Download Causes of WWI TOV/ LON Causes of WWII Early Cold War

You need to know the following for PAPER 1- make sure you can describe
and explain the significance of each of the events surrounding:
TOPIC:
Key questions:
Causes of
WWI
TOV/ LON
Why were there two armed camps in Europe in 1914?
Why did war break out in 1914?
Causes of
WWII
How did Hitler challenge and exploit the Treaty of Versailles
1933- March 1938?
Why did Appeasement fail?
Early Cold
War
Why did the USA and the USSR become rivals in the years 19451949?
How did the Cold War develop in the years 1949- 1960?
Revision?
How did the Treaty of Versailles establish peace?
Why did the League of Nations fail in its aim to keep peace?
You will answer 3 out of the 4 topics, in chronological order. So, you can
choose between Causes of World War I and Early Cold War!
PAPER ONE (1 hr 45)
So about 35 minutes per topic!
Time to spend on each question...
Question Styles:
4 Mark Question
‘Describe’.
THREE RELEVANT FACTS/ FIGURES/ POINTS
6 minutes
6 Mark Question
‘Do you agree with the interpretation?’
3 Paragraphs
Describe Content/ Explain what it means
Provenance/ Reliable?
Own knowledge/ Do you agree with this interpretation
of events? (LINK)
10-11 minutes
10 Mark Question
‘Which is the more significant?’
5 Paragraphs
Describe first bullet point
Explain how this was more significant (LINK)
Describe second bullet point
Explain how this was more significant (LINK)
Conclude- Evaluate- Which was more significant? Attack the other point of view!!
15-16 minutes
Topics To Answer:
4 TOPICS TO REVISE FROM- WILL ANSWER
ON
3 TOPICS ONLY!
Must be in chronological order!
So two combinations:
Causes of WWI
OR
TOV/LON
Causes of WWII
TOV/LON
Causes of WWII
Origins of Cold War
Useful revision websites:
www.johndclare.net
BBC bitesize
www.edmodo.com
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WHAT
YOU!
Revision guides you can buy:
CGP Revision guide– GCSE Hitory AQA B
See Mrs Bielby for practice exam papers/ questions and any
other revision material you may need (for example flash cards/
mindmaps/ tables)!
Don’t forget– SPaG is important
too!
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Weltpolitik:
‘World Politics’- German Foreign Policy of Kaiser Wilhelm II 1. Britain’s Empire covered 1/5 of the globe- the Kai(Emperor from 1888).
ser’s ambitions alarmed them.
Germany was the strongest industrial country in Europe,
army most powerful in the world. New country though- so
no empire.
Aim of Weltpolitik - earn Germany the respect it deserved
in the world and build an Empire- take its ‘Place in the
Sun’. Wanted to be a huge trading nation, so would need
an African Empire.
To sustain their Empire, they would need a strong navy,
just like Britain’s.
Imperialism and
Nationalism in
the Balkans:
The Ottoman (Turkish) Empire was the ‘Sick Man of Europe’- it was old
and weak. With her diminishing power, countries looked to either expand
their own power or take power for themselves in the Balkan region of
Europe:

Austria Hungary sought to expand her Empire in the region

2. Since other European countries already had Empires,
the Kaiser was going to have to take his by force.
3. The Kaiser’s aggressive foreign policy spread fear
among many European countries, especially Britain,
France and Russia.
4. Relations worsened when in 1908, the Kaiser called
the British ‘mad as March hares’ and admitted that
German people disliked the British.
This led to the Balkan region becoming very unstable and a
number of key crises in the run up to World War I.
Countries such as Serbia looked to gain independence.
The Alliances:
Triple Alliance 1882- Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy
(would help one another it attacked by an enemy power).
Britain had previously tried to stay in ‘splendid isolation’,
but Germany’s growing navy forced them into the Alliance
system. 1902- Naval agreement with Japan. 1904- Entente Cordiale with France (not quarrel over colonies and
remain on good terms). 1907- friendly agreement extended to Russia to make Triple Entente.
3. Germany felt surrounded or ‘encircled’ by the Triple Entente- they feared they would have to fight a two front war.
Arms Race:
1900-1914. Military leaders argued that the only way to
ensure peace was to have an army to deter other countries
from invading. Countries had to increase to keep the
‘Balance of Power’. Supported by manufacturers of arms,
who made vast profits.
