HW 10

A. 1. The Soviet citizens are smiling and giving their invaders the Nazi salute.
A. 2. The Soviet citizens were probably treated very poorly by Stalin's communist regime. They may have seen Nazism as an appealing alternative.
A. 3. The people were losing land, property and lives to the Nazis, who they soon discovered to be no less ruthless than Stalin.

B. 1. Stalin was telling his people to destroy their own things, such as livestock, crops, and railway engines so that the Nazis couldn't take them.
B. 2. He probably thought that the Nazis would have been able to use the Soviet Union's own things against it.
B. 3. Soviet citizens would probably have very little left to live off of. The Nazis would probably be forced into a similar situation, running out of supplies more quickly.

C. Method of Attack

• Similar: Blitzkrieg tactics
• Different: The eastern invasion was much larger than the western invasion

Length of Campaign

• Similar:
  
• Different: Eastern campaign was much longer, lasted until the end of Germany's involvement in the war.
  

Effects on Civilians

• Similar: People in the both invasions were forced under Nazi rule
  
• Different: People in the east suffered significantly more
  

Result of Campaign

• Similar: Expanded the scale of the conflict.
  
• Different: In the west, Germany took control of France and was at a standstill with Britain. In the east, Germany was unable to take control of Russia, which pushed the Nazis back and eventually invaded Germany.

A. 1. Japan's oil supplies were under American, British and Dutch control.
A. 2. The countries are portrayed as a chain because of the fact that controlling Japan's oil meant they also had some control over Japan itself.
A. 3. The picture represents how Japan tried to break out of its dependence on the other countries and fight for its own resources.
A. 4. This may have been done to emphasize the point that Japan was breaking free from the West.

B. 1. Three long term causes are Japan's lack of raw materials and oil, Japan's position as the dominant power in the Far East, and the collapse of British colonial power. The most important of these was probably Japan's lack of raw materials and oil, which made Japan desperate to find other ways of getting resources.
B. 2. Three consequences are the Tripartite Axis Pact, the United States' ban on oil trade with Japan, and Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. The first is the most important of these, as it connected the conflict in the East to the conflict in Europe.
B. 3.

• Japan became the dominant power in the Far East
• United States ban on oil supplies to Japan
• Japan's lack of raw materials and oil
• Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor
• Collapse of British colonial power
• Tripartite Axis Pact
  
• Creation of Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere
• Formation of the United Nations
  

Class Notes 11/30

1. Munich Agreement- 1938
2. Nazi-Soviet Pact- 1939
3. Invasion of Poland- 1939
4. Invasion of France- 1940
5. Battle of Britain- 1940-1941
6. London Blitz- 1940-1941
7. Operation Barbarossa- 1941
8. Pearl Harbor- 1941

Class Notes 11/24

Air- Radar, Long Range Bombers, Fighters, Atomic Bomb, Paratroopers

Land- Panzer Tanks (40 mph), Explosive Armor in Tanks, Blitzkrieg

Sea- Capturing Ports, Artificial Harbors, U Boats, Depth Charges, Aircraft Carriers, Offshore Shelling

HW 9

1. Germany used the Luftwaffe to bomb Britain, targeting residential and industrial areas. This practice was probably meant to decrease the effectiveness of British communications and to fill British civilians with fear.
2. The use of massive numbers of tanks seemed to become a popular practice in land warfare. This may have been most notable in the war in North Africa between Britain and Germany and in Germany's invasion of Russia in 1941.
3.

Chapters 3 + 4

Chapter 3
A.1. The Luftwaffe was probably trying to damage Britain's economy and ability to move resources by destroying docks and railways.
A.2. Residential areas were being bombed, which was likely to result in civilian casualties.
A.3. Civilians were probably going to be the most common casualties in this attack. People in their houses or working on docks or railways were likely to be killed.
B.1. The bombing seems to have caused the streets to collapse, and the bus driver was may have panicked and driven into a hole in the road, or he may have been on that part of the road when it collapsed.
B.2. The people in the surrounding area may have moved into sheltered buildings to protect themselves. They must have been terrified by the attack, and they were probably cut off from supplies.

