SECTION C - Invasion of Poland Flashcards
When did Hitler invade Poland?
1st September 1939
What was the Polish Guarantee and when was it signed?
Following the German takeover of Czechoslovakia 1938-39, Britain and France sign the Polish Guarantee in March 1939, in which they pledged to support Polish independence.
How did Germany Invade Poland?
A collaboration of different factors/events allowed him to do so:
1. Hitler aimed to continue German expansion, prepared to ignore polish Guarantee and continue with his plans to invade Poland.
2. The Nazi-Soviet Pact was signed by the USSR and Germany in August 1939. This allowed Poland to be divided between the USSR and the Germans. This meant that Germany could attack Poland without fear of Soviet opposition.
3. Once the threat of USSR retaliation was removed, German authorities faked an incident on the Polish-German border to provide a pretext for the invasion. Germany commenced its attack on September 1st 1939.
Why did he invade Poland? (Domestic Reasons)
Impact of Four Year Plan, Role of individuals
Impact of Four Year Plan
- The need for raw materials to make weapons caused a balance of payments crisis. In 1939 Germany was forced to slow down its rearmament drive. Hitler believed that a solution to this was to gain more territory and in doing so take hold of more resources.
- This could have been one of Hitler’s motives for eastern expansion, which in turn led to war.
Impact of individuals
Nazi Individuals pushing Germany towards war:
- Ribbentrop - appointed Germany’s foreign minister in 1938. He replaced von Neurath, a conservative who wanted pragmatic foreign policy. This removed an obstacle to the development of a more aggressive foreign policy.
- Goering - hid the failures of the Four Year Plan and the weaknesses of the Luftwaffe from Hitler. This encouraged Hitler to think that Germany was ready for war. This could have persuaded Hitler to risk war over Poland in 1939.
Was it Hitler’s plan for this to cause WW2?
YES - Hitler had made speeches which he suggested that he was going to war in (such as a speech in Berlin In September 1938). Six months later he took advantage of disagreements between the regions of Czechoslovakia and invaded to ‘restore order’. By doing so he had broken the Munich agreement.
NO - The military methods he developed suggests that he was not planning a long- drawn out war, more so a series of little wars. This can be shown when his Generals developed Blitzkrieg (lightning) warfare.
YES - Hitler began rearming from the moment he came to power, openly announcing rearmament in 1935, defying the ToV.
