Final answer:
The claim that Germany and Japan aimed to promote democracies before World War II is false.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that Germany and Japan wanted to help their neighbors create democracies before World War II is FALSE. Both Germany and Japan adopted authoritarian forms of government rather than promoting democratic values in the period leading up to the war.
In Germany, the Weimar Republic struggled with various political crises and economic problems, which eventually led to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the establishment of a totalitarian Nazi regime. Likewise, in Japan, democracy gave way to military control and expansionist policies under the guise of the emperor. As both regimes sought to expand their territorial control, their ideologies were starkly opposed to the democratic ideals promoted by countries such as the United States and Great Britain.
The policy of appeasement by Western democracies inadvertently aided the expansionist ambitions of Germany and led to the outbreak of World War II. Following the war, the U.S. effort to rebuild Germany and Japan was intended to establish stable, democratic states as a bulwark against future conflict and the spread of communism, reflecting a marked contrast to pre-war attitudes.