Chapter 4
A.1. The Italians would have struggled with the mountainous terrain and poor leadership while fighting Greek soldiers who were more prepared for the situation.
A.2. The Greeks knew the mountains and were equipped and prepared to fight in them. They must have also been very determined to defend their country, while the Italians were probably suffering from poor morale as a result of poor leadership.
B.

Germany

• Successes: Yugoslavia, Greece, North Africa
  
• Defeats:
  

Italy

• Successes:
• Defeats: Greece/Mediterranean, North Africa
  

Britain

• Successes: North Africa against Italy, Taranto bombing
  
• Defeats: North Africa against Germany, Greece

By mid-1941, it seemed that Germany would most likely win the war.

C.
War: A conflict between different groups or countries
Blitzkrieg: A German strategy involving the use of tanks and aircraft to quickly eliminate a target
Phoney War: The first months of the war between Britain and Germany, in which no actual fighting took place
Luftwaffe: The German airforce
Battle of Britain: Battle in the skies of Britain between the RAF and the invading Luftwaffe
Blitz: The use of blitzkrieg tactics
ARP: Air Raid Precautions
Axis: The alliance between Germany, Italy, and the Balkan states

HW 8

A. 1. Polish civilians were forced to face brutal conditions as a result of the German invasion. Women and children were killed, homes were burned down, and people suffered from starvation.
2. a. The sources may be anonymous because the people did not want Nazi supporters to find out who they were. This slightly affects the value of the evidence, as we have to have faith in the writer of the Polish Black Book that the sources are actually from survivors of the invasion of Poland
b. Source D provides a visual image of the damage described in Sources A-C.
c. Britain probably wanted to expose the evil actions of the Nazis so that people would be convinced that they were right to go to war.
d. The Polish Black Book seems like a valuable source, judging from the sources provided. The descriptions in the sources are compatible with what I already know about Germany's tactics in WWII, and they help readers gain a better understanding of the effects of these tactics.

B. 1. Sources A-D suggest that "humane" warfare would involve respecting the lives and property of civilians, and taking prisoners rather than leaving everybody to die.
2. The sources mention that people are starving to death and that corpses are left out in the streets, and that people are being killed indiscriminately.
3. Sources A-D show the inhumane effects of the methods used by the Germans, suggesting that those methods are themselves inhumane.

C. 1. People were forced into small areas oh the house because of the war. However, they were still divided into the same groups based on wealth and social standing.
2. Source F suggests that people were constantly worried about German attacks, causing them to be very cautious.
3. They called it the Phoney War because there was no actual fighting, but people were preparing for an attack at any moment.
4. A historian could see some of the practices of war that were expected from Germany in WWII. The gas-masks suggest that people expected the use of chemical weapons, while the arrangements of the "big house" suggest that people feared German bombings from the air.

A. 1. Churchill is offering war in Source A. The only other alternative, judging by the tone of his speech, would be to submit to Germany's aggression.
2. The British people who heard the speech probably found hope in Churchill's words. They were convinced that, if they fought long and hard enough, they would be successful in the end.

B. 1. An armada is a large, organized group of ships. The newspaper probably used this word to convey the great size of the fleet that rescued the soldiers from Dunkirk.
2. British newspapers wrote the story in a way that made Britain sound victorious in the battle, saying that its soldiers were "unbeatable." Germany, on the other hand, may have written that it was a defeat for Britain, which was forced to retreat from Dunkirk.

League of Nations Paper 2

"Failures of the League of Nations and attempts at collective security were in fact the main cause of World War II." To what extent do you agree with this claim.

This statement is almost entirely false. The failures of the League of Nations and the international community were largely irrelevant to the actual causes of World War II. The actions of the League did very little towards actually starting the war, but simply failed in its purpose of preventing a war from happening. In fact, the main cause of the Second World War was the rise of militarism, which had become increasingly popular throughout the early 20th century, particularly as a means of dealing with issues of economic and nationalistic importance. This could be seen in various international incidents which are often viewed as the failures of the League of Nations that caused World War II. However, upon closer inspection it is clear that these events were actually examples of militarism that the League of Nations was powerless to stop.

