Download GCSE Unit 1 Topic 3 Booklet

GCSE History B Unit 1
International Relations: Conflict and Peace in the 20th Century
Hitler’s foreign
policy and the
origins of the
Second World
War
Course Booklet
Name:
Teacher:
Exam Board: Scheme of Work
Key issue: How did Hitler challenge and exploit the Treaty of Versailles 1933–March 1938?
Page
number:
Topic:
Page 2
Hitler’s rise to power – February 1933-August 1934
Page 3
Hitler’s aims in foreign policy
Pages 4 - 5
The beginning of rearmament in Germany: withdrawal
from the Disarmament Conference 1933; nonaggression Pact with Poland 1934; reintroduction of
conscription from 1935; Anglo-German Naval
Agreement 1935
Pages 6 - 7
The return of the Saar, 1935
Pages 8 - 10
The remilitarisation of the Rhineland 1936
Pages 11 - 14
The Anschluss with Austria 1938
Key issue: Why did Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement fail to prevent the outbreak of
war in 1939?
Page
number:
Topic:
Pages 15 - 16
Reasons for and against appeasement
Pages 17 - 20
The Sudeten Crisis and Munich Agreement, 1938
Pages 21 - 22
The collapse of Czechoslovakia March, 1939, and the
end of appeasement
Pages 23 - 24
The role of the USSR 1938–1939: the Nazi-Soviet Pact
Page 25
Poland and the outbreak of war
1
Hitler’s rise to power – February 1933-August 1934
27 Feb 1933
Reichstag Fire - the Reichstag building is set on fire. A Dutch Communist,
van der Lubbe, is caught red-handed in the burning building.
5 Mar 1933
General Election – the Nazis win 288 seats in the Reichstag.
23 Mar 1933
Enabling Act - the SA (A military group the Nazi party formed in 1921) bully
and force the other party’s in the government to vote for Hitler. The
Reichstag votes to give Hitler the right to make his own laws.
26 April 1933
Local government is changed - the country is divided into 42 areas, which
are each run by a Head Nazi. Hitler sets up the Gestapo to help him spy on
the different areas.
2 May 1933
Trade unions are abolished and their leaders are arrested.
14 July 1933
Political parties are banned - only the Nazi party is allowed to exist. Hitler
makes an agreement with the Pope who sees him as someone who can
destroy communism. This agreement allows Hitler to take over political
power in Germany as long as he leaves the Catholic Church alone.
24 April 1934
People's Courts - Hitler sets up the Nazi people's courts where judges have
to swear an oath of loyalty to the Nazis.
19 Aug 1934
When Hindenburg dies, Hitler declares that he is jointly president,
chancellor and head of the army – he is the Führer of Germany.
2
Key issue: How did Hitler challenge and exploit the
Treaty of Versailles 1933–March 1938?
Hitler’s aims in foreign policy
Many of Hitler’s Foreign Policy aims had been set out in his book ‘Mein Kampf’ (My
Struggle). Written while he was in prison in 1924, it set out Hitler’s political beliefs and aims
in great detail.
His aims/beliefs included:
•
Gain ‘Lebensraum’ for Germany: Hitler wanted to gain ‘Lebensraum or “Living space”
for Germany. Hitler argued that Germany was overpopulated and had the ‘right’ to
claim and conquer more land in Eastern Europe. This land would be taken from Slavic
nations like Poland and Russia. Hitler believed that Slavs were ‘untermensch’ or ‘subhuman’, suitable only for enslavement by the racially ‘superior’ Germans.
•
Destroy Communism: Hitler despised Communism and saw Communist Russia (the
USSR) as a huge threat to Germany. He called for the destruction of Communism
within Germany, but also made clear that the only way to defeat Communism was to
defeat the USSR.
•
Overturn the Treaty of Versailles: Hitler hated the Treaty of Versailles, which he believed
had humiliated and weakened Germany. He described those who had signed the
armistice with the allies in November 1918 as ‘November Criminals’ who had ‘stabbed
Germany in the back’. He wanted to overturn the Treaty by re-arming and reclaiming
the territory that had been lost.
