Transcript WW2 Study Help

WW2 Study
Treaty Of Versailles
Loss of Alsace &
Lorraine
De-militarised
Rhineland
Not allowed to unite
with Austria
Loss of Danzig, and
Polish corridor
Collective Security
France aligns with Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Belgium
Golden twenties
• Dawes Plan 1924
-USA banks loan to Germany to repay debts,
Germany given more repayment time
• Locarno Pact 1925
-Germany, France, Belgium, England, Italy all
sign, Germany accepts western borders
• Kellogg-Briand Pact, 1928
-65 countries sign to renounce war, only allowed
to use in self defence
• Young Plan 1929
-Owen Young (USA banker) reduced Germany’s
repayments from ₤6.6 billion to ₤2 billion to be
paid by 1988
Depression 1930s
Caused by wall street crash
people lost confidence in banks, and withdrew their savings
banks called back overseas loans
foreign trade collapse
countries raise trade barriers (tariffs & subsidies) to protect own industry,
trade declines further
unemployment
DEPRESSION
Manchuria
• Japan needs a trading partner, and see
Manchuria as one.
• Japan fakes a Chinese attack, then uses it as an
excuse to invade Manchuria.
• Manchuria becomes an artificial trading partner
• China appeals to the league, all league can do is
investigate
• By 1932 all of Manchuria was under Japanese
control, renamed Manchukuo
• Japan withdraws from the league
• 1937 Japan have full scale war with china until
1945
Rise of Hitler
• Germans needed answers in the
economic depression, Hitler was strong,
charismatic, and decisive.
• He was appointed as chancellor, and he
built up Germany's army, giving people
jobs, he built the autobahns which also
employed people.
• Within 18 months Hitler had all of
Germany under his control
Hitler’s Foreign policy
• Make Germany the number one power in
Europe
• Overthrow treaty of Versailles and claim
back lost land
• Unite all Germans in central Europe in an
enlarged Germany
• Conquer land to the east to provide living
space ( Lebensraum ) by subduing
inferior races , poles and Russians
• Show the world Germans are the superior
race
Re-armament
• Hitler goes to league of nations and says:
If we are living in a peaceful world,
everybody should disarm to the same size
armies…
• France refuses (which was what Hitler
wanted) so Hitler left the league and
rearmed.
Abyssinian Crisis
• Stresa front- France, Italy, England meet at
Stresa, they protest Germany breaking treaty of
Versailles.
• The front is broken when Italy invades Abyssinia
in 1935
• Mussolini wants overseas Italian empire
• Already has Libya, Eritrea, Somaliland so
Abyssinia is easy to take
• League stopped ships supplying Italy, but the
sanctions were useless, above all their oil supply
was never cut off.
• League were reluctant to make a naval
blockade, because a move against Mussolini
may have driven him to Hitler for support
Abyssinian Crisis
“I ask the fifty-two nations, who have given the
Ethiopian people a promise to help them in their
resistance to the aggressor, what are they willing
to do for Ethiopia? And the great Powers who
have promised the guarantee of collective
security to small States on whom weights the
rest that they may one day suffer the fate of
Ethiopia, I ask what measures do you intend to
take? Representatives of the World I have come
to Geneva to discharge in your midst the most
painful of the duties of the head of State. What
reply shall I have to take back to my people?”
Re-occupation of the Rhineland
• Saar- coal-rich land taken from Germany
by the league. 1935, a vote (plebiscite)
among the people shows 90% of people
want to unite with Germany.
• 1936 while League deals with Abyssinia,
Hitler sends troops into the Rhineland.
Hitler had ordered the men to retreat if
they met any resistance. The French
overestimated the power of the German
army, and didn’t resist.