1. There were now two armed camps in Europe.
Naval Race:
Britain was an island nation with a large overseas Empire
(1/5 of the globe) and a very small land army- a powerful
navy was essential. At the end of 19th century, Britain had
the largest navy in the world. Stuck to the ‘Two Power
Standard’.
Triple Entente 1907- Britain, France and Russia.
1894- Russia and France formed an alliance to help one
another if Germany attacked.
1. Alliances were made in secret, therefore although all the
alliances were made defensively, the opposing allies had no
way of telling whether it was a threat or not.
2. At the same time as making these alliances, countries were
also building up their armies- this led to two armed camps in
Europe.
4. Domino effect- small scale disputes could easily turn into
wide scale conflicts, as members called on the support of
their allies.
2. Instead of balancing power, it meant that both alliances were primed and ready for war.
3. France and Germany were already bitter rivals
(Franco-Prussian War where Germany took Alsace Lorraine) so the growth and power of Germany’s army
frightened the French.
All of the Great Powers, except Britain increased size of
army- France and Russia increased conscription. By 1914Russia had over 1.3 million soldiers, Germany and France
4. General public got behind the military due to nation900,000. However, Germany had best trained and
equipped soldiers and military pride was actively promoted alistic sentiment.
by the Kaiser.
1898- Kaiser orders Admiral Tirpitz, head of the German
Navy to build navy rapidly to rival Britain’s. After 1906,
both sides began a race to build Dreadnoughts- new style
of battleship easily able to destroy older ships. By 1914,
Britain had 34 and Germany had 22.
1. Led to even greater fear and resentment of the Germans by the British.
2. Increased public support for the navy- government
felt they had to maintain British naval superiority over
the Germans.
3. As relations deteriorated between Britain and Germany, the relations between France and Britain got
even better and so even stronger.
First Moroccan
Crisis:
Or the Tangier Crisis 1905-06.
Morocco- great strategic importance at the mouth of Mediterranean Sea. 1904- Britain and France agree that Morocco is in France’s ‘sphere of influence’. Angered the Kaiser who wanted Morocco for his own African Empire.
1905, Kaiser visited Tangier to give a pro-independence
speech and promise support to the Moroccans. Upset the
French. 1906- Algeciras in Spain, European powers met to
discuss Morocco, Germany only had the support of AustriaHungary- decided Germany had no say in Morocco’s affairs.
1. The British saw it as yet another attempt by Germany to build a German Empire to rival Britain's empire.
2. Conference annoyed and humiliated Germany, who
thought Britain and France were 'ganging up' to stop
Germany occupying its rightful place in the world.
3. In 1907, Britain and Russia, alarmed by German ambitions, made an alliance, to create the Triple Entente.
Germany had thought that the Entente Cordiale was
easily broken- they were wrong.
Bosnian Crisis:
1908-09.
1. Serbia was furious, because Bosnia included many
Serbs whom it had hoped to rule. This eventually led
Two Empires ruled in the Balkans (South East Europe)- Austo the assassination at Sarajevo and the First World
tria Hungary and Turkey. Both Empires were weak, howevWar.
er, and Slav peoples of the region (especially Serbia) want2. Serbia asked her ally Russia to help, and Russia
ed to create new, independent Slav nations.
called a European Conference, expecting support from
In 1908 there was a revolution in Turkey, and AustriaFrance and Britain. However, Britain and France did
Hungary took advantage of this to annex (take over) the
NOT support Russia, no conference took place, and
Turkish state of Bosnia.
Russia had to back down and was humiliated - but Russia vowed not to back down again.
Second Moroccan
Crisis:
Or the Agadir Crisis 1911.
French help the Sultan of Morocco put down a rebellionperfect opportunity for them to take over. In return,
France willing to compensate those countries that were
upset by this (Germany and Spain). Hoping to force France
into giving him a share of Morocco, Kaiser sent the Panther
(gunboat) to Agadir (port on Atlantic coast of Morocco).
1. The French and British were furious - the British minister Lloyd
George said that 'Britain's interests were vitally affected'. Fear of
Germany's intentions increased.
2. At this point, Britain and France sign a naval agreement- Britain to
defend France’s north coast, if it is attacked from the sea. Alliance
becomes more serious- military support was promised.
3. Germany was forced to back down and remove the gunship, and
was given only a small piece of jungle in the Congo. This increased
German resentment: 'the Kaiser was determined not to be the loser
in the next crisis'.
1. Serbia became the most powerful Balkan state, and felt confident
enough to threaten Austria - the Serbian Prime Minister Pasic said:
'the first round is won; now for the second round - against Austria'.