•
Claim or Re-claim ‘German’ Territory: Hitler though that all German speaking peoples
(including those living in countries around Germany) should be part of a German
Empire called the ‘Reich’. To achieve this, Germany would need to control all territory
inhabited by German speaking people. This included land in France, Poland,
Czechoslovakia, Austria and the Baltic states.
•
Race: Hitler also set out his racial beliefs in great detail. He believed that Germans
were ‘Aryans’ – a ‘master race’ who deserved to dominate weaker races. According
to the anti-Semitic Hitler, the main enemies of the German people were Jews, who he
said were conspiring to enslave and weaken the Aryan race.
3
Hitler’s early successes and failures
The beginning of rearmament in Germany: withdrawal from the Disarmament
Conference 1933, reintroduction of conscription from 1935
In February 1932 the League of Nations Disarmament Conference began at Geneva. Sixty
countries took part, including the USA and the Soviet Union. The League wanted all
countries to give up aggression.
After Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in January 1933, he refused to accept any
reductions in armed forces and claimed that since Germany was already disarmed, the
other countries should follow its lead.
Hitler withdrew from the Disarmament Conference and also from the League of Nations in
October 1933.
Eighteen months later, in March 1935, Hitler announced that he was going to ignore the
restrictions on the German armed forces that had been imposed at Versailles, and reintroduced conscription. The League condemned Hitler’s action, but did nothing about it.
Reactions to German re-armament
BRITAIN - Many people in Britain, including politicians, believed that the Treaty of Versailles
was unfair and that Germany had a right to defend itself. Britain therefore takes no action
against Germany
FRANCE – The French felt threatened by German re-armament, and would have liked to
see the Treaty of Versailles strengthened, and Germany punished. However, French
leaders felt they could not act without British support.
RUSSIA/USSR - Communist Russia felt threatened by German re-armament, and joined the
League of Nations as a result.
Non-aggression Pact with Poland 1934
In January 1934, Hitler signed a 10 year Non-Aggression Pact with Poland, in which both
countries agreed not to attack one another.
Hitler had two main reasons for signing the pact. Firstly, it made German foreign policy
seem peaceful and reasonable, re-assuring the world that his re-armament programme
was for defensive, not offensive reasons. Secondly, it weakened the alliance between
France and Poland that had existed since 1921.
Hitler broke the pact when Germany invaded Poland in 1939.
4
Failed Anschluss with Austria, 1934
Hitler wanted all German-speaking nations in Europe to be a part of Germany. To this end,
he had designs on re-uniting Germany with his native homeland, Austria. Under the terms
of the Treaty of Versailles, however, Germany and Austria were forbidden to be unified. In
an attempt to realise his goals, Hitler was determined to destabilise Austria and undermine
its independence. His ultimate goal was Anschluss (union) with Austria.
The Austrian Chancellor, Dollfuss, tried to crack down the Austrian Nazi party, who he
(rightly) suspected of plotting to help Hitler take control of Austria. Dollfuss banned the
Nazi party.
In 1934, Hitler ordered the Austrian Nazis to create havoc in Austria. This turned into an
attempt to overthrow the government. Chancellor Dollfuss was murdered but the
attempted coup failed because the Austrian military intervened to back up the
government.
In 1934, Italy had an agreement with Austria that it would protect Austria from outside
aggression. The Italian dictator, Mussolini, honoured the agreement and moved Italian
troops to the Austrian border to deter Hitler from invading. Hitler was forced to back down
– his first attempt at Anschluss had failed.
Anglo-German Naval Agreement 1935
June 1935 the Anglo-German Naval Agreement was signed by Britain and Germany. This
allowed Germany to build his Navy up to 35% of the British Navy, and have an equal
number of submarines. This agreement replaced the restriction on Germany’s Navy that
had been in the Treaty of Versailles.
There was also a feeling in some quarters in Britain that the Treaty of Versailles had been
too harsh on Germany and that the time was right to loosen the terms as time had moved
on and Europe had to live together. It was felt that this approach would satisfy Hitler and
that Europe would benefit as Nazi Germany would have no reason to be angered or feel
cornered by the old terms of Versailles.
