World War 2

1. World War 2 The devastating effects of world-wide depression and Treaty of Versailles led to rise of totalitarian regimes. German, Italian, and Japanese aggression led to a major war involving most world powers. Following WW2, two superpowers emerged leading to a Cold War.

2. World War II

3. The World After the Great War

4. Treaty of Versailles • Humiliated Germany by forcing to pay reparations, accept guilt, demilitarize, give up land and colonies • Reparations left Germany in debt

5. Treaty of Versailles • Established League of Nations: • Organization of 42 nations who met to work out problems of world & avoid future wars, BUT… • Had no military so League could not enforce any of its laws • Did not include US (voted against signing treaty & League of Nations because did not want to be involved in future European problems)

6. Countries Destroyed • Great Britain: • After the Great War, England was no longer the leading economic power in the world; war caused large debt & had to borrow from US

7. Countries Destroyed • France: • Most of fighting during war took place in France & Germany; war destroyed villages, farms, forests • Huge war debts meant that France could not rebuild quickly • Built Maginot Line between France & Germany to protect from future invasions

10. Countries Destroyed • Italy: • Mad about Versailles Treaty because did not get land on Adriatic Coast • Unemployment grew in Italy after the war; led to riots & strikes

11. Countries Destroyed • Germany: • New Weimar Republic created at Versailles, but seen as traitors; political instability & military coups threatened overthrow of Weimar government • In 1922 Germany declared could not pay reparations • Printed more money, led to massive inflation (money value decreased)

12. Countries Destroyed • Russia: • By 1921, Russians had experienced the Great War, Russian Revolution, & a Civil War • 27 million Russians were killed as a result of these wars • Russia’s economy was broke

14. 1919-1939 • Between WWI & WWII, the European countries that fought in the Great War were in debt & were slowly able to rebuild • The USA & Japan emerged from the Great War with wealth & prosperity because both had traded with Allies during war • In USA, the 1920s were a great time

15. 1919-1939 • New innovations were made in psychology, physics, art, and transportation: • Sigmund Freud created new ideas in psychology; believed that human mind had conscious & subconscious thoughts that affect peoples’ behavior & mental illness

16. Sigmund Freud

17. 1919-1939 • Albert Einstein created new ideas in physics (many disproved Newton’s ideas); believed light traveled at constant speed; believed space & time were not constant, but moved relative to other objects (Theory of Relativity); believed all matter could be transferred to energy (E=mc2)

19. 1919-1939 • Pablo Picasso revolutionized art by creating cubism (abstract form of art using geometric shapes) • Salvador Dali utilized surrealism in art (using of dream-like images & unnatural objects); based on Freud’s ideas

20. Pablo Picasso Salvador Dali

23. 1919-1939 • Other technological innovations changed human life: • Cars became easy to buy & became a common purchase; paved highways built to connect places • First commercial air travel • Radio allowed people to hear news & entertainment

25. Economic Depression • In 1929, the US Stock Market crashed • investors were buying on margin (pay for only part of a stock), lenders called in loans which led to panic; banks collapsed; workers lost jobs (Great Depression in US) • No money for investment in Europe; European banks collapsed; led to world-wide economic depression

27. Affects of Conditions • Bad conditions led to rise of totalitarian regimes in Europe: • Fascists in Italy under Mussolini • Nazis in Germany under Hitler • Communists in Russia under Lenin & Stalin