Download Chapter 4: Culture

How did the world begin to move
to war?
Disarmament at last?
• Feelings of distrust that started
World War I still remained after the
war
• Nations desired peace and to avoid
another war
• But, most were unwilling to take
logical step towards making that
peace – disarming
• By 1930, League had made several
attempts at disarmament
A disunited Europe
Rearmament
• As early as 1920, Nazi foreign policy aimed at territorial
expansion – bound to lead to war
• Large amounts of loans to Germany for rebuilding after
World War I were used for secret rearming
• Democratic powers slower to rearm
Protectionism
• Countries adopted policy of protectionism
 Put taxes on foreign imported goods so people would buy
goods produced in their own countries
 If they could not produce certain goods, they formed
economic alliances, making exclusive trade links
Forming alliances
• Various reasons for forming alliances:
 Genuine desire to help
each other
 Trade privileges
 Promises to fight
together in war or not
to fight each other
How did Hitler’s foreign policy
make things worse?
How did Hitler’s foreign policy make things
worse?
• First Nazi policy document drawn up in 1920
 24 points to direct Nazi policy
 Made clear that if Nazis gained power, German territorial
expansion would make war inevitable
 Wanted control over areas of Europe that had significant
population of German speakers
 Racist party policy: invented ‘pure’ German race, Aryans;
all other races inferior
How did Hitler’s foreign policy make things
worse?
Step by step
• Nazis took steps to ensure their takeover of Europe
 Reintroduced conscription
 Built up armaments
 Tested strength of their forces in Spanish Civil War
• Hitler careful in his dealing with foreign politicians
 Made Germany’s actions seem reasonable, as a way of
putting right the injustices of the Treaty of Versailles
 Emphasised that Germany did not want war
 Until Germany was ready, he was prepared to back down if
opposed by force
The Berlin Olympics: An early warning sign?
• Olympics seen as opportunity to show:
 That Germany was very well-run
 That stories about anti-Semitism and oppression were
exaggerated
 The supremacy of the Aryan race, by winning many gold
medals
• Nazis won the most gold medals but black US athletes
and Jewish athletes did well too
• Hitler congratulated German winners but not winners
from races he saw as ‘inferior’
The Berlin Olympics: An early warning sign?
Nazi expansion in Europe
Appeasement
• Appeasement
 Negotiating with, and making concessions to, another
country in order to avoid war
• How Hitler got so far without opposition:
 Many politicians felt the Treaty of Versailles was unfair
and German resentment was reasonable
 Wanted to avoid war by satisfying some German demands
• Politicians accepted Hitler’s rearming
 Anglo-German Naval agreement: limiting German fleet to
no more than 35% of British fleet
 Hitler had no intention to limit German naval strength
Appeasement: for and against
The Munich Agreement, 1938
• Hitler marched into Czechoslovakia in September 1938
 European powers in a dilemma
 Czechoslovakia – a new nation created by Treaty of
Versailles and principle of self-determination
 Britain, France and League should have moved to protect
Czechslovakia but did not
 Fear of antagonising Hitler
• Meetings held in Munich between Germany, Italy, France
and Britain
 Hitler got Sudentenland
 ‘Promised’ to end his territorial expansion
What happened after Munich?
• Hitler invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia in 1939
• Munich Agreement: a torn-up episode
Hitler has entered Prague, apparently, and Czechoslovakia has ceased
to exist. No balder, bolder departure from the written bond has ever
been committed in history. It is beyond understanding and his
desertion of the Prime Minister is stunning. His whole policy of
appeasement is in ruins. Munich is a torn-up episode.
• Britain and France increased speed of their rearmament
• Britain also introduced conscription
Which side would the USSR support?
• USSR had a difficult choice to decide whether to support
the Allies or Germany:
 Neither sides really wanted USSR as they opposed
communism
 However, Britain and France might come to trust USSR
 Also, they had not yet talked about taking land from USSR
 On the other hand, Germany had talked about taking land
from USSR
 Which side could USSR trust?
 If he could not trust either side, which alliance would
give him the best short-term advantage?
Which side would the USSR support?
• USSR held talks with Britain and France
• Talks broke off
• USSR signed non-aggression pact with Germany
 A promise not to fight each other
 Secret term: Germany and USSR would divide Poland
between them
• Hitler in the best position he could hope for:
 Need not fight a war to the east and west
 Britain and France lost a powerful ally
Which side would the USSR support?
• Events leading up to World War II
How did the League of Nations fail
to halt the move to war in Europe?
How did the League of Nations fail to halt
the move to war in Europe?
Crisis in Abyssinia
• Fascist Italy wanted to
build up its empire
• Decided to take land near
colonies that already
belonged to Italy
• Abyssinia had borders with
two smaller Italian
colonies and would be a
link uniting them into one
large territory
Crisis in Abyssinia
• When Mussolini invaded in 1935, Abyssinian emperor
appealed to League for help
• League was faced with a dilemma
 Italy was clearly in the wrong
 But, direct confrontation with Italy could lead to war
• So, League did little to discourage Italy
 Imposed sanctions on Italy
 But failed to decisively place an immediate ban on oil
exports to Italy
Crisis in Abyssinia
• By the time League decided…
 Italy already annexed large parts of Abyssinia
 Abyssinian emperor forced into exile
• Britain and France held secret talks with Italy
 The Hoare-Laval Pact
 Gave Italy two-thirds of Abyssinia
• Italy’s success in Abyssinia spelt the League’s failure
 Failure of League to control Italy (and Japan in 1931) and
Britain and France, meant it lost all respect and
effectiveness
The Spanish Civil War
• As Spain slid towards civil war in September 1936, the
government appealed to the League for help
 Asked for weapons to ‘defend our territorial integrity and
political independence’
• League could not reach agreement about what to do:
 Did not send weapons
 Could not get government and rebels to negotiate
 Did not stop member countries from intervening on both
sides
What happened in Europe during
World War II?
What happened in Europe during World War II?
Timelines showing:
• Advance of Axis Powers
in Europe till 1942
• The Allies reclaiming
power in Europe from
1941 to 1945
Why did the Allies win the war in Europe?
• Superior strength of the
Allies
• Axis tactical mistakes
• Allied tactical successes
• Allied control of air and sea
• Resistance movements
• Britain’s resilience
Summary