Unit 7.2: World War II

Rise of Totalitarian Dictators

After WWI, many nations were

struggling to rebuild

A global depression in the 1930s led to high unemployment &

a sense of desperation in Europe

The Treaty of Versailles created bitterness among many nations

In this climate of postwar uncertainty, nationalism increased & citizens turned

to totalitarian dictators to rule the nation

In this climate of postwar uncertainty, nationalism increased & citizens turned

to totalitarian dictators to rule the nation

Totalitarian leaders are dictators who control all aspects of the government & the lives of the citizens

Totalitarian leaders gained

support by promising jobs,

promoting nationalism, &

using propaganda Dictators held on to their power by using censorship,

secret police, denying liberties,

& eliminating opposing rivals or

political parties

Among the first totalitarian dictators was Joseph Stalin

of the Soviet Union

Stalin was Communist & seized all property, farms,

factories in order to control the economy & create equality

He used a secret police & the Great Purge

to eliminate rivals

Stalin’s Five Year Plans & collective farms improved the Soviet Union’s industrial & agricultural output

Not all totalitarian dictators were Communists

In Italy, Germany, & Spain, people turned to an extremely nationalist gov’t called fascism

Fascist gov’ts were controlled by dictators who

demanded loyalty from citizens

Fascists did not offer democracy & used one-party to

rule the nation Unlike Communists,

fascists believed people could keep

their property

Totalitarian Regimes in Europe & AsiaMussolini & Hitler believed in fascism: the idea that nations need strong dictators, total authority by one

party, but that people can keep private property

Totalitarian Regimes in Europe & AsiaStalin was a Communist believed that the government should control all property & business

In Italy, Benito Mussolini

formed the Fascist Party

Mussolini gained popularity by promising to revive the economy,

rebuild the military, & expand Italy to create a new Roman Empire

Mussolini named his Fascist Party after the fasces, a Roman symbol of authority & power

Mussolini created the Blackshirts (a secret police force) to enforce the goals of his Fascist Party

By 1922, Mussolini was popular enough to lead a “March on Rome” & forced the Italian king to name him prime minister

As prime minister, Benito Mussolini was known as “Il Duce” (the chief)

Mussolini ended democracy & all

opposition parties

Mussolini built up the military to

create new jobs

He planned to conquer new territories in

Africa for Italy

Adolf Hitler

Rise to Power

Overall Purpose:

The overall purpose of this

presentation is to explain

how this little boy on the

left became the man on the

right who was ultimately

responsible for the death of

millions of people all over

the world!!

Birth■Adolf Hitler was born

on April 20, 1889 in Braunau, Austria.

■Adolf was 1 of 6 children - 3 of who died at early ages

Parents

Alois Schickelgruber Hitler was a customs official

who was illegitimate by birth. His father, Adolf’s

grandfather, may have been Jewish but there is no

definitive proof. He died when Adolf was 14 and left

him a small inheritance.

Klara Hitler was very young when she married the

older Alois. She showered young Adolf with love

and affection. Adolf carried a picture of his mom

until the day he died. She died of breast cancer

when Adolf was 18 years old.

Education■ Attended a Benedictine monastery school where

he took part in the choir.

■ When it was time to choose a secondary school, Adolf wanted to become an artist.

■ His father wanted him to become a civil servant, but after his father died, he dropped out of high school and attempted to get into the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts - he failed.

■ The following slides are examples of Adolf’s artwork.

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Years in Vienna■ After his mother died, Adolf (now 18) decided to move to Austria to

pursue his dream of becoming a great artist.

■ Again he failed to gain entrance into the Academy

■ He eventually sold all his possessions and became a homeless drifter who slept on park benches and ate at soup kitchens throughout Vienna (age 19)

■ Adolf did manage to sell some paintings and postcards, but remained impoverished

Vienna -Importance

■ Influenced by the anti-Semitic mayor of Vienna, Karl Lueger

■ Became interested in the idea of German nationalism.

■ Also received first taste of politics

Military ServiceAdolf left Austria at the age of 24 to avoid mandatory

military service that was required of all men.

But he did sign up for

military service at the

start of WW I. He

joined a Bavarian unit

of the German Army.

This is a picture of

Hitler listening to an

enlistment speech.

World War I■ Excited to fight for Germany.

■ Found a home fighting for the Fatherland.

■ Highest rank held was corporal.

■ Was a regimental messenger, not an easy job at all.

Military Record■ Was awarded the Iron Cross

twice. (5 medals overall)

■ Highest military honor in German Army.

■ Single handedly captured 4 French soldiers.

■ Blinded by gas attack towards end of war.

German Loss in WW I■ Hitler was devastated when he heard the news of the German

surrender.

■ He was appalled at the anti-war sentiment among the German civilians.

■ Believed there was an anti-war conspiracy that involved the Jews and Marxists.

■ Also, felt that the German military did not lose the war, but that the politicians (mostly Jews) at home were responsible for the defeat.

Life after WW I■ Hitler was depressed after WW I.

