Case study – Germany
* Treaty of Versailles
* germany surrendered in WWI
* implement peace treaty from allies
* lost over a tenth of its land
* dismantled their army
* had to take full responsibility
* pay all war reparations
* Economic Problems
* treaty affected already weakened economy
* seen as humiliation by nationalists & war veterans
* believe they could have won the war
* politicians & protesters betrayed them
* Depression and Unemployment
* american banks withdrew loans from germany
* already struggling german economy collapsed overnight
* Political Instability
* imperial government collapsed
* civil unrest & worker strikes
* feared communist revolution
* major parties joined to suppress uprisings
* parliamentary weimar republic
* hitler took advantage of the people’s anger
* offered convenient scapegoats
* promised to restore germany’s former greatness
* mainstream parties unable to handle the crisis
* left-wing opposition too fragmented by internal squabbles
* frustrated public flocked to the nazis
* increased parliamentary votes
* under 3% to over 18% in 2 yrs
* Hitler Rise to Power
* 1919-1929
* hitler became obsessed with certain views
* bigotry & paranoid delusions
* pinned the blame on jews
* his words found resonance
* society had mostly anti-semitic people
* 100s of 1000s of jews integrated into germany
* many germans still viewed them as outsiders
* jewish success after WWI
* accused of subversion & war profiteering
* conspiracy theories born out of fear, anger, bigotry
* hitler joined nazi party
* manipulative public speaking launched him into its leadership
* drew increasing crowds to his speeches
* combined anti-semitism with populist resentment
* denounced capitalism & communism
* said they were international jewish conspiracies to destroy germany
* nazi party not initially popular
* made an unsuccessful attempt at overthrowing the government
* party was banned
* hitler jailed for treason
* when released, began to immediately rebuild the movement
* 1932
* hitler ran for president
* had 36% of votes
* demonstrated his support
* lost election to general von hindenburg (decorated war hero
* 1933
* january -> hindenburg appoints hitler as chancellor
* convinced by advisors & business leaders
* hoped to channel popularity for their own goals
* steadily expanded the power of his position
* hitler’s supporters formed paramilitary groups
* fought protesters in the streets
* raised fears about a communist uprising
* said only he could restore law & order
* parliament building set on fire
* young worker was convicted
* hitler’s doing
* government grants him emergency powers
* freedom of press was abolished
* other parties were disbanded
* anti-jewish laws were passed
* early radical supporters & potential rivals of hitler
* arrested & executed
* 1934
* august -> president hindenburg died
* no new election
* hitler became dictator
Steps to War
* 1931
* japan conquers manchuria
* north of korea
* japan suffered from;
* economic problems
* overcrowding on its islands
* league of nations takes no decisive action
* hitler ordered a programme of rearming germany
* many germans grateful for jobs after depression
* 1935
* mussolini invades ethiopia
* done to expand territory
* obtained region’s rich oil resources
* league takes no action
* 1936
* march -> german troops march into rhineland
* region that was demilitarized
* was not allowed to have troops there
* actions showed how he was willing to directly challenge the peace treaty
* 1938
* march -> nazi germany annexed austria
* broke terms of the peace treaty
* was banned from uniting with austria
* arrival of troops were met with great enthusiasm
* **ANSCHLUSS = the occupation and annexation of austria into nazi germany
* september -> the munich agreement
* britain & france meet hitler
* allows germany to have sudetenland
* tries to save the world from war
* known as appeasement
* the policy of granting concessions to potential enemies to maintain peace
* october -> rome-berlin axis pact
* hitler & mussolini
* hitler to take austria & other territories in northern & central europe
* mussolini to take southern europe
* 1939
* march -> germany invades czechoslovakia
* hitler ordered occupation of all land
* first aggressive step
* suggested a war may begin
* august -> germany & russia sign non-aggression pact
* molotov-ribbentrop pact
* nazi-soviet pact
* promised neither country would attack the other
* hitler promised stalin a part of poland
* 7 days later, hitler invades all of poland
* september 1st -> germany invades poland
* september 3rd -> britain & france declare war on germany
* september 10th -> canada declares war on germany
