Benito Mussolini led the parade of dictators. In 1919 he launched his fascist movement; the"Italian Combat Fascists", forming paramilitary squads called "Arditi", which he used freely against his political enemies. Two years later, Mussolini joined with an existing paramilitary unit called "The National Coalition of Giolitti". To- gether, they garnered 35 government seats in the 1921 elections.  In 1922,  amid widespread unemployment
and ecomomic stagnation, Mussolini, with his Fascist Party members, marched into Rome, demanding a leader- ship role in Italy's government. The king, wishing to avoid bloodshed, appointed Mussolini Prime Minister. As the 1924 elections approached, the fascists had gained a substantial following and went on to capture 65% of the vote in the general elections. .They used intimidation, violence and even murder to gain their victory. By 1925 Mussolini was a virtual dictator over all of Italy. He was now known as the "EL DUCE"(leader).

Mussolini was an established ruler when he first met Adolph Hitler. He was less than impressed. In fact, he tended to side with Britain  & France during the early 1930s.That all changed In 1935 as he sent his armies on a dev-  astating expedition into Ethopia. After being condemned by Britain and France he looked elsewhere for support and found it in Adolph Hitler. In 1936 Mussolini gave support to the rebels who were, at that time,  engaged in a war to overthrow the Spanish government.

Elsewhere in Europe, during the 1920s,  Adolf Hitler was spearheading influence of the NAZI Party  (National Socialist German Workers Party). Hitler first joined the party in 1919. Although born in Austria, he was now living in Barvaria. In 1923, reinforced with  NAZI,  paramilitary units, the Brownshirts, he attempted a take- over of  the    Barvarian government. The plot failed and Hitler spent nearly a year in prson. It was   during this incarsuation that he wrote "Mein Kamfp" (my struggle). After his release, Hitler  wasted no time in rejoining the 
Nazi Party. By 1925 Hitler  had seized control of the party and the stage was set for his complete domination of 
all of Germany. In the 1932 elections, Hitler challanged President Paul von Hinderburg for the presidency. Although   defeated, the Nazi's had captured 44% of the vote. Now, with a dominate role in the country's political  system, Hitler demanded that President Hinderburg appoint him Chancellor, a post akin to Prime Minister in other systems. With Germany's economy in shambles, unemployment widespread, and a disenchanted younger  generation, there was  little opposition from  the populace, since he promised to put everyone to work.

By 1934 Adolph Hitler was refered to as the Fuhrer (leader). His overiding theme was to remind Germans of the heavy World War1 reparations being extracted  by France and Great Britain. He preached German pride and stressed the superiority of the Aryan race. At the same time he was denouncing Jews as  the main cause of all of  Germany's problems. Although prohibited under the 1918 armistice,  Hitler was quietly rebuilding Germany's armed forces.  By 1936 it was no longer a secret that Germany  had a formidable army and a growing air force. 

The roundup and relocation of Jews made headlines around the world. There were outcries and condemnation 
of this practice,  but no one proposed to intercede, and while it was known that concentration camps existed,  
few were aware that a major  holocaust was unfolding. Then, as a warm up to his coming ambitions, Hitler used his air force to support the rebels in Spain. 

Hitler's territorial march to glory began in 1938, when  Austria was annexed to become part of the German State. He then demanded return of the Sudatenland and the Rhineland, strips of land lying along the Czech and French borders respectively. In 1939, Hitler signed a non- aggression pact with Joseph Stalin which cleared the way for Germany's invasion of Poland. 

German forces unleashed a brutal attack on Poland on the first day of September,1939. Although France and Great Britain retaliated by declaring war on Germany, military action that followed was limited to skirmishes
along the French German border.. 

On the other side of the Globe Japan was  creating a  powerful  military force of it's own. Although not completely trusting  western countries, Japan had  sided with the Allies during WW1.  At the same time however, they were still smarting from the forced  opening of their country  to western influence in years past, and  they now  held to the belif that western countries were practicing  racial bias against Japan  In 1919 the Japanese govern- ment  filed a complaint with the United Nations to reverse this  preceived bias. The complaint fell on deaf ears and was rebuffed. Relations with the west were now declining rapidly. 

