Unit: World War II Name _______________________

Lesson: Causes of WWII WB1.1

Several events led to the start of World War II (September 1939 – September 1945). Many
believe the devastation and problems from World War I led to the outbreak of fighting in the second
World War. The Treaty of Versailles, which was signed to end WWI, had severe consequences for
Germany, and could possibly have been the major cause of WWII.
When the Treaty of Versailles was signed, Germany had to accept
full blame for causing WWI. In addition to assuming blame, Germany
also lost land and had to pay reparations, which caused severe
economic stress on the country. The German people were starving,
German money was almost worthless, and the government was in
chaos.
Germany was not the only country to
struggle economically, though. Many Many stood in food lines for hours.
countries throughout the world had economies that were struggling. This
period of time before WWII was called the Great Depression. Many people
were out of work and barely had enough income to survive. This caused
governments to become unstable and allowed powerful leaders to take over.
Some of these struggling countries were taken over by dictators who formed
powerful fascist governments. Fascist governments believed in a strong
central government and strict control. Fascist governments were highly
Italian dictator Benito militaristic, In 1922 in Italy, Benito Mussolini and the Fascist Party rose to
Mussolini power. In 1925, Mussolini made himself dictator of Italy and wanted to expand
the Italian empire. He looked for new land to conquer. In 1935, Mussolini was ready, and Italy invaded
Ethiopia, a country in Africa.
Fascism was also embraced in Germany by the National
Socialist German Workers Party, also known as the Nazis. Led by
Adolf Hitler, the Nazi Party finally began to gain power in 1929.
Germans were desperate for a leader who would improve the
economy and restore their national pride. Many Germans were still
bitter about the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler was charismatic and
gave the German people hope. Hitler and the Nazis wanted a
controlled, militaristic Germany, but they also wanted race purity Adolf Hitler & his Nazi Party came to
of the German people. In 1933, Hitler was appointed Reich Chancellor power in Germany.
by the German government. One month later the German government
building, the Reichstag, burned to the ground. Hitler blamed the
Communist Party of Germany (although many historians believe Hitler
himself was responsible for the fire), and the Nazi Party took control
of the government by passing an act that gave Hitler the power to
pass any law without Reichstag approval. Hitler used this power to
remove any political opponent and made himself the Führer, or
supreme leader, of Germany in 1934. Germany was now under a
dictatorship. Hitler began rebuilding the German military, a violation of
the Treaty of Versailles. Like Mussolini, Hitler wanted to expand the
The Reichstag building ablaze. German empire, which was a another violation of the treaty. Having
©2016 Heather LeBlanc, LLC/Brainy Apples
Unit: World War II Name _______________________
Lesson: Causes of WWII WB1.2
Germany 1937 Germany 1939 similar goals, Hitler allied with Mussolini in 1939 with
the Pact of Steel. In 1938, Hitler annexed Austria. The
League of Nations, an organization of countries who
worked together to maintain peace after the end of
WWI, did nothing to stop Hitler, so he became bolder
and annexed Czechoslovakia next.
Many countries in Europe did not want another
war, so when countries like Italy and Germany began
invading other countries and building up their
militaries, countries such as Great Britain and France hoped peace would be kept through
appeasement. They wanted to make Hitler happy instead of trying to stop him. Great Britain and
France hoped that Hitler would be satisfied with taking over Austria and Czechoslovakia and not
invade more countries. Unfortunately, Hitler saw this appeasement as a sign of weakness and grew
bolder. He also had more time to strengthen his military, and he made plans to conquer all of Europe.
Europe was not the only continent to have leaders who
practiced imperialism. In 1926, Emperor Hirohito inherited the
throne in Japan. Because Japan is an island country, it does
not have many natural resources. In order for Japan to
become industrialized, it would need to claim land rich with
natural resources. In 1931, Japan invaded Manchuria, a
region in China, and threatened to conquer China as it claimed
more Chinese land over the next several years and seized
Japan’s Emperor
European colonies in the Pacific region. Even though Japan was Japan’s PM Tôjô
Hirohito under the rule of Emperor Hirohito, another man, military Hideki
general Tôjô Hideki, gained power, too. Tôjô pushed for the alliance with Germany.
In late August 1939, Hitler and Joseph Stalin, the dictator of the Soviet Union,
signed the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact. This worried France and Great
Britain because it meant that if Germany invaded Poland, a country to which
France and Great Britain promised military support,
Hitler did not have to worry about fighting a war on two
fronts because the Soviet Union would assist Germany.
The pact also included a secret agreement: Hitler and
Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin would split Poland amongst themselves. Germany
Stalin
invaded Poland on September 1, and two days later
WWII had officially begun when France and
Great Britain declared war on Germany.

German-Soviet occupation
of Poland

Political cartoon depicting

Japan, Germany, and Italy
©2016 Heather LeBlanc, LLC/Brainy Apples