The Road to World War Two

This topic will look at the following events/issues

• Hitler’s aims• Steps to World War Two• The policy of ‘Appeasement’• The Nazi/Soviet Pact• Why did Britain and France declare war

on Germany in 1939?• How far was Hitler’s foreign policy to

blame for the outbreak of war in 1939?

January 1933 – Adolph Hitler becomes Chancellor (Primeminister) of Germany

A strong leader declared to the German people that he would restore German pride, rebuild their shattered country and have vengeance for

the Treaty of Versailles.

Hitler’s aims

Abolish the Treaty of Versailles‘The Versailles Treaty is worthless.

60 million German hearts and minds are on fire with anger and

shame. They will cry out we want war!’

Destroy Communism‘The menace of Russia hangs

over Germany. All our strength is needed to rescue our nation from this international snake’’

Lebensraum‘It will be the duty of German

foreign policy to get large spaces to feed and house the growing

population of her. Destiny points us towards Russia.’

Re-build Germany’s

armed forces

Create a ‘Greater Germany’

Anschluss with Austria. Hitler believed that they belonged

together’

• German Army limited to

• Germany had to pay

reparations to allies

• Accept war guilt

• Germany lost % of its territories and colonies

• The Rhineland was demilitarised

• Anschluss (union) with Austria was forbidden

• Germans were forced to live in Czechoslavakia (the Sudentenland) and Poland (including Danzig)

Abolish the Treaty of

Versailles!

Thought that the Treaty of Versailles was unjust and humiliating

Lebensraum

• Germany's future, Hitler declared, entirely depended on meeting its need for more Lebensraum -living space; the German nation had a right to a larger share of land. The question was where the space could be acquired "at the lowest cost." The answer lay not in overseas colonies but in Europe itself, "in immediate proximity to the Reich."

• Hitler’s ‘Greater Germany’ would have a population of over 85 million

• Germany’s land would be insufficent to feed this many people

• Hitler intended to expand Eastwards towards Poland and Russia. Russians and Poles were Slavs – Hitler believed them to be inferior and so Germany was entitled to take their land.

Destroy Communism!

•Hitler believed that the Bolsheviks helped cause German defeat in World War One

•Feared Bolshevik take over

•Thought that they were inferior

Steps to War

Step One – Austria 1934

Hitler persuaded Austrian Nazis to stir up trouble in Austria

They took over the Chancery and shot Chancellor Dollfuss dead

Hitler offered to send German troops in ‘to keep peace’

Mussolini of Italy did not like Hitler at this stage

Sent Italian troops up to the border with Austria – clear threat to fight if Hitler moved German troops in

Hitler had not built up German Army enough to take on Italy yet – he backed down

Failed attempt at Austrian Anschluss

Step TwoRe-armament

As soon as he came to power, Hitler began breaking the Treaty of Versailles by re-

arming Germany

He began in secret – e.g. setting up the

‘German Gliding Club’ to train pilots.

Also in 1935 he introduced CONSCRIPTION,

increased spending on arms and said the

German Army would increase to 500,000 men.

In 1935 Germany signed Anglo-German naval agreement.

German navy limited to35% of British.

In 1935 he abandoned

secrecy & announced the creation

of the new German Luftwaffe.

He needed larger armies to protect Germany, and large

armies also provided jobs and solved unemployment problems caused by

The Great Depression.

Reasons and Reactions

Britain sympathized with Germany, believing that the

Treaty of Versailles had been too unfair

on them. They also believed that a strong Germany would act asa barrier against Communism.

The French were angry with Britain, but there was

little they could do.

Step ThreeThe Saar Plebiscite in 1935

Saar coalfields had been under League of Nations control since Treaty of Versailles

Treaty of Versailles said after 15 years Saarlanders could decide by plebiscite whether to join Germany

Massive majority (90%) voted to go back to Germany

Step FourRemilitarisation of the

Rhineland

The Treaty of Versailles forbade Germany to have any troops or fortifications in the Rhineland area, bordering France.On March 7th 1936 Hitler took a huge gamble and ordered German troops to march into the Rhineland. This directly broke the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.

They had secret sealed orders to retreat if Britain or France objected.

Hitler had ordered his generals, commanding 22,000 men, to retreat if France showed any signs of retaliation. This did not occur. German soldiers and armed policemen marched straight into the Rhineland.

Reasons and Reactions

France and Russia had made a treaty to protect each other from

Germany. Hitler said that he should be allowed to place troops on his own frontier.

