The Road To War Pdf

Hitler’s aims, the steps to war, Appeasement, the Sudeten Crisis, the Nazi-Soviet pact

THE ROAD TO WARIt is important that

we understand what Hitler’s aims were

because they are so central in

understanding why WW2 broke out.

What were Hitler’s Aims?HITLER’S MAIN AIMS LAY OUTSIDE OF GERMANY

ABOLISH THE TREATY OF VERSAILLESThe Germans hated it, especially: Germany’s tiny armed forces, the demilitarized zone in Rhineland, the fact that Anschluss (union) with Austria was forbidden and the idea that Germans were forced to live in Czechoslovakia (the Sudetenland) and Poland. The Treaty was a constant reminder to the Germans of their humiliation in World War I. Hitler did not accept that the German army had lost the war, and he was determined to make Germany great again.

EXPAND GERMAN TERRITORYThe German population was growing. Hitler said that the German nation needed more Lebensraum (‘living space’). He was determined to get Lebensraum by conquering land in eastern Europe. This was connected with his belief that the Aryan race was genetically superior and destined to rule over others. Hitler believed he had the right to invade eastern Europe and make the Slav peoples Germany's slaves.DESTROY COMMUNISMThe Nazis were Fascists: the exact opposite of the Communists who ruled Russia. Hitler blamed the Communists for Germany's defeat in World War One, and he feared that the Communists were trying to take over Germany. He was determined to destroy Communism, and this meant a war with Russia.

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H O L G A T E S C H O O L :Y11 HISTORY GCSE

P a p e r 1 t o p i c : W W 2THE ROAD TO WAR: WW2 VERY IMPORTANT!

The Palace of Versailles where the treaty was signed in 1919.

Adolf Hitler The flag of communist Russia

A modern day map of Eastern Europe

THE STEPS TO WAR

The Treaty of Versailles had put the Saar under the control of the League of Nations for 15 years. In 1935 the inhabitants of the Saar voted to return to Germany. The Saar plebiscite is cited by many historians as the first step to war.

Hitler began to build up his armed forces. In 1935 he introduced conscription (calling up men to the army). This broke the Treaty of Versailles, but Britain and France let him get away with it.

Hitler invaded the Rhineland on 7 March 1936. This broke the Treaty of Versailles. It was a bluff – the German army had only 22,000 soldiers and had orders to retreat if they met any resistance. But once again, Britain and France did nothing.

In 1938, Hitler took over Austria. First, Hitler encouraged the Austrian Nazis to demand union with Germany. Then Hitler invaded Austria (11 March 1938). This broke the Treaty of Versailles, but Britain and France did nothing.

In 1938, Hitler tried to take over the Sudetenland. First, Hitler encouraged the Sudeten Nazis to demand union with Germany. Then, Hitler made plans to invade Czechoslovakia. Neville Chamberlain appeased Hitler. At Munich, on 29 September 1938, Hitler got permission from Britain and France to occupy the Sudetenland.

On 15 March 1939, Hitler’s troops marched into the rest of Czechoslovakia. This, for most British people, was the time when they realised that the only thing that would stop Hitler was a war. Chamberlain promised the Poles that Britain would support them if Germany attacked Poland.

In summer 1939, Hitler began to unfold his plan to take over Poland. He made a secret pact with the USSR (known as the Nazi-Soviet Pact) which promised not to attack one another. At the same time, they promised to attack Poland and split the country into 2. The invasion took place and war was declared on the 3rd September 1939.

1935: THE SAAR PLEBISCITE

1935: REARMAMENT OFGERMAN ARMY

1936: RHINELAND

OCCUPIED

1938: ANCHLUSS WITH AUSTRIA

1938: THE

SUDETENLAND

1939: HITLER TAKES

OVER CZECHOSLOVAKIA

1939: GERMANY

INVADES POLAND: WAR DECLARED

The Road to War is a paper 1 t o p i c. I t mainly appears in the exam with specific reference to ‘appeasement’.

