Download 1 way to war

Nazi-Soviet PactInvasions of Poland and
France
Goal of Today
• The goal of today will be to look at the Nazi- Soviet
Pact and the invasion of Poland.
• Know the reasons that Stalin agreed to this deal.
• The goal of today will be to look at some of the
events that led to the downfall of France.
• We will be looking at the Evacuation of Dunkirk.
• Term
• Blitzkrieg
• Dunkirk
• Phony War
Background of Soviet Pact
• Stalin had been very worried about German threats to the
Soviet Union since Hitler came to power in 1933
• Hitler had openly stated that he wanted Soviet land for his
Lebensraum
• Stalin tried to create alliances with Britain and France but to
no avail
• In 1934 Stalin took the USSR into the League of Nations as
a guarantee against German aggression.
Britain and France
• Britain:
• Some welcomed a strong
Germany as a force to fight
Communism.
• Communism was seen as a
bigger threat than Hitler
• France:
• Stalin signed a pact with
France in 1935
• He did not trust the French to
keep to it- especially after
Rhineland
The Munich Agreement
• This agreement made
Stalin even more wary
• Stalin was not consulted
about the agreement
• Stalin concluded that
Britain and France were
powerless to stop Hitler
• Or that they were happy
for Hitler to take over
Eastern Europe and the
USSR
David Low, What, no chair for me?
(30th September, 1938)
The Next Move
• Despite misgivings Stalin was still prepared to talk to
Britain and France about an alliance
• The three countries met in March 1939
• Chamberlain was reluctant to commit Britain to any
agreement with Stalin
• Stalin believed that Britain and France made things worse
by guaranteeing to defend Poland if it were attacked
• Chamberlain saw the guarantee as a warning to Hitler
• Stalin saw it as support for a potential enemy.
The Twist
• Negotiations continued
between Britain, France and
the USSR throughout Spring
and Summer 1939.
• Stalin, however, was also
getting visits from Nazi
foreign minister
Ribbentrop to discuss a
Nazi-Soviet pact
Foreign Ministers
von Ribbentrop & Molotov
A Deal is Struck
• On 24 August 1939 Stalin made his decision and signed a
pact with Germany
• The world was shocked as two arch enemies promised not
to attack each other.
• Privately they also agreed to divide Poland
• 1939 – In the NaziSoviet Pact, Hitler
and Stalin agreed
not to attack one
another.
• Publicly, this agreement stated that the two
countries - Germany and the Soviet Union - would
not attack each other.
• If there were ever a problem between the two
countries, it was to be handled amicably.
• The pact was supposed to last for ten years; it
lasted for less than two.
• What was meant by the terms of the pact was that
if Germany attacked Poland, then the Soviet Union
would not come to its aid. Thus, if Germany went
to war against the West (especially France and
Great Britain) over Poland, the Soviets were
guaranteeing that they would not enter the war;
thus not open a second front for Germany.
Why did Stalin sign?
• Stalin was not convinced that Britain and France would be
strong and reliable allies against Hitler
• He also wanted large parts of eastern Poland
• He did not believe that Hitler would keep his word
• Stalin wanted time to build up his forces.
Poland Attacked: Sept. 1, 1939
Blitzkrieg
[“Lightening
War”]
‘Blitzkrieg’ was a revolutionary new form of warfare introduced by the Germans,
involving rapidly advancing tank formations supported by dive-bombers and
paratroopers. It allowed the German Army to crush all opponents in the period
between 1939-1941.
German Troops March into Warsaw
Britain Declares War
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtJ_zbz1NyY
• What are your thoughts on Chamberlain’s
speech?
• From Hitler’s defeat of Poland in October 1939 to
the invasion of Norway in April 1940 not much
happened.
• This period between the fighting was knows as the
“Phony War” by the West or the “sit-down war” or
Sitzkrieg by Germany
• During this time France stiffened their defenses
behind the Maginot Line and the British moved
troops to the continent.
• April 1940- Germany invades and occupied
Denmark and Norway
• May 10th
Germany
invades
Holland and
Belgium using
Blitzkrieg
tactics
This was the first large scale airborne attack and it caught everyone
By surprise.
Holland and Belgium
• The attack sent the defending troops reeling.
• German dive bombers- the Stukas- filled the sky, raining
machine gun fire and bombs on soldiers and civilians
alike.
• The German war machine pushed on
• In England, the invasion forced Prime
Minister Neville Chamberlain to resign, to
be replaced by Winston Churchill. Churchill
had been one of the few politicians who had
spoken out against Hitler.
Dunkirk Evacuated
June 4, 1940
• British evacuate Dunkirk
after German advance in
France cuts off Allies
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/his
tory/worldwars/wwtwo/l
aunch_ani_fall_france_c
ampaign.shtml
The British Army was forced
on to the beaches at
Dunkirk, where it seemed
that it would be destroyed by
Hitler’s forces . . .
The British Army lost over 80% of its total transport, tanks,
artillery, ammunition and supplies but . . . .
Dunkirk
• 300,000 Allied solders were rescued, which
was an achievement, but as Churchill said
“wars are not won by evacuations” .
France Surrenders
June, 1940
A Divided France
• By the terms of the armistice
the Germans occupied all of
northern France and the
Atlantic coastline to the
Spanish boarder. In southern
France the Nazis set up a
puppet government in the city
of Vichy under French Marshal
Henri Petain. Petain worked
with German officials
• Henri Petain
Important
D.M.C. meeting
The French Resistance
The Free French
• Many French citizens continued to
fight for freedom. In Britain de
Gaulle organized a Free French
government, while in France many
joined the French Resistance, and
underground movement that opposed
German occupation.
General Charles
DeGaulle
Now Britain Is All Alone!
• http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=eaeHnMn
3Mig&feature=related
Hitler Tours Paris 1940
• Where did the French surrender to the Germans on
June 22nd 1940?
• What did Hitler want to see first in Paris?
• What were some of the landmarks that Hitler
stopped at?
• What was Hitler’s dream?
• What were some reasons that Hitler didn’t want a
victory parade in Paris?
Homework
• You are to write a 1 page newspaper article
describing the events of either the Nazi
Soviet Pact, Invasion of Poland, or the
Invasion of France.