Topic 2: Why Canada Slept
Canada Declares War (1939)
* one week after britain’s declaration of war
* as an independent dominion, canada is not automatically at war
* consults parliament first
* a formality to please quebec
* emphasizes canada’s autonomy
* hitler & mussolini were establishing fascist governments
* canada paid little attention to what was happening
* in political & military sense, canada was sleeping
* 1. memories
* losses of WWI were still fresh
* did not want another conflict on foreign soil
* 64, 976 casualties in WWI
* 2. pacifism
* canadians worked tirelessly to promote peace
* films revealed the tragic waste of war
* “all quiet on the western front”
* political leaders attempted to convinced house of commons
* wants to declare canada’s neutrality in future wars
* 3. canada in 10th year of depression
* over one million people on public assistance
* foreign politics took a back seat
* food, clothing & shelter were more important
* 4. isolationism
* followed a policy during 1930s
* joined league of nations
* never played active role
* wanted to avoid conflict at all costs
* when italy invaded ethiopia
* “no interest in ethiopia, of any nature whatsoever, is worth the life of a single canadian citizen” - justice minister
* 5. political leadership
* foreign affairs carried out by prime minister mackenzie king
* only 7 diplomatic missions abroad
* canada did not have many contact
* wanted to protect autonomy of canada
* did not want to be drawn into british imperial affairs
* 6. appeasement
* king supported the munich agreement
* misjudged facist threat & character of hitler
* factor of canada’s lack of readiness
* the government had scaled back on military spending
* armed forces were total 4 000 personnel
* 51 000 reservists
* enters war with no celebration
* prepared to send roughly 40 000 troops
* anticipated a role for Canada as Britain’s main supplier
* food
* war materials
* hopes for limited canadian involvement in conflict
* government focuses on air & sea military
* reduces/avoids heavy casualties
Mobilization
* C.D. Howe
* controls war economy
* the czar of canada’s economy
* dynamic entrepreneur
* ran government’s war production programme
* head of department of munitions and supply
* created crown corporations
* uniquely canadian public businesses
* produces new items
* e.g. synthetic rubber
* led industry to manufacture vast amounts of supplies
* ships, aircrafts
* motor vehicles,
* weapons, ammunition,
* radar & radio equipment
* made for canadian armed forces as well as allies
* october 1944 -> minister of reconstruction
* oversees transition to a peacetime free-enterprise economy
* aiming to avoid widespread unemployment & inflation
* became known as minister of everything
* Canada’s Status Before 1939
* military spending is $35 million
* navy had 10 vessels
* air force had 50 aircraft
* 14 tanks
* 29 bren guns
* 23 anti-tank rifles
* 5 small mortar guns
* Canada’s Status During & After 1939
* march
* permanent active militia
* 4169 officers & men
* non-permanent active militia
* 15 418 armed with weapons
* royal canadian navy
* 309 officers
* 2967 naval ratings
* royal canadian air force
* 360 officers & 2797 airmen
* august
* army enlisted 730 000
* air force 260 000
* navy 115 000 personnel
* thousands served in the royal air force
* naval growth
* over 400 ships
* three aircraft carriers
* two cruisers
* maritime effort helped keep shipping lanes open
* british commonwealth air training plan
* pm king had a dream
* “the power of the airplane determines ultimate victory”
* established BCATP
* army of experts were assembled
* airfields developed
* equipment obtained
* 104 113 men & women enrolled
* 154 flying schools
* 60% graduates were canadian
* canadian red cross society
* over 2 million members
* sent 10 000 food parcels each week
* by war’s end
* 1.1 million men & women had served
* war measures act
* federal statute adopted in 1914
* gave broad powers to the government
* maintains security & order during war or insurrection
* was used controversially during both world wars
* also used during the 1970 october crisis in quebec
* covered;
* censorship
* detention
* harbour safety
* transportation
* trade
* appropriation & deposition of property
* has been replaced by the more limited emergencies act
* emergencies act
* july 21, 1988
* declaration of emergency must be reviewed by parliament
* any temporary laws made are subject to the charter of rights & freedoms
* canadian auto industry
* one of world’s leading automobile manufacturers
* fourth in the world for passenger cars & trucks
* during the war, became the second largest (next to the U.S.)
