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6.2
Causes of the War (pages 194-201)
Non-Intervention & Appeasement on the Eve of War
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The League of Nations seemed unable to take firm action against Japan and Italy in the
Manchurian crisis and the Abyssinia affair
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Britain and France also did not want to become involved in the affairs of other countries; they
simply tried to appease countries such as Germany
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War was imminent
The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and the Failure of the Non-Intervention
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Spain had remained neutral during WWI but still suffered
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It had lost colonies and therefore markets for its products
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Communism threatened the monarchy; in 1939 riots and strikes led to the fall of the monarchy
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The communist/socialist government that was elected was against the catholic church and the
rich
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Civil war broke out in 1936 led by Francisco Franco (who had the support of fascists) who tried to
overthrow the new government
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Countries such as Canada, Britain and France stayed out the conflict; Canada even passed a law
making it illegal for Canadians to join the foreign army
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Germany and Italy, however, helped Franco
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Germany saw this conflict as a way to test its new air force and other weapons
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Germany also wanted to see what they could achieve; would the Great Powers enforce the Treaty
of Versailles?
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Canadians did secretly join the Spanish conflict and formed their own battalion – the MackenziePapineau Battalion
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Franco defeated the Spanish government after 3 years
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More importantly, Hitler saw that Britain and France were unwilling to take a stand
Lebensraum
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Hitler rose to power in 1933 and became chancellor of Germany
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His goal was to make Germany great again and to expand its territories
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He wanted to unify Austria and other German-speaking territories with Germany
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He started with the Saar Valley in 1935; it had been given to France at the end of WWI
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When there was no response by the League of Nations or other Allied forces, he ordered troops
into Austria in 1938
Appeasement & the Munich Pact
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Neville Chamberlain (PM of Britain), thought that Hitler was a reasonable man and that he would
abide by agreements he had made
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Chamberlain and King (PM of Canada) supported the idea of appeasement – to satisfy Hitler’s
demands
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Remember King had felt that the Treaty of Versailles treated Germany too harsh; he thought
Hitler was only trying to ease some of the German peoples’ discontent
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Chamberlain met with Hitler in 1938 in Munich to discuss the German occupation of a part of
Czechoslovakia (Sudetenland – a German-speaking area)
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Chamberlain asked that Hitler leave the rest of Czechoslovakia alone and when Hitler agreed,
Chamberlain returned home stating that he had brought “peace in our time”
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Canada/King even congratulated Chamberlain; Canada and Britain were hoping to avoid another
world war
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The Munich Pact (as it was called) soon became less optimistic as Hitler signed as non-aggression
treaty with the Soviet Union
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By March of 1939, Hitler had invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia
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On September 1, 1939, he sent troops into Poland; this attack was known as a Blitzkrieg
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Having no other choice, Britain and France declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939
Fascism and Anti-Semitism
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Mussolini started fascism and in 1922, became the dictator of Italy; this meant the government
controlled completely political parties, industry and labor, cultural, religious and social activities
and other features of national life
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ALL opposition is suppressed
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Hitler appealed to Germans stating the unfairness of the Treaty of Versailles; he restored
German pride and its prestige by rebuilding the army
Hitler wanted to establish the Third Reich which he said would last 1000 years
Hitler had written Mein Kampf while in jail; it stated that the German race would rule supreme
over all inferior races
Germany was feeling defeated following the Treaty of Versailles and the Great Depression; the
Jews were a convenient group which Hitler could blame for all of the country’s problems
Under Hitler’s totalitarian rule, anti-Semitism became a state policy
Propaganda and censorship followed by the Nuremberg Laws stripped Jews of their German
citizenship; they were attacked, vandalized and no one was held accountable for their actions
against them
In 1938-39, Jews were forced from their homes to live in ghettos
In 1941, Hitler decided that extermination was the final solution to their Jewish problem
Jews were sent to concentration camps/death camps; the horrors of these camps did not come
fully to light until the end of the war
Jews, communists, Slavs, Poles, Gypsies, homosexuals and the mentally challenged were sent to
and often murdered in these camps
This genocide had been carefully planned by the Nazis
Fascism in Canada
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There were Italian Canadians who were sympathetic to Mussolini’s government
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There were also Nazi sympathizers in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (where there were large
numbers of German-speaking populations)
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The Catholic church in Germany AND in Québec saw the Nazis as a safeguard against the
communists
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Some Canadians were attracted to fascism during the Great Depression; some believed it would
bring economic improvement, others were attracted by anti-Semitism
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Jews in Canada were forbidden to hold certain jobs and often there were violent attacks against
them
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The Canadian government was reluctant to accept Jewish refugees during the 1930’s and during
WWII