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Leaders of WWII. United States – President Franklin D. Roosevelt. After the recovery of the Great Depression, FDR focused much of his attention to the growing concerns of war in Europe and Asia. Americans were not ready for another war, and chose to stay neutral. China – Chiang Kai-shek.
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Leaders of WWII
After the recovery of the Great Depression, FDR focused much of his attention to the growing concerns of war in Europe and Asia. • Americans were not ready for another war, and chose to stay neutral
China • Republic of China founded in 1912, When the Qing Dynasty, last imperial dynasty, was overthrown in the xinhai revolution. • In 1926 Chaing Kai-shek became the leader of the KMT and led a northern expedition through china with the intention of defeating communist warlords to unify the country.
This led to the Chinese civil war between the nationalists and communists. • In 1928 Chaing established a new nationalist government in Nanjing, cutting ties with the communists and expelling them.
Japan Japanese imperialism: • 1910 Japan formally annexed Korea • September 1931, the Japanese army moved into Manchuria and set up the autonomous state of Manchukuo, a military state controlled by the army.
Aftermath: • Japanese delegates walked out of the league of nations after the league supported china • In 1937 Japanese and Chinese troops clashed at a border crossing near peking, resulting in a declaration of war. • Japanese soldiers moved quickly southward and captured the city of Nanjing along with a large area of the Chinese coast.
Military motivation • Japanese military leaders believed seizing control of areas like korea was vital to securing japan’s security in the east asia region • Also the reputation of the military was largely based on battlefield success, meaning imperial expansion boosted military prestige.
Economic motivation • Industrial japan also favored expansion because of the availability of raw materials. • Plantations for sugar in Taiwan, soybeans in Manchuria, and rice in korea led to japan’s economy through commercial trade with the u.s. and Europe. • This would eventually draw japan into wwii in 1941
Germany • The Weimar republic was created with the abdication and exile of Kaiser Wilhelm and german acceptance of the treaty of Versailles. • Weimar republic constitution created a semi-presidential system where power was divided between the president, a cabinet and a parliament.
The office of chancellor was appointed by the president and basically was the chairman of the Reichstag (parliament) • To secure peace they accepted the punishment inflicted by the allies, including: - mass reduction in size of military - war reparations - reduction of territory - acceptance of the “war guilt” clause
From the start the republic came under attack from within right-wing extremist used their political power to oppose any democratic system, and blame the country’s wwi defeat on a conspiracy between socialists and jews.
German economy • Due to high inflation after wwigerman money (marks) were worth nothing. The German Mark v. the U.S. Dollar • 1914: $1 = 4 Marks • 1921: $1 = 75 Marks • 02/1923: $1 = 48,000 Marks • 10/1923: $1 = 440,000,000 Marks (440 million) • 11/1923: $1 = 4,200,000,000,000 Marks (4.2 trillion) a person with 100,000 marks in savings couldn’t buy a loaf of bread.
The nazi party • The right-wing group, was the socialist german workers’ party refered to as the nazi party. • They blamed capitalism, ruling class, liberalism, communists, and trade unions for the nations problem, all of which, they claimed, were connected with the jewish conspiracy.
Adolf hitler • Austrian born served as a corporal in the german army during wwi. • By 1923 hitler had skillfully increased nazi party membership from 3000 to 15,000, and organized a private army of mostly ex-soldiers, known as “brownshirts” to attack his political opponents.
The beer hall putch • This was hitler’s attempt to revolt against the Weimar republic. - the revolt was quickly put down and the nazi party was ordered to disband. - hitler was arrested, tried, and convicted of treason and sentenced to five years in prison which was the customary sentence for people the judge believed to have had honorable but misguided motives.
He would be pardoned by the Bavarian Supreme Court after serving only 8 months • While in prison he wrote meinkampf 9my struggle) his blue print for the future of Germany - scapegoating jews as the main cause of Germany’s woes - called on germans to repudiate the humiliating treaty of Versailles
- advocated pan-german nationalism (unification of all Germanic people) - for living space for Germany by conquering territory to the east (in Russia) as the only means out of the country’s economic situation. * Once out he persuaded the german government to lift the ban on the nazi party, then turned to gain political power through legal means.
Hitler's rise to power • When the stock market crashed American banks recalled money from Europe, and cancelled the loans that made it possible for Germany to pay reparations. • By 1932 the german economy was a disaster unemployment was up to 6 million • July 1932 a special election the nazi party received 37% of all the votes cast, and more than any other party had received.
President Hindenburg prevented hitler from being offered the chancellorship, but after the November 1932 election there was no choice Hindenburg was forced to remove franz von papen from the position and offer the position to hitler. • Both Hindenburg and von papen believed that they could isolate hitler - they would be wrong. • The richstag would be burned and Hindenburg dies – hitler will consolidate all power and become known as der fuhrer
Out of office during the 1930s, Churchill took the lead in warning about Nazi Germany and in campaigning for rearmament. • served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 • His speeches and radio broadcasts helped inspire British resistance, especially during the difficult days of 1940–41 when the British Commonwealth and Empire stood almost alone in its active opposition to Adolf Hitler.
During the German invasion of May 1940, he led an armoured division which counterattacked the invaders. • he was then appointed Under-Secretary for War. Refusing to accept his government's armistice with Nazi Germany, de Gaulle exhorted the French population to resist occupation and to continue the fight in his Appeal of 18 June. • He led a government in exile and the Free French Forces against the Axis. Despite frosty relations with Britain and especially the United States, he emerged as the undisputed leader of the French resistance.
Born on December 18, 1879, in Gori, Georgia, Joseph Stalin rose to power as General Secretary of the Communist Party, becoming a Soviet dictator upon Vladimir Lenin's death. • In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Stalin reversed the Bolshevik agrarian policy by seizing land given earlier to the peasants and organizing collective farms. • This essentially reduced the peasants back to serfs, as they had been during the monarchy. Stalin believed that collectivism would accelerate food production, but the peasants resented losing their land and working for the state. Millions were killed in forced labor or starved during the ensuing famine.
Stalin forced rapid industrialization and the collectivization of agricultural land, resulting in millions dying from famine while others were sent to camps.
As war clouds rose over Europe in 1939, Stalin made a seemingly brilliant move, signing a nonaggression pact with Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany. • Stalin was convinced of Hitler's integrity and ignored warnings from his military commanders that Germany was mobilizing armies on its eastern front. • When the Nazi blitzkrieg struck in June 1941, the Soviet Army was completely unprepared and immediately suffered massive losses. Stalin was so distraught at Hitler's treachery that he hid in his office for several days. By the time Stalin regained his resolve, German armies occupied all of the Ukraine and Belarus, and its artillery surrounded Leningrad.
Il Duce (Italian: “The Leader”), (born July 29, 1883, Predappio, Italy—died April 28, 1945, near Dongo), Italian prime minister (1922–43) and the first of 20th-century
