Transcript Causes of WWII - ECI Summer School 2014

Causes of WWII
The Failure of The League Of
Nations
The Versailles Peace Treaty at the
end of World War I provided for
the creation of a new world
organization called the League of
Nations. At its headquarters at
Geneva, Switzerland, the nations
of the world would meet to discuss
problems and to attempt to avoid
war in the future. Canada joined
the League of Nations as an
independent country.
Causes of WWII
One of the major final terms of the treaty was that
the League of Nations be created. Interestingly,
the United States never joined the League (or
signed the Treaty of Versailles), weakening its
reputation and authority.
However, at various times, important countries
such as the United States, Germany, Japan and
the Soviet Union were not members of the
League of Nations, and as a result, keeping the
peace proved difficult.
Causes of WWII
Japan
In 1931, the first serious test of the League’s power
occurred when Japan invaded the resource-rich Chinese
province of Manchuria. China appealed to the League
but it did nothing. Why?
• Member nations were in the midst of the Great
Depression and were preoccupied with their own
economic problems;
• China and Japan were far away and were not
seen as a threat to other member nations.
Causes of WWII
Italy
• In 1935, the League received its second test: Italy.
• Italy was disappointed with the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
Italy had expected more land as a reward for changing sides
during the war (to the Allies). Italy was also experiencing a
depressed economy following the war, with high unemployment.
Italians turned to Benito Mussolini, who appealed to the needs
and emotions of Italians. Mussolini promised jobs, prosperity, and
that he would make Italy a great world power.
•Sensing that the League would do nothing to stop him, Mussolini
invaded Ethiopia, Africa, in 1935. Again, appeals to the League
were made and nothing was done. Why?
•Nations were afraid of starting another major war.
Causes of WWII
Germany
•Disgusted by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler withdrew
Germany from the League in 1933.
•In 1935, Hitler violated the Versailles treaty when he introduced
conscription and began to increase the size of the Germany
military forces. Once again, the League did nothing.
•In 1936, Hitler ordered a small German army to march into the
Rhineland – another violation of the Treaty of Versailles. And
again, the League did nothing.
•It was clear that the organization that was set up to preserve
world peace was unwilling and unable to take any action on
aggressor nations. The League’s member nations were all taking
isolationist approaches and would not risk starting another world
war.
Causes of WWII
By 1936, three countries had successfully defied
the League of Nations and got away with it:
Japan, Italy and Germany. In 1936, these three
countries joined together by signing an
agreement to support each other.
Prime Minister Bennett said that Canada could do
nothing to stop Japan’s aggression. Prime
Minister King refused to agree to any actions
against Italy, because he worried about Canada
being involved in another world war.
Causes of WWII
The Treaty of Versailles, 1919
After World War One, leaders of the victorious countries gathered
at the Paris Peace Conference in France to sign the Treaty of
Versailles – the treaty that officially ended the Great War. At the
conference, American President Woodrow Wilson offered a peace
plan called the “Fourteen Points,” which was designed to prevent
future wars. Wilson proposed the creation of a world organization
called the League of Nations. The nations belonging to the
League would be responsible for making decisions in order to
settle disputes peacefully around the world and promote
international cooperation.
Causes of WWII
Wilson’s plan also recommended that no revenge be taken on the
countries that lost World War One. Wilson’s plan was a good
starting point for the final peace agreement, but not all of its
recommendations were adopted in the final peace treaty. The
people of Germany were outraged by the terms of the treaty:
•Germany had to pay reparations ($145 billion today);
•Germany had to surrender all of its colonies;
•Germany was to have no air force or submarines, only a
small navy and an army of 100,000 troops;
•Germany was to lose some of its territory (approx. 10%),
along with its natural resources;
•and most humiliating, Germany had to agree to the War
Guilt Clause and accept full blame for the war.
Causes of WWII
The Treatment of Germany
In the Versailles Peace Treaty, the losing country, Germany, was
treated harshly by the victorious countries. Germany was blamed
for the war, and forced to pay for its entire cost. Germany lost
important chunks of its territory and also had its armed forces
drastically reduced.
Many people in Germany felt that their country had been unfairly
treated by the winning countries of the First World War. As a
result, feelings of anger and frustration were present among the
German population. These feelings increased when the German
people suffered large economic hardships because they had to
pay for the war.
Causes of WWII
The Nazi Party in
Germany
In this atmosphere, a new
party, called the Nazi
Party, found supporters
among the German
voters. The Nazis were
led by Adolf Hitler. The
party blamed Germany’s
problems on the
Versailles Peace Treaty
and on the actions of the
Jewish people.
Causes of WWII
In this atmosphere, a new
party, called the Nazi
Party, found supporters
among the German voters.
The Nazis were led by
Adolf Hitler. The party
blamed Germany’s
problems on the Versailles
Peace Treaty and on the
actions of the Jewish
people.
Causes of WWII
Anti-Semitism
The Nazis made the Jewish people scapegoats (people blamed
for the wrongdoings of others). The Jewish people were targeted
because they had different religious and cultural practices from
the majority of Christian Europeans. Hundreds of years ago,
Jewish people had been excluded from many professions. Some
went into banking and business and experienced large success.
This in turn led some to be jealous and suspicious of Jewish
people.
Prejudice and hatred against Jewish people is called antiSemitism.
Causes of WWII
After Adolf Hitler and the Nazis gained control of
the government in 1933, they began to pass laws
that discriminated against Jewish people. Jews
were forbidden to take government and
professional positions, or to join the armed forces.
They lost their German citizenship rights and their
children were banished from the government
schools.