One of these events was the Japanese invasion of the Chinese territory of Manchuria in 1931. This invasion was carried out for what seemed to be mostly economic reasons. Manchuria contained a large amount of natural resources, and offered many opportunities for trade and employment. In addition to this, Manchuria was three times the size of Japan, but at the same time it was the home of a third of the number of people who lived in the Japanese empire. Because of this, Japan adopted a militaristic policy similar to Hitler's idea of gaining "lebensraum," or living space, for Germany. Japan decided that it should take what it wanted from China through the use of force. Meanwhile, China and Japan were both members of the League of Nations, with Japan being one of the leading members of the organization. As such, it was the League's responsibility to maintain collective security by punishing Japan. The League had planned resolve such situations by issuing sanctions against the country that committed the violation. However, using sanctions meant ending trade with that country, and this was not something that any nation was ready to do. Stopping trade with Japan would have been damaging to the global economy, which was already ruined by the Great Depression, and it was also likely to cause a war, which was exactly what the League had hoped to prevent. The League tried to compromise with Japan, suggesting that Japan remove its military from China and that Manchuria become a semi-independent nation. Japan reacted to this by withdrawing from the League of Nations and continuing to invade Chinese provinces such as Jehol.

This event was a definite failure for the League of Nations, showing the League's complete inability to react to certain threats to international peace. Nevertheless, the League of Nations did nothing to actually provoke the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. The true reason for the invasion, and thus in this case the true cause of World War II, was Japan's militaristic ideology, with which the military was convinced that it could resolve its nation's economic problems by taking foreign lands. Japan's economy was impacted greatly in 1929 by the Great Depression, so Japanese army officers believed that gaining the economic benefits of territories like Manchuria would help restore their country's former success.

A similar incident occurred when Italy invaded the African country of Ethiopia in 1935. Italy did this because it had been relatively unsuccessful during the European "scramble for Africa" in the 19th century (Stopped here in class), gaining only three colonies at that time. Another reason for the invasion was the fact that Italy's military had been disgraced by its defeat at the hands of Ethiopia at the Battle of Adowa in 1896. It is likely that the fascist Italian dictator Mussolini invaded Ethiopia in order to restore some of this lost dignity, in addition to gaining territory in Africa and the trade and resources it would bring. Like the incident with Japan and China, this was a conflict between two members of the League of Nations. This time, however, the League was able to impose sanctions on Italy. Unfortunately, the League had never tried this before, and so it did not know how ineffective it would be. The sanctions were delayed for six weeks, and even after that delay some nations refused to stop trading with their ally, Italy. The sanctions that did take effect proved to be a hindrance for Italy, but they were not particularly devastating, as there was no sanction on oil, which would have been the only thing that could have stopped Italy's aggression. Because of this failure, the League tried to negotiate with Mussolini with the Hoare-Laval Plan, which offered a large portion of Ethiopia to Italy in return for the end of the invasion. Mussolini agreed, but many people protested, saying that Ethiopia was being betrayed. As a result, the plan was never carried out, and the invasion was not stopped.

It would be difficult to argue that this was not a terrible failure on the League of Nations' part, but that does not mean that this situation was an example of the League causing World War II. This crisis was started by Italy's belief that its superior military strength was the best tool it could use to restore its national pride and to improve its economy. Mussolini knew that Ethiopia had a poorly equipped army, and that his military could easily crush it. It was Italy's decision to use this type of force rather than peaceful negotiation that made this event a cause of the Second World War.