■ Still in the army, he became an undercover agent whose job was to root out Marxists

■ Also, lectured about the dangers of Communism and Jews

German Worker’s Party■ Hitler was sent to investigate

this group in Munich in 1919.

■ He went to a meeting and gave a speech.

■ He was them asked to become a member, which he did

NAZI Party is Formed■ Hitler began to think big for the

German Worker’s Party

■ Began placing ads for meetings in anti-Semitic newspapers

■ Hitler changed the name to National Socialist German Worker’s Party or the NAZIS

Party Platform■ Hitler drafted a platform of 25

points

■ Revoke Versailles Treaty

■ Revoke civil rights of Jews

■ Confiscate any war profits

Besides changing the party name, the

red flag with the SWASTIKA was

adopted as the party symbol

Beer Hall Putsch■ October 30, 1923

■ Hitler held a rally in Munich beer hall and declared revolution

■ Led 2000 men in take over of Bavarian Government

■ It failed and Hitler was imprisoned

Trial and Jail

•At his trial (Hitler was charged

with treason), he used the

opportunity to speak about the

NAZI platform and spread his

popularity.

•The whole nation suddenly knew

who Adolf Hitler was and what he

stood for

•He was sentenced to five years,

but actually only served about 9

months

•When he left prison, he was ready

to go into action again.

Mein Kampf■ Hitler’s book “My Struggle” - wrote

while in jail

■ Sold 5 million copies, made him rich

■ Topics included: Jews were evil, Germans were superior race, Fuhrer principal, dislike of Communism and Democracy and need to conquer Russia

Legal Rise to Power■ Used popularity from failed

revolution and book to seize power legally

■ Spoke to mass audiences about making Germany a great nation again

■ Nazi Party:

– 1930 = 18% of vote

– 1932 = 30% of vote

– Hitler becomes Chancellor in 1933

Appeal of Hitler■ Germany was in the midst of an economic depression with hyper-

inflation

■ Hitler was a WW I hero who talked about bringing glory back to the “Fatherland”

■ He promised the rich industrialists that he would end any communist threat in Germany

■ Constantly blamed Jews for Germany’s problems, not the German people.

■ Hitler was an excellent public speaker.

Strong Arm Tactics■ The “Brownshirts” or SA

(Stormtroopers)

■ SA was used to put down opposition parties

■ Threatened and beat up Jews and ant-Nazi voters

■ Wore brownshirts, pants and boots

■ Numbered almost 400,000 by 1932

Dictator■ “Reichstag fire” gives Hitler

total power

■ In 1933, all parties were outlawed except the Nazi party

■ People’s civil rights were suspended

■ “Night of the Long Knives”

Absolute Power■ German economy was

improving, people were happy

■ Hitler had not political opposition

■ 1st concentration camp opened in 1933

■ Began rearming German Army for expansion of the Reich

The Nazis were a fascist group in Germany that

wanted to overthrow the disloyal Weimar Republic

Hitler was impressed by Mussolini & used many of his ideas to make the Nazi Party strong in Germany

Adolf Hitler was an early Nazi recruit

& quickly rose to power in the party

The Nazis were a fascist group in Germany that

wanted to overthrow the disloyal Weimar Republic

Hitler was impressed by Mussolini & used many of his ideas to make the Nazi Party strong in Germany

Adolf Hitler was an early Nazi recruit

& quickly rose to power in the party

The Nazis created their own militia called the Brown Shirts

Hitler planned a march on Munich but he was arrested

& jailed for 9 months

While in jail, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf which outlined

his plans for Germany

He wrote that Germans were members of a master

race called Aryans & all non-Aryans were inferior

He declared that Germans needed lebensraum (living space) & should conquer Eastern Europe & Russia

He called the Versailles Treaty an outraged & vowed

to regain land taken from Germany after the war

When Hitler was released from jail in 1924, he spent years organizing the Nazis into Germany’s most powerful political party

In 1933, Hitler was named chancellor (prime minister)

of Germany

As chancellor, Hitler used his power to name himself dictator

He called his gov’t the Third Reich to promote pride &

nationalism

Hitler put Germans to work by building factories, highways, weapons, & increasing the military

He created the gov’t protection squad called the SS and a secret police called the Gestapo to

eliminate rivals & control all aspects of Germany

In 1935, Hitler began a series of anti-Semitic laws called the Nuremburg Laws that deprived German Jews of the rights of citizens, forbade mixed Jewish

marriages, & required Jews to wear a yellow star

In 1938, Hitler ordered Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass), a series of attacks on

Jewish synagogues and businesses

After WWI, Japan was the strongest nation in Asia & was ready to conquer new lands to provide resources for Japanese industry

Emperor Hirohito, gave full control of the Japanese military to Hideki Tojo who served as a military dictator

In the 1930s, Japan, Italy, & Germany began aggressively expanding into new territories…

these actions caused World War II in 1939

Japan invaded Manchuria, northern China; invaded

Indochina & the East Indies

Italy invaded Ethiopia & Albania

Germany annexed Austria &

Czechoslovakia