Section 1: Road to War As dictators threatened world peace the United States tried to follow a policy of neutrality.

Key terms: dictator, fascism, anti-Semitism, totalitarian, appeasement Essential Questions: Why did dictators come to power around the world? What actions led to the outbreak of World War II?

Rise of Dictators Some Europeans resented the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. When an economic depression hit, frustration and fear added to this anger. These dictators promised a glorious future and once they gained political power they controlled their nations by force.

Italy Benito Mussolini rose to power in 1922 by appealing to Italians’ anger about the Versailles Treaty and made fascism (extreme nationalism and racism) popular. Known as II Duce, Mussolini and his Fascist party outlawed all other political parties. In 1935 Mussolini invaded Ethiopia (North Africa). Emporer Haile Selassi of Ethiopia called on the League of Nations for help but they responded weakly, so Ethiopia fell to Italy. Italy attacked & annexed Albania in 1939.

Germany Adolf Hitler became chairman of the National Socialist German Workers’ party or Nazi Party. Openly racists, Hitler & the Nazis portrayed German people as superior. His extreme anti-semitism or hatred of the Jews would later lead to unspeakable horrors. In 1932 Hitler became chancellor of Germany. Within 2 years he ended democratic government and created a militaristic totalitarian state. He formed an alliance with Italy in 1936.

Japan Japan’s economy suffered during Great Depression, many Japanese grew impatient with their democratic government. Military leaders took over Japan in early 1930s & set out to expand into Asia by invading Manchuria (northeastern China). China called on League of Nations which condemned Japan but did little else. Japan signed a pact of alliance, known as the “Axis” with Germany and Italy.

Soviet Union After V.I. Lenin’s death in 1932, Joseph Stalin became dictator of the Soviet Union. Stalin ruled the Soviet Union as a totalitarian state where a single group controls the government & every aspect of people’s lives. His goal was to modernize Soviet industry & farming.

American Neutrality Most Americans wanted to avoid involvement in these changes around the world. Congress passed a series of Neutrality Acts which banned the sale of weapons to nations at war and allowed trade only to nations that could pay cash and transport goods in their own ships.

Germany on the March In 1936, Hitler moved troops into the Rhineland, then in 1938 into Austria and the Sudentenland. Britain & France, fearing war, sought a peaceful solution and leaders met with Hitler at the Munich Conference. Peace did not last. Hitler seized the rest of Czechoslovakia and made plans to invade Poland. Hitler and Stalin signed the Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact in August 1939 freeing Hitler to attack Poland without intervention from the Soviet Union.