One of the most common accusations against the League of Nations is that its policy of appeasement in regards to Germany's aggressive actions in the 1930's and 1940's. Germany showed several signs suggesting that it was likely to start a conflict, but these were largely ignored by the League of Nations. Hitler's foreign and domestic policies deliberately disregarded the conditions set by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 after the end of World War I. For example, although the Treaty of Versailles had forbidden Germany from having an army larger than 100,000 troops, Hitler increased the size of his military to about 550,000 soldiers by 1935. The rest of Europe may have been worried by this, but no action was taken against Germany. In 1936, only a year later, Hitler remilitarized the Rhineland, which had been occupied by France after World War I. France could have easily put an end to this remilitarization by reacting with its own military, but instead it did not react at all. Then, in 1938, Hitler formed an Anschluss, or union, with Austria, although the Treaty of Versailles had stated that Germany could not make such alliances. The League of Nations' unwillingness to react to these things may have been caused by an international feeling of sympathy toward Germany, with Britain and France thinking that they might have been too strict with their punishments in the Treaty of Versailles.

The League of Nations was not truly to blame in this situation, either. As seen in the Ethiopia and Manchuria crises, the League was probably powerless as an organization to do anything to stop Hitler, even if it tried. If anyone was to blame, apart from Germany, it would have been Britain and France. These nations were the leaders of the League, but they could have also taken action on their own, responding to Germany's violations of the Treaty of Versailles with force. Still, Nazi Germany's militaristic policies are the most notable causes of World War II in this example. Hitler clearly focused on building a large military force, and he attempted to use this military to eliminate anything that he thought may be a threat to his power in Europe.

In conclusion, the statement that "failures of the League of Nations and attempts at collective security were in fact the main cause of World War II" is, to a great extent, incorrect. It is true that the League was for the most part unable to prevent a war from happening, but its failures were not a cause of World War II in the way that the international rise of militarism at the time was. The League only failed in its mission to establish and maintain collective security; it did not actually do much that could be seen as having provoked World War II.

League of Nations Paper 2 Outline

"Failures of the League of Nations and attempts at collective security were in fact the main cause of World War II" To what extent do you agree with this statement?

The Failures of the League of Nations were for largely irrelevant to the actual causes of World War II. The League did not do much to truly cause war, but instead failed in its purpose of preventing it. The main cause of World War II was the rise of militarism as a popular method of dealing with issues of economic and nationalistic importance.

1. Failure of the League: Failure to punish Japan for invading Manchuria

• 1931, Japan invades the Chinese territory of Manchuria for largely economic reasons (Manchuria contained large amounts of natural resources) and for more living space, similar to Hitler's idea of lebensraum (Manchuria was three times as large as the Japanese empire, but had a third of the number of people living in it.)
• Both Japan and China were members of the League of Nations. The League's attempts at collective security failed, because no nations wanted to give up trade or start a conflict with Japan.
  
• In 1932, the League attempted to please both Japan and China by requesting that the Japanese military leave Manchuria and that Manchuria become a semi-independent nation. Japan withdraws from the League and continues to take Chinese provinces such as Jehol.
• Militarism- The Japanese military believed that conquering foreign lands would be an effective way to get out of the Great Depression, which destroyed Japan's economy in 1929. The opportunities for trade, resources, and employment offered by Manchuria were very appealing to Japan.
• The League did nothing to cause Japan to invade Manchuria, but simply failed to prevent its militaristic behavior.
  

2. Failure of the League: Failure to resolve the Ethiopia Crisis

• 1935, Italy invades Ethiopia. This was because Italy had been relatively unsuccessful in the European "scramble for Africa" in the 1800's, having only gained 3 colonies: Libya, Eritrea, and Somaliland. In addition, Italy was disgraced by its defeat at the hands of Ethiopia in 1896 at the Battle of Adowa. It is likely that Mussolini wanted to restore some amount of dignity to his nation, and to gain territory in Africa to benefit from trade and resources.
  
• Italy and Ethiopia were both members of the League of Nations. This was the first time the League actually issued sanctions against a country, but it failed in doing so. The sanctions were delayed for six weeks, and some of Italy's allies did not stop trading with Italy. The sanctions that were made were not entirely devastating to Italy, because there was no sanction on oil, much of which was controlled by the US, a non-League nation.
• The Hoare-Laval Plan suggested that Italy take a large portion of Ethiopia and stop its invasion. Mussolini agreed to this, but many people thought that the plan was unfair to Ethiopia, and so it was not carried out.
  
