3. Why had international peace collapsed by 1939? Flashcards
What is RUDE?
Hitler’s Aims
What does the R in RUDE stand for?
Rearm Germany
What does the U in RUDE stand for?
Unite German speakers/people who are living across Europe
What does the D in RUDE stand for?
Destroy Communism
What does the E in RUDE stand for?
Expand his territory/lebensraum
What is Lebensraum?
Living space for the growing German population/empire
Hitler’s actions in 1933
- Came to power
- Took Germany out of the LON
- Began rearming Germany in secret
Hitler’s actions in 1934
- Tried to take over Austria but Mussolini stopped him because he wanted Austria
Hitler’s actions in 1935
- Saar Plebiscite - got Joseph Goebbels to help him win - ego boost
- Massive rearmament rally - no longer in secret
Hitler’s actions in 1936
- Reintroduced conscription
- March 7 - sent troops into the Rhineland
- Anticommunist alliance with Japan
- Rome-Berlin axis with Mussolini
Hitler’s actions in 1937
- Tested new weapons in the Spanish Civil War
- Anti communist alliance with Italy??? Merge with Japan to make Axis???
Hitler’s actions in 1938
- Anschluss (took over) w/ Austria
- Took over Sudetenland in Cz
Hitler’s actions in 1939
- Invaded the rest of Cz
- Invaded Poland
- Nazi - Soviet pact
- WW2
Global events in 1930
- Great depression makes everyone poor and inwardly focused
Global events in 1931
Manchurian crisis starts, Hitler and Mussolini see Japan as a potential ally
Global events in 1932
Disarmament conference(s) start - Germany complains about being the only one to disarm. No one else disarms, so everyone rearms
Global events in 1933
Germany and Japan leave LON, Manchurian crisis ends (but Japan stayed there until the end of WW2)
Global events in 1935
Abyssinian crisis starts - Mussolini takes over Abyssinia (ends March 7, 1936)
Global events in 1936
Abyssinian crisis ends (but Italy doesn’t leave), Italy and Germany sign Rome-Berlin axis, Germany and Japan sign Anti-Comintern pact, start of Spanish Civil war
Global events in 1937
Japan invades even more of China, Italy leaves LON, signs Anti-Comintern pact, forms axis
David Low cartoons are usually…
Anti-Nazi and Anti-Appeasement
What factors lead to WW2, apart from Hitler’s actions?
ToV, Failure of LON, Great depression, Appeasement/weakness of leading powers like Britain, France, Usa, and USSR, Nazi-Soviet pact, weakness of other post-war treaties
When did Hitler come to power?
1933 - end of January
When did Hitler begin rearming?
1933 - end of January/early February
When did Hitler begin openly rearming?
March 1935
When was conscription reintroduced?
1936
How did Hitler justify rearmament?
- Reducing unemployment to recover from the Great Depression
- Other countries wouldn’t disarm - how would he keep safe?
How did GB and France react?
- Britain was ok with it - they wanted a strong buffer against communism, and they signed a treaty in 1935 saying Germany could increase its navy up to 35% of the size of Britain’s.
- France was mad but didn’t do anything because it wanted British support
How many warships, aircraft, and soldiers did Germany have in 1932?
30, 36, 100,000
How many warships, aircraft, and soldiers did Germany have in 1939?
95, 8,250, 950,000
How much was Germany spending on its military from 1935-1940?
1935 - 7.4%
1936 - 12.4%
1937 - 11.8%
1938 - 16.6%
1939 - 23.0%
1940 - 38.0%
Who controlled the Saar from 1919?
The LON
When was the Saar plebiscite held?
January 1935
How did the Saar plebiscite go for Hitler?
Hitler won by about 90% thanks to his propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels. It was a huge morale boost and completely legal by the terms of the ToV.
When did Hitler remilitarize the Rhineland?
March 7, 1936
What would have happened if the French opposed Hitler when he tried to remilitarize the Rhineland?
