Collapse Of International Peace By 1939 Flashcards
How did the peace treaties (1919-1923) contribute to the start of WW2?
- ToV caused public resentment in Germany of Britain, France and America
- German public was left feeling vulnerable, humiliated, angry, and wanting revenge (so were more enthusiastic about going to war to get said revenge)
- Britain allowed Hitler to get away with remilitarising the Rhineland because they sympathised with them over the harsh ToV
- Germans turned to extremes, partly due to the awful conditions in Germany (worsened by ToV), and also they felt betrayed by the government as they believed Germany had given up before it was defeated (the public didn’t know how bad the situation was before the truce)
How did the Great Depression lead to WW2?
- German public was desperate due to the economic situation, so went to extremism and some blindly followed Hitler because he promised to stop the extreme economic struggle
- Japan and Italy were aggressive and invaded Manchuria/Abyssinia (mainly because of the Depression) -> they got away with it, giving the idea to Germany that it could invade other countries without consequences
- the Depression made the LoN less effective
- major members (Britain/France) were focused on helping themselves and didn’t have much time or money for the LoN
- other members (Italy/Japan) were invading other countries to get resources, and were receiving very few/ineffective sanctions
How did the failures of the LoN lead to WW2?
- it didn’t impose effective sanctions on Japan or Italy after they invaded Manchuria and Abyssinia (respectively) -> encouraged Hitler’s aggressive tactics from 1936 onwards as he believed he wouldn’t be stopped/punished
- it failed to make any substantial attempt to stand in the way of Hitler’s overly aggressive foreign policy (which it might have done if not for the Depression)
- it’s failure to successfully encourage disarmament resulted in nations being able to build armies virtually unrestrained in preparation for war
What were the key aims in Hitler’s foreign policy?
MARVEL
Make Germany great - by uniting all German speaking people to create a ‘greater germany’
Anschluss - reunite Germany and Austria (forbidden by ToV)
Rearmament - build up the army, and stimulate the economy
Versailles destroyed - end reparation payments, regain lost territories, and rearm
End Communism - opposite to Hitler’s ideology (fascism)
Lebensraum - ‘living space’ - create more space for German people by expanding territory
What were the steps (in order) of the road to war (Hitler’s actions)? + key dates
Rearmament 1933+
Saar plebiscite 1935
Remilitarisation of the Rhineland 1936
Spanish Civil War 1936-7
Anschluss 1938
Sudetenland capture 1938
Czechoslovakia invasion 1939
Poland invasion 1939
What were the key events of step 1 in the road to war? + key dates
1933 - Hitler begins to expand the armed forces in secret, thousands of unemployed workers are drafted into the army
1935 - Hitler openly stages a massive military rally celebrating the German armed forces
1935 - Anglo-German Naval Agreement
1936 - he introduces conscription, intending to build an army of 550,000 men
1933-39:
Warships 30 -> 95
Aircraft 36 -> 8,250
How did Germany rearm with no repercussions?
- Anglo-German Naval Agreement, Britain believed the limits on Germany’s armed forces were too tight, and wanted Germany to be a strong buffer against communism
- Great Depression, many other countries were using rearmament to combat unemployment, so they allowed Germany to do so too
- France was unhappy with German rearmament but was unwilling to act alone
- collapse of the LoN Disarmament Conference had shown that countries weren’t willing to disarm
What and when was the Anglo-German Naval Agreement? What were its intentions and what did it suggest?
1935
Britain allowed Germany to increase their navy to 35% of the size of Britain’s
Intentions = protect Britain’s naval supremacy, allow Germany to become stronger so it could be a buffer against communism
Result = suggested Britain was encouraging Hitler to break the terms of the ToV
What was the Dolfuss Affair?
1934
Austrian Chancellor Dolfuss banned the Nazi Party in Austria (due to Hitler wanting Anschluss)
Hitler then told the Austrian Nazis to create havoc in the country
They murdered Dolfuss
Hitler still didn’t get Anschluss as Mussolini moved his troops onto the Austrian border
What were the key events + dates of step 2 on the road to war?
Since 1919 - Saar region of Germany had been run by the LoN (as mandated by ToV)
1935 - LoN held the promised plebiscite for people to vote on whether their region should return to German rule
Vote was an overwhelming success for Hitler -> 90% of the population voted to be ruled by Germany
This was the first piece of territory Germany regained (and it was entirely peaceful and legal)
What were the key events + dates of step 3 on the road to war?
1919 - ToV declared Rhineland a demilitarised zone
Germans felt this was a constant reminder of Germany’s humiliation
Mutual Assistance Pact - France had just signed this with the USSR for protection against an attack on Germany -> Hitler used this to claim Germany was under threat
March 1936 - Hitler sent two divisions of troops into the Rhineland with orders to pull out if the French acted against them
How did Hitler take over the Rhineland with no repercussions?