THE STEPS TO WAR

'Appeasement' means 'giving in to a bully'. Nowadays, many people criticize Chamberlain for appeasing Hitler. There were many reasons why Britain 'appeased' Hitler in the 1930s: some British people approved of Hitler's policies, some hoped that a strong Germany would stop the growth of Communist Russia, some felt that events in Europe were not Britain's business, nearly all of British people wanted peace and avoid the horrors of WW1, and many agreed with Hitler that the Treaty of Versailles was unfair.

In the 1930s, there were some people – most notably Winston Churchill – who opposed his policy. He believed that Appeasement allowed Hitler to think that he could get away with anything and that failing top stop Hitler re-arming allowed Germany to grow stronger. Chamberlain faced some criticism at the time but it should be remembered that many people praised him. It was appeasement that allowed Hitler to make so many gains during the 1930s.

Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain thought that appeasing Hitler was the only way to prevent war.

Winston Churchill

APPEASEMENTGiving in to a bully in order to stop something bad from happening

SOURCE B: A British cartoon of 1938 shows Germany crushing Austria. Next in line is Czechoslovakia. At the back, Britain says to France, who is next-to-last: ‘Why should we take a stand about someone pushing someone else when it’s all so far away?’

Give thanks to your God. Your children are safe. Peace is a victory for all mankind. If we must have a victor, let us choose Mr Chamberlain.

SOURCE A: The Daily Express Sept 1938

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IN ACTIONAPPEASEMENT

SMACK HIM!This part of appeasement is very important, its almost certain to come up in the exam.

The Sudeten Crisis of 1938 is the key example of appeasement in action. It should be remembered that Hitler had already been allowed to occupy the Rhineland, rearm the Germany army and unite with Austria (all against the Treaty of Versailles). In 1938, Hitler wanted to united Germans living in the border areas of Czechoslovakia (the Sudetenland).

Hitler demanded that Czechoslovakia should hand the Sudetenland over to Germany. When the Czechs refused tensions in Europe ran incredibly high with even Chamberlain hinting that ‘other’ countries could become involved. On the 22nd September Chamberlain held talks with Hitler where he would later persuade the Czech President to hand over the Sudetenland to Hitler. War seemed to have been avoided.

However, Hitler then demanded that he should have the Sudetenland before the 1st

October and threatened to invade. Britain prepared for war as all seemed lost. At the last moment Britain, France, Italy and Germany met at the Munich conference.

Hitler assured Chamberlain that this was the last issue that needed solving and consequently Britain and France ‘gave’ the Sudetenland to Hitler (without even consulting the Czech President) Chamberlain returned to England as a hero, he waved a piece of paper in the air and said that he had “peace for our time”. The note had a promise from the so called ‘Munich Agreement’. Six months later - Hitler went against his promise and invaded Poland: two days later Chamberlain declared war on Hitler and WW2 began.

CHAMBERLAIN RETURNS FROM THE

MUNICH CONFERENCE & HOLDS ALOFT A PIECE OF PAPER AND SAYS: “PEACE

FOR OUR TIME”

“I remember it well. We were all given gas masks and sand bags were piled high all across London. We thought war was inevitable until good old Mr Chamberlain came back from that Munich Conference.”

SOURCE A: Arthur Brownhill commenting on the Sudeten Crisis 2005

The map shows Germany & the Sudetenland

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On 23 August, 1939, the world was shocked when, suddenly, Russia and Germany signed a Non-aggression Pact. People would have been even more shocked if they had known at the time that, in addition, the two countries had a secret agreement to invade and divide Poland between them. Stalin knew that Hitler’s ultimate aim was to

attack Russia. In 1939, he invited Lord Halifax, the British Foreign Secretary to go to Russia to discuss an alliance against Germany. Britain refused. The British feared Russian Communism, and they believed that the Russian army was too weak to be of any use against Germany.

Many historians believe that this helped to bring war closer because Hitler didn’t think that Britain and France would fight Germany knowing that they had an alliance with Russia. It also led to an official pact between Britain and Poland so when the invasion came Chamberlain had no choice but to declare war.

