G u i d e t o R e a d i n g N o t e s

Following are possible answers for the questions in the Reading Notes.
Section 2

Soviet Union Italy Germany Japan

Joseph Stalin Benito Mussolini Adolf Hitler Hideki Tojo

Totalitarianism Fascism Nazism Militarism

• government controls all • extreme nationalism: • a form of fascism • military has increased
aspects of society state comes first; • extreme racism, power
• state planning of the individual liberty is particularly aimed at • military plays a strong
economy secondary Jews role in government
• state-owned collective • strongly opposes • territorial expansion to
farms communism and create Lebensraum, or
democracy “living space”
• favors military values,
use of violence, and
strong leader

• forced private farmers • Blackshirt squads • blamed Jews for • called for aggressive
to work on cooperative terrorized rival political Germany’s problems military action abroad
farms groups • sent Jews and other • political assassinations
• placed people who • outlawed labor unions “undesirables” to • military took control of
resisted in labor camps and opposing political concentration camps civilian government
• secret police rounded up parties • centralized the
and killed opponents • censored the press government

The United States and other countries like Great Britain and France could have provided more financial aid to
the countries where these dictators rose. However, the United States was dealing with the effects of a serious
economic depression in the early to mid-1930s and had no resources with which to help these other countries.

© Teachers’ Curriculum Institute Origins of World War II 1

G u i d e t o R e a d i n g N o t e s

Sections 3 to 5
Action Reaction
1935-1936 Germany remilitarizes The League of Nations lodged a formal protest
Hitler announced the formation of a German air against these actions but refused to consider sanc-
force and compulsory military service. In 1936, he tions against Germany.
sent troops into the Rhineland, a German region
on the border with France. These actions all chal-
→
lenged the Treaty of Versailles.

1935 Italy invades Ethiopia Ethiopia appealed to the League of Nations for
The Italian army, under Mussolini, invaded help. The League voted to impose economic sanc-
Ethiopia. The Ethiopian forces could not stop the tions against Italy, including an oil embargo. The
invasion, and Italy annexed the country in 1936.
Hitler and Mussolini soon formed a treaty of
→ United States was asked to join the oil embargo
against Italy, but Roosevelt refused to do so.
friendship known as the Rome–Berlin axis.

1936–1939 Germany and Italy aid nationalists Although some volunteers, including 3,000
in Spanish Civil War Ameri­cans, fought against the Nationalists, only
Italy and Germany backed a military rebellion in the Soviet Union officially aided the Republicans
Spain led by General Francisco Franco. They pro-
vided the Nationalists with supplies, weapons,
→ in the Civil War. The U.S. Congress passed neu-
trality acts in 1936 and 1937, which kept the
and troops. The Nationalists eventually overthrew United States out of the conflict.
Spain’s democratic republic and set up a right-
wing dictatorship.

1937 Japanese troops massacre civilians in Roosevelt made a speech calling for a quarantine
Nanjing against aggressor nations like Japan. However, the
The Japanese army captured the city of Nanjing. speech had little effect, as Japan invaded French
Japanese soldiers went on a six-week rampage,
killing approximately 300,000 Chinese civilians
→ Indochina, Formosa, Korea, large areas of China,
and several small Pacific islands.
and raping about 20,000 Chinese women.

1938 German Anschluss (union) with Austria Britain and France were passive spectators as
Germany expanded into Austria.
Hitler pressured the Austrian government to join
with Germany. In March, Hitler’s army crossed the
border without opposition. Hitler declared a
political union, or Anschluss, between the two
→
countries.

© Teachers’ Curriculum Institute Origins of World War II 2

G u i d e t o R e a d i n g N o t e s

Action Reaction
1939 Germany invades Czechoslovakia Britain and France were angered over Hitler’s
In the Munich Pact, Hitler acquired the Czech breaking of the Munich Pact and declared that any
region of the Sudetenland and promised it would further attacks by Germany on small states would
be his “last territorial demand.” However, in
March 1939, he broke the pact and invaded the
→ trigger war.

rest of Czechoslovakia.

1939 Germany attacks Poland France and Britain followed through with their
Germany signed a nonaggression pact with the original announcement and declared war on
USSR, which freed German forces to invade Germany. However, they were not able to do
Poland. Germany used blitzkrieg tactics to attack
so quickly that Polish forces were not able to
→ anything to stop the invasion and the takeover
of Poland.
mobilize. Soviet forces also invaded from the
east, and Poland quickly fell.

1940 Germany invades Low Countries and Britain sent every boat possible to evacuate the
France trapped British and French (Allied) forces. France
Hitler moved troops to Germany’s western surrendered to Germany. Germany occupied most
borders. He attacked and captured the Low
Countries and invaded France, trapping French
→ of France. Southeast France was controlled by a
puppet government.
and British troops along the coast. Italy declared
war on Britain and France.

1940 Germany attacks Britain (Battle of British fighter pilots successfully shot down more
Britain) than 600 German aircraft during the Battle of
German planes flew raids against British ports, Britain. British citizens withstood the bombing
airfields, and industry. Later, the bombing raid
targets were shifted to large cities.
→ raids. The raids diminished as Germany was unable
to replace the lost aircraft. The United States began
sending aid to Britain under the Lend-Lease Act.

1941 Japan attacks Pearl Harbor The next day, President Roosevelt asked Congress
Three hundred Japanese bombers and fighter to declare war on Japan.
planes attacked the U.S. military base at Pearl
Harbor, Hawaii. They crippled the U.S. Pacific
Fleet, sinking or damaging 18 ships and destroying
→
or damaging 300 aircraft.

Students should outline all action boxes in black In general, students will outline the first five or six
(aggressive action). reaction boxes in green (appeasement or weak
reaction) and the last four or five boxes in red (strong
reaction).
© Teachers’ Curriculum Institute Origins of World War II 3