Assassination of Franz
Ferdinand:
28th June 1914: Black Hand Group- Serbian nationalist terrorist
group, aim to unite all Serbs into ‘Greater Serbia’. Leader Gavrilo
Princip, funded by Serb colonel (codename Apis).
Heir to Austro-Hungarian throne visited Sarajevo (Bosnia) to promote the fact he was a reformer- would increase civil rights for
Slavs. Black Hand feared that if he granted greater freedoms,
Serbs would be happy to stay under Austro-Hungarian rule, and
support for Greater Serbia would weaken. After failed first
attempt, The Archduke and his wife were shot by Princip.
This started the sequence of events which led to World War One–
ARSE!
1. Austria- Hungary is given a ‘blank cheque’ from Germany. Austria- Hungary gives Serbia an ultimatum. Serbia agrees to all but
one condition. Austria-Hungary declared war anyway on the
28th July. Made them look ‘war mad’ and unreasonable...
2. Russia mobilised (didn’t want to let Serbia down again). Germany had to respond with their plan for war (otherwise it would be
like allowing someone to hold a loaded gun against your head)...
3. Schlieffen Plan, which causes England (Britain) to go to war as
Germany invaded France thorough neutral Belgium...
4. England (Britain) gets involved as Belgium neutrality is broken.
The Schlieffen Plan:
Most importantly, it was a plan of attack. Unlike Russia,
Germany could not mobilise its forces merely as threat of
war or part of a gradual preparation for war. Fighting started
after they mobilised. After Russia mobilised, Germany panicked- their plan was heavily reliant on the above three
things. Every day they stalled, they had less chance to defeat
France. Russia mobilised much more quickly than expected,
and as Belgium valiantly held off German forces, Britain honoured their promise to Belgium as a neutral country and
entered the war to protect them. The First World War had
begun.
Schlieffen Plan:
Balkan
Wars:
1912- 1913. As Turkey continued to grow weaker, in 1912 Serbia, Greece
and Bulgaria (calling themselves the Balkan League) attacked Turkey and
captured almost all the remaining Turkish land in Europe. Sir Edward
Grey, the British Foreign Secretary, arranged a peace conference in London, but in 1913 fighting broke out again. Britain and Germany got together and used their influence to bring the war to an end (Treaty of Bucharest, 1913).
All of the European countries had a plan for war. The German
plan had been drawn up by the head of General Staff Von Schlieffen in 1905. It was designed to cope with a war on two fronts
(against Russia and France). Attack France, through Belgium
whilst Russia was mobilising. Once France was dealt with, turn
back and deal with Russia. It relied on three things:
1. Germany could move quickly (take Paris in six weeks),
2. Russia would move slowly (due to sheer size and poor
transport),
3. Britain would not get involved (not for a ‘scrap of paper’).
2. The Kaiser took Sir Edward Grey's co-operation as a sign of Britain's weakness. When the next crisis happened, he assumed that
Britain would co-operate again.
Who was to blame for the First World War? Was it Germany? Or were Germany’s actions just one factor amongst many?
/ League of
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Big Three at the Paris Peace Con- Terms of the Treaty
ference:
of Versailles:
Armistice- Germany surrenders 11th November, 1918. Peace negotiations begin in Paris, January 1919.
Georges Clemenceau (The Tiger), the Prime Minister of
France
Woodrow Wilson, the President of America
David Lloyd George, the Prime Minister of Britain
All three men wanted to stop a war ever happening again, but
they did not agree about how to do this. They wanted different
things from the peace, and they did not get on well.
When asked how he thought he had done at the Versailles Conference, Lloyd George replied: "Not badly, considering I was seated
between Jesus Christ and Napoleon." While Clemenceau and
Wilson were at each others’ throats, Lloyd George took control
and helped to come to some compromises– Clemenceau to accept the LON, and Wilson to accept the War Guilt Clause, which
paved the way for reparation payments.
Clemenceau: revenge, and to punish the Germans; make Germany
pay for the damage done during the war; weaken Germany, so
France would never be invaded again. Want Alsace Lorraine returned to them.
Lloyd George: ‘make Germany pay’ – because he knew that was
what the British people wanted to hear; Llloyd George’s government
had won an election in Dec 1918 by promising to ‘squeeze the German lemon until the pips squeak’- he knew this is what the public
wanted to hear. He also wanted to protect British naval interests;
‘justice’, however he did not want revenge; peace must not be harsh
- could cause another war; tried for a ‘halfway point’- a compromise
between Wilson and Clemenceau; did not want to damage Britain’s
trade.