• Militarism- Mussolini's Italy saw its superior military strength (Ethiopia was poorly equipped) as the best means of restoring its national pride and gaining economic benefits.
• Clearly a failure for the League, but even if the Hoare-Laval Plan was successful, Italy still would have been in control of Ethiopia, and there was no guarantee that it's aggression would not continue.
  

3. Failure of the League: Failures at the World Disarmament Conference

• 1932-1933, the League of Nations met with the purpose of decreasing the amount of arms held globally by member states in order to maintain collective security.
• Germany asked for arms equality with France. France refused, saying that Germany would have to wait 8 years for this. Germany uses this as an excuse to withdraw from the League.
  

4. Failure of the League: Failures of the Locarno Treaties

• 1925, Germany, France, and Belgium agreed to respect their borders. Britain and Italy agreed to enforce this.
  
• Germany did not guarantee its borders with Poland and Czechoslovakia. Britain did not argue against this. It could be said that this encouraged Hitler to invade these countries. However, Hitler attacked France and Britain anyway, so it is unlikely that he would have changed his plans had Britain agreed to help Poland and Czechoslovakia.
  

5. Failure of the League: Failure of Appeasement

• 1935, Germany increased the size of its army by 550,000 troops. Treaty of Versailles had set a limit of 100,000.
• Remilitarized the Rhineland in 1936
  
• Anschluss with Austria in 1938
• Although France and Britain could have used their own military forces early on to counter those of Germany, it had been proven that the League could do very little to stop Germany, and so it is difficult to blame the League of Nations for actually helping to cause the war in this case.
  

Class Notes 11/18

Paper 2 Prep

1. Review demands of a "To What Extent" essay

2. Ideological Causes of WWI?

• Fascism, Nazism
• Communism
• Capitalism
• Racism
• Imperialism
• Militarism
  
• Totalitarianism
  
• Pacifism
  

HW 6

1. Discuss a political cause of WWII that could be related to the reading.

One political cause related to the reading could be seen in the failures of the League of Nations. When Japan invaded Manchuria, it was clear that the League was incapable of maintaining its promise of keeping peace through collective security. Japan went unpunished for its actions, because the League of Nations was not willing or able to enforce its policies.

2. Discuss an economic cause of WWII that could be related the the reading.

The Great Depression was an economic cause of WWII related to Japan's invasion of Manchuria, as well as to the League of Nation's failure to punish Japan. Normally, the League of Nations would set up sanctions against a nation that went against it, meaning that other countries wouldn't trade with that nation. However, the Great Depression had placed the world in a terrible economic state. Because of this, no nations wanted to give up trade with Japan.

3. Discuss an ideological cause of WWII that could be related to the reading.

Japan's position against communism could be seen as an ideological cause of that nation's involvement in World War II. Japan formed an Anti-Comintern Pact with Nazi Germany, with the two countries agreeing on the goal of stopping the spread of international communism. Italy also agreed to this pact soon afterward.

4. Answer question A from Chapter 8.

1. Japan
2. The clouds probably represent death or the darkness of war.
3. The cartoonist may have been trying to portray Japan as a menacing, overwhelming force that is invading China, which is portrayed as a helpless victim.

5. Answer question B from Chapter 8.

1. The family shown seems to be a somewhat wealthy Chinese family.
2. The family is probably fleeing because of the Japanese invasion of China. They may be taking everything they can with them because they believe they will be unable to return to their home.

Class Notes 11/17

1932-33: World Disarmament Conference

• Sponsored by LoN
• Germany asks for equality in arms w/ France
• France refuses, asks to delay arms equality for 8 years
• Partly because Great Britain and US will not guarantee French border v. German attack
• Hitler may have ignored any treaty anyway, seeing his history of breaking various treaties he had signed with other nations.
  

