Download File - Mr. O`Sullivan`s World of History

The Road to World War II
On your own copy
of this picture, add
labels to explain
what the cartoonist
suggests Hitler is
doing?
Who are the other
people in this picture
and what does the
cartoonist think of
them?
Treaty of
Versailles
Rise of
Hitler
Nationalism
Rise of
fascism in
Italy
Major Causes
of
World War II
Japanese
expansionism
Economic
depression
Militarism
Appeasement
Anticommunism
Hitler’s Foreign Policy Aims
1.
To abolish the Treaty of Versailles, especially:
- Tiny armed forces,
- Rhineland demilitarised,
- Anschluss with Austria forbidden,
- Germans forced to live in Czechoslovakia (the Sudetenland) and Poland
(including Danzig). Saarland under League of Nations control.
The Treaty was a constant reminder to the Germans of their humiliation in World
War I. Hitler did not believe that the German army had lost the war, and he was
determined to make Germany great again.
2.
To expand German territory
The German population was growing. Hitler said that the German nation needed
more Lebensraum (‘living space’). He was determined to get Lebensraum by conquering
land in eastern Europe.
3.
To defeat Communism
The Nazis were Fascists: the exact opposite of the Communists who ruled Russia.
Hitler was determined to destroy Communism, and this meant a war with Russia
Hitler’s geopolitical objectives
Source A
Source B
The Versailles
Treaty is worthless.
60 million German
hearts and minds
are on fire with
anger and shame.
They will cry out
‘We want war!’
It will be the duty of
German foreign policy to
get large spaces to feed
and house the growing
population of Germany.
Destiny points us
towards Russia.
Mein Kampf (a book
written by Hitler in 1924).
Hitler, Mein Kampf (1924).
Aggressive Fascism/Militarism
• The Manchurian Crisis of 1931 clearly
showed the growth of militarism in Asia.
• The Abysinnia Crisis was a clear example
of how fascism was becoming increasingly
aggressive.
January 1933: Hitler became
Chancellor of Germany
1933-1939: Hitler immediately ordered a
programme of rearming Germany
Hitler visits a factory and is enthusiastically
greeted. Many Germans were grateful for
jobs after the misery of he depression years.
This rearmament was in direct contravention
of the Treaty of Versailles.
The Saar Plebiscite



The Saarland had been under
League of Nations control since
the end of WW1
France had demanded coal from
the region during the Versailles
negotiations.
In a plebiscite in 1935 the people
of the Saar voted to return to
German rule.
March 1936: German troops
marched into the Rhineland
The Rhineland was a
region of Germany that
was ‘demilitarised’ after
the Treaty of Versailles.
Germany was not
allowed to have troops
in the region.
Hitler’s actions showed
how he was willing to
directly challenge the
treaty.
Spanish Civil War


Nationalist and
republican groups
battle each other for
control of Spain from
1936 to 1939.
Hitler and Mussolini
provide huge support
to Franco, the
Nationalist leader.
The Anti-Comintern Pact
• Over
the years 1936/37 Germany, Japan and Italy signed a
series of agreements that came to be known as the AntiComintern Pact.
• The purpose of the pact was to form an alliance of nations
that opposed the spread of communism. It was a direct
challenge to Stalin and Russia.
March 1938: Nazi Germany
annexed Austria
Again, this went
against the terms of
the Treaty of Versailles
which banned
Germany from uniting
with Austria.
However, the arrival of
German troops was
met with great
enthusiasm by many
Austrian people.
March 1939: Germany invaded
Czechoslovakia
Hitler had ordered the
occupation of a part of
Czechoslovakia known as the
Sudetenland (in October
1938). Many hoped that that
this would be the last conquest
of the Nazis.
However, in March 1939, he
ordered his troops to take over
the remainder of
Czechoslovakia. This was the
first aggressive step that
suggested that a war in
Europe would soon begin.
Munich Agreement
• In 1938 the British government began to fear the rearmed
and continuously expanding Germany.
•Neville Chamberlain, the Prime Minister of Britain flew to
Berlin to meet Hitler and negotiate an agreement to end the
possibility of war.
•Hitler completely charmed Chamberlain and convinced
him that his interests for expansion ended in
Czechoslovakia.
•They agreed that Germany would annex Czechoslovakia
and not touch Poland.
•Chamberlain returned to London proclaiming that he had
‘achieved peace in our time’.
•The Munich agreement is the most obvious example of
appeasement.
August 1939: Germany and Russia signed a
non-aggression pact
•Hitler and Stalin (the Russian
leader) signed a ‘nonaggression pact’.
•Molotov-Rippentorp Pact.
•They promised that neither
country would attack the other
in the event of war.
•As part of the deal, Hitler
promised Stalin part of Poland,
which he planned to invade
soon.
•Stalin had initially asked for an
alliance with Brtiain.
This photo shows the Russian foreign minister
signing the pact, whilst Stalin stands smiling in
the background
Stalin
Hitler
The non-aggression pact was surprising. Hitler and Stalin were seen as natural enemies.
When Hitler talked of taking over new land for Germany, many thought that he meant Russia.
Hitler also hated Communism, the form of government in Russia
September 1939: Germany invaded Poland
But, the pact allowed
Germany to march
into Poland without
fear of an attack
from Russia.
On 3rd September
1939, Germany
invaded Poland and
started a War with
Britain and France.
German troops marching
into Warsaw, the capital
of Poland.
May 1940: Germany turned west and
invaded France and the Netherlands
In May 1940, Germany
used Blitzkrieg tactics to
attack France and the
Netherlands.
British troops were
forced to retreat from the
beaches of Dunkirk in
northern France.
Captured British
troops, May 1940
By June 1940, France had surrendered to the
Germans
Britain now stood alone
as the last remaining
enemy of Hitler’s
Germany in Western
Europe.
Adolf Hitler tours Paris after his
successful invasion.
September 1940-May 1941: the Blitz
For the following nine months, the German
air force (Luftwaffe) launched repeated
bombing raids on British towns and cities.
This was known as the BLITZ and was an
attempt to bomb Britain into submission.
Operation Barbarossa, June 1941
But in May, 1941, Hitler ordered a change of tactics. He decided to halt the
bombing of Britain and launch an attack against Russia. He betrayed Stalin
and ignored the promises he had made.
This was a bold move that would prove to be an important turning point
in the War.
Tasks
Firstly, use the timeline to indicate the order of events on your
World War II maps.
Then answer the following questions:
1)
In what ways did Hitler ignore the Treaty of Versailles?
2)
At what stage do you think other countries should have
attempted to stop Hitler by using force? Why do you think they
did not?
3)
How was Hitler able to take over Western Europe so quickly?
4)
Why did he create problems for the German army by deciding
to invade Russia?