IGSCE History modules 3 and 4(Hitler’s foreign policy to blame for war/was Weimar doomed from the start)

Short term consequences of the ToV for Germany

-accept blame for starting war -lost all colonies -lost a good chunk of mainland -huge disarmament -not invited to LoN -hatred of ToV and Allies -devastated socially, politically, economically

Long term consequences of the ToV for Germany

-pay reparations for all damage they caused and some they didn’t -major social unrest -conflict between people with opposing views on ToV -fascist rebellion let off easy -Nazi party gained support -German people united in hatred against ToV -hyperinflation crisis

Nazi actions against the ToV (long term)

-depression and huge levels of unemployment translated to hatred against Weimar and ToV -Nazis preyed on that hatred and said they would abolish all of it -pushed commitment to national pride and army (source of nationalism) -withdrew from the signature that they caused WWI -rebuilt the army

Hitler’s aims for Germany

-‘unite’ territories with Germans in them -strengthen German army -put German people to equal/higher position as rest of Europe -stop spread of communism in Germany -create more living space for German people

Hitler’s foreign policy aims

-abolish ToV -revenge against any who opposed Germany -revenge against allies from WWI -expand German territory -create a German empire -take back German territory taken by LoN -create Greater Germany from Eastern Europe

Hitler’s response to the limitation of German armed forces (ToV)

He drafted thousands of unemployed people into the army (1934) and reintroduced conscription (1935). Britain/France did nothing. Britain signed Anglo-German agreement to allow their navy to increase

Hitler’s response to the demilitarisation of the Rhineland (ToV)

He moved 200,000 soldiers of the army back into the Rhineland while LoN was occupied with the Abyssinian crisis. Britain/France made a statement of disagreement and did nothing.

Hitler’s response to forbidding of Austria/Germany Anschluss (ToV)

He used his troops to threaten Austrians into voting for Anschluss and made the Austrian Nazis take part in vocal demonstrations for Anschluss. Also allied with Mussolini to make sure he would not face opposition. France/Britain did nothing

Hitler’s response to the Sudetenland being given to Czechoslovakia (ToV)

He said he would not invade, then in 1938, said he would invade if it became necessary. Claimed the Czech gov. were mistreating Germans. Britain/France promised to back Czechoslovakia, then signed Munich Agreement.

Hitler’s response to the Polish corridor being given to Poland (ToV)

Signed the Nazi-Soviet pact to split all of Poland between him and Russia. Proceeded to invade and take over in 1939. Britain/France declared war two days later (WWII)

How Hitler handled German Rearmament

Originally started by quietly drafting unemployed people into the army. When he left the LoN, became much more open and held rallies on supporting the military. Anglo-German naval pact allowed navy to rearm. Many flying ‘clubs’ across Germany which were essentially part of the flying squads. Claimed this was necessary because no one else would disarm

How Hitler handled the Saar

-LoN held plebiscite to decide if Germany should have it back -Hitler didn’t want the vote to go ahead (just for it to go directly to him) -LoN pressure made vote go ahead -landslide vote to rejoin Germany

How Hitler handled remilitarisation of the rhineland

-marched 200,000 troops into the Rhineland -took a big risk, if French forced attacked/this failed it was a huge defeat -LoN busy with Abyssinian crisis -France not willing to attack -no repercussions

How Hitler handled Austrian Anschluss

-failed attempt of invasion in ‘34, stopped by Mussolini -tried again in ‘38 after allying with Mussolini -encouraged Nazi ministers in Austria to encourage German unity in the people -Austrian chancellor recognised threat and asked LoN for help (they did nothing) -Hitler sent Nazi troops into Austria to make them vote for Anschluss -landslide election to unify with Germany

How did the League failure of the Manchurian crisis help Hitler?

-exposed Japan as potential ally -allowed Hitler to use it (and disarmament conference utter failure) as an excuse to leave LoN and withdraw from ToV terms

How did the League failure of the Abyssinian crisis help Hitler?

-distracted League so he could rearm -distracted the League so he could remilitarise Rhineland -exposed Italy as an effective ally -used League distrust to further Nazi support

How did the League failure of disarmament help Hitler?

-allowed him to rearm without hiding -failure of disarmament conference gave effective excuse to leave LoN -made pacts/tentative alliances with other countries who disagreed with illusion of disarmament

How was Germany involved in the Spanish civil war?

