What you’ll learn to do: describe the beginnings of World War II

Figure 1. Italian leader Benito Mussolini and German leader Adolf Hitler would establish fascist, expansionist states that challenged the sovereignty of neighboring democracies.

At the end of the First World War America sought to create new international relationships that would make such wars impossible in the future. But as the Great Depression hit Europe, several new leaders rose to power under the political ideologies of Fascism and Nazism. Mussolini in Italy and Hitler in Germany were both proponents of Fascism, using dictatorial rule to achieve national unity. Still, the United States remained focused on the economic challenges of its own Great Depression. Hence, there was little interest in getting involved in Europe’s problems or even the China-Japan conflict.

It soon became clear, however, that Germany and Italy’s alliance was putting democratic countries at risk. President Roosevelt first sought to support Great Britain and China by providing economic assistance without intervening directly. However, when Japan, an ally of Germany and Italy, attacked Pearl Harbor, catching the military base unaware and claiming thousands of lives, America’s feelings toward war shifted, and the country was quickly pulled into the global conflict.