Road to World War II Revision

Abolish the Treaty of Versailles (5 points).

	Thought it was unjust and humiliating.
	Tiny armed forces.
	Rhineland demilitarised.
	Anschluss with Austria forbidden.
	Germans forced to live in Czechoslovakia (Sudetenland) and Poland (including Danzig).

Expand German territory (2 aims).

	To unite Austria with Germany.
	To get extra lebensraum [living space] for Germans.

Defeat Communism (2 reasons).

	Believed Bolsheviks helped cause German defeat in WW1.
	Feared Bolshevik takeover.

Rearmament (4 things)

	Began in secret
	Took Germany out of League of Nations.
	1935 (4 actions):  Introduced conscription Increased spending on arms Huge rearmament rally. Naval agreement with Britain allowed German navy of 35% of British navy.
	Increased airforce to 8,250 by 1939.

Rhineland (4 things)

	7 March 1936: moved troops in, breaking Treaty of Versailles and Locarno Treaty.
	Justified it by claiming that USSR + France agreement threatened Germany.
	German army (only 22000 soldiers) had orders to withdraw if opposed.
	France and Britain did not stop him/ League of Nations powerless, didn’t want to risk war.

Anschluss (5 events)

	1934:  Failed attempt.
	Feb 1938:  Hitler encouraged Austrian Nazis to stir up trouble.
	Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg sought British and French help, but was refused.
	9 March 1938:  Schuschnigg called for a plebiscite on union.
	11 March 1938:  Hitler sent in troops, then held a plebsicite
	10 April 1938:  99.7% voted for union.

Sudetenland (5 events)

	April 1938:  Many Germans Nazis lived there – they stirred up trouble,.
	15 Sept 1938 Berchtesgaden:  Hitler promised that the rest of Czechoslovakia was safe.
	27 Sept 1938 Bad Godesberg:  Hitler demands immediate control of Sudetenland.
	29 Sept 1938 Munich Agreement:  Britain, France and Italy gave the Sudetenland to Hitler.
	30 September Chamberlain calls Munich: “Peace for our time”.

Czechoslovakia (3 events)

	15 March 1939: German troops took over the rest of  the country.
	No Czech resistance.
	Britain and France abandoned appeasement.

Poland (2 dates)

	23 August 1939, Nazi-Soviet Pact shocked world; frees Hitler to attack Poland.
	1 Sept 1939 Hitler invaded Poland – Britain and France declared war on Germany.

Accepted re-arming of Germany (British naval agreement, 1935)

No action over re-occupation of Rhineland (1936)

Allowed Hitler to use German bombers in Spanish Civil War (1937–39)

No action over Anschluss (1938).

Gave in over Sudetenland at Munich (1938).

Chamberlain feared another war. People wanted peace so....  

Chamberlain would not have had enough public support to go to war.

Belief in the League of Nations to solve problems so...  

they did not threaten Hitler with war.

Britain too weak for war in 1938, needed time to re-arm so...

appeasement bought Britain a year to re-arm.

Treaty of Versailles was considered unfair so...  

many British people sympathised with Hitler's demands.

Chamberlain misjudged Hitler so...

he trusted Hitler's promises that Sudetenland was the last thing he wanted

Fear of Communism so...

people let Hitler grow string because they thought a strong Germany could stop Russia.

Feb: 

Franco (a Fascist) won the Spanish Civil War so... It seemed Fascism was on the increase everywhere.

15 March: 

Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia so... People realised that only a war would stop him.

March: 

Chamberlain promised to defend Poland which... Made war inevitable when Hitler invaded Poland.

April: 

Mussolini conquers Albania which... Made it seem that Fascism was wanting to take over the world

May:

Pact of Steel [Hitler and Mussolini] which... showed Hitler was building up his forces for war.

Aug:

British alliance with USSR failed, but 23 August Nazi-Soviet Pact so... Hitler was free to invade Poland.

Aug: Hitler stirred up trouble in Danzig and demanded the Polish corridor, then

Sept: Hitler invaded Poland.

Suspicion

	Chamberlain didn’t trust Stalin – Communist/dictator.
	Stalin didn’t trust the British [thought they wanted to trick him into war with Germany]
	Poland didn’t trust USSR.

Choice

	If Stalin allied with Britain, he would end up fighting in Poland on Britain’s behalf
	Hitler was promising half of Poland for doing nothing.

Appeasement

	Stalin didn’t think Britain would honour its promise to Poland
	He thought he would be left fighting Hitler alone.

Britain delayed, Aug 1939

	Britain sent an official to USSR by boat - too slow
	An admiral, he was not important enough to make decisions.

In August 1939 the USSR signed an agreement with Germany.

Time to prepare for war.

It gave Russia 18 months to make military preparations.

Hope to gain 

Stalin hoped Germany, Britain and France would wear themselves out in a long war.

Unhappy with Britain

Stalin turned to Germany when Britain was too slow.

Germany's Motives

Hitler  thought it would make Britain back down over Poland.