WW II - Module 3 - Axis Aggression
The links below will help you with translating tools between English and Spanish.
1. Audio of a words in both English and Spanish. Will also translate phrases.
2. Google Search - Espana: The word can be typed in English, and the search finds results in Spanish, including images
3. Also Google Arabic is available.
2. Google Search - Espana: The word can be typed in English, and the search finds results in Spanish, including images
3. Also Google Arabic is available.
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Axis Aggression
You know aggression when you see it. It is when someone, or even a country, uses force to get what they want. Bullies use aggression in school all too often in many different ways.
When it is countries being aggressive it might involve one country violating by force the rights of another country, particularly its rights to its own land. It can involve an attack or invasion that is carried out because of the greed of the attacking country.
Germans invading the Soviet Union - 1941
Europe – Aggression By Germany
Rhineland (March, 1936):
Under the terms of the Versailles Treaty, the Rhineland had been made into a demilitarized zone. This means Germany had control of this area, but was not allowed to put any soldiers into it.
In March 1936, Hitler took what for him was a huge gamble - he ordered that his troops should openly re-enter the Rhineland. This violated (as in not paying attention to the law)the terms of the Versailles treaty. He did order his generals that the military should retreat out of the Rhineland if the French showed the slightest hint of wanting to stop them. The French did not, and Hitler began making it a strong point for the German army.
Germany steps back into The Rhineland with their army
- France could not act due to problems in their government at the time.
- Britain did not act because the German invaded over a weekend, and the British Government could not act until Monday.
- As a result of this, the governments of both France and Great Britain felt they could do nothing, as the action was already taken.
Austria (March, 1938)
The Versailles Treaty had specifically said that Germany and Austria were not allowed to join together as one country.
Some in Austria wanted it, but others did not. It did not matter, because Hitler ordered it anyway on 12 March 1938. It was called the Anschluss.
Germany and Austria in the middle
Sudetenland (September, 1938):
Following the Anschluss of Nazi Germany and Austria in March 1938, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's next goal was to take control of parts of Czechoslovakia.
The parts of Czechoslovakia Germany took
His reason for doing this was the supposed suffering of ethnic Germans (people whose families were German, who spoke German, and acted and thought like Germans) living in Czechoslovakia's northern and western areas. These areas were known as the Sudetenland. Making those pieces of Czechoslovakia part of Nazi Germany would leave the rest of Czechoslovakia powerless to resist German attacks in the future. In fact, many of them welcomed the German troops.
German soldiers welcomed in Sudetenland
Aggression By Japan in Asia (1931-1937)
Japanese Invasion of China
Japan and China had fought off and on since the 1931 invasion of Manchuria, and grew into full-scale war in 1937. That fighting was the result of a 20+ years long Japanese attempt to dominate (CONTROL) [see image showing domination] China in order to control its LARGE raw material supplies and other resources.
Bigger Steps into China
Imperial Japan launched the 1937 war in an effort to destroy the Chinese government, and to create a puppet government (one that followed Japanese orders). From these actions Japan got control over a steady supply of raw materials to use making weapons, and lots of customers for the products made at factories in Japan.
Japanese soldiers marching into a Chinese city
Following the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in 1937, the Japanese occupied places in China such as Shanghai, Nanjing and Southern Shanxi, using about 350,000 Japanese soldiers. Historians estimate up to 300,000 people were murdered by the Japanese after they took control of the city of Nanking on December 13, 1937. It came to be called the Nanking Massacre.
Japanese soldier about to kill a Chinese citizen
Aggression By Italy - Attack Ethiopia in Africa (October, 1935)
Newspaper telling what Italy had done to Ethiopia
Italy invaded Ethiopia starting in October of 1935. The main reason they did this seemed to be that they wanted to show their power and gain land and natural resources
(raw materials).
Italy was able to launch its invasion without interference because Great Britain and France wanted to keep Italy as an ally in case war broke out with Germany.
The war is best remembered for exposing the weakness of the League of Nations to actually stop wars from happening.
The war resulted in the military occupation of Ethiopia by Italy.
The war resulted in the military occupation of Ethiopia by Italy.
Italian soldiers in Ethiopia
