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WWII Europe

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Rafi Falah
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14 views22 pages

WWII Europe

Uploaded by

Rafi Falah
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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World War II in Europe

Outline

Ⅰ Chronology of Key Events


Ⅱ International Level
Ⅲ Domestic Level
Ⅳ Individual Level
Ⅴ Observations
I Chronology of Key Events
1919 Treaty of Versailles
1 Disarmament
2 Territories
3 Reparations
1920 League of Nations
1 Collective Security
2 Wilsonian Idealism
3 US & USSR
1930 Great Depression
1932 Nazi Party (National
Socialist German
Workers’ Party) wins
230 of 584 seats and
becomes the largest
party in Germany

1933 Adolf Hitler becomes


Chancellor; Germany
withdraws from the
League of Nations
1934 Soviet Union joins the
League
1935 Italy invades Ethiopia;
the League failed to
retaliate. Germany
rejects the Versailles
Treaty, begins
rearmament
1936 Germany concludes
friendship treaties with
Italy and Japan
1938 Germany annexes
Austria. Munich
agreement
1939 Germany occupies all
of Czechoslovakia;
Peace pact with Soviet
Union (8); Germany
invades Poland (9);
Britain and France
declare war
against Germany (9)
1940 Tri-partite pact
among Germany, Italy,
and Japan; Germany
invades France
1941 Germany invades the
Soviet Union (6);
Japan Attacks Pearl
Harbor (12)
1945 Germany Surrenders
(5)
II International Level
1) Rise of German Power

a) Buck-passing: B&F appeased, instead of


counterbalanced, Germany
b) U.S. isolationism
2) Great Depression
a) Finance=Collapse of the NY
stock exchange market→No
cash flow from NY to
London, Paris,
Berlin→devaluation of
currency→Beggar thy
neighbor policy
b) Trade=high tariff barrier
(Smoot- Hawley bill)→rise of
trading blocs (US, Britain,
Germany, Japan, etc)
III Domestic Level
1) Rise of Nationalism in Germany

a) resentment at the harsh


peace treaty of Versailles
b) economic crisis: heavy
reparation ＋ great
depression→print money→
inflation→rise of
unemployment→social
unrest→polarization of
German politics (right &
left)→support for Nazis
Share of Votes by Parties in Germany
2) Social-psychological Reasons for Nazi
Popularity

Erich Fromm, Escape from Freedom


1) Men seek freedom from domination
2) But complete freedom will cause
loneliness and sense of insecurity.
3) People want social ties or “sense of
belonging.”
4) Powerful tendencies arise to escape
from freedom into submission.
IV Individual Level
1 Hitler’s personality and world view

Desire for power and world domination, racial


prejudice, miscalculation on Soviet military
power and US intention to join the war.
Why was Hitler popular?

1. Economic success: Keynesian solution to


economic crisis (public spending, decrease in
unemployment rate)
2. Provoke nationalism: criticism of Versailles
Treaty, racism against Jews and minorities
V Observations
1 U.S. Isolationism
• Weakened the
League’s enforcement
power
↓
• The UN gave veto
power to five allied
powers to make sure
that the powerful
states join and remain
2 Rise of the Cold War
• Decline of Europe and rise of new powers
• Emergence of bipolarity
Discussion Question
(Counterfactual Analysis)

“Had Hitler been not in power, World War II in


Europe would have been avoided.”

Do you agree or disagree?

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