However, although not stated in the agreement, Hitler rightly assumed that because he
had agreed to limit his Navy, the British would now be willing to ignore his expansion of the
German army and air-force.
As long as the British had naval supremacy, they did not see Hitler’s re-armament
programme as a threat.
5
The return of the Saar, 1935
From 1935, Hitler
began to claw back
the territory Germany
had lost at Versailles.
The Saar had a mixture
of French and
German citizens. Since
1919 it had been
controlled by the
League of Nations and
the industry there had
been run by France.
In 1935 there was a
plebiscite (a vote) to
decide whether the
Saar should be
German or French.
The vote was by no means a certainty. Many
anti-Nazis had fled to the Saar after 1933.
Seeing what Hitler was doing in Germany.
Communists and Social Democrats formed a
'united front' campaign to try to retain League
of Nations status.
On the other hand, Saar Nazis were equally
determined that the Saar should return to
Germany. They formed a 'German Front' with
the Catholics. Helped by the Saar police and
the German Gestapo, they boycotted and
beat up their opponents. The League knew
what was going on, but it was afraid to stop
the plebiscite for fear of causing Nazi riots.
In the end, 90% of the population of the Saar voted to rejoin
Germany.
6
How did the return of the Saar strengthen Hitler?
1. The result was, says one historian, 'the greatest triumph of the Nazis in a free election'.
It demonstrated that Germans who lived outside Germany had shown the world that
they hated the Treaty of Versailles and loved Germany more than they feared Hitler's
regime. It made it very hard for Hitler’s opponents to argue that the German people
were not wholly behind him.
2. The result gave a massive boost to Hitler's prestige, and provided him with the moral
authority and confidence to advance his demands for unity with Austrian and the
Sudeten Germans.
3. It showed the League was scared to confront Nazi violence. It confirmed Hitler’s
belief that the League was weak, and would do little to oppose him.
7
The remilitarisation of the Rhineland 1936
The Rhineland is the area of Germany between France
and the river Rhine.
If Germany were to attack France, they would most
likely move their forces through the Rhineland.
After the First World War, the Rhineland was made a
demilitarised zone. This meant that no German troops
were allowed to set foot there. This was part of the
Treaty of Versailles, and it was also confirmed by the
Locarno Treaty of 1925. This was to protect France from
future German attacks.
While the League of Nations was busy dealing with the
Abyssinian Crisis in March 1936, Hitler ordered German
troops to re-occupy the Rhineland. Over 32,000 soldiers
and armed policemen crossed into the Rhineland
He claimed that this was in response to the ‘Franco-Soviet Treaty of Mutual Assistance’ – a
new Treaty between France and Russia designed to protect them from Germany.
This was a clear breach of the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Locarno. Britain and
France would have been legally justified in imposing sanctions or taking military action
against Germany.
The International Response
 League of Nations: Condemned the action on the 14th of March – 1 week after
event.
 France: condemned the reoccupation and looked for Britain
to back them in military action.
 Britain: Issued a formal protest to Germany. Anthony Eden
flew to Paris for talks to try and bring France round to Britain’s
way of thinking i.e. avoid military action.
Why didn’t the British want to take action?
 There was a strong pacifist movement in the1930’s, many
thought “war was wasteful, costly and should be opposed”
(Frank McDonough - Historian)
 “The British Public didn’t care two hoots about German troops occupying their own
territory” (Duff Cooper – British Secretary for War in 1935)
 “Germany was only putting troops into her own backyard” (Lord Lothian –
Conservative politician)
8
 Many in British Public also believed Germany had “genuine grievances”.
There were some voices within British politics that were beginning to question Hitler’s
actions and Britain’s response to them.
•
Churchill was a ‘voice in the wilderness’
who suggested Hitler’s actions were
‘sinister’.
•
Duff Cooper claimed “the Rhineland
occupation had destroyed the basis of
peace in Europe in one morning”
How did the re-militarisation of the Rhineland Strengthen Hitler?
