Transcript Causes of WWII in Europe - Father Michael McGivney

Causes of WWII
in Europe
Causes, Practices and Effects of Wars
Hitler’s rise to power
1921 Hitler leader of Nazi Party
25 point programme
Rally against Treaty
Nov. 1923 Hitler fails at coup d’etat
Munich Beer Hall Putsch
Hitler jailed (Mein Kampf)
Jan. 1933 Hitler is Chancellor of Germany
totalitarian
Military conscription/rearmament
Short term causes of
WWII (1933-38)
• Hitler attacks
reparations
• (reparations suspended
earlier, 1933 Hitler
claims repayments will
not resume)
• The world has already
accepted this, so no
big deal
• Hitler begins to rearm
• 1934-35, military
spending increases
five-fold
Compulsory military
Attack treaty
Rearmament
Admits to army and
airforce
How does the world
react?
• Anglo-German Naval Agreement of 1935
Allows Germany to have a much larger military than
allowed in Treaty of V.
Shows that Hitler is intimidating Europe and that
Europe has no interest in stopping him
So, what does Hitler do?
• March 1936 Germany sends 10,000 troops and
23,000 police to Rhineland (DMZ to protect France)
France and Britain do nothing
Winston Churchill later states this was the essential time
Hitler could have been stopped
• Germany sends troops to Spanish Civil War 1936
Tests Germany’s new armed forces
Hitler prepping his forces for realities of war
Hitler’s Condor Legion tests its aerial bombs in
Guernica
Foreshadowing
• Rome-Berlin Axis 1936
• Anti-Comintern Pact 1937 (Japan)
• 1937 Italy joins pact
Hope is that Japan distracts the world (esp. Russia) in
Asia so that Hitler gets less resistance
• Hossbach Memorandum (Hitler’s last will and
testament)
-Aug. 1936 “Four Year Plan”—prep German economy
for war
-Secure and preserve racial purity
-Rearmament is almost complete-any delay makes
them obsolete
-Distract France
• Anschluss
March 1938 Hitler sends troops to Austria with no
resistance (violating Treaty)
Chamberlain says it was wrong of Treaty to separate
Germany and Austria
Austria votes—Germany gains gold and iron ore
Germany gains land, military, gold, iron ore
• Czechoslovakia
Germany wanted to regain Sudetenland
France bound by treaty to protect Czech, Britain
agreed to defend too
1938 Hitler says he will fight for Sudetenland
World worried a war is coming
15 Sept. 1938 Chamberlain negotiates- Hitler agrees to
part of area
22 Sept. 1938 Hitler increases demands- wants all of
Sudetenland
Britain mobilizes navy
29 Sept. 1938 Britain, France, Italy give in
(known as Munich Agreement)
Hitler is successful with no force
Chamberlain declares “peace in our time”
Arms race begins in Europe
15 March 1939 Germany takes over all of Czech
Immediate causes of war
• Aug 1939 Nazi-Soviet Pact (won’t attack each
other)
• Invasion of Poland 1 Sept. 1939
o Britain and France must become involved now
• What was the role of
appeasement in the war?