♡ KQ3 - The collapse of international peace

Timeline: 1933-1935

1933 - Germany leaves League of Nations + World disarmament conference, refuses to pay reparations (first strike against ToV) + rearmed in secret

Jan 1934 - Non-aggression Pact with Poland

Jul 1934 - Attempted Anschluss

Jan 1935 - Sarr plebiscite → over 90% of citizens in favour of returning back to Germany → Germany regains first piece of lost territory

Mar 1935 - Reintroduction of conscription → direct challenge to allied powers, builds army to 550,000 men + airforce

→ Allies respond: Stresa Front (against Hitler’s violations)

Jun 1935 - Anglo-German Naval Agreement → Germany allowed fleet 35% and submarines 45% the size of Britain’s, legalised naval rearmament (without prior agreement with France or Italy)

Hitler’s foreign policy aims: Destroy ToV

Violate disarmament clause

Regain lost territory

Remilitarise Rhineland

Hitler’s foreign policy aims: Create a greater Germany

All German-speaking people brought back

German frontiers extended → cover areas where population was originally dominated by German people (e.g. Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland)

Hitler’s foreign policy aims: Destroy communism

Conflict with USSR

Hitler’s foreign policy aims: Acquire Lebensraum

More land for recreation and cultivation

Expansion eastwards (at the expense of Poland and USSR)

Hitler’s foreign policy aims: Build central European empire

If achieve all other aims = Germany becomes the most powerful European state

Remilitarisation of the Rhineland:

March 1936

German forces marched into Rhineland

Result: Success, France and Britain did not stop them

Why did the allied powers not stop the Nazis marching into the Rhineland?

Foolish to risk European peace over Germany getting THEIR OWN land back

France was busy preparing an election + financial crisis

Spanish Civil War:

1936-1939

General Franco (right-wing) vs Republicans (left-wing)

Franco support: Hitler, Mussolini

Republican support: Stalin

Not involved: Allied powers

Result: Franco wins

Hitler’s aims with the Spanish Civil War:

Franco wins = Spain becomes German ally

→ result: failure (Spain needs to focus on recovery)

Test out armed forces

→ result: success (Luftwaffe practiced, assault of Guernica)

Detach Italy from Britain and France

→ result: success (Rome-Berlin Axis)

Use war to smokescreen other plans

→ result: success (focus is on Spanish war → behind the screens, Hitler takes action on Austria and Czechoslovakia)

Anschluss:

March 1938

Second strike

Aim: bring all German-speaking people into Reich

Problem: Italy (in good terms, but tried to stop Anschluss in the past once)

Before Anschluss (Feb 1938):

Meeting between Hitler and Schuschnigg (Autrian Chancellor)

Schuschnigg bullied by Hitler into appointing Seyss-Inquart as Chancellor → Shuschnigg holds a plebiscite (thinking Hitler wanted to destroy their independence) → (Hitler finds out) demands Chancellor replacement → Seyss Inquart becomes Chancellor

After Seyss-Inquart becomes Chancellor:

Hitler orders army into Austria, proclaiming Anschluss

Without Italy, Britain and France couldn’t do anything

Result: More German territory, increased population, more resources

Anschluss: The Sudetenland

3.5 million German population

Anschluss: What issues did Hitler have with Czechoslovakia?

Allies with USSR and France

Democratically elected government

Created of Saint German Treaty (part of ToV)

Anschluss: What issue did Sudeten Germans have with Czechoslovakia?

Disliked discrimination by the government

Munich Conference:

Sep 1938

“Appeasement”

Participants: Chamberlain (Britain), Hitler, Mussolini, Deladier (France)

Results of Munich Conference:

Sudetenland transferred to Germany over 10-day period

Plebiscites held in any areas of doubt over uncertain nationality

Four powers gurantee remainder of Czech, after Polish and Hungarian claims are met

For: Appeasement (for Britain)

Britain needs time to rearm + cannot afford for a war due to Depression

Can correct injustices of Versailles

Can remove threat of communism

The public did not want another war

Against: Appeasement (for Britain)

Cannot trust Hitler

Germany is quickly rearming → makes war more likely rather than less likely

Sacrifice of Czechoslovakia

No appeasement = If war, Britain (and France) can get support from Czech and USSR

Pact of Steel:

May 1939

Italy and Germany

British-French Gurantee to Poland:

Britain and France knew Hitler’s next target will be Poland after Czech

Gurantee promised British & French support if attacked

Attempted to bring USSR as a member, but failed because Russia feared war with Germany

How did Britain and France know Poland will be Germany’s next target?

Poland is a recreation by the ToV

Poland has territory originally from Germany (e.g. West Prussia)

The Polish corridor separated East Prussia from Germany

Danzig is mainly populated by German people

Nazi-Soviet Pact:

10 year non-aggression pact

Surprising event (fascism and communism joining together)

Aim: Destroy Poland

How does the Nazi-Soviet Pact make sense?

Germany: didn’t want to be attacked by Russia while dealing with Britain and France

Stalin: wanted to buy time using Anglo/French - German war to strengthen Russia’s defences

Why did Britain and France declare war on Germany in Sep 1939?

Germany ignored Britain’s ultimatum (demanding Germany to withdraw from invaded areas) + Britain and France knew Germany’s goal was European domination

(If they didnt declare war, it would mean accepting the domination)

How did Britain and France know Germany’s true intentions?

Invasion of Sudetenland was reasonable (correcting the ToV)

HOWEVER, Germany decided to occupy the rest of Czechoslovakia = Hitler has other plans ← the Poland invasion proved this (it was a continuation of his plans)

Why was Hitler surprised that Britain and France had declared war?

He could not see how, without Italy nor the USSR, the two countries could be effective

They previously didn’t interfere with any invasion, but now they’re suddenly taking action?