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Failures of Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles, which was supposed to ensure peace and limit future war, upset the Germans. Because the Germans had to pay reparations and except full responsibility they were upset and more likely to start another war. -
Nazis in Germany
Led by Adolf Hitler, the Nazi party grew in Germany. The Nazi Party which was similar to the fascist state in Italy, stressed nationalism. The Nazis also believed in a superior race and sought to cleanse the nation of inferior people. -
Fascism in Italy
Benito Mussolini established a totalitarian government in Italy. Mussolini established the fascist party to promote nationalism and put the needs of the state over the needs of the people. Benito used fascist power to control every aspect of Italians lives. -
Stalin forms the Soviet Union
Joseph Stalin established the Soviet Union which was a communist state. He built a totalitarian government which had full control over its citizens. This communist state was upsetting and threatening to many anti-communist counties. -
Attack in Manchuria
Japanese militarists were seeking to take control of the Japanese government. They attacked on the Manchuria Province and were able to take it over. This was worrisome to members of the League of Nations and they sent in troops to sort it out. -
German Military Rebuilds
After Hitler withdrew Germany from the League of Nations, he violated the Treaty of Versailles by starting to rearm and rebuild the German military. This was very upsetting and caused fear to other European powers. -
Italy Grows and Conquers
Mussolini began to grow the Roman Empire and prepare for military invasions. Their first target was Ethiopia, which they were able to successfully conquer by 1936. -
League of Nations Fails
As Germany began to rebuild its military and violate the Treaty of Versailles, the League of Nations sat back and did nothing to stop them. When Italy began to conquer Ethiopia, they only warned them and used an unsuccessful economic boycott to try and stop Italy from taking over Ethiopia. Ultimately, the League of Nations was weak and did not get involved in situations they should have. -
Marco Polo Bridge Incident
The Marco Polo Bridge was a bridge that connected Beijing to the South. This made the bridge very significant and a target for the Japanese. The fight that took place here is considered the starting event of the second Sino-Japanese War -
World War 2 Begins
Hitler and his Nazi Army invaded Poland. This led France and Great Britain to declare war on Germany and was the starting point of WW2.