Drawing Conclusions: As You Read This Section for the First Time, Take Notes to Answer

Drawing Conclusions: As you read this section for the first time, take notes to answer the questions based on the timeline.

1931 / Japan invades Manchuria / 1. Why did the Japanese invade Manchuria?
/ 2. Why did the British and French take no action against Italian aggression?
/ 3. Why did isolationists want these laws passed?
1935 / Mussolini invades Ethiopia

The U.S. Congress passes the first of three Neutrality Acts. / 4. What were some of the effects of appeasing Hitler after his invasion of the Rhineland?
1936 / German Troops move into the Rhineland. / 5. What were the immediate results of this invasion?
1937 / Japan invades China
Hitler plans to absorb Austria and Czechoslovakia into the Third Reich. / 6. Why was the Munich Conference unsuccessful?
1938 / Munich Conference is held / 7. How did other countries help Franco’s Nationalist forces bring about the collapse of Republican resistance?
1939 / Franco becomes Spanish dictator.
Germany and Soviet Union sign a non-aggression pact. / 8. Why did Stalin sign an agreement with Fascist Germany, once a bitter enemy?

Critical Thinking: As you read the section a second time, answer these questions. Be sure you use complete sentences and support your ideas with examples or details from the reading.

What was the major weakness of the League of Nations?
How did the Japanese invasion of Manchuria illustrate the weakness of the League of Nations?
What role did the League of Nations play in the successful takeover of Ethiopia?
Why did European democracies fail to help Spain?
How did World War I affect U.S. policy?
What message did Hitler take from appeasement?
Why did Churchill believe that Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement was a defeat for the British?
What similar goals did Hitler, Mussolini, and Hirohito share?
Do you think the Fascist nations of the Axis Powers could have been stopped? Explain.
Why weren’t the Czechs invited to take part in the Munich Conference?