chap 4 outbreak of ww2 in Europe Flashcards
What are the responses to great depression?
led to the introduction of economic nationalism which are economic policies to protect countries.
1) Protectionism
-introduction of tariffs to protect their own industries and limit or stop imports which caused fall in trade volume.
Calling in loans
2) Us banks called in their loans which led to collapse of banks and businesses which in turn caused a mass unemployment.
Rearmament
3) rearm to boost industry and create jobs for unemployed.
4) Radicalism
-caused existing regimes to be more aggressive.
Failures and successes of LON in disarmament process during 1920s
Objective: encourage countries to reduce their armament or size of military strength
1) Washington Naval conference (1921)
-Limit size and number of warships held by Britain, France, Japan and USA.
-Ratio was decided.
-Success.
2) Kellogg-Briand Pact(1928)
-Negotiated outside league between 15 countries including USA, France, Germany, Britain, italy and Japan.
-Agreement that force should not be used to settle disputes.
- No clear way to enforce thus a failure.
What was the problem faced during World Disarmament Conference (1932-1934)
1) Unable to get all countries to agree on offensive and defensive weapons
2) Using conference to bring up other issues eg italy demand to be of same navy size as France.
3) Unclear of how limitation can be achieved.
4) Dealing with Germany
-disagreement regarding whether to disarm to level of germany or allow germany to rearm to their level.
-France demand to have a larger armed force than germany or support from USA and Britain which they were not interested in.
-Hitler proposed all countries to disarm to its level before leaving as it was hypocrisy.
-After the conference reconvenes , hitler was acting to be interested in disarmament while he started a rearmament programme.
-In may 1933, He promised to not rearm if other nations disarms in 5 years.
-He was convinced to rearm germany and pulled germany out of the disarmament conference and LON in 1933 October.
What was the significance of the Abyssinian Crisis(1934-1936)
- Italy dictator Mussolini warns of an invasion on Abyssinia for revenge, resources, and glory.
- Dec 1934, a dispute between Italian and Abyssinian soldiers at the Wal-Wal oasis in Abyssinia that Italy uses as a reason to invade Abyssinia.
- Abyssinia appeals to the League. Britain had influence and resources to act decisively for Abyssinia, France and Britain colonies allowed both countries to send troops to defend Abyssinia but chose not to.
-Instead, in fear of pushing Italy closer to Germany, Britain and France secretly discussed the Hoare-Laval pact with italy to give two thirds of Abyssinia to Mussolini for Italy to call off the invasion. The pact was leaked and the plan was dropped. - October 1935, Italy launches a full scale invasion on Abyssinia. The League was slow on imposing ban of arms and resource sales to Italy and the USA refused to ban oil sales
- Conclusion, the league was unable to act against an aggressor nation which
1. Emboldened Hitler to be more aggressive in demands, ultimately leading to the remilitarisation of the Rhineland, annexation of Austria, Sudetenland incident
2. Displayed the failure of the LoN bc of how the Abyssinian Crisis was handled and the Hoare-Laval pact as it goes against the principle of LoN, showing that two major powers, Britain and France, were not taking the LoN seriously.
How did Germany become increasingly aggressive in 1933-1937
1) Rearmament
-thousands of unemployed workers were drafted into the army to help reduce unemployment.
-held a freedom to rearm rally in berlin, not hiding the rearmament process.
2) Remilitarisiation of Rhineland
-After France and USsr agreed on the Treaty of mutual assisrtance to protect one another from Germany, Hitler ordered german troops to march intro Rhineland.
-Britain, France and league was preoccupied with the abyssinian crisis thus no further actions were taken against Hitler.
3) The spanish civil war
-civil war in spain between Republicans and Nationalists.
-hitler supplied nationalist with troops, aircrafts and other equipment, giving him opportunity to test his army and air force.
-As france and britain was not involved, hitler believed that they were not ready for war.
4) Anti-Comintern Pact
-In 1939, Germany and Japan signed an Anti-Comintern pact to oppose the Communist International (comintern) which was set up by ussr.
-agreed no to sign treaties with ussr.
Q5: How did France and Britain look after their own interests?
1) National interest
-Britain: more worried about stalin than hitler.
-Saw germany as a useful barrier agaiant Ussr eg in 1935, they signed Anglo-German Naval agreement which allows germany to build a navy up to 35% of british navy. This broke treaty of versailes.
-France: more worried about hitler.
-French turned to USSR in 1936 and signed the treaty of mutual assistance.
-This caused Britain to sympathize with germany and helped nazi occupy rhineland with no opposition.
Consequences of the policy of Appeasement
-Policy adopted by Britain PM Neville Chamberlain to give in to Hitler’s demands to buy time for rearmament
1) Anschluss with Austria(1938)
- Germany absorbed Austria’s population, industry, and resources, strengthening Germany in size and stature
2) Sudetenland and the Munich Agreement, 1938
- Hitler demands for Sudetenland, a part of Czechoslovakia.
- Britain, France, Italy and Germany negotiated, without without consulting Czech, to give the whole of sudetenland to germany in exchange for a pledge of peace from Hitler.
- Invasion of (the rest of)Czech (March 1939), where britain and france threatened to declare war on germany if hitler invades poland.
What led to the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact(1939)?
Hitler: worried the USSR would oppose hitler’s invasion of Poland and Britain&France would act, risking a two-front war
Stalin: Felt that Britain and France were allowing Hitler to take over Eastern Europe and could not be trusted to stop Germany
Signing of the pact(23 Aug 1939)
Why did Germany invade Poland
Why hitler wants polish corridor and danzig:
1) Large population of germans in polish corridor and Danzig
2) Desire for a transportation line across the polish corridor that germany from the province pf East Prussia.
-poland leader rejected his demand causing a tension
-On 1 september 1939, germany invaded poland knowing ussr will not intervene.
-Hitler miscalculated and british and france declared war on Germany causing ww2 to start.
