IB History Formative Assessment Road to Global War

World Disarmament Conference 1932

• France failed at getting an army for the league

• Britain failed at offensive weapon reduction due to objections from Germany and the USSR

• Germany wanted to rearm to the levels of other nations for equal treatment

• when Germany was denied, its delegates left the conference - this occured before Hitler was Chancellor

Pact with Poland 1934

• 10 year non-aggression pact with Poland

• Poland was under more influence from Germany, taking influence away from France

• Britain was happy with the pact, however France remained skeptical and continued to pursue national security

• Nazis were unhappy, however the policy decision reflects well on Hitler because he seemed reasonable

Anschluss with Austria in 1934

• alienated pro German Pritish

• Mussolini opposed and moved troops in (Hitler was unready for conflict)

Stresa Front 1935

• alliance that formed between the French, British and Italians in response to German rearmament

• the Stresa Front was not formed through the League of Nations

• the French and Soviets had a mutual assistance pact to protect Czechoslovakia

• the Anglo-German Naval Treaty 1935 attempted to limit German naval expansion

Reoccupation of the Rhineland 1936

• Hitler moved during the invasion of Abyssinia

• the Stresa Front collapsed

• the movement violated both the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Locarno

• the German army was not strong enough to fight the French and British so Hitler agreed to pull back if they faced any opposition

Anti Comintern Pact 1936

Spanish Civil War

• a test run for Germany’s equipment and tactics with things like the Condor Legion

• brought Italy closer to Germany 

Hossbach Memorandum 1937

• wanted to seize Austria and Czechoslovakia

• Schacht resigned

Anschluss with Austria 1938

• Austrian government was watched by Germans in order to retain its sovereignty in 1936

• 1938 referendum on Austrian independence led to Austrian Nazis taking over the government and the letting German Nazis in

• clear breach of Treaty of Versailles however Britain engaged in appeasement and France did not take military action.

revisionist theory

• Hitler desired expansion which was ultimately based on opportunism (ASP Taylor)

orthodox theory

• Trevor Roper argues that Mein Kampf displays Hitler’s ultimate goals

Czechslovakia

• Evard Benes (president of Czechoslovakia) faced issues with German speakers

• Lord Runciman (British) said that sudetenland Germans were oppressed

• France had defense treaty with Czechs in 1924 and France had one for the Czechs with the USSR as well

• Czechs had a small and efficient arm that the Germans were afraid of

• Invasion in 1939 to destroy the rest of the Czechs

• Poland and Hungary were encouraged to demand more land

• despite the breach of the Munich agreement, Britain and France did not respond

• France was prepared for war

• Lithuanian port of Mimel was also under control

Munich Agreement

• Germany, Britain, France, and Italy agreed the Sudetenland should be handed over to the Germans

Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact (Molotov - Ribbentrop Pact of Non Aggretion

• the USSR had attempted to align itself against the Nazis with the west; the UK ignored it because of anti communism and fear that an alliance may provoke the Germans and because Poland was opposed to an alliance with the USSR

• Britain and France opened negotiations with the USSR for an alliance, however the USSR was not convinced that Britain and France would actually object to Eastward expansion

• the British haalso had a slow response

• soviets had time to prepare agianst war with Germarns

Sara Plebecite 1935

• returned Saar to the League based on vote

Laval

• French foreign prime minister

Invasion of Albania 1939

• followed the invasion of Czechoslovakia

Soviet Unionland the LEague

• Livinov (foreign minister) supported alliance with the West

• Molotov new foreign minister made alliance with Nazis

US and the League

• Joseph Kennedy in 1938, ambassador in London, believed that appeasement was best

• George Kennan and Riga aximosists (USSR wanted world domination)

• FDR eventually concluded that the Nazis were the larger threat

Nazi Invasion of Poland

• Danzig was wanted (had been international city) wanted to build rail too

• Britain and France promised to protect Poland as well as Greece

• Italy needed time

Global War

• phomney war as the Nazis and Germans seized Poland and there was little action on the west

• Alpine War when Italy was sent to France

• Germany invaded Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, and France in 1940

• Mussolini invaded British Somaliland and British Egypt

• Italy tried to obtain Greece in order to stop Nazi control of the Balkans

• 1941 Germany invades the USSR along with the attack on Pearl Harbor

• Mussolini also sent troops to the USSR

• Nazi Germany Stufenplan- Hitler had pursued wwII