Wilson: He wanted to make the world safe with a fair peace; 1918,
Wilson published ‘Fourteen Points’ saying what he wanted- disarmament, and a League of Nations (where countries could talk out their
problems, without war); wanted self-determination for the peoples
of Eastern Europe. Worried if the Germans were punished too
harshly that they would seek revenge later.
Signed 28th June, 1919.
B- Blame: Germany to take full responsibility for WWI. War Guilt Clause
231.
R- Reparations: Germany to pay £6.6 billion over a period of 42 years.
A- Armaments: Army limited to 100,000 men; conscription banned; 6
battleships; no submarines, tanks or military aircraft; Rhineland demilitarised.
T- Territory: Alsace Lorraine to France; Saar to LON for 15 years, France to
control the coalfields; Poland given Polish corridor to sea; Germany forbidden from uniting with Austria; Germany lost all its colonies; 10% land lost,
12.5% population no longer within German boundaries.
A League of Nations was set up to maintain international peace.
Strengths: Initially signed by 45 countries; worldwide agreement to
end a World War; most of the boundaries decided still exist today;
accepted as a genuine attempt to create a better world free from
war.
Weaknesses: Deeply unpopular; Germany forced to sign (Diktatdictated peace) and felt they had been ‘stabbed in the back’ by the
‘November Criminals’ who signed the armistice and TOV; Germans
humiliated by guilt clause; reparations very high and could damage
world trade; Lloyd George predicted it would cause another war; USA
hated it; many people (not just Germans) believed it was too harsh;
Japan and Italy were resentful and did not feel the Treaty rewarded
them enough for their contribution to the Allies in the war.
Other Treaties:
Made with 4 countries which helped Germany during the war
Trianon with Hungary: Lost land to Romania and Yugoslavia; army
reduced to 35,000; went bankrupt
Neuilly with Bulgaria: Lost land to Greece; army reduced to
20,000; reparations set at £90 million
Saint Germain with Austria: lost land to Czechoslovakia, Poland
and Italy; army reduced to 30,000, went bankrupt
Sevres with Turkey: gave land to Greece; Empire to Britain and
France; army 50,000; Allies intended to set reparations BUT revolution, SO...
Treaty of Lausanne (1923) allowed unlimited army; cancelled
reparations and no land to Greece.
1. Although the aim of the treaties was to create states that
were economically and politically stable in a region that
need stability, it dramatically changed Eastern and Central Europe and created a patchwork of states.
2. Three important countries created: Czechoslovakia; Poland; Yugoslavia.
 Czechoslovakia included a wide range of nationalities,
and was created out of the old Austrian Empire and parts
of Germany. This would cause tension later.
 Poland was recreated and given access to the sea (Polish
Corridor) from German land around the city of Danzig.
This loss of land was bitterly resented by the Germans.
Aims of the LON: Membership of
the LON:
Wilson’s idea. Very noble aims- somewhere to discuss disputes
without going to war.
Set up with a covenant: 26 rules to encourage all members to
cooperate in trade, improve working and living conditions. Every
member signed this binding covenant.
Collective Security: if one member was threatened by an aggressor, the members would act together to help them.
Disarmament: Countries should not theoretically need an army if
they have the LON.
1. Relied heavily on good will and persuasion.
2. Idealistic– could it work in the real world?
3. Overambitious?
4. Disarmament never really happened– conferences in 1923
and 1932-33 failed.
42 countries joined at the start. Most of the World’s leading nations, including Britain, France, Italy and Japan joined.
Defeated nations (Germany and Austria) not allowed to join initially.
USSR not allowed to join as it is Communist.
Americans refuse to join, even though it was Woodrow Wilson’s
idea.
1. Seen as a winners’ club and very Eurocentric.
2. Lots of changes to membership over the years.
3. True collective security would only work if all countries in
the world joined the LON.
4. If members did not like a decision made by the LON, they
could just leave.
5. Number of important nations missing at the start- USSR
and notably USA.
Absence of the
USA:
Wilson had been confident USA would join LON. However, many Americans hated the idea:
Against US involvement in WWI in the first place (don’t want to get involved in
European squabbles); would cost America a lot of money; lost soldiers in WWIdon’t want to lose any more; German immigrants living in USA opposed as Germany was not allowed to join.
Wilson campaigned hard to persuade congress to support him. Had a stroke in
1919, but continued to campaign. 1920- US politicians vote to reject the TOV and
stay out of LON.