Causes of WWII
In 1938, the Nazi party
organized an attack on
Jewish shops and
offices. It was later
called "The Night of
Broken Glass" or “die
Krystallnacht.”
Approximately 100
Jews were killed, and
another 20,000 sent to
the newly formed
concentration camps.
Causes of WWII
Such examples of anti-Semitism promoted and in fact,
heralded by government, prompted many Jewish people
to attempt to leave Germany. One family that was able to
flee Germany was the Frank family. Anne Frank and her
sister and parents moved to Amsterdam, Holland.
Unfortunately, the Nazis invaded Holland in 1940, and
the Frank family went into hiding in 1942. They were
eventually found more than two years later. Anne Frank
died in a concentration camp, but her story captured the
imagination of millions when her diaries were published
at the end of the war.
Causes of WWII
In May 1939, over 900 Jewish refugees from
Germany tried to reach safety in the United
States, by way of Cuba. They were aboard the
ship, the S. S. St. Louis. When the promised
landing in Cuba was denied, the passengers
asked other countries to accept them. Countries
in South America, and both the United States and
Canada, refused to help. Canadian officials
stated that they did not wish Canada to become
“the dumping ground” for Jewish refugees, and if
one shipload were allowed, others would follow.
Causes of WWII
In his diary, Mackenzie
King wrote that he wished
to avoid “internal
problems” and he refused
to accept the passengers
on the St. Louis. Belgium,
Holland, France, and
England did accept the
passengers. Soon,
however, the Nazis
occupied the first three of
these countries, and most
of the passengers
eventually perished in
concentration camps.
Causes of WWII
Isolationism
While the Canadian government rejected Jewish
refugees, it also rejected involvement in the
international community during the 1930's.
Canada, like the United States, was following a
policy of isolationism. Both countries attempted to
stay away from issues that took place away from
North American shores. Both countries virtually
ignored the happenings in Europe that involved
Hitler and Nazi Germany.
Causes of WWII
The Actions of Hitler (1936-1939)
To protect France from future attack, the Treaty of
Versailles stated that the German military could
not occupy the border area between the two
countries named the Rhineland (named after the
Rhine River that runs through the area). In 1936,
German troops moved into the Rhineland. The
League of Nations did nothing to stop Hitler.
Causes of WWII
In 1938, Hitler’s troops marched into Austria (a
largely German-speaking country). He took it over
without a shot being fired. Later in the same year,
Hitler threatened to attack Czechoslovakia, so that
he could take over the Sudetenland - an area
where 3 million German-speaking people lived.
Appeasement failed miserably. When Hitler
invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, Britain and
France decided that enough was enough and they
declared war on Nazi Germany on September 3.
This signalled the start of World War II.
Causes of WWII
Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King had
been a supporter of appeasement. Based on one
meeting, King was convinced that Hitler was “a
man of deep sincerity” and “no serious danger to
anyone.” King’s government declared war on
Germany on September 10, 1939 - one week
after Britain had declared war.
Causes of WWII
British and French leaders had met Hitler in the
German city of Munich in September 1938 and
made a deal with him. They allowed Hitler to take
over the Sudetenland on the promise that this
would be his last territorial demand. The
agreement was not worth the paper it was written
on. Six months later, in March, 1939, Nazi forces
took over the remaining parts of Czechoslovakia.
Causes of WWII
In dealing with Hitler, most of the world, including
Canada, had been following a policy called
appeasement. This policy involves giving in to
demands to keep someone quiet. It could be
compared to giving in to the demands of a
screaming child to achieve peace in a household.
Many countries, trying to avoid a world war,
allowed Hitler to have what he wanted.
Causes of WWII
Policy of Appeasement
Appeasement is the policy of giving in to the
demands of an unfriendly power to prevent
hostilities. British Prime Minister Neville
Chamberlain and Canadian Prime Minister
William Lyon Mackenzie King were big supporters
of appeasement and were both fooled by Hitler.
King and Chamberlain believed that war could be
avoided if the democracies gave in to some of the
demands of dictators.
Causes of WWII
At the 1936 Olympic
Games in Berlin, the
Canadian team was the
only sports team from the
British Commonwealth to
march past Hitler at the
opening ceremonies and
give him the Nazi salute.
In 1938, despite Hitler’s
promise to respect the
independence of Austria,
marched troops into
Austria and forced a
takeover – the Anschluss.
Causes of WWII
Next, Hitler turned his attention to Czechoslovakia
and specifically, an area called the Sudetenland.
Hitler demanded that it become part of Germany
because of the number of German-speaking people
that lived there. In 1938, Hitler invited Prime Minister
Chamberlain to Berlin and promised he would make
no more demands if Britain and France agreed to the
German takeover of the Sudetenland. The Munich
Conference agreed to the takeover in return for a
written promise from Hitler that he would make no
further territorial demands.
Causes of WWII
Once again, the western leaders were fooled by
Hitler. They now saw him for what he was and
began to prepare for war. They knew that soon
Hitler would make a demand that only force
would be able to stop. Hitler now turned his
attention to Poland. Hitler demanded some of its
territory and Britain and France refused to even
consider these new demands and guaranteed
Poland’s borders. Britain and France promised to
go to war if Poland was attacked.
Causes of WWII
On August 23, 1939, the world was shocked to
learn of the Nazi-Soviet Pact made by Hitler and
Joseph Stalin, dictator of the Soviet Union. These
two ruthless dictators hated each other! Each
seeing an opportunity to delay war with each
other and to expand their territories created this
temporary alliance. Hitler and Stalin secretly
agreed to divide up Poland and other parts of
Eastern Europe after the war.