HW 5

6. I believe that Neville Chamberlain's assessment of the causes of World War II is accurate, to an extent. "The German Chancellor," as Chamberlain refers to Hitler, was in fact largely to blame for the war. However, appeasement by people such as Chamberlain himself was an almost equally responsible cause. It would be very ignorant for the British Prime Minister to deny that his nation and its allies had any role in starting the war.

As Chamberlain claims, Hitler seems to have done much more than any other single person towards beginning World War II. If Hitler had not been in power, the conflict would likely have never reached such a large scale. Hitler took advantage of the rise of dictators like himself, uniting various powerful leaders of the time, and in doing so, helped to start the war and later to expand it. He did this by working with leaders such as Italy's Mussolini, who allowed Hitler to for an Anschluss, or union, with Austria in 1938, and the emperor of Japan, which had invaded China and would eventually involve the United States in World War II. Hitler was also very aggressive in the years leading up to the war, annexing territories such as Czechoslovakia and remilitarizing the Rhineland, which had been occupied by France. While this aggression was ignored for the most part by the rest of the world, it served to increase international tensions and prove the limitations of the League of Nations, encouraging other dictators to take actions of their own.

Hitler's use of deceit was also to blame. Hitler had promised that, after he took Czechoslovakia, he would be done invading other countries. Soon afterward, however, he invaded Poland, revealing to Britain and France that Germany could not be trusted and had to be stopped. Similarly, Germany had signed a non-aggression pact with Russia, with the two nations agreeing that neither would attack the other when they both invaded different parts of Poland. Hitler betrayed this agreement and launched a massive assault on Russia, further expanding the conflict he had helped to begin.

For these reasons, Hitler held much of the responsibility for the war. Nevertheless, he was not the only person responsible. Western Europe's policy of appeasement allowed Hitler to do what he did, and as such it could be seen as having been as just as much of a cause of World War II as Hitler's actions were. France and Britain had multiple opportunities to stop Hitler; for example, they could have reacted to Germany's remilitarization of the Rhineland, or to Hitler's efforts to increase the size of the German military beyond the limitations set by the Versailles Treaty. It could be argued that there are always threats like Hitler in the world, and that they only reach their full potential as threats when others allow them to do so through their mistakes.

HW 4

1. The League of Nations helped to improve international relations in some cases, resolving various issues between countries. For example, the results of territorial disputes such as the argument between Finland and Sweden over the Aaland Islands and the one between Germany and Poland about Upper Silesia were decided by the League of Nations, which gave the Aaland Islands to Finland and divided Upper Silesia between Germany and Poland. These decisions were effective, and were accepted internationally.
In addition to this, the League was able to prevent certain incidents from becoming violent conflicts. A Greek invasion of Bulgaria was ended quickly by the League of Nations, which demanded for Greece to withdraw its forces and pay reparations for Bulgaria. However, the League was not entirely successful in all its efforts. It had no real power with which to enforce its decisions, meaning that some of its efforts, such as the Disarmament Commission were ineffective, as the League seemed to have very little actual authority over the amount of weapons nations could keep.

2. The League of Nations was successful in some ways, but it could have been a much more effective organization overall. For a number of reasons, it lacked the power it needed to be make authoritative international decisions. The first of these reasons was the fact that some of the most powerful nations at the time were not involved in the League's activities. For example, the United States was never a member of the League, and the USSR was not a member until 1934. If France and Britain, the two countries that seemed to be in charge of the League, had figured out a way to involve these nations, they may have had a better chance of maintaining collective security.
The League of Nations was also largely inactive during the events leading up to World War II. This may have been because France and Britain felt that they had be too strict with its punishments for Germany in the Treaty of Versailles. If the League had taken action against aggression by dictators such as Hitler, it may have been able to prevent or lessen the impact of the Second World War. Specifically, the German remilitarization of the Rhineland could have easily been stopped if France reacted by sending in its troops.