* output reached 800 000
* canadian military pattern (CMP) truck
* ½ of british army’s transport requirements
* supplied by canadian manufacturers
* CMP truck was canada’s most important contribution
* according to the british government
Blitzkrieg
* lessons of world war one;
* germans;
* defensive wars lead to defeat
* emphasis on offensive action
* blitzkrieg
* new military tactic
* allies;
* defensive wars lead to victory
* emphasis on defensive action
* maginot line
* underground network of fortifications
* germans effectively utilize technological advancements
* e.g. tanks & planes
* lightning war
* places emphasis on;
* surprise
* speed
* offensive
* german airforce (luftwaffe) to bomb the rear
* tank columns (panzer) punch through defenses
* advance is relentless
Topic 3: Battles
Dunkirk
* 1940
* german advance is rapid & successful
* drove british & french forces back
* troops sent across the channel are trapped on the beaches
* germans flew around the maginot line
* flanked the allies & pushed them away from france
* british launches massive rescue effort
* germany halts its advance
* luftwaffe chief waiting for orders from hitler
* 300 000 soldiers are rescued
* boats of all sizes come, destroyers to fishing boats
* british heavy war equipment left behind
* france falls in six weeks
Battle of Britain
* winston churchill called to replace neville chamberlain
* 1940-1945
* 1951-1955
* was the prime minister of war
* neville lost confidence vote in the house of commons
* britain had zero plans to surrender
* the british people trusted churchill
* hitler decided to try to take over britain
* thought it would be easy as france fell quickly
* planned to take over the world
* britain was the biggest threat
* starts june 10th, 1940
* air war starts august 12th, 1940
* raf vs luftwaffe
* luftwaffe attacked;
* airfields
* radar stations
* london
* nightly attacks
* done to destroy the will to resist
* thousands killed
* raf bombed;
* berlin
* germany
* military targets
* factories
* ports
* children evacuated to the countryside
* spent nights in bomb shelters & subways
* key players
* adolf hitler
* leader of germany
* responsible for starting WWII
* deaths of 30 million+ people
* turned attention to destroying raf
* hermann goering
* head of german luftwaffe
* raf had to be neutralized
* bombing raids
* british air installations
* cities & centers of industry
* winston churchill
* prime minister of great britain
* lead britain during the second world war
* political career; 1900-1964
* lord dowding
* air chief marshal
* commander-in-chief of fighter command
* in royal air force; 1936-1940
* responsible for;
* preparation
* conduct
* spitfire summer
* battle was fought over the skies
* in southern england
* june, july
* germans attacked convoys
* south coast ports
* dover & plymouth
* outnumbered at the beginning
* brits had advantages like radar
* most advanced warning system in the world
* in august 1940
* battles intensified
* luftwaffe launched 1 000+ attacks in one day
* raf lost 100 fighters
* germany lost 190+ planes
* raf sustained heavy losses
* german losses were greater
* by the end of august
* germans lost 600 aircraft
* damage to radar stations left britain vulnerable
* air installations had continued
* hitler shifted the focus of his attacks
* blitz (september 7 - may 11, 1940)
* british launched air attacks on germany’s industrial areas
* angers hitler
* orders luftwaffe to bomb british cities
* changes tactics & shifts attention away from british air defence
* germany attacked 1000+ aircraft on sept 15th
* heavy fighting
* raf said they shot down 175 aircraft
* was only 56
* inflated numbers were accepted
* both sides fought a propaganda battle
* keep calm & carry on posters
* determined to continue living their lives
* attacks on british cities caused;
* widespread damage
* loss of life
* hitler needed summer weather
* threat of invasion receded as winter approached
* in the end;
* hitler failed to establish air superiority
* fleet of invasion barges suffered heavy losses
* battle was over, britain was safe
* 1598 luftwaffe were shot down
* began to try to take over russia instead
* violated nazi-soviet pact
* end of battle gave luftwaffe enough time to make up some of their losses
* hitler withdrew from britain on sept 17
* didn’t stop fighting them till oct 31
* germany not able to defeat britain
* historical significance
* raf lost 902 aircraft
* luftwaffe lost 1598
* british considered themselves most powerful country in the world
* development of radar helped them track germans
* learned how to crack the german code to intercept their plans