Policy of Isolationism- USA to keep out of European political affairs.
Was very hard for a decision to be reached, as each member of the
council had a veto and all decisions in the assembly had to be unanimous.
The Secretariat was very understaffed, so it took a very long time for
work to be carried out (consider the report on the Manchurian Crisis).
The International Court of Justice had no real power to enforce its
decisions.
LON could take these courses of action if a country ignored the League’s decision:

Moral persuasion: put pressure on offending country by lining up world
opinion against it

Economic sanctions: refusal to trade with the offending country/ trade
embargo

Military action: armed forces to be donated by member states
1.
Moral sanction really no more than a ‘slap on the wrist’- would a
fascist dictator really care. No real weight behind it as USA not a
member.
What could have been really effective trade embargos were avoided
for fear they would effect member state’s economies also.
LON had no military of its own, so relied upon members, and as they
were the most powerful, mostly Britain and France. Unwilling to
donate troops after horrors of WWI. Also a contradiction in aims, as
really overall aim of LON is to disarm.
Enjoyed some success- solved political disputes between: Sweden and Finland in
the Aaland Islands, 1921; Bulgaria and Greece, 1925.
Commissions did some good work: 400,000 prisoners of war returned to homeland in years after WWI; work in refugee camps; introducing 48 hour working
week; worked to defeat leprosy and campaigned to reduce cases of malaria and
yellow fever; made international highway code and shipping lane recommendations; freed 200,000 slaves in Sierra Leone; blacklisted companies involved in
illegal drugs trade.
However, treaties and alliances continued to made throughout 1920s.
1928-29: Kellogg- Briand Pact.
1. Disarmament a hope, not a reality- lots of countries refused.
2. Treaties and alliances undermined Collective Security.
1. Arguably a ‘Tiger without teeth’.
2. Made moral sanctions available to the LON weaker as they did not
have the most powerful country backing them up.
3. Probably more significantly, without America the economic sanctions
became useless. Countries could still trade with America.
Structure of LON: Sanctions of the LON in the
LON:
1920s:
Assembly: All member countries send representative. Recommend action to
1.
Council. Met once a year at LON HQ in Geneva. Decisions had to be unanimous.
Council: Smaller than assembly. Met several times a year and during emergencies.
1920- permanent members= Britain, France, Italy and Japan. All had a veto. Non 2.
permanent members elected for 3 year periods. Had sanctions to use if it failed to
persuade a country against a wrongful action.
3.
Secretariat: International Civil Service. Kept records, prepared reports. Very
understaffed.
Permanent Court of International Justice: Based at the Hague, in the Netherlandsto help settle disputes peacefully. No way of enforcing rulings.
Agencies/ Commissions: Dealt with world’s major problems- e.g. health, slavery,
working conditions, refugees.
Wall Street
Crash:
The Wall Street Crash caused a global Depression. Economic recovery after World 1.
War I had been reliant on American loans. When the Crash happened, America
2.
recalled their loans. The Depression lasted throughout the 1930s.
3.
Less international cooperation
Rise of militaristic fascist governments, which go on to challenge the
LON
Britain and France (League’s most powerful members) less concerned
with worldwide disputes
Manchurian Crisis:
1931-33 Japan tried to overcome the depression by building up an empire.
Looked to Chinese province of Manchuria. Manchuria weak and easy target, plus
already have some influence there. Set up an invasion on the South Manchurian
Railway (which is owned by the Japanese) and use this as an excuse to invade.
They set up their own government there and called it Manchukuo. China asked
the League to help. The League sent a group of officials led by Lord Lytton to
study the problem and produce a report (this took a year).
In February 1933, Japan ordered to leave China. Japan ignored report, left the
League and took more territory.
Japan’s main trading partner was USA: Proved that moral and economic sanctions were pretty much useless without US backing/ being
a member.
More concerned about own interests: Britain did not want to harm
British trade in Asia.
Proved unwilling to provide troops: Not willing for men to die in a
conflict so far away from their homes.
Collective security did not work: Proved if a member country did not
like a decision made, they could just leave the LON and do what they
like anyway.
Abyssinian Crisis:
1935- 36 Mussolini got ready to invade Abyssinia (Ethiopia). He wanted war and
1.
glory.
Abyssinia asked the League to help. The League talked to Mussolini – but he used
the time to send an army to Africa. Abyssinian army of infantry and cavalry was no
match for Italian tanks, planes and poison gas.
2.
