The 1930’s were a very turbulent time period for the entire world. Many events occurred during this time that lead to World War II. It all began with a few events that set the stage for the entire thing. Things continued to get worse, until finally, the seemingly inevitable happened. There were several events that set the stage for the upcoming crisis. In Europe, Germany specifically, Adolf Hitler had gained control. Hitler was the head of the Nazi party, a Fascist political group. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Japan had invaded Manchuria, a province in China.
The United States declared its disapproval in the Stimpson Doctrine, which stated that it would not recognize any territorial gain made by force. Lastly, Japan had left the League of Nations, and began building up its navy. During these events, the United States attempted to stay neutral. One war that may have helped was the Nye committee. The Nye Committee investigated how the U. S. got involved in World War I. Many thought that by learning our previous mistakes, we would not repeat them. There was also the Neutrality Acts.
The first neutrality act made it unlawful for the U. S. to ship or sell arms to countries where a state of war existed. Roosevelt and the U. S. congress had different views about isolationism. Roosevelt was not an isolationist, and was concerned about what was happening. Congress, on the other hand, was not as concerned. For example, Roosevelt could have eased European tensions somewhat by wiping out allied war debts. Congress, however, would not go along with such a thing. As time went by, the crisis in Europe continued to deepen.
Hitler had tarted to become more aggressive. In 1938, Germany invaded Austria, and annexed it two days later. Later, Germany set its sights on Czechoslovakia. Hitler called Czechoslovakia’s president, Emil Hacha, to Berlin. Once he arrived, Hacha was practically forced to allow Germany’s occupation of the Sudetenland. Several early events occurred that warned the U. S. that they should prepare for war. One major thing that occurred in Germany was the Holocaust, which was a genocide against the Jews. Very few people approved of this, making it difficult for the U. S. not to act.
Another major event was the fall of France. Germany, with its blitzkrieg tactics, had torn the French army to pieces, and had taken control of Paris. These events, amongst others, were definite signs that the U. S. may have no choice but to go to war. In conclusion, it is important to point out that all of the above events are very important parts of the history of the world. World War II has been called the greatest war that has ever occurred. It is my hope that the mistakes made by our ancestors will not be repeated.