1. It showed that France and Britain would not confront Hitler. Despite this blatant
violation of the Treaty of Versailles, and despite the fact that German troops were
not stationed on the border with France for the first time since 1918, Britain and
France still took no action to stop Hitler. Hitler was becoming more and more
convinced that no matter how aggressive his foreign policy, France and Britain
would not stand up to him.
2. It led to an alliance between Germany and Italy. In 1936, the ‘Rome-BerlIn Axis’
established as alliance between the two dictators. In 1937, Italy joined the ‘AntiComintern Pact’, alongside Germany and Japan. The weakness of Britain, France
and the League had led Mussolini to conclude that Germany was the best choice
of ally for Italy.
3. It further weakened the League of Nations. What little credibility and prestige the
League had left after the Abyssinian crisis was further damaged by its failure to act
over the Rhineland. Part of the League’s covenant was to uphold the Treaty of
Versailles, and yet the only consequence faced by Hitler was mild condemnation.
4. It gave Hitler the confidence to keep trying to meet his aims. The Rhineland was a
massive gamble for Hitler. Had the French army intervened, the German army
would have had to retreat and Hitler would have been humiliated. Instead, the
gamble had paid off. This encouraged Hitler to take bugger risks in the future.
5. It boosted Hitler’s popularity and prestige in Germany. Most Germans were
delighted that the Rhineland had been reclaimed without a shot being fired. Hitler
seemed to be keeping his promises of breaking the Treaty of Versailles and
reclaiming German territory.
9
Caption: The Goose-Step
"Goosey Goosey Gander,
Whither dost thou wander!"
"Only through the RhinelandPray excuse my blunder!"
Published in Punch magazine, 1936
10
The Anschluss with Austria, 1938
Background
Hitler wanted to unify Austria and
Germany (this is known as
ANSCHLUSS, meaning union).
In 1934 Hitler was thwarted by
Italian objections – they feared an
enlarged Germany on their border.
Following the Rome-Berlin Axis of
1936, Italy and Nazi Germany
became allies, so this obstacle was
removed.
By 1938, Hitler was ready to launch
his second attempt to achieve
Anschluss.
11
Events in Austria
The new Austrian Chancellor, Schuschnigg tried to preserve the country from German
invasion by trying not to give Hitler an excuse for aggression. He tried to co-operate with
Hitler as much as possible.
Schuschnigg signed the German-Austrian Agreement of 1936. This pact recognised the
independence of Austria but the price was that Austria's foreign policy had to be
consistent with Germany's. The agreement also allowed Nazis to hold official posts in
Austria. Schuschnigg hoped this would appease Hitler. He was wrong.
In 1938 Schuschnigg visited Hitler. Hitler demanded that Nazis be given key government
posts in Austria. Schuschnigg compromised and the Nazi party member, Seyss-Inquart,
was made Minister of the Interior.
Hitler ordered Austrian Nazis to create as much trouble and destruction as possible in
order to put pressure on Schuschnigg. If Hitler could claim that Austrian law and order had
broken down he could justify marching German troops into Vienna to restore peace despite the fact that he was responsible for the chaos in the first place.
The Anschluss
Wednesday 9th March 1938
On the 9 March 1938, in a desperate act, Schuschnigg announced a referendum
whereby the Austrian people would decide for themselves if they wanted to be a part of
Hitler's Germany. Hitler was furious. If the Austrians voted against joining Germany his
excuse for invasion would be ruined.
Thursday 10th March 1938
Hitler told his generals to prepare for the invasion of Austria. He ordered Schuschnigg to
call off the referendum. Knowing he would receive no help from Italy, and that France
and Britain would not interfere in Hitler's plans, Schuschnigg conceded. He called off the
referendum and resigned.
The Nazi Austrian Interior Minister, Seyss-Inquart, was ordered by Hitler to ask for German
help in restoring order in Austria.
Saturday 12th March 1938
German troops marched into Austria unopposed. Hitler now had control of Austria.
A month later, Hitler held a rigged referendum. The results showed that the Austrian
people approved of German control of their country – 99.75 % voted to unite with
Germany. Austria ceased to exist and became ‘Ostmark’ – a province of Germany.
