World War II began to take shape when Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany on Soon after, the German Parliament suspended the constitution making HitlerFuhrer and dictator. Hitler was angered by the Treaty of Versailles and he blamed Germanysdefeat on the Communists and the Jews. In 1934, Hitler announced a program of rearmamentthat violated the Treaty of Versailles. At the same time Mussolini was building a powerful armyin Italy and threatened to invade Ethiopia. In may 1935, Italy invaded Ethiopia and quicklyoverwhelmed their weak defenses. This action made Congress pass a Neutrality Act thatauthorized the president to stop all arms shipments to nations at war. In 1936, Mussolini joinedforces with Hitler to form the Rome-Berlin Axis.During the buildup of the war the United States had the intention to stay neutral. Roosevelt stated, We are not isolationists except in so far as we seek to isolate ourselvescompletely from war. Isolation policies became more difficult when Franco started a civil warin Spain with the aid a Germany and Italy. Over 3000 Americans joined the loyalist cause andfought in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade to oppose fascism in Spain.As a show of neutrality, the U.S. passed another Neutrality Act making it illegal forAmerican citizens to travel on ships of countries at war. This act also made nonmilitary itemsavailable to other nations on a cash and carry basis only.In 1936, Hitler seized the previously demilitarized zone of the Rhineland and in 1938 heannexed Austria. Six months later he demanded the Sudetland which Britain and France grantedhim in return for an agreement that Germany make no more territorial advances. Within sixmonths Hitlers forces took Czechoslovakia. August 23, 1939 brought a Nazi-Soviet pact. One week later Hitler attacked Polandofficially beginning World War II. Britain and France came to Polands defense. Also in 1939,Albert Einstein warned Roosevelt that German scientists we...
