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World War II The Causes McKay 971-975 Section 21.105 Today’s Agenda • WWII: The Causes • Quiz (#1-15) 12 minutes (42 seconds per question) World War II Treaty of Versailles 1919 France occupies Ruhr -Beerhall Pustch Wall Street Crash 1923 1929 Nuremberg Laws 1933 Germany occupies Austria 1935 1936 Germany occupies Czechoslovak ia (Sept.) 1938 1939 Rhineland Reoccupied Hitler named Chancellor Munich Conference Germany Invades Poland Warsaw, Poland September 1, 1939 Warsaw, Poland 1944 World War II • Fought on 6 of the 7 continents • More than 100 million soldiers mobilized • Resulted in the deaths of 50 to 70 million people – 40-50 million were civilian – 26 million from Soviet Union – 5.5 million Poles • 3 million were Jewish Poles – 6 million Jews perished by the perversion of Darwinism, nationalism, Nietzscheism, & the utilization of scientific management principals • Resulted in the development of Nuclear Weapons • Resulted in the emergence of two superpowers • How could this happen in the same civilization that produce humanism, secularism, individualism (priesthood of all believers), constitutionalism, universal rights, religious tolerance, the Mona Lisa, The Birth of Venus, Principia, Two Treatise on Government, “Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity”? Causes of WWII • • • • • • • Long Term Treaty of Versailles – Diktat, War Guilt Clause, Reparations, Polish Corridor Weakness of League of Nations – US not a member Pacifism & disunity of the Powers Weakness of Weimar Republic – “November Criminals” who “stabbed army in the back” Wall Street Crash – Dawes Plan loans dried up credit for Weimar gov. – Depleted savings of middle class Germans – Disillusioned with capitalism, democracy Zeitgeist of the 20s and 30s – Nietzsche philosophy glorified violence, struggle – Lunatic fringe movements seemed viable to some • Fascist movements in Italy, Germany, Poland, Belgium, and even France, and Great Britain (Oswald Mosley) – Western democracies embraced pacifism • Reluctant to make mistake of WWI again Adolph Hitler – Evil demagoguery spoke to the Freudian “Id” of German populace Treaty of Versailles • Wilson’s Fourteen Points largely ignored • Article 231 (War Guilt Clause) – Placed blame of war entirely on Germany • GB’s aim was to retain colonies (disliked Wilson’s self determination clause) • France motivated by security and revenge • Demanded reparations, Alsace-Lorraine, demilitarized zone in Rhineland Click for excellent clip • Germany lost large part of Prussia to “Polish Corridor” • Diktat – Germany had no say in the treaty – It was “dictated to them” Weakness of League of Nations & Pacifism of West • League of Nations had little power to enforce peace – US and USSR were not members • Washington Naval Conference (1921-22) – First disarmament conference in history – 9 Pacific region nations attended – USSR not invited – Led to Four Powers Treaty • US, France, GB, and Japan • Agreed to maintain status quo in Pacific region • But Treaty resulted in rise of Japanese Empire • Locarno Pact (1925) – Germany and European powers agreed to settle all disputes peacefully • Spirit of Locarno – Hope from 1925 to 1920 that international peace was at hand • Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928) – Agreement signed by 62 nations declared “war illegal” – Dubbed Parchment Peace The Pacifism of the West • West (US and GB) believed WWI was a mistake and found reasons to avoid war – Believed propaganda and arms manufactures led the world into war – Treaty of Versailles was too hard on the Germans – Germans and Italians needed room to expand – Democracy was not suited to all nations • France – Lost 50 percent of the 20 to 30 year olds in WWI – Built the Maginot line (French Wall of China) up to Ardennes – Internally ideologically divided • Conservative right leaning toward fascism and admired Hitler – Action Française & Croix-de-Feu » Founded after Dreyfus Affair » Right-winged fascist groups » Anti-foreigner, anti-Republican » Romantic “Blood & Soil” notions of peasants » Pro Catholic (but condemned by Pope) • Popular Front – Coalition of socialist, leftists, and communist – Led by Leon Blume – Formed out of fear of the Right The Pacifism of the West • US and Britain adopt defensive postures – Oxford students pledged in 1933 never to take up arms for their nation under any conditions • US became increasingly isolationist – Peace movements arose in universities – The extremes of both the Left (Stalin) and Right (Hitler) made a unified foreign policy difficult – Congress