-supported Nationalist general Franco along with Italy -promised they wouldn’t intervene with war (then did anyway) -Hitler sent planes and pilots -German planes were part of most/all bombings -trained/tested Luftwaffe pilots -refined Blitzkreig military tactics that would be used in WWII -strengthen Hitler/Mussolini bond

How was Italy involved in the Spanish Civil War?

-supported Nationalist general Franco along with Germany -promised they wouldn’t intervene with war (then did anyway) -sent thousands of soldiers (officially volunteers) -at any point there were 700,000 trained Italian soldiers backing Franco in Spain -strengthen Hitler/Mussolini bond

Summary of Spanish civil war (1936)

The Spanish Civil War was fought between the left-wing Republicans and the right-wing rebel Nationalists. The Nationalists were led by General Franco and supported by Germany and Italy. Britain and France did not act against Franco, allowing Hitler and other fascist dictators to believe they would not be punished for going against international peace treaties. The nationalists eventually won the war under General Franco, further solidifying that fascism could not be stopped at the time.

Define appeasement

A common policy in which a country that is threatening/actively doing aggressive action is pacified by being given some/all of their demands to prevent all-out war.

How did appeasement happen?

British politicians were struggling to keep the country stable as well as preparing for a war they were relatively certain would happen. As Hitler tried to force more and more of his demands, they decided to let him have some to give Britain time to rearm. For example, not acting when Germany unified with Austria or the Munich Agreement

Why did Britain follow a policy of appeasement?

-British army was too small to fight German -could not guarantee international support -unemployment rates huge -still struggling economically -no one wanted to repeat WWI -fear of communism (didn’t want to fight fascists and leave themselves vulnerable to communist takeover) -some of the public thought Germany was right to fight back some -public fear of repeating WWI

How did appeasement become a major way of dealing with fascist powers in the 1930s?

The Depression had far-reaching effects for years after the Crash. Many Allied powers were struggling and needed a way to keep fascism at bay until they could effectively fight against it. Appeasement was the easiest/most effective way to do so.

British reasons FOR appeasement

-fear of communism if they were weakened fighting fascism -avoid another Great War -German rearmament at huge scale which Britain couldn’t compete with -USA wouldn’t support a European war -not certain the overseas British Empire would support a war -ToV considered unfair towards Germany -more leniency/pity towards Germany -could not afford another war

British reasons AGAINST appeasement

-needed to make a stand against Hitler -fighting would show USSR that Britain was strong and wouldn’t stop Germany from taking them over to stop communism spreading -Hitler’s allies has gotten away with great aggression and this should stop with him -Hitler made many false promises -no guarantee Hitler would stop when appeased

In what ways was appeasement justified

Britain was in no way ready to fight a war. They needed time, resources and money to rearm effectively. It gave Britain time to raise that. It also gave Chamberlain a chance to prepare a real war plan

Who was the British PM well known for the policy of appeasement?

Neville Chamberlain

In what ways was appeasement NOT justified

It allowed Britain to ignore major humanitarian disasters such as the Spanish Civil War and Nazi invasions of the Sudetenland and Austria which was morally reprehensible. It was a total failure in stopping Hitler entirely. It gave Hitler more confidence that he would not be challenged.

How was the Spanish Civil War a significant example of appeasement?

-Hitler and Mussolini made promises not to intervene which they immediately broke - Hitler sent planes and pilots -Britain did nothing to sanction them -proved to Hitler that LoN would not act against him -Britain ballooned military spending (proving they were stalling for time)

How was the Munich Pact a significant example of appeasement?

Britain hoped that, by giving Hitler Czechoslovakia, he would stop at that and leave Poland/etc alone. The Czechoslovakian leader sought promises from the Allies that they would support him if invaded but they didn’t keep that promise. Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia fully in early 1939

What happened in the Crisis over Czechoslovakia?

-Hitler wanted the Czechoslovakian Sudetenland under German control (lots of German speakers there) -Beneš (Czechoslovakian leader) made Allies promise to back Czechoslovakia -Hitler says he will invade if necessary -Hitler says he only wants part of the Sudetenland in a meeting with Chamberlain, changes this demand a week later -Hitler claims Czech gov mistreating Germans -Munich Agreement signed between Germany, Britain and Italy to give Hitler the Sudetenland without asking Czechoslovakia -Hitler takes Sudetenland then, in 1939, invades the rest of Czechoslovakia

The Munich Agreement

An agreement between Germany, Britain and Italy which gave the Czechoslovakian Sudetenland to Germany in its entirety as part of the policy of appeasement. This agreement was reached without consulting the Czechoslovakian leader.

