IB History Paper 1: German and Italian Expansion 1933-1940

Causes for Causes of German and Italian Expansion in the 1930s

-Germany's development into a fascist dictatorship focused on expansion

-Italy's development into a fascist dictatorship focused on expansion

Hitler's Expansionist Vision

-specified in Mein Kampf

-Greater Germany (Gross Deutschland) - Unify Austria as well as Czechoslovakian and Polish areas with many Germans under an enlarged Germany

-Living Space (Lebensraum) at the expense of interior Eastern minorities, Jews being the lowest such minority

-Hated communism, believing all Bolsheviks were Jews, so the USSR was a natural enemy from which to gain living space

Lebensraum

"living space"- the additional territory that, according to Adolf Hitler, Germany needed because it was overcrowded which was at the expense of Eastern European minorities (Jews)

-also focused on defeating communism

-tried to make Germany self-sufficient

Gross Deutschland

Greater Germany- This was the idea of bringing all the German-speaking people into one country by uniting Germany and Austria and adding Germans in Czechoslovakia, Poland, Luxembourg, Belgium Danzig, and France, etc.

Intentionalist View

Intentionalist historians such as Hildebrand contend that Hitler first planned to end the Treaty of Versailles and ally with Britain and Italy, then defeat France, and then conquer the USSR

Italian invasion of Fiume

Italian disgust over the Treaty of St. Germain led to D'Annunzio's attempted seizure of Fiume because fascism appealed to Italians who were angered at the treaty's lack of compensation in territories such as Fiume. Orlando didn't know what to do and the Fascist Party encouraged nationalism and leader D'Annunzio led 2,000 ex-soldiers to occupy Fiume, but this failed when Giolattie returned as Yugoslavia's prime minister.

(failed)

The Law on Powers of Head of Government (1925)

-Italian law that banned political parties and unions, allowed for censorship of the media, and replaced elected officials with appointed government officials

-contributed to Mussolini's development of a dictatorship because he now had great executive powers.

-He banned other political parties and trade unions and heavily restricted the press. Officials who were once elected were now replaced by ones being appointed.

Mussolini's Economic Desires

-contributed to Mussolini's desire for territorial expansion and limited achievement of that expansion because he desired control over the Mediterranean but this was difficult to complete because Italy lacked raw materials and there was an uneven amount of industrialization between South and North Italy.

-Even though Mussolini sought self-sufficiency, the Italian economy could not produce so much because of such problems.

Corfu Incident (1923)

-occurred when Mussolini's Fascist Party had gained power in 1922 and sought to consolidate power through an aggressive foreign policy.

-An Italian General had been murdered on Greek territory when he was helping create maps over a disputed area at the Conference of Ambassadors.

-Mussolini exploited this situation by demanding that Greece pay 50 million lire as compensation and that Greece officially apologize.

-Greece refused to pay because they were not responsible for the assassination and thus Mussolini ordered for a marine invasion of Corfu. The League of Nations condemned this and the Conference of Ambassadors did not apologize but paid Mussolini's compensation demands.

-Mussolini and the fascists gained a lot of support in Italy and the incident made Mussolini appear as a national hero.

->Mussolini now related his regime to Ancient Rome and created the Romanita movement.

Spazio Vitale

-the fascist goal that strong states should expand beyond its boundaries and control areas important to its interests.

-For Mussolini, this meant the whole Mediterranean area and North and Eastern Africa, so the Atlantic to Indian Ocean.

-was different from Lebensraum because the Nazi Lebensraum focused on expansion into Eastern Europe to gain resources rather than establishing a colonial empire and Lebensraum also focused on defeating communism

Why Mussolini's Battles Failed

-though they focused on feeding the army and ensuring cheap coal and iron imports for military production,the battles were not consistently fought so they never succeeded

Battle over the Southern Problem (1924)

no new villages were built

Battle for Grain (1925)

-Mussolini attempted to make Italy self-sufficient

-succeeded in nearly doubling cereal production by 1939 and made Italy self-sufficient in wheat

-HOWEVER, it resulted in the misallocation of resources and Italy had to import olive oil.

-Exports of fruit, wine, cattle, and sheep dropped.

Battle for Land (1926)

reclaimed only the Pontine Marshes, but no other land

Battle for Lire (1925)

-overvalued the lira artificially, caused exports to decline and so unemployment increased as Italian goods became far more expensive.

-Car exports also declined as Italy went into a recession due to the Depression.

Four Year Plan (1936)

-made war economically necessary

(what's the point of making all these weapons if no one is going to use them?)

-was created so that the German economy and the military forces would be prepared to fight war in four years

-created by Goring and it gave priority to Hitler's plans to military expansion and it gave government money to research, development, and armaments production

-Between 1936-40, nearly 50% of all spending was in industrial production.

