There are many reasons for the beginning of World War 2. One of the most apparent reasons of the war was the invasion of Poland in 1939, and Pearl Harbor in 1941. However, among the little known causes is the Great Depression, the rise of Facism, Italy's invasion of Ethiopia, the Second Sino-Japanese War, Anschluss, and the Munich Agreement.
Great Depression
The downfall after the Stock Market Crash spread throughout the world and many European countries were devastated. The Great Depression caused 25% unemployment rate in the U.S. Personal income, tax revenue, industrial profits and prices were also greatly affected. Germany was hit next. "Severe unemployment prompted the Nazi Party, which had been losing favor, to experience a surge in membership". This greatly added to the rise of Hitler in Germany. After the end of WW1, heavy investments were placed on rebuilding Europe. However, now that the crash destroyed the economy, the investments stopped.
Facism and the Invasion of Ethiopia
The National Fascist Party, in Italy, obtained power with Benito Moussolini at the forefront. He wanted to expand his empire to Africa by invading Ethiopia. Italy invaded Ethiopia on October 3, 1935. The Italians began their occupation without any form of a declaration of war. The war moved slowly but when the use of mustard gas was approved by Moussolini, the Italians won the last major battle of the war and finalized their invasion. On June 30, 1936, former Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie gave a speech before the League of Nations attacking the League for standing by without helping his country. He said "It is us today. It will be you tomorrow". When the League finally condemed Italy, Mussolini decided to withdraw from the organization.
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War started in 1937 after Japan attacked China from its military base in Manchukuo. The invasion began by bombing cities such as Shanghai, Nanjing and Guangzhou. There were many widespread protests, culminating in a resolution by the Far Eastern Advisory Committee of the League of Nations. In addition to the war, the Japanese Army committed brutal atrocities in the Nanjing massacre.
Anschluss
The Anschluss was the annexation of Austria into Germany. The idea of a Greater Germany had been popular in Austria as well as in Germany. This action was strictly forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles, but Germany pushed for the Austrian Nazi Party. This also played a crucial role in the assassination of Engelbert Dollfuss, the Austrian chancellor. A successful Austrian Nazi Party coup transferred power within the country. German troops entered Austria as enforcers. Britain, France and Fascist Italy opposed such a union, but did nothing. Because of the quarrelling amongst these powers, they were left with no choice but to accept Anschluss.
Munich Agreement
Sudetenland was a German-speaking region along the Western borders of Czechoslovakia. It contained many strategic points of interest across mountainous terrain. Czechoslovakia had a modern army of 38 divisions backed by a well-noted armament industry as well as military alliances with France and Soviet Union. Hitler pushed for the Sudetenland's to be included in the Reich. After the Anschluss, mostly all German parties merged with the Sudeten German Party. The government declared martial law in Sudetenland to maintain order. This complicated the situation with a Slovakian nationalism uprising. Expressing the need to protect the Germans in Czechoslovakia, Germany called for the annexation of the Sudetenland.
In the Munich Agreement of September 30, 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and French allowed Germany to move troops into the region and incorporate it into the Reich to mantain peace. Hitler then gave his word that there would be no more territorial claims on Europe. Germany took the Sudetenland unopposed.
Invasion of Poland
There were great tensions between Poland and Germany. This quarraling had been settled in 1934 by a non-aggression pact. Later, in spring of 1939, tensions rose once again and Germany declared an invasion Poland on September 1, 1939. Both Britain and France warned they would honor their alliances to Poland. They issued an ultimatum to Germany which stated "withdraw or war would be declared". Germany declined and World War II was declared by the British and French.
Pearl Harbor
Even though war had already been declared, it was not until Pearl Harbor that the U.S. entered the war. This was mainly due to the defensive foreign policy set by President Franklin Roosevelt. In hopes of setting back the U.S. military to organize an attack on the American mainland, Japanese Foces bombed an American naval base, Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 1941. However the effect was quite the opposite then the Japanese had hoped. The bombing only determined the U.S. to rebuild and fight. The U.S. declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941, and on Germany three days later.
-- Edited by Danny on Friday 26th of March 2010 02:52:49 PM
6. Explain the U.S. strategy to win the war in Europe and in the Pacific.
To Win In Pacific: The war in Europe was originally first priority but in 1942 American ships and planes halted the Japanese advance with the Battle of Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway. The aircraft carrier was far more essential than the battleship in these battles. The American strategy to win in 1943 was to leapfrog from island to island in the Pacific, gradually taking territory from the Japanese and building bases to attack the Philippines and eventually Japan itself.
To Win In Europe: The war in Europe was a two front strategy; attack the Germans from the west and east to make Hitler split his forces in half to defend both sides. They also used amphibious invasions often including Normandy and the strategic bombing of German transportation lines, industrial plants, and cities and other European cities.
2. Explain the events that brought the U.S. into World War II.
Pearl Harbor was the “last straw” that caused the United States to take a complete turn away from isolationism. The turtle came out of its shell when Japanese planes bombed Hawaii’s American military base. Americans were shocked by the attack, although the United States government anticipated Japanese aggression in one of their Pacific territories. Due to the fact that the U.S. had decided to cut the ties of supplying oil to Japan in order to not further fund the war, the government predicted Japanese advancement on our soil. When an attack on the American land had been launched and American lives were lost, the president declared obvious war on Japan and the axis leaders of Germany and Italy.
When German forces overtook the prominent world power nation of France, the United States feared that Hitler and the Nazi party would advance too far into Western Europe and would become too powerful. France was a close neighbor of Germany that had been strong enough to withstand the grasp of the Nazi regime that had gripped almost every country west of the German borders until now. The United States and Britain knew at that time, that the German occupation of France was a huge turning point in World War II. It is one of the main events that drew American forces into the fight against Germany.
The British ocean-liner “Lusitania” was a major turning point of World War I that swayed public opinion of the Germans to a negative light, especially in the United States. This event led the United States into an undeclared naval war with German forces that were reopened during the beginning stages of World War II. German submarines were on a constant attempt to bombard across the Atlantic and interrogate our navy which was left impossible due to our military leaders and their superb strategies of defense.
-Sarah
-- Edited by Sarah Flood on Sunday 28th of March 2010 05:58:07 PM
Assess the economic impact of the war on black and Hispanic-Americans and women.
World War II had a major economic impact on minorities such as African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and women. For blacks, wartime brought many job opportunities in the war industries and factories. While prejudice was still evident, many blacks migrated North to seek these opportunities in order to improve their economic conditions. Women, too, found the same opportunities during wartime. As the men went off to war, women began to stray away from their traditional roles as domestic home-makers and mothers and satisfy their lives financially through job opportunities found in factories. Many women also joined the U.S. military as nurses. For Hispanic-Americans, they found some opportunity in both military and industrial terms. Yet, like African-Americans, racial prejudice still prevailed.
-- Edited by Charlene on Tuesday 30th of March 2010 10:24:07 AM