Entering the 1920's, Japan's economy was in serious trouble . A devastating earthquake in 1923 added to this decline and the depression of 1929 exacerbated the slide.  In the normal course of events, a country experiencing a troubled economy would consentrate all of it's effort to a recovery. Contrary to this logic, Japan's military was a expanding rapidly.  Following  victory in their war with Russia earlier in the century, part of which was fought in the Chinese Province of Manchuria, the Japanese had  established occupation forces in the province and had, over time,    gained almost complete control over Manchuria.  In 1931 The Chinese government  decided it had enough and and began to challenge the Japanese presence. As a result Japan tightened it's grip and installed their own puppet government in Manchuria. Then to strengthen their foothold  in China, Japan began a series of vicious  raids on Chinese cities all along the Chinese coastline.  

Japan is a country with few natural resources, forcing it to import materials necessary to sustain its industrializ- ation program.  Such resources were, however, available in countries along the Asian Paciific rim. Japan's grand strategy was to seize control of vital materials, such as oil, rubber  and coal. By 1937 Japan's military was the most powerful force in the pacific, and planning was underway  to carryout their ambitions. During this time the United States had been one of Japan's main suppliers of scrap steel and other materials necessary to sustain their industrial base and  military forces.

The seeds of war clearly visible 
Events of 1940 made it clear that a war, on a scale never seen before, could  soon engulf the world.. Hitler invaded Belgium,  The Netherlands and ultimately marched into Paris. Germany sent troops to Sweden, Denmark, Finland and into the Balkan countries. Great Britain sent troops to fight alongside France. On June 10, 1940 Mussolini joined with his NAZI partner and declared war on France and Great Britain. Italy would later invade Vichy , occupy part of Southern France and send it's armies into North Africa. 

That same year Japan banned all political parties under the "National Mobilization Law." A virtual dictatorship was now assured. Japan then extended its presence in other Asian countries and organized the "Greater East Asian Co-prosperity Sphere", designed to to integrate Asia, both politically and economically, under Japanese rule. The United states meanwhile,  one of the main suppliers of scrap steel, aviation fuel and a host of other necessary materials, protested Japan's aggression against it's neighbors, and halted all shipments..

In the meantime President Roosevelt was campaigning, for a third term, with a pledge "not to send American Boys to fight in foreign  wars" and at the same time asking congress for funds to build up the military to a level of two million men. And, to enter into lend- lease agreements for war materials with Great Britain and Russia.

The following year, Germany, Italy and Japan signed the Tripartie Pact, creating a unified bloc against  the west. The alliance was characterized by the press as the" Axis Powers", a description that prevailed throughout the war. 

As the events of 1940 unfolded, it was becoming clear to many that war could overtake the United States. Most Americans, however,  still viewed the ongoing conflict as strictly a European event. While  lamenting over the brutality of Japenese agression against China and other southeast Asia countries, there was little concern that America would be involved
Pearl Harbor 
Meanwhile with only six months of fuel left, Japan needed the raw material, possessed by her neighbor, more that ever. Her strategy was to move into Indo China and other Asian countries, not only to assure her sources of raw materials but to complete domination of the Asian rim. There was a however a problem! The United States Navy, based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, might interfere with their plans The Japenese military decided the problem must be negated  if they were to be successful.  A preemptive attack to destroy the American fleet was set into motion.

Although there was some opposition from within, the Japanese Navy began preperation for the attack in January 1941. Perhaps the most detailed and accurate account of Japanese preperation and execution of the Pearl Harbor attack is contained in the book," At Dawn we Slept" by Gorden W. Prange. Every aspect of the attack was carefully planned and rehearsed throughout 1941. The objective was to inflict a fatal blow to destroy, or cripple, the U.S. Fleet's ability to interfere with Japan's further expansion.  Once they had attained their objectives, they expected to enter in peace talks. By November everything was in readiness. The Japanese fleet, as it steamed 
out of Port on November 26, 1941,  consisted of  six aircraft carriers, 26, support craft and mutiple squadrons of fighter aircraft. By December 6th the Japenese had covered 3,559 nautical miles and now lay, undetected, 274 miles northwest of Hawai