- France + Britain didn’t want to risk peace over Germany occupying part of its own country -> British public felt Hitler had a right to put troops in Rhineland
- attention of LoN was on Abyssinian crisis (happened at same time) so they condemned Hitler’s action, but had no power to do more
- French election was coming up, no French leader wanted to put France into a war -> also France refused to act without British support
- there weren’t any Allied troops in Rhineland -> they had left 5 years early
Why do Hitler’s foreign policy aims appear to be dangerous (to world peace)?
Expanding German territory - suggests invasions, which could start major conflicts
Undermining ToV - means refusing to obey the LoN, which could lead to unregulated conflict and/or failure of the LoN
Anschluss - directly goes against authority of the LoN, possibly leading to military action against Germany
End communism - this was in the policy because Hitler was fascist - fascism is an extremist view, which suggests he may take extreme actions to match his viewpoint
What were the key events + dates of step 4 on the road to war?
July 1936 - civil war began in Spain between communists (supporters of the republican government) and fascist rebels (under General Franco)
Hitler saw this as an opportunity - to fight against communism and test out his new military
Luftwaffe (German airforce) - was able to practice/perfect dive bombing techniques in the assault on Guernica
Germany was working with Mussolini - Hitler persuaded him to form an alliance, breaking apart the Stresa Front
What was the Rome-Berlin Axis?
Alliance between Hitler and Mussolini, made when they worked together during the Spanish Civil War (1936-37)
What was the Stresa Front?
Union between Britain, France, and Italy
Made in 1935
Broken by the Rome-Berlin Axis
What was the effect of the Spanish Civil War?
- Britain/France refused to intervene directly -> although France sent weapons for the republican government
- Britain’s non-intervention in Spain may have convinced Hitler he could form an alliance with Britain or at least persuade Britain/France to stay neutral in an upcoming war
- devastating impact of modern weapons (seen in this war) convinced many leaders to avoid war at all costs
- USSR increasingly suspicious of Britain/France due to their reluctance to get involved with opposing fascism
- German troops gained valuable combat experience
What were the key events and dates of step 5 on the road to war?
1934 - Italy stopped an attempt by Hitler to unite with Austria
Feb 1938 - Hitler bullied the Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg into appointing a leading Austrian Nazi as Minister of the Interior
BY March 1938 - Hitler had helped said Nazi to take over as Chancellor, overriding Schuschnigg’s attempt at referendum
March 1938 - Hitler ordered the German army into Austria, claiming Anschluss had taken place
April 1938 - heavily supervised plebiscites confirmed Anschluss -> 99% voted for it
How did Hitler achieve Anschluss with no repercussions?
- Britain/France not prepared to go to war to defend a flawed treaty
- Austria very economically weak, so people supported a union with Germany
- Schuschnigg appealed for a gesture of support, but Britain/France failed to provide
- British PM (Chamberlain) felt that Austria and Germany had a right to be united, and ToV was wrong to separate them
What were the key events + dates of step 6 on the road to war?
1919 - St Germain created Czechoslovakia, which contained 3.5 million Germans in the Sudetenland (this bordered Germany)
Sudeten Germans were complaining of discrimination by the Czech gov. and Hitler encouraged them to protest
September 1938 - Munich Agreement signed, Sudetenland given to Germany
What was the Munich Agreement and why was it signed?
September 1938 - Britain, France, Italy, Germany met in Munich and agreed to give the Sudetenland to Germany, and Germany promised to not invade the rest of Czechoslovakia
Western statesmen were worried Hitler would use force against Czechoslovakia
Benes (Czechoslovakian leader) terrified by Anschluss, got guarantees of defence from Britain/France -> France was bound by a treaty, Britain felt it had to support France
Europe began preparing for war but then talks started and the Munich Agreement was signed
What was the effect of the Munich Agreement?
Europe was relieved it didn’t have to go to war, but Benes resigned
Hitler was emboldened by this easy territorial gain -> may have seen it as a sign that Britain/France weren’t going to go to war with Germany
Despite the Agreement, British public didn’t trust Hitler
What were the key events leading up to the Munich Agreement (talks between leaders, demands, etc.)?
Britain + France + USSR had promised to support Czechoslovakia if Germany invaded -> but Britain/France were reluctant to go to war
British PM (Chamberlain) met with Hitler -> initially, Hitler only wanted parts of the Sudetenland and wanted a plebiscite
A few days later, Hitler increased his demands -> he wanted all of the Sudetenland, claiming the Czech gov. was mistreating Germans
AFTER AGREEMENT -> Chamberlain said it would bring ‘peace in our time’
What were the key events + dates of step 7 on the road to war?
1 October 1938 - Hungary and Poland decided it was only fair to help themselves to Czech territory with Hungarians/Poles in it -> since Germany had taken the Sudetenland
15 March 1939 - with Czechoslovakia in chaos due to the land-grabbing, German troops took over the rest of the country
President Hacha (of Czechoslovakia) was bullied into giving his country to Germany and the German army occupied Prague
