The Causes of World War II

The Road to War-Manchuria to the Invasion of Russia

* There were many milestones leading to WWII. There were 4 big ones, however.

* Overall, the atmosphere in Europe was getting charged by Hitler

doing a lot of small and trivial actions, and a general atmosphere of

unrest.

* You had Japans invasion of Manchuria in 1931. Japan did this

because of their interest to industrialize, and Manchuria was rich in

natural resources. Japan used an explosion in Mukden of a Japanese

train to invade Manchuria. They took over Manchuria and made it into

a puppet state. The new state was called Manchuko. Its king was Pu

Yi.

* Additional events such as the rape of nanjing (when Japan raped all

the women in Nanjing). The league of nations protested, but Japan

didn't care.

* The second even we have that caused the war was Italy's invasion of

Ethiopia. Mussolini hoped that it would bring unity and esteem to his

[Forum Boario, Rome, Italy] (LOC)

Mussolini (left) and Hitler sent their armies to N...

[Piazza Navona, Rome, Italy] (LOC)

party. In 36, Italy annexed Ethiopia. Haile Selassie, the king of

Ethiopia, pleaded for help, but the English and French said give it to

Italy, because if they stopped then maybe Italy would go to Germany

for help.

* Now we have the third cause for WW2. This was the Spanish Civil

War. Ferdinand had ruled until his death. When he died, his daughter

took the throne, but germany didn't allow it. Many people thought

that Don Carlos, his brother, should have taken the throne. Finally,

a new king called Amadeus was put on the throne. He was the son of

Victor Emmanuel. He was never accepted because he wasn't backed by

the pope. Instead, Alfonso XII comes to the throne. He was

Isabella's son. When he died, Alfonso XIII took over. In 23, the

Spanish were defeated in Spanish...