In 1931 Japan invaded Manchuria, a province of China.  When the League of Nations said Japan was wrong, Japan simply left the League.  The member nations were not willing to send troops to stop Japan.  They had hoped they might convince Japan by peaceful means, but they could not.  When Germany and Italy saw that other nations would not fight against them, they began their attempts to conquer territory.
         In 1935 Mussolini’s armies invaded Ethiopia, a small nation in Africa.  When the League of Nations protested, Italy left the League.  In 1936 Germany sent troops into German land west of the Rhine River.  The peace treaty ending World War I had forbid this.  Later the same year, Germany signed a treaty with Italy and Japan.  These nations agreed to help each other.  This alliance became known as the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis.  In 1937 Japan sent troops into the mainland of China.
         The Nazi attempt to conquer Europe began in March 1938.  Nazi armies marched into Austria.  Hitler said that Austria should be a part of Germany because many Germans lived there.  He claimed that all Germans belonged under one government.  The nations of Europe did not stop Hitler.  They did not want war.  They thought that Hitler might be satisfied with Austria.  Most Americans wanted to be neutral in these European troubles.  They thought the Atlantic Ocean would protect them from the problems of Europe.
         Czechoslovakia was next on Hitler’s list.  Hitler demanded a piece of territory, the Sudentland, from Czechoslovakia.  This territory was close to the German border and had a large number of German speaking people.  England and France protested.  A conference was held at Munich, Germany.  Prime Minister Chamberlain of Great Britain and Premier Daladier of France went to the conference.  These leaders agreed to allow Germany to have the Sudentland.  They believed this would save the world from war.  On his return to England, Chamberlain said that the agreement meant “peace in our time.”  Winston Churchill, who was to follow Chamberlain as prime minister, claimed that the conference at Munich would only lead to war.
         Six months later, in March 1939, Germany occupied the rest of Czechoslovakia.  Then Hitler made demands on Poland, which had been restored as a free nation in 1919.  Poland refused Hitler’s demands.  On September 1, 1939, the German armies entered Poland.  Great Britain and France now rushed to the defense of Poland.  World War II had begun.

1. Why did Germany want control of Austria and the Sudentland?
2. What is this idea known as?
3. Who attended the Munich Conference?
4. What was decided there?
5. What was the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis?
6. Why did no one stop Japan, Italy and Germany from invading and conquering other nations?