12
The International Response
France - French politics were in turmoil in March 1938. In fact, two
days before Germany invaded Austria the entire French
government had resigned. France was not in a position to oppose
the invasion.
Britain - The new British PM, Neville Chamberlain, had a new
approach to dealing with Hitler – ‘appeasement’. As such, with
Chamberlain determined to appease Hitler, there was no political
will to oppose Germany.
Furthermore, the British population were against the idea of another European war. The
Anschluss was not seen as a threat to Britain and, as both nations were German-speaking,
there was a sense that there was no good reason why Austria and Germany shouldn't
unify.
Anti-appeasers, such as Winston Churchill, were alarmed by Germany's annexation of
Austria. They believed that if Hitler had a true claim to Austria, he should have used
negotiation and diplomacy rather than force.
How did the Anschluss with Austria strengthen Hitler?
1. It made Germany stronger. The Anschluss added seven million people and an army
of 100,000 to the German Reich. Germany gained useful resources such as steel,
iron ore and Austria's industries.
2. It overturned another section of the Treaty of Versailles, which had forbidden union
between Austria and Germany.
3. It once again convinced Hitler that France and Britain were weak and would not
interfere with his plans. They had taken no real steps to prevent the Anschluss. Hitler
had gambled again, and won again.
4. Once again, Hitler’s popularity and prestige within Germany were boosted. Hitler’s
promise to bring all German speaking people into the ‘Reich’ was being met, and
the Anschluss had been achieved peacefully.
5. It demonstrated that the new alliance between Germany and Italy was working. In
1934, Mussolini had taken steps to prevent the Anschluss. In 1938, he had allowed
Hitler a free hand in Austria
13
Key issue: Why did Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement
fail to prevent the outbreak of war in 1939?
Reasons for and against appeasement
What is ‘appeasement’?
To appease: "to try to conciliate or bribe (a potential
aggressor) by making concessions, frequently with
implication of sacrifice of principles"
In simple terms, to appease means to give in or allow
someone to do something in order to satisfy them.
The policy of appeasement is closely associated with
Neville Chamberlain who was Prime Minister of Britain
1937–40.
His policies towards Hitler’s actions in Europe are often
seen as an important cause of the Second World War.
Neville Chamberlain
Prime Minister of
Background
By 1938, Hitler was already set on a path of expansion and re-armament.
He had broken the term of the Treaty of Versailles in 1936 when German troops
reoccupied the Rhineland. Unification with Austria was achieved in 1938, also breaking
the Treaty.
The British and the French had no acted against Hitler for various reasons (distracted by
the Abyssinian Crisis, French political and military weakness, British public opinion).
However, under Neville Chamberlain, giving Hitler what he wanted became an official
policy – that of ‘appeasement’.
Why appease Hitler?
Chamberlains logic was that Hitler had limited aims and that once these aims were met,
Hitler would be satisfied and Germany would no longer be a threat to Europe.
Many of Hitler’s aims seemed reasonable to Chamberlain, as long as they could be
achieved peacefully.
14
There were a number of strong arguments for appeasing Hitler, rather than risking a war
with Germany:
]
However, with benefit of hindsight, it is clear that many of these arguments were flawed.
Hindsight means that because we know what happened next (i.e WW2), we are better
able to judge and analyse historical events. It is important to remember, though that
Chamberlain and other appeasers did not have this advantage, and were simply doing
what they thought best at the time.
With hindsight, we now know that appeasement was a mistake (i.e. arguments against
appeasing Hitler) such as:
15
The Sudeten Crisis and Munich Agreement, 1938
Background
After the feeble British and French response to the
Anschluss, Hitler decided that it was safe to press
on with his expansionist foreign policy.
There were 3.5 million German-speakers living in
the Sudetenland – the area of Czechoslovakia
bordering Germany and Austria. Hitler now
intended to add the Sudetenland to his German
Reich.
However, there were a number of major obstacles
preventing Hitler from achieving his goal.



Czechoslovakia was a strong Democracy under the leadership of Edvard Benes.
Benes, and the majority of Czech people had no intention of handing the
Sudetenland to Germany.