forbade loans, export of munitions, use of shipping to any belligerent • Neutrality helped the aggressor nations in Europe Disunity of the Powers • Soviet Union – Resented cordon sanitaire (1919) which was the buffer states from Finland to Romania & meant to stop the spread of Bolshevism – Still held to idea of world revolution – Still terrified of being attacked – Marxism made them inherently suspicious and anti capitalistic – Western intervention against the Reds in 1919 confirmed this • Particularly alarmed by Germany – Why? – Hitler’s Mein Kampf spoke of destroying Bolshevism and taking parts of eastern Europe • Fear led them to join the League of Nations in 1934 • Signed a treaty with France and Czechoslovakia in 1935 • In light of the Great Purges and Show trials of the 1930s, the West mistrusted the Soviets Wall Street Crash • Crash of ’29 led to US banks calling in loans to Germany and denying any further credit • Disillusioned middle class with Weimar and capitalism • As powers were distracted Japan invaded Manchuria (China) in 1931 – Mukden Incident • Japan claimed that a section of RR in Mukden, S. Manchuria was dynamited by Chinese • Used supposed sabotage as excuse for invasion – Condemned by League but issued no significant sanctions – Japan withdrew from the League • Hitler withdrew Germany from League in 1933 – Began rearmament program Stresa Front (1935) • Italy, Great Britain, and France • Met to discuss growing German aggressiveness • Also opportunity for Mussolini to propagandize himself as elder peace maker • Germany had withdrawn from League, began rearmament program – Instituted conscription to increase army to 750 thousand men – Began building air force • Hitler had sanctioned assassination of Austrian dictator Dollfuss because he banned the Nazi party • Resolutions – Reconfirmed the Locarno agreements – Denounced Germany’s violations of the Treaty of Versailles and Locarno – Reaffirmed the independence of Austria • Total failure – Italy invaded Abyssinia (Ethiopia – GB signed naval pact with Germany Second Italo-Abyssinian War • Italians were dissatisfied with Versailles • Had not gotten what they thought they deserved • Memory of their defeat by Ethiopia at Adowa in 1896 still haunted them • 1935 Italy invaded Ethiopia • Used Mustard Gas & modern weapons • Over 500 thousand Ethiopians died • Denounced by League and members were forbidden to sell necessary war materials (except oil) • French actually sympathized with Mussolini and GB didn’t want a larger war so they did nothing – Even allowed Italians to use Suez • Combined it with Italian Somaliland and Eritrea • Haile Selassie appealed to the west at Geneva • League of Nations showed its weakness again • The Stresa Front dissolved • Mussolini referred to himself as “Invincible Duce” • Exposed weakness of League of Nations The March of Nazi and Fascist Aggression • Hitler saw the weakness of the coalition system and began a diplomacy of attrition to undo it – made small moves • Rant that he deserved the whole cake and then assure everyone that he would be appeased with just a slice • He would get the slice and start the process again The Spanish Civil War, 1936 – 1939 • 1931 Alphonso XIII (Bourbon) was deposed • Spanish Republic began reform movement • Passed anticlerical legislation – Church and state were separated – Jesuit order was dissolved and its property was confiscated – Schools were removed from clerical control • Large estates were redistributed • Movement was not extreme enough for radicals – Strikes and uprisings erupted in Barcelona and Asturias (mining town) but were brutally put down • Too extreme for the Church and conservative parties The Spanish Civil War: 1936 - 1939 The Popular Front [Republicans] Anarcho-Syndicalists. Basques. Catalans. Communists. Marxists. Republicans. Socialists. The National Front [Nationalists] Carlists [ultra-Catholic monarchists]. Catholic Church. Falange [fascist] Party. Monarchists. Francisco Franco • Feb. 1936 elections • Leftists (republicans, socialists, syndicalists, anarchists, communists) formed a Popular Front against the Right (old regime, monarchists, clericals, Falangist (Spanish fascists) and won • But in July ’36, Military led by Franco moved against the Republican government • Civil war broke out as much of the country supported the Republican government • 600,000 lives lost • Franco won in March 1939 • 1939 Franco established a fascist type rule over Spain Spain Splits the World • Spanish Civil War was dress rehearsal for WWII • Britain and France did not intervene • U.S. maintained neutrality • Germany, Italy, and