OGT - History D - World Wars - Practice

Benchmark D - World Wars

Key Concepts

The causes of World War 1 are militarism, imperialism, nationalism, and the alliance systems. Prior to World War 1 Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Italy were part of the Triple Alliance. France, Great Britain, and Russia were part of the Triple Entente. Italy switched sides during World War 1 to support the Allied powers, and Russia withdrew from the war to become involved in the Russian Communist Revolution.
The United States entered the war in 1917 after being neutral for three years. Reasons for the US entering the war are and siding with the Allied powers are cultural ties to Great Britain, financial loans to the Allies, unrestricted submarine warfare by Germany including the sinking of the Lusitania, and the Zimmerman Note.
The Allied Powers won World War I resulting the the Treaty of Versailles Peace treaty. The treaty along with the Russian Revolution lead to political, economic, and social unrest. This unrest lead to the rise of World War 2 militaristic dictators in Germany and Italy (Hitler and Mussolini). Japan, also, became a militaristic country, and it allied with Germany during World War 2.
The victorious nations of World War 1 wanted to preserve peace through the efforts such as the League of Nations, disarmament treaties, and appeasement to military dictatorships. These efforts failed. World War 2 erupted despite their efforts.
The events that lead to World War 2 include the rise of fascism in Italy, Nazism and Germany, and the military in Japan. Other events include Japan's invasion of Manchuria in 1931, Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935, Germany took control of the Rhineland in France in 1936, the Spanish Civil War from 1936-39, Japan took territory from China in 1937, the British and French handed over (appeasement) the Sudetenland to Hitler in 1938, Germany invaded Czechoslovakia in 1939, Germany invaded Poland in 1939.