Czechoslovakia had a well trained, modern army. The Sudetenland contained a
number of strong border forts. Czechoslovakia also contained a strong armaments
industry. Many of the factories manufacturing weapons were in the Sudetenland.
Czechoslovakia also had international support. France had signed an agreement
offering to help the Czechs if they were attacked. The Soviet Union (Russia) had also
promised to help protect Czechoslovakia.
HOWEVER- In September 1938, the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain reached an
agreement with Hitler that gave him everything he wanted.
David Low, 8th July, 1938
The Munich
Agreement
handed over the
Sudetenland to
Germany, and
the Czechs could
do nothing about
it.
Once again,
Hitler had got
what he wanted
without a shot
being fired.
16
The Sudeten Crisis – Timeline of Events
March 1938
In response to British fears about German intentions following the Anschluss, Hitler
reassures by promising: ‘I give my word of honour that Czechoslovakia has nothing to fear
from the Reich’.
May 1938
Sudeten Nazis clash with Czech police and army. The Czech government claims that the
Nazis are killing and kidnapping Czech citizens. Sudeten Nazi leaders accuse the Czechs
of repression and killing of German civilians.
May 1938
Hitler declares his support for the Sudeten Germans and pledges to protect them. He
states that he is willing to go to war if necessary to end their mistreatment. In Britain, some
people begin digging air-raid shelters and buy gas-masks.
September 1938
As fears of war grow, Chamberlain addresses Britain over the radio:
‘How horrible, fantastic, incredible it is that we should be digging trenches and trying on
gas masks here because of a quarrel in a far away country between people of whom we
know nothing. I am myself a man of peace to the depths of my soul’.
15th September 1938
Chamberlain meets with Hitler in Berlin. Hitler states that he is only interested in parts of the
Sudetenland, and then only if the Sudeten Germans vote to join Germany. Chamberlain
tells Hitler that he believes his demands are reasonable and that he will help to persuade
the Czechs to accept them.
22nd September 1938
Chamberlain meets Hitler again. Hitler increases his demands, now saying he wants all of
the Sudetenland. He claims that the Czech government is mistreating Sudeten Germans
and vows to ‘rescue them’ by October 1st. The British Navy mobilises as war seems
imminent.
September 1938
Hitler makes a speech in Berlin:
‘The Sudetenland is the last problem that must be solved and it will be solved. It is the last
territorial claim which I have to make in Europe. The aims of our foreign policy are not
unlimited’.
17
The Munich Agreement
In a last ditch attempt to prevent war, Chamberlain flew to meet Hitler in Munich.
Representatives from Germany, Britain, France and Italy met to hold a conference on the
crisis. The USSR was not invited to attend, and the Czech representatives were not allowed
to take part in the discussions.
At the meeting, Hitler repeated his demands. Mussolini said that he had written down a
‘practical solution to the problem’. In fact, the ‘practical solution’ had been drafted for
him the night before by the German Foreign Office in Berlin.
Chamberlain and Daladier (the French Premier) accepted the Mussolini
‘compromise’. They gave Hitler everything he wanted.
From left to right: Chamberlain, Daladier, Hitler, Mussolini, and Ciano pictured
before signing the Munich Agreement, which gave the Sudetenland to Germany
Although it was not actually signed until 1 am on 30th Sept, the Munich Agreement was
dated 29th Sept. It promised that the Czech army would pull back from the ‘German’
areas of Czechoslovakia by 10th October. The Agreement guaranteed the boundaries of
the new Czechoslovakia, and Britain and France promised to support Czechoslovakia
against future attack.
Two Czech representatives were allowed to sit in the room next door – this was the most
Chamberlain could get Hitler to agree to. The two men sat alone until 10 pm, when
Chamberlain’s adviser Horace Wilson gave them the bad news. One of the Czechs asked
whether Czechoslovakia could be heard – he was told: ‘if you do not accept, you will
have to settle affairs with the Germans absolutely alone’.
18
Hitler and Chamberlain issued a joint declaration that said: ‘We regard the agreement
signed last night...as symbolic of the desire of our two peoples never to go to war with one
another again....and we are determined to continue our efforts to assure the peace of
Europe.”