No excuse for the LON not to act- set up a committee to decide sanctions to impose:
The League banned weapons sales, and put sanctions on rubber and metal.
3.
The Abyssinian Emperor Haile Selassie went to the League to appeal for help, but
it did nothing else – in fact Britain and France secretly agreed to give best parts of
Abyssinia to Italy (the Hoare-Laval Pact).
Italy conquered Abyssinia.
2.
3.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Highlight weaknesses in organisation of LON: Took one year to produce Lord
Lytton’s report. This gave Japan more time to take more territory.
Proved sanctions weak and ineffectual: could have banned oil exports, but concerned USA would not cooperate; could have banned
coal exports, but British mining industry would be effected; Suez
Canal was not closed to Mussolini.
More concerned about own interests: Britain and France saw Mussolini as an ally against Hitler, and worried that harsher sanctions (Suez
Canal) would provoke full scale war.
Hoare- Laval Pact was a scandal: Badly damaged the LON’s reputation- showed that it was too scared to stand up to aggressors, and
that the two most powerful members would put their own interests
before the LON.
The League existed until 1946– but no one took it seriously after the Abyssinian Crisis. Who or what was to blame for its collapse?
Was it too ambitious? Badly organised? Betrayal of Britain, France and America? The Depression? The actions of militaristic fascists?
ar II
Causes of World W
Hitler’s Aims in
Foreign Policy:
Hitler wrote Mein Kampf (My Struggle) whilst in prison. In it, he
detailed his foreign policy aims for Germany:

Destroy the Treaty of Versailles

Unite all Germanic Speakers

Gain Lebensraum

From the East (USSR) and then to destroy Communism
also.
His aim was to make Germany great again.
1. Hitler’s desires to destroy the Treaty of Versailles
made him very popular with a lot of Germans– the
TOV had been deeply unpopular and humiliating.
2. Increasingly aggressive
3. Much of the world was sympathetic to his arguments against the Treaty of Versailles, therefore did
not step in when he acted against this.
Rearmament:
Hitler began rearming Germany secretly upon becoming Chancel- 1. Other countries were sympathetic to Hitler’s claims that if
lor in 1933.
other countries were increasing their arms, then Germany would have to in order to defend themselves.

In 1935, he reintroduced conscription.

By 1939, Hitler had increased the size of the German army 2. Hitler also got away with rearmament as people saw him
as a good buffer against Communism in Russia.
from 100,000 to 950,000 and government spending on
3. This is the first instance of Hitler breaking the terms of
armaments went up from 1% to 23%. In 1932, Germany
the Treaty of Versailles.
had 36 aircraft, by 1939 they had 8,250. Warships also
4. The fact he begins to rearm in secret to begin with shows
went from 30 to 95.
him to be untrustworthy early on.

Naval agreement signed with Britain in 1935, allowing the
Germans to build their fleet, as long as it was no bigger
than 35% of the size of the British fleet.
Saar:
1935
In the Treaty of Versailles, the Saar was put under the control of
the LON for 15 years (coal fields to France) , until a plebiscite to
decide whether it should be returned to Germany.
As voting day approached, Nazis mounted huge campaign for
reunification. Some Communists and Socialists tried to oppose
them, but they were beaten up. The SA gathered on the border,
but disbanded when Br. and Fr. threatened to send in troops.
Plebiscite held Jan. 1935: 90% voted in favour of returning to
Germany.
1. Very popular in Germany and held up as a great victory–
righting the wrongs of the Treaty of Versailles.
2. Gave Hitler more confidence– 90% of the population
wanted the reunification.
3. It encouraged him to challenge other aspects of the Treaty of Versailles.
4. Perfectly legal– the plebiscite was decided on during the
Paris Peace Conference…
5. However, the actions of the SA did hint at the fact that
Hitler would be willing to use force and aggression in the
future if necessary.
Remilitarisation of the
Rhineland:
1936
Rhineland had stayed a part of Germany after the TOV, but
they had not been able to keep troops or weapons there.
On the 7th March, 1936, Hitler ordered 22,000 troops to
march into the Rhineland.
Fearing the size of his army and attempting to deal with the
Italian invasion of Abyssinia, France and Britain did nothing.
Some viewed this action with sympathy– as one British
newspaper put it- ‘he was only going into his own back
yard’.
1.
Anschluss:
BACKGROUND: Unification with Austria was forbidden in the TOV.