Hitler would have retreated - his army was still too weak. Then he would have been humiliated and lost support of the army - maybe even lost power.
Why did Hitler think that remilitarizing the Rhineland was a safe risk to take?
- Abyssinian crisis - other countries were preoccupied
- France and Russia had just signed the Franco-Soviet ToMutual Assistance to protect each other from Germany - Hitler could argue that he needed to protect himself against France
- Hitler knew Britain would be okay with it
How did other countries respond to the remilitarization of the Rhineland?
No one knew how weak Germany was, so they feared Germany. LoN condemned them but nothing else. France was about to hold an election - no one wanted to be responsible for making France go to war. They also didn’t want to act without British support, so they didn’t do anything.
Who was fighting who with whose support during the Spanish Civil War?
Nationalists/fascists/General Franco with support from Italy and Germany VS Republican government with support from the USSR and France
What did the USSR input to the Spanish Civil War?
Weapons, Aircraft, and pilots
What did France input to the Spanish Civil War?
Some weapons but tried not to have any direct intervention
What did Italy input to the Spanish Civil War?
Thousands of troops/ “volunteers”
What did Britain input to the Spanish Civil War?
Nothing - no direct intervention
What did Germany input to the Spanish Civil War?
Aircraft, pilots, lots of civilian bombing
How did Spain end up after the Spanish civil war?
It ended in 1939 with Franco being the new Spanish dictator
When was the Spanish civil war?
1936-1939
What is CHIEF?
Acronym for how the Spanish Civil War helped lead to WW2
What does the C in CHIEF stand for?
Hitler gained CONFIDENCE about opposing the ToV without Britain and France fighting back
What does the H in CHIEF stand for?
HITLER and Mussolini strengthened ties
What does the I in CHIEF stand for?
INCREASED military spending from Britain and France
What does the E in CHIEF stand for?
Hitler gained combat EXPERIENCE
What does the F in CHIEF stand for?
The USSR grew suspicious of Britain and France for not opposing FASCISM
What was Comintern?
USSR organisation to spread communism throughout the world
Who signed the Anti-Comintern pact and when?
Japan and Germany in 1936, Italy in 1937, forming axis. Hungary and Romania joined later.
When was the Anschluss with Austria?
1938
How did Hitler convince the Chancellor of Austria to go along with voting for Anschluss? What else convinced him to do a plebiscite?
- Hitler convinced the Nazi party to cause problems with the Austrian government and having demonstrations demanding Union with Germany
- Then he told Chancellor Schuschnigg that the only solution was Anschluss with Germany
- Schusschnig appealed to Britain and France for help, but they didn’t
How did Hitler ensure that he won the Austria plebiscite? How much did he win by?
In March 1938, Hitler sent his troops into Austria to “guarantee a trouble free plebiscite”, and under their watchful eye, he won by 99.75%
How did other countries react to the Anschluss with Austria?
France - Angry note
Britain - Angry note, increased rearmament spending, plans for compulsory military service and air raid defenses
USA - didn’t care
USSR - Appealed to LON, didn’t work
Italy - Disapproved because he wanted Austria for himself but did nothing
Mexico - Complained to the LON, didn’t work
No one wanted war
Why was CZ in a seemingly good position (against Hitler taking over)?
- Hitler claimed CZ didn’t need to worry about the Reich
- Britain, France, and the USSR were prepared to support CZ in case of war
- CZ had a strong army
- CZ’s leader was prepared to fight
When did Hitler make it clear that he wanted the Sudetenland?
May 1938
When was the meeting with Chamberlain and Hitler? (relating to the Sudetenland) How did it go?
September 15, 1938
- Chamberlain tries to avert war
- Hitler says he only wants parts of CZ plus a plebiscite
- On 19 September, he gets what he wants, but demands more in 3 days, saying he regretted that his demands weren’t enough
- Chamberlain said no and prepared for war.
What was the Munich agreement?