Reaction to the Munich Agreement
Chamberlain returned to London with what he described as ‘a piece of paper’. Wild
crowds cheered Chamberlain – ‘the man who gave me back my son’ one woman called
him (meaning her son did not now have to go off to fight a war). Chamberlain said ‘…for
the second time in our history, a British prime minister has returned from Germany bringing
peace with honour. I believe it is peace for our time’,
Winston Churchill called the agreement: ‘a total, unmitigated defeat’ and stated ‘you
were given the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour and you will
have war’.
The next day, the Czech Foreign Minister Dr Krofta met the British, French and Italian
Foreign Ministers. He said: ‘Today it is our turn, tomorrow it will be the turn of others’ and
told them to get out.
How did the Munich Agreement lead to the outbreak of WW2?
1. Hitler had gambled again, and won again. His confidence was now sky-high, and
he had the support and admiration of the majority of the German people. This
encouraged him to take even further risks.
2. Hitler was now utterly convinced of the weakness of the Western democracies.
After Chamberlain and Daladier had caved into his demands at Munich, he was
convinced that Britain and France would continue to appease him rather than
fight.
3. An important ally of Britain and France had been lost. The Czechs had been
betrayed and were unable to defend themselves against further German
aggression.
4. Germany was strengthened. Three million more Germans were brought into the
Reich. The Czech fortifications and armaments industries also fell into German
hands.
19
The collapse of Czechoslovakia March, 1939
The German Invasion of Czechoslovakia
Hitler threatened the Czechs with military action
on several occasions after Munich. Finally he
summoned the elderly Czech President Dr. Emil
Hacha to Berlin. One account reports that Hitler
reminded Hacha of the beauties of Prague, and
told him what a shame it would be if the
Luftwaffe had to flatten the ancient Czech
capital. Hacha fainted, perhaps a minor heart
attack, and had to be revived. Hitler demanded
that the Czech lands be incorporated into the
Nazi Reich as a "Protectorate". A broken Hacha
telephoned Prague, ordering that there should
be no resistance.
At 6am on 15 March 1939, German troops poured into Czechoslovakia. There was no
resistance from the Czech army or people.
The British Reaction
Chamberlain announced the events to the House of Commons on 15 March
1939. Speaking in Parliament Chamberlain refused to call Hitler’s action ‘a breach of
faith’, saying only that is was not in ‘the spirit of Munich’, and emphasising his
determination to continue to negotiate with Hitler.
In the rest of Britain, however, there was a violent reaction against Germany. In
Parliament, the MPs reached ‘a pitch of anger rarely seen’. Many were horrified with the
weak statements made by Chamberlain. Every newspaper except the Daily Mail
condemned Germany. The British people seemed to have finally realised that Hitler
could not be trusted.
Facing public outrage and condemnation from even his own MPs, Chamberlain had no
option but to abandon the policy of appeasement.
20
The End of Appeasement - timeline
29 March
The Territorial Army is doubled in numbers.
30 March
Britain and France promised to give the Polish government 'all support in
their power' if Poland was attacked.
25 April
Parliament votes to spend £1,322 million on defence.
28 April
Germany renounces the German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact of 1934 and
the London Naval Agreement of 1935.
1 May
The Military Training Act introduces conscription in Britain.
19 May
Stalin suggests an alliance of France, Britain and Russia against Hitler.
11 August
British politicians go to Moscow to make the alliance with Russia.
21
The role of the USSR 1938–1939: the Nazi-Soviet Pact
Background
The USSR (sometimes called the Soviet Union, sometimes
Russia), was a Communist dictatorship led by Joseph Stalin.
Hitler had always been opposed to Communism, and before
1939, relations between Germany and the USSR were
extremely hostile.
Prior to 1939, the leaders of Western Democracies such as
Britain and France also had mixed feeling about Stalin and
the USSR. Many British and French Conservatives believed that
Communism was a much greater threat than Nazism, and
some even believed that a strong Germany would help
protect Europe from a Communist revolution or a Soviet
invasion.