Had previously attempted to join together Austria and Germany in 1934–
Austrian Nazis had murdered Dolfuss, the Austrian chancellor and
attempted to take over the Austrian government. They were prevented
from doing so by Schuschnigg (Dolfuss’ replacement), but mainly Mussolini, who’s threats to the Nazis to back down forced Hitler to reconsider and
promise to stay out of Austria’s affairs.
The Spanish Civil War brought Hitler and Mussolini closer together and in
1936 they signed the Rome-Berlin Axis which made them allies. Hitler
could now take Austria.
Jan 1938– Schuschnigg finds out that Austrian Nazis planning revolution.
Goes to Hitler for help. Hitler berated Schuschnigg and demanded he give
senior positions in the Austrian government to leading Nazis. Schuschnigg
tried to resist the takeover, by arranging a plebiscite to ask the Austrian
people whether they wanted the Anschluss. Hitler was worried about the
outcome, so moved his troops to the border and threatened to invade.
Austrian Nazis rioted in the streets, Schuschnigg resigned and Seyss– Inquart (Austrian Nazi leader) invited Hitler in to restore order. Nazis entered Austria and imprisoned more than 80,000 opponents.
12th March, 1938– Hitler entered Austria in triumph.
14th March– plebiscite held– 99.75% of Austrians voted for Anschluss.
1. First instance of Hitler moving on with his aims in foreign
policy– instead of just ‘righting the wrongs’ of the Treaty
of Versailles, he is now uniting Germanic speakers.
2. Moving troops to the border, imprisoning opponents and
influencing the plebiscite result are all increasingly aggressive moves.
3. Gains Hitler more support– although the plebiscite was
influenced by pressure from the Nazis, a lot of Austrians
did indeed support Anschluss– they wanted to be part of
the glory and success of the Third Reich.
4. One of the main reasons for Hitler’s success in the 1938
Anschluss was the fact that Mussolini did not get involved. Hitler now had a powerful ally.
5. Britain and France did nothing again– were not willing to
go to war over Austria.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Made Hitler more popular– this had been a particularly humiliating and hated part of the TOV.
Encouraged Hitler to continue pursuing his other policies.
Was the final opportunity Britain and France had to confront
Hitler without going to war– despite what Br. and Fr. thought
about the size of Hitler’s army, it was still too weak to take on
France’s army in 1936. Hitler had ordered troops to retreat if
they met any resistance at all.
Hitler noticed the LON’s reluctance to deal with Mussolini and
correctly calculated that no action would be taken against him in
the near future.
His gamble had paid off– maybe next time he would gamble
more.
NOTE: From Anschluss onwards you can talk about
Chamberlain’s policy of Appeasement.
Appeasement:
Appeasement (by Britain and France in the 1930s)– to give Hitler what he
wanted in return for assurances.
Reasons for appeasement:
 Britain’s armed forced were not ready for war.
 Still suffering effects of depression (debts/ unemployment), so eco
nomic problems were a higher priority.
Sympathy for Hitler– right that the TOV is unfair. Assumption that
once these ‘wrongs are put right’ Germany would become peaceful
again.
Fear lack of US support if they stand up to Hitler.

 Do not want to repeat the horrors of WWI.
 Britain was unsure whether its Empire would support another war.
 Feared USSR and Communism more– Hitler could be their buffer.
1.
2.
3.
Encouraged Hitler to become aggressive– clear that every gamble he got away with, encouraged him to take a bigger risk.
It put too much trust in Hitler’s promises– it was based on the
idea that Hitler was trustworthy.
Some have argued that Appeasement was stupid as the aims of
Hitler were plain to see in Mein Kampf.
4.
It scared the USSR– Hitler made no secret of his plans to expand eastwards. Hitler had also signed the Anti– Cominterm Pact with Japan
declaring their hostility towards Communism. Appeasement sent the
message to the USSR that Br. and Fr. would not stand in his way. Reason
for Stalin signing the Nazi– Soviet Pact?
5.
As well as allowing time for Britain to build up her armed forces,
but also Hitler.
It allowed Germany to grow too strong– not only was Hitler
recovering lost ground, but also becoming much more powerful
6.
Sudetenland/ Munich
Sudetenland= Appeasement in action.
12-13 September 1938:
Hitler encourages Konrad Henlein, leader of the Sudeten Nazis, to rebel,
and demands a union with Germany.
When the Czech government declares martial law, Hitler threatens war.
15 September 1938:
Chamberlain goes to see Hitler at Berchtesgaden.
Without consulting Czechoslovakia, he promises to give Hitler all the areas
where more than 50 per cent of the population is German. Then he persuades France to agree.