MEFO bills (1934)

-made war economically necessary

-Schacht made them due for repayment in 1939 and if they were paid earlier, it would have wrecked the economy

-Germans felt that was was needed for the living standards in Germany to be upheld.

Foreign policy differences between Britain and France

- Whereas France wished the League had its own armed forces, Britain opposed this and instead wished that it was made up of all country's soldiers

-In 1923, the Draft Treaty of Mutual Assistance was suggested by France to give the League power to take military action immediately during an unprovoked situation of aggression. But, this was blocked by Britain.

-France was very reluctant to disarm, but Britain refused to give the League any actual military power and so the disarmament talks were often by-passed by the League.

->caused problems in the League which needed a unanimous vote

Hitler's Aggression

-Oct, 33: Hitler announced Germany's withdrawal from the League of Nations

-Jan, 34: Hitler signed a ten-year nonaggression pact with Poland, isolating France

-July, 34: Hitler began his first aggressive expansionist foreign policy, attempting to create "Anschluss" with Austria but he backed down

-Spring, 35: Hitler publicly announced that Germany had a Luftwaffe (airforce) and it was beginning conscription and rearmament.

-June, 35: Anglo-German Naval Treaty

-Oct, 35: Abyssinian Crisis

-March, 36: Hitler ordered his troops to enter the Rhineland

-Summer, 36: Hitler helped the Nationalists in Spain

-Nov, 36: Hitler signed the Anti-Comintern Pact w/ Japan

-Mar, 38: German troops invaded Austria

German-Polish Non-Aggression Pact (1934)

-Both countries pledged to resolve their problems by bilateral negotiations and to avoid armed conflict for a period of ten years

-Hitler broke this clearly in 1939

-Isolated France

Anglo-German Naval Treaty (June 1935)

In this treaty between the Germans and the British, the Germans agreed to have a much smaller navy than the British. THIS IS SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE IT REPRESENTED VICTORY FOR GERMANY BECAUSE IT BASICALLY DECLARED THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES NULL AND VOID, EVEN THOUGH THEIR NAVY HAD TO BE SMALL.

Hitler's Rearmament

-Spring, 35: Hitler publicly announced that Germany had a Luftwaffe (airforce) and it was beginning conscription and rearmament. → In response, Britain, France, and Italy formed the Stresa Front to oppose Germany. → Hitler made speeches on how he wanted peace and rearmament. Britain was impressed, France wasn't. → In May 1935, France negotiated a mutual assistance pact with the USSR to protect Czechoslovakia from Germany. → In June, the Anglo-German Naval Treaty was signed

Abyssinian Crisis (1935)

-Mussolini had been planning the invasion since 1932, hoping to combine Abyssinia with the other Italian colonies in East Africa, Eritrea and Somaliland.

-The invasion was sparked after a supposed border conflict occurred in December 1934 at the Wal-Wal oasis between Abyssinia and Somaliland.

-More than 100 Abyssinian troops and 50 Italian plus Somali troops died. Mussolini continued the invasion even though the League involved.

-On October 3, the invading forces faced some early success because Abyssinian forces only had spears for weapons whereas Italy had tanks, bombers, and poison gas. The invasion slowed down due to Abyssinian resistance and poor Italian communication, but the war became one-sided with 400,000 Abyssinian deaths.

-Mussolini had early on predicted that neither France or Britain would intervene which was confirmed by the Hoare-Laval Pact that offered ⅔ of Abyssinia to Italy. This eventually collapsed and the League of Nations enforced tougher sanctions.

-caused the collapse of Stresa Front!!!

Hoare-Laval Pact (1935)

British French agreement in 1935 to appease mussolini and to prevent Italian-German alliance by accepting Italian annexation of land in Abyssinia - Italy would be able to have 2/3 of Abyssinia

-This FAILED due to lack of public support from British public

Rhineland (1936)

A region in Germany designated a demilitarized zone by the Treaty of Versailles; Hitler violated the treaty and sent German troops there in 1936.

-> Britain and France did nothing!

Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)

Hitler helped the nationalists with troops and weapons. The Luftwaffe gained experience with the Condor Legion's bombing missions.

Anti-Comintern Pact (1936)

treaty between Germany and Japan promising a common front against communism (the Soviet Union's Comintern)

Luftwaffe

the German air force before and during World War II

Condor Legion

Units of Germany's air force that fought with the Nationalists

Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis (1937)

An alliance between Italy, Germany, and Japan against communism

3 potential problems with Hitler's plan to invade Czechoslovakia prior to the Munich Agreement

-Hitler's advisers said the Four Year Plan didn't prepare Germany for war yet & the Czech army was small yet efficient and ready to resist

-France had a defense treaty with Czechoslovakia (since 1924)

-France and the USSR agreed to protect Czechoslovakia in May 1935

Munich Agreement (1938)

-Chamberlain had 3 September 1938 meetings in which Hitler kept increasing demands regarding the Sudetenland, culminating with the 4 Power Conference

-neither USSR nor Czechoslovakia was consulted

-it was agreed that Germany would receive the Sudetenland

-as a result, the Sudetenland became a part of Germany, and it helped with border defenses as well as providing agricultural, natural, and industrial resources.

