International relations 1930s

The great depression in Germany

• America recalls the Dawes, and Young Plan

• unemployment and general misery

• blamed the Weimar government

• people looked for somebody to restore pride (Nazi party)

• Hitlers policy of Lebensraum

Relations characterised by

• self- interest more important than international cooperation

• the adoption of aggressive foreign policies

• reactions to the rise of fascism

Hitlers 6 steps to supreme power

• January 1933 elections-chancellor

• setting up a new election as chancellor

• Reichstag building set on fire and blamed on communists

• Hitler passes the enabling act

• The death of Hindenburg and Hitlers presidency

Why did Germany support the Nazi's?

• They offered order among chaos

• Hitler was a talented speaker

• Effective use of propaganda

• offered a scapegoat for Germanys problems

• promised to get rid of the communist threat

• stormtroopers intimidated opponents

• promised to restore army and prestige

• Hitler promised a strong unified government, and said that the weakness of democracy was exposed by the Weimar Government

Whete did Mussolini look for supporters

• Wealthy business men

• wealthy landowners

• the catholic church

• industrialists

• King Victor Emanuel ii

Italy's establishment of a fascist dictatorship

• laws abolished opposing parties and their newspapers

• OURA secret police formed

• death sentence for anti-government crimes

• Mussolini presented himself as the one and only supreme leader (‘il Duce)

Hitlers 10 steps to war

• rearming

• the saar plebiscite

• rhineland remilitarisation

• the spanish civil war

• Czechoslovakia

• sudetenland (The Munisg Agreement)

• anschluss

• anti-cominterm Pact

• Nazi-Soviet Pact

• Invasion of Poland

Hitlers foreign policy

• reverse the Treaty of Versailles

• Achieve anschluss with Austria

• Lebensraum

Mussolini's invasion of Abyssinia

• Dispute at the Wal-Wal Oasis base

• Italy claims this is an invasion of Italy territory and starts preparing to attack

• Haile Selasie appeals to the League

• League decides neither side was responsible and that Mussolini should get part of Abyssinia

• Mussolini doesnt accept ruling and invades anyway

• The Hoare-Laval plan

• Mussolini now begins to align with German aggression

Italy and Germany

• Italy initially weary of Germany and even prevented Anchluss

• 1936 both participated in the Spanish civil war

• 1936 Rome-Berlin axis

• Anti-cominterm Pact

• 1939 Pact of Steel, military Pact

Spanish civil war

• Political instability

• Spain was difficult to rule and divided

• Prime minister Mayel Azaña elected and made radical reforms

• This divided the left (anarchists and communists) and the right (church, economists, industrialists, wealthy)

• Azaña resigns and is followed by CEDA government and José Mana Gil-Robles who cancells Azaña’s reforms

• Popular front emerges as right calls for a military dictatorship

• General Franco leads right wing army as war breaks out

Why did the nationalists win the spanish civil war?

• Francos troops were the army

• Franco was able to maintain unity

• Support from Italy and Germany

• the USSR’s reluctance to support the left as he did not want to upset Britain

Why did the League if nations fail to keep oeace

• failure to impose disarmament

• The Japanese invasion of Manchuria

• The Italian invasion of Abyssinia

• The Spanish civil war

• The Japanese invasion of China

Why was the League Largely innefective (FAILURE)

• French and British self-interest

• Absent powers

• innefective sanctions

• Lack of armed forces

• Unfair Treaty

• Reaching decisions

• Economic depression

Why did Britain adopt the policy of appeasement

• Nobody wanted another war

• still recovering from WW1

• the British people did not want to go to war again

• wanted to maintain international trade

• Britain had a ten year rule

• USA would not support Britain and France in another European war

• Hitler was justified in wanting to overturn Versailles

• Hitler was standing up against communism

• Hitler was a ‘good leader’