Class Notes 11/10

Ideological Causes of WWII
Communism vs. Capitalism
Nazi belief of the superiority of the German people

More Causes

Dawes Plan 1924:

• US loan to Germany for 800 Gold Marks
• Germany's Gustav Streseman makes deal w/ Dawes
  
• France withdraws troops from Ruhr
• German economy starts to recover
• Starts period of prosperity in Germany 1924-1929

"Spirit of Locarno"

• Idea that collective security will work
• Series of agreements between various countries (France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Poland...)
• Most important agreement: Germany, France, and Belgium promise to respect each others' borders.
• Germany refused to make any guarantees about its borders with Poland and Czechoslovakia
• France promises Poland and Czechoslovakia help if Germany attacks (Great Britain does NOT promise this).
• Historical Context: In 1925, the world's economy is doing well. Not as many people are concerned about German aggression

Kellog-Briand Pact

• US Secretary of State and French Foreign Minister
• 65 Nations renounce war as an instrument of national policy
• Useless agreement, no power to enforce it. No mention of sanctions.
• Japan, which signed the agreement, attacks Manchuria in 1931. League of Nations does nothing to stop it.

Class Notes 11/9

More Causes of WWII

Italy was not happy with the Treaty of Versailles.

• Italy was promised Fiume during WWI, but was not given it.
  
• After WWI, Italy took Fiume by force.

Washington Naval Conference (1921)

• Purpose was to avoid another naval race and improve relations between the US and Japan
• Long-term economic cause of WWII: Economic competition between US, Japan, and Great Britain in the Pacific
• Japan, US, and GB agree to limit the size of their navies.
• Japan agrees to have its navy be 3/5 the size of the navies of US and GB
• Germany and GB both built up navies before WWI (example of militarism)
• Japan allowed to keep former German colonies in the Pacific
• Western powers agreed not to build any more naval bases near Japan
• 1922- US, GB, Japan agree to protect China's neutrality
• US and GB were suspicious of Japanese expansion

Causes of WWI that relate to causes of WWII

• Autocracy– Kaiser Wilhelm, Hitler
  
• Militarism– Naval race between GB and Germany before WWI, US and Japan before WWII
  
• Secret Agreements– Alliances before WWI, Hitler's Anschluss with Austria before WWII
  
• Colonialism–
  

Class Notes 11/6

3 Long Term Causes

1. Rise of Dictators
2. Treaty of Versailles
3. Failures of the League of Nations
   

2 Political Causes

1. Appeasement
   
2. Capitalism vs. Communism
   

1 Question

1. How much did WWI influence WWII?
   

SURPRISE INTERPRETATION!!!

World War II is a CONTINUATION of World War I!

• Treaty of Versailles was an act of war on Germany (extreme)
• ToV gave no chance for lasting peace
• United States never signed a treaty, didn't join League of Nations
• France invades Germany in 1923, when Germany defaults on Reparations

Arguments against "Continuation"

• Aside from 1923, no formal fighting
• Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919
  
• By 1929 Germany was back in the international community (member of the League of Nations, signed Locarno Treaty 1925, Kellog-Briand 1928)

Failures of the League of Nations:

• Main aim was to promote collective security and avoid war

BUT... There were problems.

• Perception that France and Britain ran the LoN for their own interests
• France and GB make mandates out of the Middle East
• US never joins, lack of a major power to enforce/pay for enforcement against violations (Japan attacks Manchuria, Italy attacks Ethiopia), other major powers never in at the same time (Germany 1926–1933, USSR 1934–1939, Italy 1920–1935, Japan 1920–1933)
  

Class Notes 11/5

Compare and contrast views of Hitler expressed in the Barbarossa and Downfall

• Psychological Analysis: Both Downfall and Barbarossa showed Hitler as being mentally unstable.
• Two different perspectives: Stoessinger (Western) and Hirschbiegel (German) - maybe have influenced the fact that Stoessinger discussed Hitler's effect on people outside of Germany while Hirschbiegel portrays the effects of Hitler on people within Germany

Long Term Causes of WWII

1. Treaty of Versailles
2. Failures of the League of Nations and collective security
   
3. Rise of Dictators (Fascist Italy 1922, Nazi Germany 1933, Japan 1920's...)
   
4. Worldwide economic crisis / Great Depression
5. Appeasement
   

HW 3

Compare and Contrast the origins, purposes, values and limitations of Why Nations Go to War and Downfall.

