1. “The Long Ceasefire” Or “The Age of Anxiety”
Between The Wars:
“The Long Ceasefire” Or
“The Age of Anxiety”

2. After World War One
The Treaty of Versailles and others that ended WWI left many countries unhappy
Germany was devastated by the war reparations and severely weakened economically and militarily
Italy and Japan were not awarded land that they had been promised after WWI
In 1929 the Great Depression begins in the United States and will quickly devastate the economies of the industrialized nations of the world

3. The Great Depression
The crippling economic effects of the Great Depression only made things worse for European countries that were already angry and devastated by the effects of WWI and the treaties that ended it
The crash of the US stock market begins the depression and it quickly spreads around the world
Hyper-Inflation makes German money nearly useless
Millions are left jobless and forced to wait for food in “breadlines”

4. Growth of Nationalism
The combination of discontent with the end of World War One and the effects of the Great Depression led to powerful leaders emerging in various industrialized nations
Each leader had their own ideas about the best ways to fix their countries, but ultimately the ambitions of several will lead to World War Two
Totalitarian dictators begin to use censorship, terror, and violence to strengthen their rule

5. Growth of Nationalism Powerful leaders will emerge with varying ideas
FDR, Hitler, Stalin, Tojo, Mussolini
Franco – Spain
FDR - USA
Hitler - Germany
Stalin – Soviet Union
Mussolini - Italy
Tojo - Japan

6. Growth of Nationalism
Some of these leaders bring back the old ideas of their nation’s superiority over all others
Totalitarian dictators emerge
Some countries embraced a form of super-nationalism known Fascism
Germany and Italy
Others sought to expand their influence and power through military rule and expansion
Japan

7. Fascism
Fascism is a form of ultra-nationalism in which people are willing to put the importance of their country ahead of their own personal rights
Ruled over by a totalitarian dictator
Other characteristics include censorship and propaganda, strong militaries, and state-controlled economies
Germany and Italy during WWII are two classic examples of a Fascist State

8. Mussolini in Italy
Benito Mussolini emerges as a the leader of the Fascist Party in Italy after WWI
He seizes control of the country and vows to restore the glory of the Roman Empire to Italy
His imperial ambitions are one cause of WWII
I put in the youth group photo to emphasize the “restoration” of Rome idea and getting them young to buy in

9. Hitler and the Nazis
Adolf Hitler becomes the leader of the Nazi Party in the German government known as the Weimar Republic
In 1933 he is elected Chancellor making him the leader of the government
The German people supported his ideas of defying the Treaty of Versailles and taking back land and respect that they lost as a result of the treaty
The Nazi ideology was based on the belief that the Aryan (German) Race was superior to all others

10. Hitler and the Nazis
Once Hitler becomes Chancellor, he begins using violence and terror to crush all his opposition
By 1934 the Nazis control the German Weimar Republic and disband Parliament, thus making Hitler a totalitarian dictator over Germany
The vast majority of the German people supported him
During the coming years Hitler will repeatedly ignore the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations

11. Japanese Imperial Ambitions
Japan was ruled by Emperor Hirohito in the 1920s, but Hideki Tojo, a powerful military leader, will effectively seize control of Japan
Due to the Japanese nationalism, many people supported the idea of expanding the small island nation across the Pacific and into China
During the 1930s, Tojo will begin leading campaigns to seize land in China, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific

12. Stalin Rules as a Dictator
While Stalin was not a Fascist leader like Hitler, he was a totalitarian dictator who use similar methods of censorship and violence to crush his opposition
While the Western nations opposed Communism, they will eventually find a common enemy in Hitler during WWII
This slide could be an opportunity to bring up the current situation in the Ukraine and talk about Stalin’s forced famine of the Ukranian people in the 1930s (I added a picture of Gulags and forced famine)

13. Setting up for World War Two
Overall, many of the ideas that had led to the beginnings of WWI are going to emerge again during the 1930s
Nationalism
Aggressive Militarism
Imperialism
Even Alliances will eventually be formed
As countries such as Japan, Germany, and Italy begin challenging the League of Nations, its weakness will be revealed
Eventually the actions taken in defiance of the League of Nations and treaties such as the ToV will lead to the outbreak of WWII in 1939.