USSR intervened • German planes were tested via bombings of Guernica (total war), Madrid, Barcelona • Mussolini sent troops (100 thousand Italians) Rome-Berlin Axis (1936) • After their cooperation during the Spanish Civil War, Italy and Germany increased relations • Rome-Berlin Axis 1936 • Called Fascintern • Formal fascist alliance between Germany and Italy • Japan joined the Axis in ’36 under Anti-Comintern Pact • Now Hitler was free to pursue union with Austria Remilitarizing the Rhineland • Saar (through Nazi agitation) voted to join the Reich 1935 • March 1935 Germany openly repudiated Versailles & began an arms build up while West did nothing • Rhineland (1936) – In March 1936 Hitler repudiated the Locarno agreements and sent troops into the Rhineland (supposed to be demilitarized) • French was stronger than Germany at this time – unwilling to act without GB • Exposed weakness of League and Allies • Two years later Hitler demanded that Germany be linked with Austria Anschluss • Austrian gov being terrorized by Nazis – Assassination of Dolfuss, bombings • Hitler demanded that known Austrian Nazis be appointed to prominent gov positions • Austria's Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg agreed • Hitler ignored this and demanded Schuschnigg hand over gov to Austrian Nazis • Schuschnigg planned referendum of union with Germany to discredit Austrian Nazis – Government overthrown • tried to hold a referendum for a vote on the issue • In March 1938 Austrian Nazi party assumed power • “asked” Germany to annex Austria • Germany marched in without firing a shot • PM Chamberlain rejected joining an alliance with France and Russia • Believed he could negotiate with Hitler The Munich Crisis: Climax of Appeasement • Anschluss – surrounded Czechoslovakia – added 6 million Germans • 3 million Germans lived in Czech (Sudentenland) • Czechoslovakia – Had strong alliance with France, USSR – Part of the Little Entente with Romania and Yugo • Had strong army, highly dev. Munitions industry, good fortresses in the North (Sudeten) – Sudeten population was almost entirely German The Munich Crisis: Climax of Appeasement • Sudeten Germans agitated via German Nazis and demanded unity with Germany • May 1938 rumors of German invasion caused Czechs to mobilize – French, Brits, and USSR issued warnings and Hit backed down • Allowed British PM Chamberlain to negotiate Appeasement: The Munich Agreement (Sept. 1938) • Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain • Hit raised demands higher and mobilized war seemed imminent • Chamberlain “appeased” Hitler by giving him Sudentenland if Hitler promised no more territorial demands • Loss of mountainous region of Sudetenland left Czech defenseless • Chamberlain – “peace in our time” Now we have “peace in our time!” Herr Hitler is a man we can do business with. Western Democratic Weakness • Munich crisis revealed the weakness of western democracies • Western democracies were not prepared to take on an invigorated Germany • By playing the “nationalism” card Hitler placed the West in a difficult diplomatic situation – Liberal West agreed with the concept of nationalism • Saw fascism as a possible bulwark against the spread of communism • Maybe Russia and Germany would destroy each other (they hoped) End of Appeasement • In March of 1939 Hitler took the rest of Czechoslovakia – protectorate of Germany • Electrified Western European opinion – Hitler could not longer claim that he was merely uniting Germanic peoples • Britain gave diplomatic guarantees to Poland, Romania, and Greece • Difficult diplomatic position – west wanted Soviet help, but the Soviets were communist – Poles and Baltic states refused to allow Soviet troops in their borders – Western powers had sent lesser diplomats to Moscow • Chamberlain flew himself to meet Hitler • Soviets were offended & suspicious – West would allow Soviets and Germans to bleed each other out • West offered no territorial gains The Nazi-Soviet Pact • AKA. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact • Soviets believed the Anglo-French alliance was a way to make the USSR to take the brunt of a Nazi attack • Soviets openly signed a nonaggression pact with Nazi Germany 8/23/39 – Secret clause was to divide Poland – USSR would retain control over the Baltic states • Guaranteed Hitler a one front war – No need for Schlieffen Plan • Stupefied the world – Oil and Water Mixed? • Fascism & Communism are polar opposites • Germany invaded Poland 8 days later (September 1) • Britain and France declared war against Germany (Sept. 3) • World War II has begun