- With Mussolini’s help, a meeting was held on September 29, 1938
- They (Britain, France, Italy, and Germany) came up with the Munich agreement, which gave the Sudetenland to Germany so he wouldn’t start a war (he didn’t want that - he wanted war)
Acronym for Consequences of Munich agreement
PALE
Neville Chamberlain facts
Born 1869
Careful work, attention to detail, bad at listening to advice
Believed Germany had real grievances →appeasement
Prime minister from 1937-1940
What does the P in PALE stand for?
Peace - British and French leaders were seen as heroes for averting war in 1938
What does the A in PALE stand for?
Anger - the USSR and CZ were super angry about not being included
What does the L in PALE stand for?
Land - Poland and Hungary took some land from CZ for themselves
What does the E in PALE stand for?
Exile - Benes went into exile/resigned
How did the Munich agreement make people feel about appeasement?
The British were questioning it - they didn’t want war, but they were realizing that it was only being pushed back as opposed to stopping it.
What was the British aircraft production in 1936 vs 1939?
1936 - about 2000
1939 - around 8000
What was German aircraft production in 1936 vs 1939?
1936 - about 5100
1939 - about 8250
In a British opinion poll in October 1938, what percentage of people said they believed he wanted more European territory?
93%
When did Hitler take over the rest of CZ?
March 15, 1939
When did France, Britain, and the USSR meet? How did that meeting go?
March 1939 - No one trusted anyone, so no agreements were made.
- USSR thought that the British and French would abandon them like CZ or get scared off like in the remilitarization of the Rhineland
- Britain and France were pretty anti communist
What did Hitler gain from the Nazi-Soviet pact?
- Half of Poland without a fight from Russia
- Keeps Russia trusting Hitler (temporary good ally)
What did Stalin gain form the Nazi-Soviet pact?
- Some Polish territory
- Time to prepare his military - it was way too weak to take on Hitler in a war and he didn’t trust Britain and France to help keep him safe.
What were the consequences of the Nazi-Soviet pact?
Hitler felt confident enough to invade Poland on September 1, 1939. Britain and France demanded he withdraw from Poland or they would declare war. Hitler didn’t care because appeasement, but on September 3 1939 the allies kept their promise and went to war.
What are some of the pros of appeasement? (Britain pov)
- Hitler stays a buffer between Britain and France and Communism
- No one wants war plus they’re too poor for it
- Britain needed time to rearm
- Britain needed support from other countries
- Britain wanted to right the ToV’s restrictions and wrongs
What are some of the cons of appeasement? (Britain pov)
- Hitler wasn’t trustworthy
- Germany was rearming fast
- Hitler was doing a lot of bad stuff and gaining allies
- Need to take a stand
- USSR will be mad
Define appeasement (the policy)
A policy of the British and French in the 1930’s allowing Hitler to break the terms of the ToV (to avoid war)
List some examples of appeasement
- Germany rearming
- Remilitarization of the Rhineland
- Anschluss with Austria
- Sudetenland mess
What would have happened if Chamberlain had stood up to Hitler in 1938? (Professor Fergusson simulation)
- Germany was quite well equipped
- Not as easy as it seemed
- In the simulation Britain was invaded - too risky
Probably would have gone horribly.
Did Chamberlain need the extra time that appeasement bought him?
Not really - Britain’s spies were wrong about how much stuff Germany actually had (only 45% of what they thought). However, Chamberlain thought he did, so he used that time to rearm a lot more.
Did Chamberlain have any realistic alternatives?
- Isolation and absolute pacifism
- Economic and colonial appeasement
- League of Nations
- Alliances
- Armaments and Defense
- War
Chamberlain tried or ruled out all of them - it was hard to deter the Nazis, despite his best efforts, since Hitler’s main aim was war.
When was the end of appeasement?
March 15, 1939 - Hitler invades the rest of CZ. There were no excuses that could have been made. Britain and France told Hitler that if he invaded Poland they would declare war on Germany, thus ending appeasement even though Hitler didn’t know it
September 1-3, 1939 - Hitler invaded Poland and Britain and France declared war on Germany.
