Francisco Franco was a brilliant military man, a loyalist of the right-wing military dictatorship under Alfonso XIII.

• By 1936, Franco had risen in the ranks of the Spanish Army, and commanded the Army of Africa. He quickly joined the coup to oust the left-wing government, and become the leader of the Nationalist Army in opposition to the standing Popular Front government.

Franco killed his rivals, and with the support of Italy and Germany, led his forces to the conquering of Spain.

Francisco Franco

• Franco was a cruel and vindictive military leader and anti-communist, killing around 200,000 political prisoners

• Franco claimed neutrality for Spain during World War II, though sent a small faction of troops in support of Germany

Japan under Hirohito and Tojo

Against the mandates of the League of Nations, Japanese military expansionists invaded Manchuria in 1931, quickly taking control

Japan under Hirohito and Tojo

When the League of Nations condemned Japan, Japan simply quit membership in the League. Then – they invaded China…

Japan under Hirohito and Tojo

The Japanese wanted to expand their empire and because they live on mainly volcanic rock they do not have very many natural resources.

Invading the mainland of China and those areas gave them more resources and made it so America and the Pacific islands were all that remained for them to conquer.

Japan was turning into an imperialistic nation and fast.

Following Japan’s Example

Hitler and Mussolini quit the League of Nations, and quickly united forces to facilitate their nations’ expansions.

The League of Nations did not respond!

Neutrality Acts

The Neutrality Acts were passed by the Congress in 1935 to keep the United States out of future wars.

The first two laws outlawed the selling or loaning of weapons to nations at war.

The other law banned sales or loans to nations in a civil war

This just reinforced the American ideal of Isolationism.

WAR IN EUROPE

Bargaining for Sudetenland Neville Chamberlain and Eduard Daladier

met with Hitler to talk about the land in Czechoslovakia and both agreed to hand over the land without a single shot being fired.

This agreement was called the Munich agreement.

This enraged Winston Churchill, who is Chamberlain’s political rival, Churchill said that the agreement was a shameful policy of appeasement.

Appeasement is giving up principles to pacify an aggressor.

Nonaggression Pact- Stalin and Hitler signed this pact on August 23, 1939 and once bitter rivals had agreed to never attack each other.

The German blitzkrieg could now go to work on Poland. The Luftwaffe, or German air force bombed Poland destroying cities airfields and military bases.

Blitzkrieg- Lightning war.

The Phony War

Russia had taken over the eastern third of Poland and Stalin began to annex Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Hitler used a surprise attack on Denmark and Norway to “protect their freedom and independence” he really planned to build up bases on the coast and attack Britain next.

Hitler then attacked the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxemburg; The Phony War was officially over.

The Fall of France

The Germans trapped about 400,000 French and British soldiers as they fled to the beaches of Dunkirk.

Less than a week later a makeshift fleet of fishing boats and river barges ferried about 330,000 British, French, and Belgian troops to safety across the English Channel.

Italy entered the war a few days later by attacking France from the south and the Germans continued from the north. On June 22, 1940 Hitler handed the French his terms for surrender. France official fell to the Germans.

Charles de Gaulle fled to England after the fall of France. He set up a government-in-exile.

He said “France may have lost the battle but has not lost the war.”

Battle of Britain

In the summer of 1940 the Germans started to assemble an invasion fleet along the French coast. Germany’s navy could not compare to the British navy so they also used an air raid to try and topple Britain.

The Luftwaffe began making bomb runs over Britain. Its goal was to take control of the skies by destroying the British Royal Air Force.

Hitler had 2,600 planes at his disposal and in one day, August 15, he sent 2,000 planes every night for 2 months bombing London.

Battle of Britain Cont.

Battle raged on through the summer and the fall and the Luftwaffe concentrated their bombs on airfields and air crafts next on cities.

The Royal Air Force fought back brilliantly, with a new invention called radar. They were able to pinpoint German air craft routes even in the dark. September 15 the RAF shot down 185 German planes and only lost 26 of their own.

Six weeks later Hitler called off the invasion of Britain indefinitely.