Why was the Nazi-Soviet Pact significant?

-trigger for WWII -represented two leaders who hated each other coming together in alliance -huge achievement for Nazis -Hitler thought of it as his greatest achievement because it gave him half of Poland and guaranteed no fighting from Russia -gave Stalin more time to rearm for war with Germany -exposed Britain/France’s hope that Germany and Russia would fight each other instead of them -abandoned internationalism entirely -gave Hitler confidence to attack Poland outright

Give another name for the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.

Nazi-Soviet Pact

The Nazi-Soviet Pact

An agreement between Germany and the USSR not to attack one another. It also promised an even split of the territory of Poland and evenly split control of Eastern Europe between Germany and the USSR. It was signed in August 1939 by Molotov and Ribbentrop from Russia and Germany respectively.

What did Hitler gain from the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

-gave him half of Poland -guaranteed no war from USSR as well as Allies -ensured peace while he schemed to get the Baltic states/rest of Poland -delayed/stopped war on multiple fronts

What did Stalin gain from the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

-half of Poland which used to be part of the USSR -time to build up army -a slightly more trustworthy ally than Britain or France -more time to build up economy for war

Why did Stalin prefer to ally with Germany over the Allies?

-Britain and France were proven to be weak allies -German threat was a very real worry for the USSR -LoN was useless against fascism -Allies hated communism, at least Germany would give him more land -concluded Britain/France would be happy to let Hitler take over all of Eastern Europe -France didn’t stop Germany moving their troops right to the French border (Rhineland)

What were the consequences of the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

-Hitler’s invasion of Poland in 1939 without much resistance from Poland -world war 2 -shattered trust between Western European/Allies and USSR

Invasion of Poland (1939)

-Germany army invaded Poland 1/9/39 -Nazi troops dressed in Polish uniforms and attacked German property to give a reason (night of 31/8/39) -1.5million German soldiers marched on Poland from N/W/S - Russia invaded from the East 17/9/39 -Poland was crushed -Polish government in exile formed in Allied countries

Operation Himmler

Staged attacked in which German troops dressed in Polish uniforms and destroyed German property. It was made to look as if Poland was attacking Germany. This was in order to give the German army a reason to invade Poland as ‘retaliation’.

Why did WWII start?

-Hitler’s actions (invasion of Poland, invasion of Czechoslovakia, plan to create Greater Germany) -Policy of appeasement (Munich agreement, Anglo-German Pact) -Nazi-Soviet Pact (reassured Hitler no war on two fronts) -LoN failures (disarmament, did not act against aggression) -ToV (led to the rise of Nazism, united Germans in hatred) -Depression (stopped LoN effectiveness, stopped Allies acting against Germany earlier)

Why did Britain/France declare war on Germany in September 1939?

Hitler’s aggression went too far. They had signed a pact with Poland to protect them in the face of invasion. Finally had enough resources to fight a war and have a chance.

How did the ToV lead to war?

-harsh terms united Germans in rage -inspired rise of fascism against Allies -Hitler’s campaigns preyed on hatred against ToV and LoN in Germans -promised revenge for ToV -ToV was seen as harsh by Allies too, allowed Hitler to get away with a lot out of pity

How did the failure of the LoN lead to war?

-LoN allowed too much aggression and allowed Hitler to get away with too much -failure to act left leaders untrusting and members acting in significant self interest - useless and left countries scrambling when legitimate threat came -failure of international cooperation (including against Hitler) -allowed Hitler to think he could get away with anything

How did the Depression lead to war?

-countries became more self centred -less willing to help each other as they couldn’t afford to -countries could not afford war -more aggression because more fear/stress -also led to failure of LoN

How did appeasement lead to war?

-incorrect belief that appeasement would make Hitler step down from war -made Hitler think he could do anything without punishment -showed the world the LoN would not act against aggression/fascism

How did the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact lead to war?

-ensured Russia’s cooperation -gave Hitler the assurance of no war on two fronts -made invasion of Poland easy and possible -made Hitler comfortable that no action would be taken against Germany -Poland’s pact with Britain/France led to declaration of war

The Rome-Berlin Axis (1936)

-both Italy and Germany had started imperial campaigns to annex more land for their states -promised to protect common foreign policy -Hitler/Mussolini former a alliance of friendship thanks to their similar fascist beliefs

The Anti-Comintern Pact (1936)

-one month after Rome-Berlin axis -Germany and Japan promised mutual assistance against communism -USSR was attacking Japan at the time -common ground against Allies, but this was not a main focus of the Pact -Italy joined this Pact in 1937

German revolution of 1918

-Kaiser refused to abdicate after WWI -sailors/workers/soldiers revolted in response -many German cities revolted and declared socialist republics -Kaiser finally abdicated in November 1918 and left for the Netherlands

What happened in Germany directly after the war?

