The Saar Flashcards
What were the Key events leading to World War II?
1933: Jan 1933: Hitler = German Chancellor
1934: July: Failed Nazi attempt to seize power in Austria (Dollfuss affair). August: Hitler becomes Fuhrer (dictator) of Germany: Nazi foreign policy. rearmament of Germany (public announcement by Hitler in 1935);
1935: Invasion of Abyssinia: by Mussolini.. Saar Plebiscite in favour of Hitler
1936: March: Rhineland is remilitarised.
1936-39: Spanish Civil War: Ger & Italy support Franco, USSR support King.
1936: Nov: Mussolini announced the ‘Rome-Berlin Axis’ (an informal statement of friendship with Germany). Nov: Anti-Comintern Pact signed by Ger & Japan, uniting against the USSR. Italy joins and signs in 1937. The Axis alliance was therefore formed.
1938: Anschluss with Austria. September: Sudetenland/ Czech Crisis; Munich Agreement
1939: March: Hitler invades Prague & annexes Czechoslovakia, breach of Munich
1939: March: British gave the Polish Guarantee. August: Nazi-Soviet Pact signed by USSR and Germany.
1939: Germany invades Poland. Britain (3rd Sept) declares war on Germany.
What did the Versailles Treaty provide about the Saar? What did the Versailles Treaty state about a plebiscite?
The Saar is a region of Germany that had been run by the League of Nations since 1919. It is to be held under the rule of the League of Nations for 15 years; afterwards a plebiscite would be offered to help decide whether it stays with the League of Nations, goes to France or goes back to Germany.
German public opinion: How did most Germans (including Hitler) view the ToV terms about the Saar?
It was negative and critical on the terms of the Saar as it had been removed from Germany by the terms of the treaty. It was seen as an important part of Germany and it was rich in resources which helped strengthen the German economy. Felt it was unnecessarily harsh.
Administration of the Saar after the ToV: using John D Clare, note how the Saar was administered after the ToV and prior to the plebiscite.
During the 15 years that the Saar was administered by the League - it was first run by a Frenchman, then a Canadian and then a Briton. In 1935, as the League prepared for the plebiscite it was being administered by another Briton, Sir Geoffrey Knox.
Communists and opponents of the Nazis: what action did they take when the Nazis took power and what did they campaign for ahead of the plebiscite?
Many anti-Nazis fled to the Saar after 1933. Seeing what Hitler was doing in Germany, many Communists and Social Democrats formed a ‘United Front’ to campaign to try and make it stay under the rule of the League of Nations.
Nazi campaigning: How did the Nazis campaign in the Saar? What was the “German Front”? What was Goebbel’s role?
Joseph Goebbels was Hitler’s propaganda minister and he mounted a massive campaign to persuade people of the Saar to vote for the Reich. Some Saar Nazis wanted the region to go back to Germany without being persuaded. They formed a ‘German Front’ along with the Catholics, they were helped by the Saar police and German Gestapo - they boycotted and beat up their opponents. The League saw what was going on but were too scared to stop it as they feared that this would cause Nazi riots. The Nazis got involved; 17,000 Nazi Saarlanders led by a nazi called Spaniol, threatened to invade the saar and impose Nazi rule. The German government wanted to win by using propaganda instead of invasion so the ‘German Front’ was created - it became a formidable force in the Saar thanks to generous financial support from Germany and its brutal methods eg. threats.
What was the background to the saar?
- Significance: The events in the Saar were not an example of Hitler breaking the Treaty of Versailles, or of him confronting the international community, but they were a major step in his build up to war
- Treaty of Versailles: put the Saar under the control of the League of Nations for 15 years. During these years, the region was administered by the League – run, first, by a Frenchman, then by a Canadian and thirdly by a Briton.
- Plebiscite: In 1935, as preparations began to hold the plebiscite (vote) then the inhabitants would decide whether they returned to Germany, or retained their separate identity, it was being administered by a second Briton, Sir Geoffrey Knox.
- Saar opponents to Nazi Germany: The vote was by no means a certainty. Many anti-Nazis had fled to the Saar after 1933. Seeing what Hitler was doing in Germany, Communists and Social Democrats formed a ‘united front’ campaign to try to retain League of Nations status.
- Supporters of Nazi Germany: Saar Nazis were equally determined the Saar should return to Germany. They formed a ‘German Front’ with the Catholics. Helped by the Saar police and the German Gestapo, they boycotted and beat up their opponents. The League knew what was going on, but it was afraid to stop the plebiscite for fear of causing Nazi riots.
- Nazi pressure: The Nazis turned up the pressure. Led by a Nazi called Spaniol, 17,000 Nazi Saarlanders (who had gone to Germany to join the SA) threatened to invade the Saar and impose Nazi rule (although this was nipped in the bud in December 1935 when Britain’s Anthony Eden offered to send soldiers to keep the peace).
What was the outcome of the saar?
The Saar had a mixture of French and German citizens. Since 1919 it had been controlled by the League of Nations and the industry there had been run by France.
On 13th January 1935 there was a plebiscite (a vote) run by the League of Nations to decide whether the Saar should return to German rule. The League was determined that the promised vote should take place; Hitler was initially reluctant as many of his opponents had fled to the Saar from Germany.
Goebbels, Hitler’s propaganda minister, ran an extensive campaign to promote the German Reich.
Outcome: over 90% of the population of the Saar voted to rejoin Germany. A huge morale boost for Hitler and an entirely legal move in regaining the land from France after the plebiscite.
After the plebiscite, Hitler announced that he had no other “territorial demands to make of France”.
When was the plebiscite held and what were the results?
- 13 January 1935: the plebiscite was held, overseen by two judges from Italy and Holland, and a US History Professor, Sarah Wambaugh – they declared that the election had been fair, and that the result was genuine.
- The result was overwhelming: 90.3% of the voters voted to return to Germany.
What were the effects of the Saar?
Although the Saar returned to Germany entirely in accordance with the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, many historians regard it as an essential ‘first step’ on Hitler’s road to war:
1 The result validated the Nazi regime. The result was, says one historian, ‘the greatest triumph of the Nazis in a free election’. It demonstrated that Germans were NOT just being browbeaten into supporting the terror by Nazi Brownshirts – Germans who lived outside Germany had shown the world that they hated the Treaty of Versailles and loved Germany more than they feared Hitler’s regime. It made it very hard for Hitler’s opponents to argue that the German people were not wholly behind him.
2 The result gave a massive boost to Hitler’s prestige, and were in the future to provide him with the moral authority to advance his demands for unity with Austrian and the Sudeten Germans. The Saar plebiscite confirmed Hitler’s expansionist agenda for the rest of the 1930s, and made it ve difficult for democratic regimes to oppose his claims to Austria and the Sudetenland.
3. Events had also, as early as 1935, showed the League was scared to confront violence. And even more importantly, appeasers such as Daladier and Chamberlain failed to notice that the Nazis had immediately backed down when Eden had threatened to send soldiers.
