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CHAPTER 27THE DEEPENING CRISIS:
WORLD WAR II
PRELUDE TO WAR 1933-1939
Failure of collective security in the 1920’s1. League of Nations fails2. Attempts at disarmament fails3. Pacts and treaties fails
POWER VACUUM IN EUROPE
1. Britain and France = anything to avoid war
2. Soviet Union = communist/outcast of Europe
3. United States = isolationism/ignore Europe
4. Eastern Europe = too weak/turn to authoritarianism
THE ROLE OF HITLER
Hitler’s ideas based on – 1. ARYANS – the superior race2. LEBENSRAUM – living space in
East 3. Power depends on amount of
land4. Slavic peoples inferior, to be
used as slaves5. Conquest of Eastern Europe
and Russia6. Belief that only he could
create the Aryan racial empire – THE THOUSAND YEARS REICH
7. Impatience – had to be done immediately
THE “DIPLOMATIC REVOLUTION” (1933-1936)
Hitler’s plan –Ignore/scrap the Treaty of Versailles
Restore Germany’s strength
Rebuild the military
Prepare for war and conquest
Pose as a man of peace who only wants fairness for Germany
EVENTS 1933-1936
Oct. 1933 – Hitler w/draws from League of Nations Oct. 1935 – Mussolini invades Ethiopia March 1935 – Hitler announces German military
rearmament Oct. 1936 – Hitler and Mussolini form Rome-Berlin
Axis Hitler and Mussolini support Franco in
Spanish Civil War Nov. 1936 – Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis
formed March 1936 – Hitler reoccupies the
Rhineland
WHY THE WESTERN DEMOCRACIES DID NOTHING
1. Fear of another war/memories of WWI2. Focus on domestic problems the Great
Depression3. Cutbacks in military spending4. Nazi Germany would provide protection
against Soviet communism5. Belief that Hitler was reasonable and
peaceful6. APPEASEMENT
APPEASEMENT
Give Hitler what he wants and there will be peace and stability in Europe
NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN
1. PM of England in 1930’s
2. Main advocate of appeasement
THE PATH TO WAR
Austria – Mar. 1938
The Czech Crisis – Sept. 1938
Danzig and the Polish Corridor – Summer 1939
Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact – Aug. 1939
Germany invades Poland – Sept. 1, 1939
WW II begins
AUSTRIA
THE ANSCHLUSS = THE NAZI TAKEOVER OF AUSTRIA
GERMAN TROOPS MARCH INTO AUSTRIA MARCH 12, 1938.
Hitler threatens the Austrians
March 1938 – the government “invites Hitler to send in an army
Hitler announces he will annex Austria
Britain and France do nothing
THE CZECH CRISIS
The SUDETENLAND = area of Northwest Czechoslovakia w/large # of ethnic Germans
Sept. 1938 – Hitler demands Sudetenland be allowed to leave Czechoslovakia and join Germany
Hitler threatens war to achieve This leads to the MUNICH CONFERENCE
CZECHOSLOVAKIA - Czech territories with 50% or more German population before 1945
THE FAILURE OF APPEASEMENT
The following is the wording of the statement that Neville Chamberlain waved when he stepped off the plane after the conference in Berlin had ended on 30 September, 1938.
"We, the German Führer and Chancellor, and the British Prime Minister, have had a further meeting today and are agreed in recognizing that the question of Anglo-German relations is of the first importance for two countries and for Europe. "We regard the agreement signed last night and the Anglo-German Naval Agreement as symbolic of the desire of our two peoples never to go to war with one another again. "We are resolved that the method of consultation shall be the method adopted to deal with any other questions that may concern our two countries, and we are determined to continue our efforts to remove possible sources of difference, and thus to contribute to assure the peace of Europe."
Chamberlain read this statement to a cheering crowd in front of 10 Downing St. and said;
"My good friends this is the second time in our history that there has come back from Germany to Downing Street peace with honor. I believe it is peace in our time."
THE MUNICH CONFERENCE
The Czech crisis leads to the Munich conference in Sept. 1938
1. Hitler gets what he wants 2. War is avoided3. Chamberlain says “peace
for our time”4. Munich shows Hitler how
weak Britain and France are
5. Hitler secretly plans to take all Czech lands
POLAND
Hitler demands the return of the German city of Danzig in Poland
Hitler demand a “land corridor” to give Germany access to Danzig
Britain signs a security treaty with Poland Hitler prepares to invade Poland To prevent a 2 front war Hitler signs a
nonaggression treaty with Stalin
NAZI-SOVIET NONAGGRESSION PACT AUG. 1939
1. The Ribbentrop-Molotov treaty
2. Germany and Soviet Union agree not to fight
3. They secretly agree to divide up Poland
4. This gives Hitler the green light to invade Poland