The Rise of Dictators The Axis Powers The Debate at home Declaring War How does democracy differ from communism and socialism? What were the causes for WWII? Who were the leaders for the Axis and Allied powers? How did the attack on Pearl Harbor change the American public’s view of entering into WWII?

Rise of the Dictators Just like the United States, most of the world was stuck in an economic depression. People had lost confidence in their governments and believed that things would never get better. People turned to new leaders who promised to make their troubles disappear.

People were so desperate for a change, they were even willing to give up their freedom. This led to the rise of dictators in several countries. A dictator is a leader who gains complete control of a country’s government.

Adolf Hitler became the dictator of Germany in Hitler and his political party, called the Nazi party, believed in fascism. This is a form of government which individual freedoms are denied and complete power is given to the government. Hitler believed that Germans were superior to other people.

Hitler spoke of hatred for many groups. He particularly attacked Jewish people. Benito Mussolini took power in Italy in the early 1920’s and promised to attack and conquer other countries. In Japan, a small group of military leaders came to power. They planned to use force to build a massive empire in East Asia.

The Axis Powers Hitler and Mussolini signed a treaty agreeing to support each other. Japan joined this alliance and they became known as the Axis Powers.

The world watched as the Axis Powers went on the attack. Italy invaded Ethiopia and made it a colony. Japan invaded China and Germany took control of Austria and Czechoslovakia.

In 1939 German forces prepared to invade Poland. The leaders of Britain and France decided it was time to try and stop Hitler. Britain and France became known as the Allied Powers and promised to protect Poland.

Hitler ignored the Allied Powers and rushed into Poland. In response Britain and France declared war on Germany. Thus the beginning of World War II.

The German military was very successful in the early years of World War II. After defeating the Poland army, the German army moved west. Hitler’s massive army quickly conquered nearly all of Western Europe. France fell to Germans in June Now Britain stood alone to fight against the Axis.

The Debate at Home Americans read of the war in the newspapers. German planes were pounding London and other British cities. Winston Churchill, the leader of the British government, had to move his offices underground. Churchill urged President Roosevelt to help Great Britain.

Most Americans wanted to stay out of the fighting. They remembered the horrors of WWI. Also the country was still suffering from the Great Depression. Many Americans wanted their government to focus on the troubles at home. This lead to strong support of isolationism.

FDR and Congress declared that Great Britain would borrow military supplies it needed to fight the Axis. The US did not ask for payment for the military supplies.

Declaring War Like Germany, Japan had great military success in the early years of WWII. Japanese forces controlled much of China and Southeast Asia. The US spoke out against Japanese expansion. This lead to tension between the Japanese and the US.

The military leader of Japan, Hideki Tojo, believed that the US was standing in the way of Japan’s goals. Tojo and other Japanese leaders decided to attack.

On the morning of December 7, 1941 Japanese planes bombed the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Japanese bombs sank many American warships and destroyed hundreds of American planes. More than 2,300 American soldiers, sailors, and civilians were killed.

People who were isolationists were suddenly calling for war against Japan. On December 8 FDR and Congress declared war on Japan. Germany and Italy quickly declared war on the US. The US was now one of the Allies.

How does democracy differ from communism and socialism? What were the causes for WWII? Who were the leaders for the Axis and Allied powers? How did the attack on Pearl Harbor change the American public’s view of entering into WWII?