A practice run… Spain
• 1936 civil war in Spain, republicans v.
nationalists
• Hitler and Mussolini send troops to help
the Nationalists. Russia sends troops to
help the republicans
• Guernica was a military target, and the
suspicion was that Germany was just
bombing it to test out its weapons
Anschluss With Austria
• Lebensraum (living space) Hitler’s first objective,
and that meant Austria. 96% of Austrians were
German speaking
• 1934 attempt at uniting was stopped by
Mussolini, who was now an allies, nobody could
stop Hitler.
• Schuschnigg (chancellor) made a move to
hinder Hitler by holding a plebiscite. Most
Austrians did not want to unite. Hitler's
response was we will invade, unless
Schuschnigg is replaced. Schuschnigg was
replaced with a pro-Nazi who was called SayssInquart. Sayss In-quart practically invites Hitler
in.
Czechoslovakia
• Hitler’s next target was Czechoslovakia.
In Sudetenland there were over 3million
Germans, the Skoda Arms Factory, and
the tactical location mountains.
• Hitler orders Henlein (Nazi fifth party
columnist in Sudetenland) to demand
separation from Czechoslovakia. This,
with demonstrations and riots gave Hitler
an excuse for a military takeover.
Czechoslovakia
Hitler orders a military takeover of the Sudetenland
Czechoslovakia
Sudetenland
Czechoslovakia
• Germany enters Sudetenland and
Bohemia
Munich Crisis
• Munich Agreement;
• Britain was convinced Czechoslovakia would
have to be sacrificed to try and appease Hitler.
• France had a treaty to fight for Czechoslovakia if
they were attacked by Germany, so France put
pressure on Britain to deal with it.
• The agreement was signed, Czechoslovakia
was to be given to Germany. The agreement
was signed by Chamberlain, Hitler, Mussolini
and Daladier (the French premier)… the Czechs
were not even invited into the agreement.
Czechoslovakia gets backstabbed
• Czechoslovakia thought the League of
Nations would protect them.
• The Locarno Pact 1925 should have
meant France would intervene and help
fight Germany
• Most Czechs were Slavs, so they had
expectations that Russia would come to
their aid too.
Czechoslovakia
• After Germany takes the Sudetenland,
they completely invade the rest of
Czechoslovakia.
Poland
• Hitler wanted the Deep Sea port – Danzig, which was
taken from Germany and given to Poland after world war
one.
• Also Hitler would re-unite east Prussia with Germany.
• Hitler lies to the Poles, making speeches that they have
a friendly relationship.
“Poland and Germany can look forward to the future with
full confidence in the solid basis if their mutual relations”
Britain and France decide Poland is the last straw, it was
apparent Hitler had been lying, and Britain and France
pledge their support to Poland against German attack.
Mussolini is weary, and thinks they may go through with
their pledge, but Hitler doesn’t think Britain and France
will act.
Poland
Pact of steel
• 22 may 1939 Germany and Italy pledge to aid each other
in the event of war
- Gives Hitler confidence that he doesn’t need to worry
about attack from the south
Polish Pledge
• 31 march 1939 Britain and France pledge to support
Poland against German attack
- Drags major powers into the conflict
The Nazi-Soviet Pact
• Germany and Russia sign a non-aggression pact and
promise not to make war on each other. In secret they
also agreed to share out Poland once conquered.
- Gives Hitler confidence that he doesn’t need to worry
about attack from the east
Poland
Germany and Russia share out Poland
The Phoney War
• April 1940 Germany occupies Norway and
Denmark
The Phoney War
• May 10 1940 Churchill becomes prime minister of
Britain. The same day Germany invades (neutral)
Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg.
The invasion of France
• May 12 Germany enters France, 22 June, France Surrenders
The Battle of Britain
•
Fought between August and October 1940, until the Germans were defeated
Italian Campaigns
• Mussolini declared war June 1940
Italy suffered defeats in Greece and Libya
• Germany sends troops to bail out Italians
in North Africa. In April/May 1941 they
swiftly overrun Yugoslavia, Greece, and
Crete.
Italian Campaigns