-Ebert became Chancellor -Ebert and his government signed a ceasefire, officially ending WWI -the Weimar Republic was announced and the constitution drawn up -the first free elections in Germany’s history took place 01/19 -Ebert elected as President 02/19

Freidrich Ebert

-leader of the German Social Democratic Party -president of the Republic 1919-25 -him and his government called November criminals -wanted the German empire to exist as one state -kept Germany relatively stable

Philipp Scheidemann

-part of the interim government -disagreed outspokenly with riots (both left and right) -resigned from government rather than sign ToV -the motherfucker who shouted the existence of the new Republic from a balcony without authorisation and made it a public fact

Kaiser Wilhelm II

-ruled Germany 1888-1918 - abdicated after navy and people mutinied -fled to Holland post abdication -enjoyed the power war gave him -basically a PR figure during the war -hated democracy and Ebert’s socialists

Political challenges faced by Ebert’s Weimar

-called ‘November Criminals’ for signing the ceasefire/ToV -lots of revolutions from left and right -democracy was unstable -‘stab in the back’ myth made people (mostly ex soldiers) hate new democrats -infighting heightened with more tension

Social challenges faced by Ebert’s Weimar

-war deepened divisions between people -huge gaps between rich and poor especially post-war -working class bitter while factory owners earned a lot -dissolution to horrors of war -anger at lost war -resistance to systemic change

Economic challenges faced by Ebert’s Weimar

-Germany bankrupt -many entrenched in poverty -war pensions a huge burden on gov budgets -industrial production way down -reparations a further burden on budget

Key parts of the Weimar Constitution

-divided Germany into states with their own governments -all adults over 20 had the right to vote -all German citizens had equal rights -Reichstag elected every four years through proportional representation -head of state President elected ever seven years -Chancellor (day to day) appointed/dismissed by President -article 48 gave the president power to pass laws that didn’t need Reichstag approval -Chancellor needed 50% of Reichstag approval to pass new laws

Left-wing threats to Weimar (1919-23)

Communists who wanted a full communist revolution like in the USSR. Namely, Spartacists and some breakaway sections of former-socialists

Why did the right wing hate Weimar?

-wanted a strong government -didn’t believe in democracy -very anti communism (and by extension, anti socialist) -wanted a return to Kaiser rule -thought that Ebert’s government caused the German defeat in WWI

Why did the Left wing hate Weimar?

-opposed democracy -thought Weimar was too weak -wanted a full communist revolution like in Russia -thought they were too private/capitalist

Right-wing threats to Weimar (1919-23)

Fascists and nationalists who wanted a return to the days of the Kaiser’s ultimate rule. Some of them were still in power from the old days and restricted was Ebert’s socialists could do.

Terms of the Treaty of Versailles which affected Germany

-lost 10% of its mainland -lost all overseas colonies -lost huge swathes of industry -army reduced to 100,000 men -no more air force -only 6 ships in navy -forced to pay huge reparations to Allies -had to accept full blame for starting the war

Define the Dolchstoss Theory

Myth spread by right-wing extremists which insisted that the German Weimar government ‘stabbed the army in the back’ when they signed the ToV. It was thought (inaccurately) that ‘Jewish-Bolshevik traitors’ worked to make sure Germany lost the war

Walter Rathenau

Ebert’s Jewish foreign minister who was assassinated in 1922 by Freikorps. His murder showed the biases of the Weimar government which refused to effectively punish right wing extremists

The 1923 German hyperinflation crisis

-Germany did not pay their reparations bill and French troops marched on the Ruhr to take what they were owed in materials -government ordered general strike to protest this -kept printing money to pay workers -marks became worthless as they kept being printed indiscriminately -the exchange rate kept skyrocketing -money was worthless and prices rose hugely -solved by Gustav Stresemann’s government

What caused the hyperinflation crisis?

-lack of payment of reparations -ToV, indirectly -the French invasion of the Ruhr -the general strike protesting the occupation -Ebert’s government constantly printing more money

What was the 1923 occupation of the Ruhr?

