1. From Appeasement to War
World History

2. Goals

3. Aggression goes Unchecked
Throughout the 1930’s Mussolini, Hitler, and Japan took aggressive military action with no recourse
This was because there was a strong desire to avoid another global war
Japan took over Manchuria
They then expanded their empire over much of Eastern China
This is all while ignoring the League of Nations as they protested Japan’s actions

4. Hitler and Mussolini
Benito Mussolini of Italy, decided to retaliate against Ethiopia for a loss in the battle of Adowa from 1896
Italy was able to easily defeat Ethiopia because of their outdated weapons
The League of Nations merely issued citations
Hitler built up his military well beyond what he was allowed by the treaty of Versailles
He then sent troops into the demilitarized Rhineland bordering France, another violation of the treaty
Once again, the Western powers stated their displeasure but did nothing
They adopted a policy of appeasement, the idea of giving in to the demands of an aggressor in order to keep peace

5. Keeping the Peace
The western powers refused to use military force for a variety of reasons
France was suffering from political divisions at home
The British had no desire to fight Hitler
Some even thought his actions were justifiable
The Great Depression had zapped important resources
Some thought Hitler’s actions were a way of stopping communism
Widespread pacifism, or opposition to all war, and disgust of destruction from WWI still hung large

6. Keeping the Peace
In the mid 1930’s the United States began passing Neutrality Acts
These forbade the sale of arms to any nation at war, outlawed loans to warring nations, and prohibited Americans from traveling on ships of warring powers.
The fundamental goal of American’s was to stay out of war
Seeing the weakness of the western powers Germany Italy and Japan formed the Rome- Berlin-Tokyo Axis
These three axis powers agreed to fight Soviet communism together
They also agreed to not stop the others territorial expansion

7. Third Reich
Hitler’s goal was to bring all German speaking people into the Third Reich
He also wanted to clear living space for those Germans to cohabitate
He believed that he “had the right to remove millions of an inferior race that breeds like vermin”
In March of 1938, Hitler was ready for the Anschluss, or the unification of Austria and Germany
The German Army occupied Austria and Hitler made a speech from the Hofburg Palace, showing his dominance over the people

8. Third Reich Germany then turned to Czechoslovakia
At first he demanded that the Sudetenland, a western region of Czechoslovakia be given autonomy
When the western powers did nothing, Hitler demanded that they be annexed
At the Munich Conference of 1938, British and French leaders chose appeasement and allowed Hitler to take the Sudetenland without a fight
He assured them that his plans for expansion were done

9. Towards War
In March of 1939 Hitler broke his promises and took over the rest of Czechoslovakia
The western powers then vowed to protect Poland, the next likely target of Hitler
IN August of 1939, Hitler signed a non- aggression pact with Joseph Stalin, the leader of Russia
The Nazi-Soviet Pact bound Hitler and Stalin to peaceful relations
Secretly they had agreed to not fight each other and then divide Poland between the two powers

10. Towards War This pact was based upon mutual need
Hitler wanted a free hand in Poland and to avoid a two front war, Stalin wanted the western powers concentrating on one enemy allowing him to do as he pleased in Russia
On September 1, 1939 German forces invaded Poland
Two days later, Britain and France declared war on Germany