The years 1931 to 1941 saw the development of nationalist and militarist governments in both Europe and Asia. As these regimes began to pursue aggressive foreign policies, the hopes for a peaceful world following the First World War collapsed. Increasingly, the idea of collective security. proved to be inadequate and by 1941much of the world was involved in a devastating conflict which would cost the lives of millions. This class deals first with the growth of Japanese nationalism and militarism, the resulting expansion of Japan into East Asia and the response of the Western democracies to Japan’s actions. It examines the events that led to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941; an event that transforms the European conflict into a global war. The second case study examines Italian Fascism and German Nazism. It looks at how the expansionist aims o. these governments led to the break down in collective security among the European powers and the descent into a European war in 1939.

Case study 1: Japanese expansionism in East Asia

1.1 The impact of nationalism and militarism on Japan’s foreign policy: the origins,
1853-1930

1.2 Japanese expansion in South-east Asia, 1931-1941 Causes of expansion Events in Manchuria, 1931
What were the results o. the Manchurian crisis? Years of turmoil: The descent into the Dark Valley.

1.3 The international response to Japanese expansion, 1931-1941, The League of Nations. response to events in
Manchuria 1931, The response of the League and Europe to events after 1932
The response o. China to events after 1932 The USA’s response to Japanese actions 1931
The USA’s response to events 1937
Why did the USA change its policy towards Japan after 1938?
What was the reaction of the USA to the attack on Pearl Harbor?

Case study 2: German and Italian expansion

2.1 The impact of fascism on Italian Foreign policy: the origins, 1870-1933
Mussolini’s rise to power
What was the impact of the First World War on Italy, 1915-18?
What is Fascism?
Why did support for Fascism grow in Italy after the First World War?
How did Mussolini consolidate his power?
What factors influenced Mussolini’s foreign policy?
How successful was Mussolini’s foreign policy in the 1920s?

2.2 The impact of Nazism on German foreign policy: the origins, 1918-1933 
Why did support for Nazism grow after the First World War?
What factors allows Hitler to become a dictator?
The historical debate: Did Hitler have a clear plan for achieving his foreign policy goals when
he took power in 1933?

2.3 Italian expansion, 1933-1940 
What factors had an impact on Italy’s foreign policy in the 1930s?
Italian foreign policy, 1935-39
Why did Italy intervene in the Spanish Civil War in 1936-39.
What was Italy’s role during the Sudetenland crisis in September 1938?
Why did Italy invade Albania in April 1939?
Italy and the Second World War
Changing diplomatic alignments in Europe after 1933
Germany’s challenges to the post-war settlements, 1933-38

2.4 German expansion, 1933-1938 
Changing diplomatic alignments in Europe after 1933
Germany' s challenges to the post-war settlements, 1933-38

2.5 German expansion, 1938-1940 
Challenging the post-war settlement after 1 937
Beyond the Treaty o. Versailles: The liquidation of Czechoslovakia
German expansion: Poland
Changing international alignments: The Pact of Steel, May 1939
The outbreak of war

2.6 International responses to Italian aggression, 1935-1940
What was the policy of appeasement and why was it pursued by Britain in the 1 930s?
How was international response to aggression in the 1 930s affected by the weaknesses of the
League of Nations?
What was the impact of US foreign policy on the international response to the expansionist powers?
What was the impact of Soviet foreign policy on the international response to the expansionist powers?
What was the international response to the Italian invasion of Abyssinia in 1935-36?
The end of appeasement of Mussolini’s Italy

2.7 The international response to German aggression, 1933-1940
The Second World War: The historical debate