-Hitler states this was final territorial demand and agreed to never go to war with Britain

"Peace of our time" Pledge

-At the Munich Conference in 1938, western democracies caved into Hitler's demands while Hitler in exchange promised he had no further plans for expansion- a flat out lie.

-When Neville Chamberlain returned home to Britain he told the cheering crowds that "peace for our time" had been achieved.

Relationship between the Munich Agreement and the Molotov Ribbentrop Pact of Non-Aggression

-the USSR was angered because it was not invited to the Munich Agreement and it was not enforced so Stalin was angered

-Hitler took advantage of this by obtaining an alliance with the USSR knowing Britain was so fearful of the USSR (communism) that it would not consider allying with the USSR.

Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of Non-Aggression (August 1939)

AKA Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact

-Nazi Germany and USSR agreed to take no military action against each other for the next 10 years

-Secret aspect: was a Soviet-German agreement to split Poland and Soviet control over Baltic states

Stresa Front (1935)

In April 1935, Britain, Italy, and France met in Stresa to discuss rearmament and Hitler's attempted Anschluss. As a result, the meeting confirmed the Locarno Treaty, respected Austria's independence and condemned German aggression. Thus, Italy, Britain, and France formed the Stresa Front to oppose any breaches in peace in Europe.

Ineffective responses to German Aggression

When Germany announced rearmament and new conscription, with no action being taken by Britain and France, the Anglo-German Naval Treaty allowed Germany to build a bigger navy than was allowed by the Treaty of Versailles. This was done without consulting members of the Stresa Front or League of Nations. The same issues rose again during reoccupation of the Rhineland bc neither Britain or France opposed it.

Non-Intervention Agreement

U.S., Germany, & Britain, etc. pledged to not intervene in the Spanish Civil War

Failures of the Non-Intervention Agreement

-During the Spanish Civil War, the Nationalists were still able to buy war materials from countries that signed the pact such as the U.S. and Britain.

-More than 30% of war material was bought from Britain and the Republicans bought oil from the U.S. and Roosevelt was aware of this. Hitler, who also signed the pact, gave Franco military assistance through raw materials and military supplies to test tactics and weapons out for his own benefit.

Failures of the international response to Italy's Abyssinian invasion

-The League of Nations did very little to punish Italy with only sanctions, which were so limited that they only served as a demonstration of Italy's weaknesses.

-At the same time, France and Britain signed the Hoare-Lavale Pact to appease Italy. Impact was not well received and it was dropped, following with Britain and France embargo-ing Italy.

-As a result, Mussolini was alienated and moved closer to Germany and the Stresa Front collapsed

Lithuania (Jan 1939)

Germany intimidated Lithuania to give Memel & demand for annexation of Danzig as well as a German highway & railroad across the Polish corridor

British & French Response to Hitler's Lithuania/Danzig/Polish Corridor Demands

Britain offered a guarantee to Poland which said that if it was the victim of an unprovoked an attack, Britain would come to its aid

British/French response to Abyssinian Crisis

Britain and France also gave guarantees to Greece & Romania and Britain negotiated an agreement w/ Turkey for mutual assistance in case of a war in the Mediterranean

Britain's improved military position from 1938-40

British air defense and radar developed. The rearmament program reached peak in 1939-40 and Britain's military got on equal terms with Germany.

British fear of communism

-prevented a stronger response to German Aggression

-In 1939 Chamberlain would rather not ally with communist Russia

Change in Soviet foreign policy in 1939

-led to Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of Non-aggression

-Military alliance with Britain and France was Stalin's favored option but Stalin was advised that they would never ally with him. So in May 1939, he replaced Litvinov with Molotov to pursue a new diplomatic policy

Molotov

-Replaced Litvinov in May 1939

-Stalin's foreign minister who declares that Western Democracies are enemies to the Soviet Union

Aftermaths of the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact

-1 week later on Sept 1, 1939 - Hitler invaded Poland & so Britain and France declared war, but unable to prevent quick conquest of Western Poland

-Phoney War" - 7 months of relatively little action by Germany or Allies

-Spring 1940 - Germany conquered Denmark, Norway, Holland, Belgium, and France

-1 month after German invasion of France, & 2 weeks before French collapse, Italy declared war on France & Britain

-Sept 1940 - War becomes more global as Italy tries to invade Egypt and Tripartite Pact signed

Pact of Steel (May 1939)

official alliance between Germany and Italy that proposed Italian commitment to fightingasGermany's ally in case of a war

-both military and political

Tripartite Pact (1940)

Mutual assistance between Italy, Germany, and Japan should any of them suffer attack by any nation not already involved in the war