-Germany did not pay their reparations on time -French waited a little bit, then stormed the Ruhr -French and Belgian troops took raw materials to pay their reparations -industrial workers went on strike on orders of the government

How Stresemann solved the hyperinflation crisis.

-called off Ruhr passive resistance -called in worthless marks, burned them -new currency tied to value of gold (rentenmark) -American loans under the Dawes plan -renegotiated reparation payments to make paying them easier

Freikorps

-very extreme vigilante fighters -Led by Wolfgang Kapp -wanted the successful days of the Kaiser back -employed as a guerilla group against right-wing political rivals (spartacists) -were never punished that harshly

Gustav Stresemann

-originally both foreign secretary and chancellor -resigned as chancellor 11/23 but stayed on as foreign secretary -goal to stabilise economy, reduce extremist support and increase Weimar trust -established rentenmark, pulled Germany out of hyperinflation -established Dawes plan for American loans -extremists hated him for American dependence -died 10/29 and within a month the German economy collapsed

Name the Stresemann-era Weimar economic achievements

-Dawes plan -money provided jobs which stimulated economy which created more money for everyone -reached prewar levels of production (1928) even without some industry -gov was able to increase welfare and state wages

Dawes plan (1924)

Spread reparations over a longer period and secured 800 million marks in loans from America for German businesses/public facilities

Name the Stresemann-era political achievements

-politics more stable -no more major revolutions -parties with difficult past relationships began to work together again -radical extremists held significantly less seats in the Reichstag

Name the Stresemann-era Weimar foreign policy achievements

-Germany accepted into LoN -Locarno Pact -Young Plan -Kellog-Briand Pact -worked to change ToV reparation terms -worked for German Eastern borders to be allowed to change

Locarno Pact

Germany promising not to change her Western borders with France and Belgium (1925)

Young plan

Extending time to pay reparations and permanently removing British, French and Belgian troops from the Rhineland (1929)

Kellogg-Briand Pact

60+ countries including Germany promising not to use war to solve any disputes (1928)

Weimar period cultural achievements

-no more Kaiser-era censorship -bold new paintings showing realities of war -media designed to shock was common -rejecting traditional architectural norms and creating new, exciting techniques -Berlin was famous for its nightlife -more risqué performances more common (in cabaret especially) -Theatre became more caricature

Name the Stresemann-era Weimar economic problems

-US loans could be recalled at any point -main winners were big businesses and the state -unemployment rose heavily -farmers were making too much food and not enough money -small businesses were struggling to compete with big businesses -upper middle class felt Weimar gave them little

Name the Stresemann-era Weimar cultural problems

-right wing and conservative people felt outspoken nightlife in Berlin represented moral decline -Wandervogel movement preyed upon by Nazis -Wandervogel movement campaigned for a return to traditional German values -a lot of hatred for Weimar from people who were not gaining anything/felt that this new culture was bad

The Kapp Putsch (1920)

-attempted coup against Weimar -the army tried to disband a Freikorps unit (marinebrigade) -Freikorps marched on Berlin against this decision and Weimar in general -army would not defend government (‘army does not fire on army’) -coup occupied chancellery and Kapp declared himself Chancellor -12 million workers came out in general strike on orders from Weimar -gas, water, power etc stopped -forced to abandon Putsch -most members let off -elections brought forward as they wanted

Consequences of the Kapp Putsch

-essentially none -Kapp had to leave the country -one putsch member was jailed for a few years -right-wing rebellions clearly treated better than left-wing

The Munich Putsch (1923)

-Hitler tried to exploit the crises of 1923 -took over a beer hall in Bavaria where local officials were meeting -held leaders at gunpoint and made them promise to back him -took over some army barracks/official buildings -one leader was released and proceeded to call in the police and army -Nazis marched on Munich/victory march around Bavaria -stopped by cops -16 Nazis shot -Ludendorff arrested -Hitler ran away in a car (then arrested 2 days later)

Consequences of the Munich Putsch

-failed revolution -treason trial gave Hitler SO MUCH publicity -Hitler and some other major players jailed for a few years -16 Nazis killed -Hitler forbidden to speak in public for 9 months

The Spartacist uprising (1919)

-Ebert fired a chief of police for refusing to attack a people’s brigade who had kidnapped a minister to try to get their wages paid -huge demonstration in support of fired chief of police and against the interim moderate gov -Spartacists joined and set up a soviet to overthrow the gov -supported by general strike -Freikorps attacked them, unprepared, and slaughtered 100+ -many killers were never tried; most did not receive prison sentences