Hitler

Hitler’s aims for Germany (TURN)

T: ToV ignored`

U: Unite Germans lost in diff territories

R: rearment

N: New territories

Hitler 1933

• drafted 300k into the army (compared to 100k of ToV)

• May 1933 disarmament conference, demanded France’s army at an equal size (reasonable)

1934

Dolfuss Affair

• tried to unite Austrian Nazis who overthrew the Chancellor (attempt at Anschluss)

• Stopped by Mussolini (shows Hitler was weak at the time)

1935

Jan: won Saar vote by 90%, returning mines after 15yrs

Mar: Army at 1mil, parading 2k aircrafts

Jun: signed with Britain allowing German navy 35% of British one(showed compromise from other countries)

Rearmament of Rhineland

22k troops into Rhineland, 7 March 1936

• informed BR/FR/IT who were preoccupied by Abyssinia

• FR: couldn’t act w/o BR, Recovering from WW1, abt to start elections

• BR: ToV unfair, Germany’s own land anw

Rome-Berlin Axis

Nov 1936

• GR kept trading during Abyssinia + IT had no belief in EN/FR to fight against Hitler after naval agreement

Anti-Comintern Pact

Germany + Japan Nov 1936

• 1936 Japan invaded large parts of China, worried USSR would support the Chinese

• Italy joined a year later in “close co-operation”

Spanish Civil War

1937

• Franco against Left-Wing Republic Spanish Government

• BR = FR persuaded 27 countries to sign a Non-Intervention Agreement

Italy’s support in the Spanish Civil War

• £80 mil, 80k men, 290 aeroplanes

• Blockaded Spanish ports with Italian Submarines(i.e. sinking British Ships supplying Republicans)

Germany’s support in the Spanish Civil War

• Condor Legion(German) testing thousands of bombs on Republican towns

• £43 million to Franco

• 16k men to Spain

Why Hitler wanted anschluss (3)

1. break ToV

2. test BR/FR

3. unite German speakers

Feb 1938 Anschluss

Hitler took Schusnigg hostage with 3 military generals

• Nazi solicitor placed as head of police

March 1938 Anschluss

2nd : Britain offers African colonies for Germany not to invade

12th : Hitler greeted with gifts in Austria

Anschluss plebescite

10th April, 99% voters agreeing on Anschluss

• Hitler created a problem and “solved” it, manipulating the austrians

• Those who would’ve disagreed were likely imprisoned prev (feb)

Sudetenland

3 million Germans, richest area with industry and powerhouse of Czechslovakia

pre-munich conference British context

Chamberlain already flew to Germany 2 times in September upon hearing the news

munich conf summarized

29th Sept 1938, IT/EN/FR/GR

• gave Sudetenland to Hitler in exchange for peace vow

• Chamberlain’s “Peace in our time”

• 93% British public didn’t believe Hitler

Nazi Soviet Pact (USSR reasons)

• can’t trust EN/FR promises(+ not valued by them) - n/a munich conf

• stall for time to build own army against Hitler

• gain territory(Poland) sans fighting

Nazi Soviet Pact (Nazi reasons)

• avoid war on 2 fronts

• no one stopping Polish invasion

policy of appeasement failures(3)

• Rhineland, broke ToV with no consequences early on = confidence

• Sudetenland, lead to Nazi-Soviet + Lebensraum

• Naval agreement, missed opportunity to stop H’s strength

APPEASE acronym

Avoid war(7 mil deaths ww1)

Public opinion(1934 against war)

Pity ToV (war in 25 years time)

APPEASE acronym

Econ(25% Brits unemployed)

Against communism(Germany as barrier)

Support (2 BR army units vs 80 GR units)

Empire (1931 Cyprus rebellion)