Ch 13 sec 2

 Even after Chamberlain’s attempt at appeasement, Hitler continued to expand his empire. In March of 1939, Germany took over the rest of Czechoslovakia.  He then signed a non- aggression pact with the Soviet Union, each promising to not attack the other.

 He also agreed to split conquered lands in Eastern Europe with the Soviets. Stalin did not trust Hitler, but he thought this would give him time to prepare for war with Germany.  Germany then invaded Poland on September 1, They used the blitzkrieg, using overwhelming air support and ground attacks. The Soviet Union invaded from the east, and within a month the country was taken.

 Two days after Germany invaded Poland, France and Britain declared war on Germany. They did not attack Germany right away, but waited to see what their next move would be.  The French trusted in the Maginot Line, a line of defense works that would prevent an invasion from Germany.

 Germany then took over Denmark and Norway, and then invaded the Netherlands and Belgium on their way to France.  The British and French then fought against the Germans, but they were forced back to the coastal town of Dunkirk. They would have been captured, but Allied boats and civilian boats helped rescue the soldiers and take them to England.

 France fell quickly to the Germans when they simply went around the Maginot Line. The Germans occupied most of France, and the part that was not occupied was run by a puppet government in Vichy France.  Britain was the only country left to fight against the Germans, and Hitler prepared for the invasion of the island.

 The first step was to destroy the British air force. For almost a year the battle of Britain happened in the skies, air raids destroying much of London.  The British were able to hold back the Germans, and Hitler was forced to call off the invasion.

 Japan allied itself with Germany and Italy against Communism in 1936, while expanding its navy.  Then in 1937 Japan attacked China, and used brutality and violence to subdue and control the population.

 Then in 1940 Japan officially joined the Axis powers, and took control of French colonies in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam and Cambodia.  Japan threatened the Philippines, which was a direct threat to the U.S. FDR put an oil embargo on Japan, and that was one resource they needed to further their empire.

 The two countries met to settle the problem, but General Hideki Tojo was taking control of the government and did not want to compromise with the U.S.  He wanted to go to war rather than deal with the U.S., and so he pulled out of the talks with the U.S. and prepared Japan to fight.

 Half-page summary of the lecture today.