Why Nations Go to War is a book written by John G. Stoessinger, who has a Ph.D. and is a "Distinguished Professor of Global Diplomacy" at the University of San Diego in California. Stoessinger claims to have written the book because of his experiences as someone who has lived through most of the major wars of the 20th century. He hopes to be able to share his insight about the role of people in causing wars with readers, and as such his writing seems to be primarily educational in intention.

Downfall is a movie directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel. The film depicts the final days of Germany's involvement in World War II, with a focus on portraying German perspective of the actions of Hitler and his inner circle. It is based on the writings of Joachim Fest, a well known historian who experienced World War II first hand in the German military. A number of personal accounts from some of the real people portrayed in the film are also used as sources.

Why Nations Go to War is a valuable source to people who are studying the role of Hitler during World War II. The author goes into detail comparing Hitler to other rulers, such as Stalin, in terms of both personality and methods of leadership. Depending on what is being studied, Stoessinger's psychological insight may be helpful or unnecessary for the reader. An extensive bibliography is used to support the author's claims.

Downfall is helpful for viewers in some ways, although its limitations must also be considered. The film effectively provides a visual and emotional idea of what Germany was like during the end of World War II. The Nazis are shown as being human, rather than monstrous and evil. However, it could be argued that this humanization is not entirely accurate. In addition to this, some of the personal accounts used as sources may be very twisted interpretations of the truth, as they were told by members of a regime that is still globally looked down on today.


Other notes about Why Nations Go to War:

• Published in 2005 – value or limitation? Events happened a long time ago, but that gave Stoessinger more time to look at newer sources
  
• Author spent boyhood fleeing from Nazis – possible that he had a negative view of the Nazis
• Written from a western point of view
• May be missing some historical context of Stoessinger's psychological analysis of Hitler
  

HW 2

1. Germany was very successful in the first 5 days. It took a large amount Russia's territory, destroyed most of its air force, and took more than half a million prisoners.
2. The term "Great Purge" refers to when Stalin ruthlessly disposed of countless people from various groups, including his own military.
3. Stalin effectively crippled his own military forces with his purges, making it difficult for Russia to resist the Nazi invasion.
4. Stalin was very focused on maintaining his own power within the USSR, rather than on the threats posed by other countries.
5. Stalin hoped that Germany would fight Britain and France, resulting in western Europe, which was Russia's enemy in many ways, being weakened. He also thought that France and Britain were trying to make Russia fight Germany (which they were).
   
6. Stalin thought that a temporary alliance would allow him to prepare for the inevitable war with Germany.
   
7. Stalin made orders against attacking German planes and demanded the release of captive German spies.
8. Stalin did not listen to the West's warnings, he made assumptions about Hitler's foreign policy methods, and was unaware of who Hitler was as a person.
9. Hitler made seemingly thoughtless risks in his invasion of Russia, and opened a two-front war.
10. According to the author, Stalin won the war because he was able to maintain a "grip on reality," unlike Hitler.
    

HW 1

1. In Why Nations Go To War, John G. Stoessinger discusses the role of people in causing wars, because of his own experiences with conflicts throughout his life.
2. The book describes Jews and Communists as being Hitler's worst enemies.
3. The "supplementary protocol" divided up Poland between Hitler and Stalin.
4. The author suggests that Hitler allied himself with Stalin temporarily so that Germany could gain more power and then easily defeat Russia at a later time.
5. Hitler was upset by Stalin's conquest of territories such as Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
   
6. Mussolini's decision to invade Greece and the coup in Yugoslavia caused Hitler to delay his invasion of Russia.
7. Germany would not show any mercy to Russians. Military officers who surrendered would be executed, Russian children would be taught to obey Germans, Moscow was to be burned down, and all Russian literature, culture, and history would be banned.