3. Why had international peace collapsed by 1939? Flashcards
What where Hitler’s intentions?
- very aggressive intentions towards Europe
- planned to abolish the Treaty of Versailles, thought it was unjust for Germany
- he wanted to regain territory lost
- began rearmament
How did hitler gain rearmament?
- He began to draft unemployed Germans into the army
- He withdrew from the League in protest of other countries’ failures to disarm
- He rearmed in secret
- 1935 – huge military display held in Germany
- 1936 – introduced conscription
- Britain allowed Germany to rearm as they considered Germany a strong buffer against Communism
How did the Depression make the work of the League more difficult in the 30s economically?
- Drop in world trade led to high tariffs - makes it more expensive to buy foreign goods - more people buy nationals
- Unemployment meant countries would be less willing to get involved in international disputes- didn’t want to do sanctions because then the countries economy would get worse
- Drop in world trade- high tarrifs
- USA would be unwilling to agree to economic sanctions by the League - USA was not a member of the league- doesn’t want to harm their already bad economy
How did the Depression make the work of the League more difficult in the 30s politically?
- Extreme political parties became popular, eg: nazis in germany - bring revoulutions and war like WW2
- Rise of Nazis in Germany scared france into building up border defenses- opposite of disarnment + makes other countries scared
- Some countries turn to militarism to solve economic problems eg: Manchuria and Abyssinia= more armies and war= NO PEACE
- Unemployment=countries wont be interested in being involed in **international disputes **
- France become more defensive in because they where scared of nazis
German invasion of the Saar
- 1935 – League of Nations held plebiscite and the region overwhelmingly voted to return to German rule
- Completely legal and huge morale boost for Hitler
Remilitarisation of the Rhineland
- Germany forbidden to have troops in Rhineland (Treaty of Versailles)
- Hitler’s first big risk: if he failed he would lose support of the German army
- At this point, French army was superior and would’ve defeated German forces
- Hitler knew people in Britain supported his right to have army in Rhineland
- The League condemned his actions but did nothing
- French did nothing, as an election was approaching and no one wanted another war
- Hitler’s gamble paid off
Spanish civil war + effect
- Hitler saw a chance to defeat the Communists in Spain and test out his new army at the same time
- In 1937, German forces made devastating air raids against Spanish cities, most famously against Guernica
- Again, the League did nothing
Anchluss with Austria + effect
give years
1938
- Hitler wanted to unite Austria and Germany (many Germans living in Austria too)
- Austrian chancellor asked France and Britain for help- they refused
- A plebiscite was called so Austrian people could decide themselves
- Hitler sent german troops into Austria to vote to make sure he won
- 99.75% of vote went in favour of union
- Britain and France did not intervene as they felt the 2 nations had a right to be united
What was the Appeasement policy? Why was it followed?
- 1935, Britain signed agreement with Germany allowing them to build up navy 35% size of British navy
- For next 3 years, Britain have Hitler what he wanted because:
1. Hitler was anti-Communist, Britain saw Germany as buffer against USSR
2. Many felt TofV was too harsh
3. Britain didn’t want repeat of WW1, British army not ready for another war
Why did Britain give Hitler what he wanted (Appeasement)?
- Hitler stood against Communism – Britain saw Germany as a buffer against Soviet Union
- Many people felt that the Treaty of Versailles had been too harsh
- Britain did not want a repeat of World War One, and British armed forces were not ready for another war
What were the results of the Appeasement policy?
- Hitler became increasingly aggressive
- Germany became stronger
- Soviet Union knew they could not rely on British and French support against Hitler
- Hitler kept on breaking his promises
How did Hitler gain the Sudetenland?
1938
- many Germans lived in Sudetenland
- Britain and France reluctantly said they’d support Czechoslovakia in case of invasion
- Benes, leader of Czechoslovakia, was prepared to fight
- Hitler met Chamberlain (British PM) and said he only wanted a small part of the Sudetenland, but then increased this to the whole region
- Munich agreement on 29 of September:agreed by Britain France, Italy and Germany that Hitler could have the whole of Sudetenland
- Czechoslovakia not consulted
- 1st October: German troops marched into Sudetenland
Problem in Czechoslovakia
1939
* 15 March– German troops took over the rest of Czechoslovakia
* The Czechs did not resist
* Britain and France did nothing to intervene
* However, they no longer trusted Hitler and told him that if he invaded Poland, then they would declare war
* Hitler didn’t believe them
What was the nazi soviet pact
- Stalin was very worried about German intentions towards Soviet Union – it was clear that Hitler wanted to conquer Soviet land
- He appealed for help to Britain and France but they ignored his pleas
- Stalin saw that Britain and France were powerless to stop Hitler
- 24 August, 1939 he signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact with Hitler:
1. They agreed not to attack each other
2. They would divide up Poland amongst each other - Both sides knew it was only a temporary agreement, but it bought them both time
Outbreak of war
- After the Nazi-Soviet Pact, Hitler knew he was now free to invade Poland with Soviet intervention
- 1 September, 1939 – Germany invaded Poland from the West
- 17 September, 1939 – Soviet forces invaded Poland from the East
- 2 September – Britain and France declared war on Germany
- This took Hitler by surprise – he had not expected Britain and France to declare war