France was going through an internal political crisis at the time and there

was no political leadership to concentrate against Nazi Germany.

Britain generally supported the view that Nazi Germany was only

going into her own "backyard" and that this section of Versailles did not

need to be enforced in the mid-1930’s. It was believed that Germany was

behaving in a reasonable and understandable manner.

Step FiveAnschluss with Austria (1938)

Hitler had now allied with Mussolini, after Mussolini was angered by League of Nations sanctions on Italy after the invasion of Abyssinia

Hitler told Austrian Nazis to stir up trouble in Vienna again

Then he put pressure on chancellor Schuschnigg to invite German troops in to keep peace

Schuschnigg gambled & called for a plebiscite, hoping Austrians would say no, and make it impossible for Hitler to invade.

Hitler did not wait, moved his troops to the border of Austria and threatened to invade if Schuschnigg did not resign.. Schuschnigg forcibly resigned and a Nazi supporter replaced him. Hitler’s troops marched into Austria four days before the plebiscite, and used German troops to ‘supervise’ the voting. Not surprisingly he got a 99.75% vote in favour of Austria joining Germany.

Reasons and Reactions

There were lots of German people living in Austria and Hitler said the people of Austria wanted to unite

with Germany. Austria was economically weak

and Hitler promised to solve this problem.

France and Britain refused to help Austria. The British prime Minister Neville

Chamberlain felt the Treaty of Versailles was wrong and that Austria

and Germany should be united. Thiswas justified by the fact that they

were both German speaking nations.

Hitler was now even more convinced that Britain and France would not

Stand in his way in the future.

Steps to War

Step SixSpanish Civil War 1936-39

In 1936 civil war broke out in Spain between the right wing Nationalists and the left wing

RepublicansThe world promised not to intervene, but Hitler

decided to send help to the nationalists

He did this so that he could train his men in his new techniques, especially using Blitzkrieg.

German troops, aircraft and military advisors helped General Franco to win this war.

THE DIVE BOMBING OF GUERNICA IN 1937

Was a turning point for Britain and France – they saw what air warfare

could do – made many consider Appeasement

Step Seven Sudentenland 1938

The Sudetenland contained 2 million German speakers

They had NEVER been part of Germany (Austrian before 1919)

Hitler demanded ‘self-government’ for the Sudeten Germans

The Czechs were outraged…

Chamberlain hesitated…

Chamberlain flew to Germany twice &

agreed

Then Mussolini called a conference at Munich

Hitler then demanded that the

Sudetenland be given to Germany

The Czechs were not invited!

Britain, France, Italy & Germany agreed to give the Sudetenland to Germany

Sudetenland Continued – The ‘Peace of Paper’At Munich, Chamberlain and Hitler signed a separate treaty. It promised that Britain and Germany would never go to war with

each other again…

It means “Peace in

our Time”

It’s just a piece of

paper – the old man

wanted my autograph so I gave it

to him

Step Eight – Czechoslovakia March 1939

Hitler promised at Munich that he did not want any more landIn March 1939 Germany invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia was an independent state, it had no German minority

They guarantee to defend Poland if it is attacked

He thinks GB & France are letting Hitler move east to attack him!

Decides to buy time to re-build shattered Red Army…

Step Nine – Nazi-Soviet Pact August 1939

I can’t invade Poland if Britain & France attack

me in the West AND the USSR attacks me from

the East

I can’t fight Germany yet – I’ve just purged my Red Army! And

Britain & France won’t help ME!

So…

They signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact

They promised not to attack each other

In secret they promised to divide Poland between them

Step Ten – Invasion of Poland

September 1939

1st September – Germany invades Poland

Britain and France give 48 hrs to withdraw

3rd September – Britain and France declare war on Germany

IVIL WAR IN SPAIN

NSCHLUSS WITH AUSTRIA

UDENTENLAND CRISIS

ITLER TAKES OVER REST OF CZECHOSLAVAKIA

TALY AND GERMANY FORM PACT

AZI-SOVIET PACT

ERMANY INVADE POLAND

E-OCCUPATION OF THE RHINELAND

Was Appeasement the right policy?

It was the wrong policy because it

encouraged Hitler.

It was the right policy because Britain was not ready for war.

Why did war break out in Europe in 1939?

It was all Hitler’s fault. He planned it step by

step.

It wasn’t Hitler’s fault. He was a gambler, not

a planner ..