The Road to WW2

SOURCE A: "Rendezvous" by David Low - Hitler says: "The scum of the Earth I believe." Stalin says: "The bloody assassin of the workers I presume?"

The Nazi-Soviet Pact

Stalin - Leader of the USSR

The world was amazed by this alliance of opposites, but, at the time Stalin needed time to re-arm for when Hitler did invade Russia. It was a marriage of convenience, until Hitler broke his promise and invaded Russia in 1940.

Michael Smith - British historian 2006

SOURCE B: Another cartoon about the Nazi-Soviet pact by David Low.

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Paper 1: The Road to war 1933-1939A selection from the 2004, 2005, 2006 exam papers

*Remember: the exam paper does not look like this!

SMACK EXAMINERthe in the face!Give yourself a head start and recognise the questions that have appeared in previous exams based on the topic that you have been learning about. We will practice them in class, you should also do this at home during revision. Your parents could help you.

REMEMBER:

SK + ET = SUCCESS

a) What does Source A tell us about Hitler’s aims in foreign policy? (3 marks)

b) How accurate is the view given in Source B of the aims of Britain and France at Munich ? Use Source D and your knowledge to explain your answer. (6 marks)YOU SHOULD THINK ABOUT:• WWW - Who, When, Why?• What was going on at the time?• Who was the audience?• Why was it produced What was the purpose?• Does it match up with the event, is this what happened?• Is it accurate based on WWW and what you know about the event?

c) How accurate is the view in Source C of Hitler’s aims in foreign policy in the 1930s?YOU SHOULD THINK ABOUT:• WWW - Who, When, Why?• What was going on at the time?• Who was the audience?• Why was it produced What was the purpose?• Does it match up with the event, is this what happened?• Is it accurate based on WWW and what you know about the event?

d) How accurate is the view in Source D of the importance of the decisions made at Munich in September 1938? (6 marks)YOU SHOULD THINK ABOUT:• WWW - Who, When, Why?• What was going on at the time?• Who was the audience?• Why was it produced What was the purpose?• Does it match up with the event, is this what happened?• Is it accurate based on WWW and what you know about the event?

Source A Hitler’s aims in foreign policy

‘Hitler aimed to make Germany into a great power again by destroying the hated Treaty of Versailles, building up the army, recovering lost territory and bringing all Germans within the Reich. This last aim would involve the annexation of Austria and the taking of territory from Czechoslovakia and Poland.’

Source B: A Soviet view of the Munich Agreement 1938 (From ‘Anti-Soviet Conspiracy’ by A.O. Chubaryan, a Soviet historian, published in 1969.)

‘Why did Britain and France allow Hitler to achieve his aims at Munich? There is only one answer possible: the governments of Great Britain and France wanted to divert German aggression towards the east, to satisfy Hitler’s aims at the expense of the east European countries. Britain and France feared the increase of Germany’s strength in Europe. Both hoped to appease Hitler by giving him some Czech territory. They wanted to make Germany and the Soviet Union weaker by involving them in conflict.’

Source C Hitler’s aims in foreign policy (From a speech by Adolf Hitler in Berlin in 1941)

‘My programme was to abolish the Treaty of Versailles. No human being has declared or recorded what he wanted to do more often than I. Again and again I wrote these words – the abolition of the Treaty of Versailles.’

Source D The Munich Agreement - Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister, speaking to the crowd in Downing Street after his return from Munich in October 1938.

‘My good friends: we have come back from Germany bringing peace with honour, I believe that it is peace for our time.’

SMACK EXAMINERthe in the face!

continued...

f) Which of the following events was the greater success in Hitler’s foreign policy:

* The re-militarisation of the Rhineland in 1936;* The occupation of the Sudetenland in 1938?You must refer to both events when explaining your answer. (10 marks)

e) Which was the bigger threat to European peace in the 1930s;

* The re-militarisation of the Rhineland, 1936;* The Nazi-Soviet Pact 1939?You must refer to both parts when explaining your answer.(10 marks)

YOU SHOULD THINK ABOUT:o Describe, Explain , Assess each of the points.o Say what happened, say how it is linked to the question,o Assess which was the most important reason.o Write 4 paragraphs: An introduction where you ‘smack the examiner in the face’ by directly answering the question, one paragraph per point and one paragraph as a conclusion. Your conclusion should make a decision as to which one is the most important and to give evidence for your conclusion.

