Causes of World War II

World War II and the League of Nations

• Germany was the country that never joined the League of Nations.
• The primary concern for the U.S. Senate regarding the League of Nations was the potential loss of national sovereignty.

Japanese Aggression

• Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931.
• The United States, along with other countries, imposed trade embargoes on Japan in response to their aggression in China.

Pearl Harbor and the Big Three

• Japan launched a surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
• The leaders of the Big Three during World War II were Joseph Stalin (USSR), Winston Churchill (UK), and Franklin D. Roosevelt (USA).
• The event that led to the formation of the Big Three alliance was the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.

Global Economy and the Holocaust

• World War II had a devastating impact on the global economy, leading to inflation, rationing, and widespread destruction.
• The main targets of the Holocaust during World War II were six million Jews and millions of others deemed undesirable by the Nazi regime.

Post-War Justice and World War II

• The Nuremberg Trials were a series of trials held to prosecute top German officials for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
• The event considered the official start of World War II is the German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939.

Interwar Period

• The Treaty of Versailles imposed harsh penalties on Germany, leading to widespread resentment and contributing to the rise of Nazi Germany.
• Germany felt resentment towards the Allied nations after World War I due to the treaty's harsh terms, which led to economic hardship and a sense of injustice.
• The Soviet Union signed a Non-Aggression Pact with Germany before the invasion of Poland in 1939.

League of Nations

• The purpose of the League of Nations was to promote international cooperation, prevent war, and provide a platform for resolving disputes between nations.