In 1931, the Japanese invaded Manchuria, a region in northeast China, in order to gain access to raw materials (especially iron and coal) and seize land.

• In 1931, the Japanese invaded Manchuria, a region in northeast China, in order to gain access to raw materials (especially iron and coal) and seize land for Japan’s growing population. The victory helped pave the way for military leaders to seize control of Japan’s government. The League of Nations condemned the invasion, but had no power to prevent Japan’s actions. In 1933 Japan withdrew from the League.

Japanese forces invade Manchuria

• Italian leader Benito Mussolini ordered troops into Ethiopia in October 1935 because he wanted to start building an Italian empire in Africa to rival those of Britain and France. He also wanted revenge for the Ethiopians’ defeating an Italian army earlier at the Battle of Adowa in 1896. Despite an appeal from Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie for help, the League of Nations took no action because Britain and France hoped that by giving Mussolini control of Italy, they could avoid war and keep peace in Europe. The League’s failure to act convinced Mussolini and German leader Adolf Hitler to make further demands in the future.

Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie protested Italy’s invasion of his country, but the League of Nations took no action

• A majority of Americans in the 1930s believed that US involvement in WWI was a huge mistake. As a result, Americans supported isolationism, or the belief that political alliances with other countries should be avoided. In an effort to keep the United States out of future wars, beginning in August, 1935, isolationists succeeded in Congress passed a series of Neutrality Acts. The first two acts outlawed selling arms or making loans to nations at war. The third act, passed in response to the civil war in Spain, banned sales of arms or loans to nations engaged in civil war.

Senator Gerald Nye conducted hearings before Congress in the 1930s in which he blamed greedy weapons-makers and industrialists for dragging the US into World War I. His work paved the way for the passage of the first Neutrality Act in 1935.

• According to the Treaty of Versailles, the Rhineland, a 30-mile wide area along the Rhine River in western Germany, formed a demilitarized buffer zone (no military forces or fortifications allowed) between France and Germany. On March 7, 1936, in violation of the treaty, German leader Adolf Hitler sent troops into the Rhineland. Britain and France did not stop Hitler because they pursued a policy of appeasement, in which they gave in to Hitler’s demands to avoid the risk of war and maintain peace. Hitler’s success strengthened his power and prestige in Germany, made France more vulnerable to attack (because German forces were closer to France and Belgium), and the weak response of Britain and France only encouraged Hitler to pursue more aggressive military and territorial expansion in Europe.

German troops enter a town in the Rhineland

• Four years after successfully conquering Manchuria (a region in northeast China rich in natural resources), Japan invaded China in July 1937. Although China had a huge army, it was no match for the well-trained and better-equipped Japanese forces. The Chinese capital Beijing and othern northern cities fell quickly to Japanese forces, who committed some terrible atrocities. In the city of Nanjing, for example, tens of thousands of Chinese were killed and abused by conquering Japanese forces (the event is known as the “Rape of Nanjing”). Despite early victories, the Japanese faced fierce resistance in the countryside, especially from Communist guerillas led by Mao Zedong, and the war dragged on.

These famous photographs show the devastation of the Japanese attack on China

Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong fought against the Japanese forces

• After successfully annexing Austria (the union of Germany and Austria is called the Anschluss) in 1938, German leader Adolf Hitler demanded control of the Sudetenland, an area of Czechoslovakia that was home to 3 million Germans. This area was vital to Czechoslovakia’s defense and had important resources. Hitler threatened to go to war for the land, so the Czechs asked Britain and France for help. At the Munich Conference (Munich is a city in Germany) on September 29, 1938, the leaders of Italy, Germany, France, and Britain agreed that the Sudetenland should be given to Hitler. The Czechs were not invited to the conference or even consulted about the decision. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, a strong supporter of the policy of appeasement (giving in to the demand sof a dictator to maintain peace) believed that the conference would prevent war, but Hitler simply took over the rest of Czechoslovakia and then began to militarily threaten the country of Poland.

After the Munich Conference, British leader Neville Chamberlain returned to his country and famously announced that he had achieved “Peace in our time!” but was proven wrong when Hitler continued his territorial demands

Leaders of France, Britain, Germany, and Italy gathered in Munich, Germany, to determine the fate of Czechoslovakia, though no Czech representatives were invited

• In 1931, Spain abandoned centuries of monarchy and became a republic. The country was poor and faced many problems, which made the new government unpopular. In July 1936, military forces under the leadership of General Francisco Franco and calling themselves Nationalists rebelled against the republic. Britain, France, and other democracies refused to help the supporters of Spain’s government, who were called Republicans (though the Soviet Union did send them help). Germany and Italy, however, provided Franco and the Nationalists with guns, planes, and other supplies. Wit their help, Franco won and became dictator of Spain in 1939.

General Francisco Franco led the Nationalist forces in revolt against the socialist government of Spain in 1936

• To the shock and horror of ther world, on August 23, 1939 Germany and the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact in which they agreed not to go to war with one another. Soviet leader Josef Stalin resented and distrusted the governments of Britain and France, and after working so hard to rebuild his country after years of civil war and revolution, wanted to avoid fighting a war with Germany. For his part, German leader Adolf Hitler wanted to be sure the Soviet Union would not interfere when he eventually went to war with Poland, France, and Britain (Hitler wanted to avoid a 2-front war like Germany fought in WWI)

German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop (left) poses with Soviet leader Josef Stalin (center) and Soviet Foreign Minister Viacheslav Molotov (right) after signing the non-aggression pact. During World War II, Ribbentrop gradually lost influence, especially when he began supporting making peace with some of Germany’s enemies. He was captured after the war, put on trial and executed for war crimes.