2. From 1914-1918, almost all of Europe was deeply involved in of the most bloody conflicts ever to have broken out in history. After four years of fighting and after the deaths of more than 15 million people, the Allies finally won against the Central Powers in what later went on to be known as the Great War.

3. THE ALLIES THE CENTRAL POWERS great britain new zealand russian empire australia americafrance german empire ottoman empire austria-hungary

4. The Treaty of Versailles was signed on January 1919 by the victors of the war to be imposed onto the Central Powers. Agreed upon by representatives from each allied nation, the purpose of this treaty was to make Germany pay for supposedly starting the war. Because both the representatives for France and Britain wanted a harsh treaty, the treaty ended up being a crippling blow to Germany’s economy, land and military strength.

5. In addition to the signing of treaties that were designed to keep peace in Europe, the League of Nations was also established. This was the international body of representatives thought up by US President Woodrow Wilson which became a collective security council aiming towards solving international disputes without the need for fighting. Although it seemed like a good idea, the League in reality had many weaknesses. One being that three great powers, America, Russia and Germany were not members.

6. After the war, between the years 1924-1929, many thought Europe to be on the mend. With a number of new pacts and treaties being signed that saw many countries renounce war, the were also treaties that even gave Germany more time to repay a lowered debt. In addition to this, Germany also joined the League in 1926.

7. The optimism brought on by the steps towards world peace in the 1920’s were quickly smashed when in October 1929, the American stock market collapsed, triggering a series of economic disasters throughout the world. Because of this single event, countless people lost their jobs, businesses closed and banks collapsed sending the world into complete chaos.

8. Germany was one of the countries affected by the depression. A country already in economic turmoil, Germany’s people began to look for someone for strong leadership in this time of uncertainty. Adolf Hitler from the National Socialist Party filled this role. He offered solutions, explanations and promises of prosperity to the German people which in turn gained him mass support from the people. By 1933, Hitler had amassed enough support to be appointed Chancellor of Germany.

9. In 1935, the peace Europe had known for only a short amount of time began to be tested when Italy and its dictator, Mussolini moved to take Abyssinia. Also during 1935 and in 1936, Germany had already began re-arming and reuniting with a rich coal mining area named the Saar. This went in direct violation of the terms ruled by the Treaty of Versailles, but the League of Nations failed to enforce both the treaty and the Italian occupation of Abyssinia.

10. In between the years 1936-1939, Germany continued to defy the Treaty by reoccupying the Rhineland, uniting with Austria, as well as occupying parts of Poland and Czechoslovakia, areas which had been stripped from their possession after the treaty. Additionally, Germany forged an alliance with Mussolini’s fascist Italy and Japan to keep communist Russia in check.

11. Following the fall of Poland and Czechoslovakia, Germany went on to capture Norway, Denmark and France by May 1940. In June of the same year Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, which saw Germany launch a surprise attack on Russia and the Soviet Union. By this time, France and Britain had already declared war on the Rome-Tokyo- Berlin axis and on the 8 th of December, 1941, the United States did the same after the bombing of Pearl Harbour by the Japanese.

13. THE ALLIES The axis vs. AMERICAenglandSoviet russia Nazi germany Italy Japan

14. Winston Churchill Joseph StalinFranklin Roosevelt

15. Benito MussoliniAdolf Hitler

16. By: Aljohn, Nik, Kyle and Adam