YOU SHOULD THINK ABOUT:o Describe, Explain , Assess each of the points.o Say what happened, say how it is linked to the question,o Assess which was the most important reason.o Write 4 paragraphs: An introduction where you ‘smack the examiner in the face’ by directly answering the question, one paragraph per point and one paragraph as a conclusion. Your conclusion should make a decision as to which one is the most important and to give evidence for your conclusion.

A selection of MARK SCHEMES from the 2004, 2005, 2006 exam papers. Use them to help practice your exam questions from the previous page.

SMACK EXAMINERthe in the face!

b) How accurate is the view given in Source B of the aims of Britain and France at Munich ? Use Source D and your knowledge to explain your answer. (6 marks)

L1 – Statement about the source’s limitations/ content (1)L2 – Inferences (suggestions) made about the content of the source (2-3)L3 – Considers ‘WWW’: What was going on at the time? Who the audience was? Why it was produced/ What the purpose is? OR Use of own knowledge of the period to question the accuracy. (4-5)L4 – Combines both parts of L3 (WWW and Own Know.) (6)

c) How accurate is the view in Source C of Hitler’s aims in foreign policy in the 1930s?


d) How accurate is the view in Source D of the importance of the decisions made at Munich in September 1938? (6 marks)


e) Which was the bigger threat to European peace in the 1930s; * The re-militarisation of the Rhineland, 1936; * The Nazi-Soviet Pact 1939?You must refer to both parts when explaining your answer.(10 marks)

L1 Simple descriptive narrative with general coverage of the topic. (1-2 marks)e.g. makes simple statements about the re-militarisation/Pact, possibly with a comment that it was a threat to peace; why it was important to Hitler; why Stalin signed it; its consequences.

L2 Develops one cause OR Covers both with some development or explanation. This will involve description or explanation of both with little focus on the question (3-5 marks)

e.g. describes and explains the occupation of the Rhineland - why it was forbidden; Hitler’s views . the risk he took; why it was ignored by GB and France. Describes and explains the Nazi Soviet Pact

L3 A structured answer covering both bullet points, though one may be in greater depth, focused on the question. (6-8)Must be some assessment of at least one with focus on the question for this level. Reasoned arguments with judgement but little supporting evidence should be placed at this level.

Level 4 Balanced well argued answer covering both parts, focused on the question. e.g. assesses both parts relatively in depth and reaches an explained judgement. (9-10)

f) Which of the following events was the greater success in Hitler’s foreign policy: * The re-militarisation of the Rhineland in 1936; * The occupation of the Sudetenland in 1938?You must refer to both events when explaining your answer. (10 marks)

L1: EITHER Simple descriptive statement based on own knowledge(1-2)e.g. Hitler sent his troops into the Rhineland in 1936. Hitler was given the Sudetenland at Munich in 1938.

L2 Develops one cause OR Covers both with some development or explanation. This will involve description or explanation of both with little focus on the question (3-5 marks)

e.g describes what happened in the Rhineland, explains why it was successful, why GB and France did not resist, assesses success of Hitler, what he had gained, the risk he had taken etc. OR Describes Hitler’s meetings with Chamberlain, explains why Hitler was given the Sudetenland, assesses Hitler’s success.

L3 A structured answer covering both bullet points, though one may be in greater depth, focused on the question. (6-8)Must be some assessment of at least one with focus on the question for this level. Reasoned arguments with judgement but little supporting evidence should be placed at this level.

Level 4: Balanced well argued answer covering both parts, focused on the question. e.g. assesses both parts relatively and in depth. Must reach a reasoned judgement for top of level. 9-10

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The Road To War Pdf