The Road to World War II
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of this picture, add
labels to explain
what the cartoonist
suggests Hitler is
doing?
Who are the other
people in this
picture and what
does the cartoonist
think of them?
Worldwide Depression
Countries still trying to recover from WWI
Economic hardtimes worldwide
Shortage of supplies
Rise of Dictators
Allies had expected Germany to pay for
damages during World War I
Didn’t have enough money to do this
Adolph Hitler, leader of Germany during the
20’s, said Germany had been treated unfairly
Believed only Germans with blond hair and
blue eyes were “true Germans”
Blamed Jews for many of the problems
January 1933: Hitler became
Chancellor of Germany
National Socialists, or NAZIS
Political party with Hitler in charge
Grew in power and started an army
Soldiers, called “storm troopers”
Attacked Jewish people and others opposed to
Hitler
Hitler soon ordered a programme of
rearming Germany
Hitler visits a factory and is enthusiastically greeted. Many
Germans were grateful for jobs after the misery of he
depression years.
March 1936: German troops
marched into the Rhineland
The Rhineland was a
region of Germany that
was ‘demilitarised’ after
the Treaty of Versailles.
Germany was not
allowed to have troops
in the region.
Hitler’s actions showed
how he was willing to
directly challenge the
treaty.
March 1938: Nazi Germany
annexed Austria
Again, this went
against the terms of
the Treaty of Versailles
which banned
Germany from uniting
with Austria.
However, the arrival of
German troops was
met with great
enthusiasm by many
Austrian people.
March 1939: Germany invaded
Czechoslovakia
Hitler had ordered the
occupation of a part of
Czechoslovakia known as the
Sudetenland (in October
1938). Many hoped that that
this would be the last conquest
of the Nazis.
However, in March 1939, he
ordered his troops to take over
the remainder of
Czechoslovakia. This was the
first aggressive step that
suggested that a war in
Europe would soon begin.
August 1939: Germany and Russia signed a non-aggression pact
Hitler and Stalin (the Russian
leader) signed a ‘non-
aggression pact’.
They promised that neither
country would attack the other
in the event of war.
As part of the deal, Hitler
promised Stalin part of Poland,
which he planned to invade
soon.
This photo shows the Russian foreign minister
signing the pact, whilst Stalin stands smiling in
the background
Stalin
Hitler
The non-aggression pact was surprising. Hitler and Stalin were seen as natural enemies.
When Hitler talked of taking over new land for Germany, many thought that he meant Russia.
Hitler also hated Communism, the form of government in Russia
September 1939: Germany invaded Poland
But, the pact allowed
Germany to march
into Poland without
fear of an attack from
Russia.
On 3rd September
1939, Germany
invaded Poland and
started a War with
Britain and France.
German troops marching
into Warsaw, the capital
of Poland.
May 1940: Germany turned west and
invaded France and the Netherlands
In May 1940, Germany
used Blitzkrieg tactics to
attack France and the
Netherlands.
British troops were
forced to retreat from the
beaches of Dunkirk in
northern France.
Captured British
troops, May 1940
By June 1940, France had surrendered to
the Germans
Britain now stood
alone as the last
remaining enemy of
Hitler’s Germany in
Western Europe.
Adolf Hitler tours Paris after his
successful invasion.
September 1940-May 1941: the
Blitz
For the following nine months, the German
air force (Luftwaffe) launched repeated
bombing raids on British towns and cities.
This was known as the BLITZ and was an
attempt to bomb Britain into submission.
Operation Barbarossa, June 1941
But in May, 1941, Hitler ordered a change of tactics. He decided to halt
the bombing of Britain and launch an attack against Russia. He betrayed
Stalin and ignored the promises he had made.
This was a bold move that would prove to be an important turning point
in the War.
U.S. Enters the War
December 7, 1941, Japanese planes attacked
Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands
Dropped bombs on American ships at the
Pearl Harbor naval base
In less than two hours, Japan had destroyed
most of the U.S. Pacific fleet
More than 2,000 sailors and 68 civilians were
killed
Declaration of War
Day after the attack at Pearl Harbor
President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare
war on Japan
Congress declared war that same day
Italy and Germany, Japan’s allies, declared
war on the U.S. three days later.
Sides are Drawn
Axis Powers Allies
Germany United States
Japan Britain
Italy France
Death Count?
60 million killed in total throughout WWII
10% of Germans killed
Holocaust – 6 million Jews killed
