WAR AT WORLD THE 1 From 1914 to 1918 much of the world was at war Nations from around the globe fought one another in bloody battles across Europe After nearly four years of fighting the Treaty of Versailles put an end to the war Germany had been a major player in the war But its leaders had been left out of the treaty discussions And they felt its terms were too harsh The treaty required Germany to reduce its army accept guilt for causing the war and pay for war damages It also had to give up one-eighth of its territory In the end Germany signed the treaty But many Germans disliked the treaty Over time German resentment toward the treaty increased Soon a new political party rose to power in Germany The National Socialist German Workers Party or Nazi party was led by Adolf Hitler Hitler blamed the Treaty of Versailles for most of Germany’s economic problems
He promised to end the treaty and help Germany return to its former glory Adolf Hitler gave powerful speeches that convinced people to follow his ideas In January 1933 German President Paul von Hindenberg appointed Hitler chancellor of Germany Hitler gave himself the title Führer which means leader in German He declared himself the supreme ruler of the nation
A fleet of Polish tanks and soldiers fight back against the 1939 German invasion that set off World War II In the mid-1930s Germany broke the terms of the treaty Other nations made little attempt to stop it They didn’t want to risk another war This all changed in 1939 Hitler’s Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia Hitler planned to invade Poland next The threat of war loomed
On September 1 1939 the Nazis invaded Poland Days later the nations of Great Britain and France came to Poland’s aid declaring war on Germany Germany led the Axis powers Before long other nations were siding with the Allies or Axis powers World War II had begun At first the United States did not take part in the fighting On December 7 1941 Japan attacked a US Navy base in Pearl Harbor Hawaii The next day the United States joined the fight declaring war on Japan World War II lasted for six years During this time bloody battles were fought across Europe and in Pacific Ocean countries During the war both sides introduced new technologies From weapons to aircraft both the Allies and the Axis found ways to improve equipment to gain advantage in battle Tanks were bigger and guns more powerful than during World War I A technology called radar made it possible to detect the enemy from far away And atomic bombs destroyed entire cities Some historians believe no other war in US history was more affected by advances in technology than World War II
