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The causes of WW2 that gave great concern to the US were the rise of Hitler and Mussolini, the anti-democratic dictators in Germany and Italy who supported the ideologies of Totalitarianism, Fascism and Nazism. Another serious threat was posed by Japan, another country who threatened democracy, who had established powerful Militarist leaders. Acts of aggression towards the United States by these expansionist countries were also the causes of WW2 and the events leading to the US entry of WW2. These acts of aggression included the sinking of the USS Panay, a U.S. gunboat, by Japanese aircraft in the Yangtze River on 12 December 1937, on 4 September, 1941 the Greer became the first US Navy war ship to be fired on by a German U-Boat, the USS Kearny was torpedoed on October 17, 1941 by another German U-boat and the U.S.S. Reuben James was torpedoed on October 31, 1941 resulting in the loss of 115 of 160 American crewmen two months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Facts about
Causes of World War Two Treaty of Versailles: The 1919 Treaty of Versailles was created to ensure peace in Europe following WW1. The treaty stipulated that land was taken away from Germany, that Germany would pay for damages caused by WW1 and that Germany could only have a small army with no air force, submarines or tanks. The harsh terms caused anger and resentment in Germany. Fascism: The ideology of Fascism with the denial of individual rights was founded by Benito Mussolini in 1924 Rise of dictators: Weak leadership in Italy, Germany, Spain and the USSR saw the rise of the dictators such as Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin and Franco Totalitarianism: Anti-democratic countries formed governments based on the ideology of Totalitarianism governments that asserted total control over the lives of people and begin and adopted policies of expansion and aggression Nazism: Hitler introduced Nazism based on the belief in the fascism and the racial superiority of the German people and the hatred of Jews, or anti-Semitism Communism: Joseph Stalin became the Soviet Dictator with the ideals of Communism based on the organization of labor and the collective ownership of property Japanese Militarism: Japanese Militarism is adopted as Japanese military officers take control of the government under the fascist General Tojo. The symbol of the state was Hirohito, the Emperor of Japan Appeasement: The policy of appeasement (accepting demands in an effort to avoid war) failed making Hitler bolder and giving him time to build up the German army. The Munich Agreement permitted Nazi Germany's annexation of portions of Czechoslovakia League of Nations: The League of Nations, established by the Treaty of Versailles, failed to keep the peace because not all countries had joined, it had no real power, no army and was slow to react to world events Tripartite Pact: The Tripartite Pact was signed in September 1940 which formed the Axis powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan. The 3 countries agreed to assist each other if they were attacked by any additional power not yet at war with them. The intended target for this agreement was the United States. Worldwide Economic Crisis: The effects of the Great Depression had spread worldwide and aggressive countries believed they could overcome their economic crisis by conquering other territories to gain raw materials and resources Invasion: The invasion of weaker countries. Italy invades Ethiopia (Abyssinia) in 1938, Germany invades Czechoslovakia and Poland in 1939, Japan invades Manchuria in Northern China in 1931 Acts of Aggression: Acts of aggression on the United States with the attacks on the USS Panay, the USS Greer, the USS Kearny, the USS Reuben James - Refer to USS Greer, Kearny and Reuben James Pearl Harbor: The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Causes of WW2
Why the US delayed its entry into
WW2 |
US American History |
1929-1945: Depression & WW2 |
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First Published2016-04-19 | |||
Updated 2018-01-01 |
Publisher Siteseen Limited | ||
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