22-23 September 1938:
Chamberlain goes to Bad Godesberg to tell Hitler about the decision, but
Hitler now demands ALL the Sudetenland. Chamberlain refuses; it looks
like war. Chamberlain calls the crisis 'a quarrel in a faraway country, between people of whom we know nothing'.
30 September 1938:
At Munich, France and Britain agree to give Hitler the Sudetenland.
Chamberlain waves 'a piece of paper' with Hitler's statement that he does
not want to go to war. German troops march into the Sudetenland, and
are welcomed as heroes.
1.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Czechoslovakia/
In 1939, the Slovaks demanded more rights from the Czech government.
The new Czech president Emil Hacha appealed to Hitler for help. In the
end he had no option but to invite the Germans into Czechoslovakia.
15 March 1939, German troops marched into Czechoslovakia. They took
over Bohemia, and established a protectorate over Slovakia.
This action was not opposed by Britain and France, as Hitler had been
invited in, but this did mark the end of Appeasement.
Nazi- Soviet Pact:
April 1939, Stalin suggested an alliance of Russia, France and Britain against Germany. Hitler would not have been able to invade Poland if
taking that action would have meant war with Russia. However, negotiations dragged on into August because:
1.
2.
 Chamberlain did not like communist Russia.
 Poland would not let Russian troops go into Poland.
 Stalin did not trust that France and Britain would resist Germany.
3.
2.
3.
4.
4.
First occasion where you really see Appeasement in action– all
other events had been letting Hitler get away with it. At the
Munich Conference we see Britain and France trying to buy off
Hitler by giving way to his demands.
Weakened Czechoslovakia they lost their strong defensive system, key industrial areas and it stirred other nationalities in the
country to demand to return to their nation states– this made
Czechoslovakia an easier target for Hitler.
Britain gained a year to build up its armed forces, but so did
Hitler.
Hitler decided that Britain and France were afraid of him, and
that they would not stop him whatever he did.
Russia decided that Britain and France would never stand up to
Hitler, and that war with Germany was inevitable.
The people of Britain realised that they had been duped, and
decided that war was inevitable.
It improved the war morale of the British people, who knew they
had done everything possible to avoid war.
This changed Chamberlain’s attitude towards Hitler- It proved
that Hitler had been lying at Munich.
Hitler could no longer claim he was ‘righting the wrongs of the
Treaty of Versailles’ or uniting Germanic speakers (the Czechs
were not Germans). Now he was just gaining Lebensraum.
On 17th March, Chamberlain gave a speech saying that he could
not trust Hitler not to invade other countries. He had proved
himself to be an aggressor, who would continue to take land
until he was stopped. Conscription was introduced in Britain.
On 31st March, Chamberlain guaranteed to defend Poland if
Germany invaded.
Freed up Hitler to invade Poland (he invaded 9 days later).
Ended Britain's hopes of an alliance with Russia to stop Hitler people in Britain realised that nothing would stop Hitler now but
war.
Improved morale of British people for war - showed Hitler as an
opportunist and a trickster, who could never be trusted.
Hitler had been sure that, without the support of Russia, Britain
and France would fail to carry out their promise to defend Poland/ declare war. He was wrong.
Out of the blue, on 23 August 1939, Hitler made the Nazi-Soviet Pact with
Stalin - a non aggressions pact- a promise not to go to war with each other
and (secretly) a promise to invade Poland and split it between them.
NOTE: As had always been his plan– Hitler invaded Russia in 1940.
A marriage of convenience. Stalin needed time to re-arm for when Hitler
did invade Russia.
Stalin would have to go to war if he allied with Britain and France, but
could have half of Poland without a war if he allied with Hitler - it was an
easy choice to make.
Shocked the British public– they judged, correctly, that the Pact was a
cynical lie to devour Poland.
Poland/ Outbreak of war
1st September 1939- Hitler invades Poland. Chamberlain tried to persuade Hitler to withdraw and hold a peace conference. This failed.
3rd September 1939- Britain declared war on Germany, followed by
France.
USSR invaded Eastern Poland on the 17th September 1939. Within
weeks, Poland was defeated.
With the invasion of Poland, Hitler provoked the
Second World War.
Who or what was to blame for the outbreak of World War II? The Treaty of Versailles? The failure of the LON to keep peace?
Appeasement (Chamberlain)? The Nazi Soviet Pact (Stalin)? Hitler– his aims in foreign policy and increasingly aggressive actions?