Joseph Stalin
However, others believed that by working with Stalin, German aggression could be
contained. In 1935, the USSR and France signed the Franco-Soviet Treaty of Mutual
Assistance’, and the USSR was finally admitted into the League of Nations.
Negotiations between Britain and the USSR
After the German invasion of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, Neville Chamberlain realised
that an alliance with the USSR might be the only way to halt Hitler’s aggressive foreign
policy. In particular, such an alliance might deter Hitler from attacking Poland, which was
likely to be his next target. Between March and August 1939, the British and the Soviets
held talks to discuss creating such an alliance. However, by August 1939, the negotiations
had failed.
Why did the negotiations fail?
•
Chamberlain did not trust Stalin, who was a Communist and a dictator.
•
The Soviets thought Britain wanted to trick them into war against Germany.
•
Britain could not send troops to fight in Poland, so if Stalin supported Britain, he
would end up fighting a war in Poland on Britain’s behalf.
•
After Munich, Stalin was convinced that Britain would break its promise to Poland.
He was convinced that Britain would leave Russia fighting Hitler alone.
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The Nazi Soviet Pact (August 23rd, 1939)
In August 1939, Hitler sent Ribbentrop, a senior Nazi, to Russia. He offered a Nazi-Soviet
alliance – Russia and Germany would not go to war, but would divide Poland between
them. Germany would allow Russia to annex Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
Stalin knew Hitler still believed that Hitler was planning to attack the USSR eventually, but
believed that by signing pact, he would but himself time to prepare for war. Hitler had
no intention of honouring the pact, but wanted to make sure that he did not end up
fighting the Soviets when he invaded Poland.
Stalin had two choices:

if he made an alliance with Britain, he would end up fighting a war with Hitler over
Poland.

if he made an alliance with Germany, he would get half of Poland, and time to
prepare for the coming war with Germany.
David Low, 9th September, 1939
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Stalin chose the latter. On 23 August 1939, he signed the Pact with Hitler.
Reaction to the pact
The British government had known about the Nazi-Soviet negotiations since the
beginning of August but the Pact came as a complete surprise to the British public, who
found it hard to believe that communist, Hitler-hating Russia had made an alliance with
Nazi, Communist-hating Germany. Many people were shocked and frightened that the
two most powerful dictatorships in Europe were now working together, (rightly)
suspecting that it meant a war was imminent. Britain signed an official alliance with
Poland on the 26th August 1939.
The day after he signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact, Joseph Stalin explained to Lavrenti Beria
why he had reached an agreement with Hitler. ‘Of course, it's all a game to see who
can fool whom. I know what Hitler's up to. He thinks he's outsmarted me, but actually it's I
who have tricked him’.
How did the Nazi-Soviet pact lead to the outbreak of WW2?
1. It freed up Hitler to invade Poland. He now knew that he would not have to fight
the USSR if he invaded.
2. It ended Britain's hopes of an alliance with Russia to stop Hitler. People in Britain
realised that nothing would stop Hitler now but war. The British Government
speeded up its preparations for war
3. It gave Hitler increasing confidence that he would be able to invade Poland
without any action from Britain and France. He already considered the British and
French to be weak because of the policy of appeasement – now they would be
unable to do anything practical to help Poland if he attacked.
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Poland and the outbreak of war
After, the signing of the Nazi-Soviet pact, Hitler immediately put his plans for the invasion
of Poland into action.
Invasion of Poland - timeline
At 6 am on 1st September Warsaw was struck by the first of a succession of bombing raids,
while two major German army groups invaded Poland from Prussia in the north and
Slovakia in the south. Air supremacy was achieved on the first day, after most of Poland's
air-force was caught on the ground. German tanks smashed holes in the Polish lines and
permitted the slower moving German infantry to pour through.
On September 2nd 1939 Chamberlain sent Germany an ultimatum – withdraw from Poland
immediately, or war will be declared. The Germans did not respond to the ultimatum.
At 11 am on September 3rd Britain declared war on Germany, followed by France's
declaration at 5.00pm. WW2 had begun.
September 17th 1939 – Soviet Troops invade Eastern Poland
27th September 1939 – Poland Surrenders
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